CleanMyMac alternative: Peekaboo vs CleanMyMac
By Vishva Variya · Updated
CleanMyMac is a full maintenance suite: system junk, malware scans, an uninstaller and an app updater, sold mostly as a subscription. Peekaboo is narrower on purpose. It doesn’t clean system caches or scan for malware. It shows you your own files, helps you find them, and clears the ones you don’t need in a way you can always undo.
Looking for CleanMyMac itself? It’s at macpaw.com.
- CleanMyMac price
- $39.99/year, $9.99/month or $89.99 one-time (Mac App Store)
- CleanMyMac requires
- macOS 11 or later
- Peekaboo
- $24.99 one-time, 14-day trial, macOS 14+
CleanMyMac figures from macpaw.com/cleanmymac and its Mac App Store listing, verified 2026-10-31.
Why pick Peekaboo over CleanMyMac?
Pay once
Peekaboo is a one-time purchase with a 14-day trial. CleanMyMac’s App Store listing starts at $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year.
Your files, not system internals
Peekaboo stays out of ~/Library and system folders. Clean Up only looks at things you made or downloaded, and iCloud-only files are skipped.
A library you’ll open again
Plain-English search, text in screenshots and downloads by source make it an app for every day, not a monthly scan.
Peekaboo vs CleanMyMac, job by job
| Job | CleanMyMac | Peekaboo |
|---|---|---|
| System junk, caches, malware | Core features | Not offered, by design |
| Large, old and duplicate files | Yes, including similar photos | Yes, with look-alike photos and one-click undo |
| Finding files | Not a search app | Plain-English search and text in images |
| Uninstalling apps | Uninstaller with leftovers | Lists apps you never open; moves the app to the Trash |
| Price | $39.99/year or $89.99 one-time | One-time, 14-day free trial |
The honest verdict
If you want malware scanning and system-level cleanup in one subscription, CleanMyMac covers more. If what fills your disk is your own stuff (downloads, videos, duplicates) and you’d rather pay once and keep every cleanup reversible, Peekaboo is the simpler choice.
CleanMyMac vs Peekaboo: questions
Does Peekaboo remove system junk or caches?
- No. macOS manages its own caches, and Peekaboo only works with your files. That’s also why nothing it does can break an app.
Is CleanMyMac a subscription?
- Mostly. Its Mac App Store listing offers $9.99/month or $39.99/year, and an $89.99 one-time purchase, as of October 31, 2026.
Can Peekaboo undo a cleanup?
- Yes. Each cleanup is recorded as a session, and you can put all of it back in one click.