Today, Apple holds leadership in the field of modern technologies due to unique popularity and quality of its products. Besides, Apple inspires many other companies worldwide to create innovative high-end software for its devices. On the Internet and in App Store, one may find hundreds of new apps that may meet any mac owner’s need and request.
Some of the most popular apps for Apple computers are so-called “cleaners.” Some of these programs claim to only clean memory, others eliminate cache or delete duplicate files on your Mac. However, most of these apps are designed to perform several functions and often get labeled as “multi-functional performance boosters” by their developers. Some of the cleaner apps are free to download while others are only available for a certain, often not so low, charge. In case when someone asks you to pay money, we guess, you’d like to be sure that you’ll get a really efficient and helpful app to your disposal. However, many performance boosters and other such programs appear to be useless, if not harmful for your Mac. But how can you know what is the best memory cleaner for Mac and do you need one at all, or you can do pretty well without any?
This article gives you a short review of the various types of Mac cleaners, as well as a couple of helpful tips on how to choose the most effective one.
Hard drive and memory cleaners
These apps are said to monitor and effectively clean the clogged hard drive memory of your Mac. They report of how much free space and unused RAM is left on your device and let you free up some storage and memory by clicking just one button without any extra efforts from your side.
These apps might seem to be easy in use and save your time. However, not all of them report about the space and memory balance accurately. Some may even exaggerate the data of occupied storage and RAM in use to be able to impress a user after they “clean” the device.
Cache cleaners
These cleaner apps sweep out Internet cookies and cache, and thus, free up “a considerable amount of space” on your Mac to boost its productivity.
Let’s be honest – cleaning up Internet cache may free some amount of space on your device, but it won’t make such a big difference. With hard drive being totally clogged, clearing cache won’t solve the problem. Therefore, downloading or even buying a special app for this purpose is a questionable idea.
Duplicate cleaners
Duplicate cleaners, as it is clear from their name, are created to find and instantly delete copies of various types of files on your Mac to free up its hard drive space.
Under a condition that such app is a reliable one, it may be more helpful than two types of cleaners described above. Looking for and deleting duplicate files manually may be a time-consuming activity. Having an effective app that is ready to do this in your place could be a smart idea.
Universal or multi-functional cleaners
This type of apps combines the functions of all the above cleaners – clearing memory, hard drive space, cache, and duplicates on Mac computer. Plus, most often they have some extra functions such as uninstalling other apps, providing anti-malware security, encrypting your important files, and having an anti-theft feature.
Most of the Apple users will obviously prefer to have just one cleaner app in place of several different ones, which is simple math, especially if this app is paid. An all-purpose app may be really helpful and make work on your Mac easier, saving your time as well.
However, our main advice is that you should think twice before downloading any “cleaner” software on your Mac. As explained above, many functions can be carried out by a user on their own without the need for any additional apps. Moreover, not all these apps will do good to your computer. Some of them, of course, may be good, but others are malicious, spreading malware or adware to your Mac once downloaded (MacKeeper is the most notorious example of such). Other apps will work just as much as “snake oil” – being promoted for their “super” functions, at the best possible situation they will make no difference in work of your Mac. At worst – they may only lead to new problems freezes and slowdowns.
To sum it up, we recommend you don’t fall for the developers’ colorful advertising and boosted promises. Take your time and read reliable experts’ and other users’ reviews online before you download and start using any cleaner for your Apple computer.