Best Maintenance And Optimization Tool For Mac

Best Maintenance And Optimization Software For Mac
Best Optimization Software
Best Maintenance Software For Mac

OnyX – Free Mac System Maintenance and Optimization Tool OnyX is a simple and light Mac optimizer application that comes with a variety of maintenance tools that can be run to make sure that you are enjoying your system at its fullest.

The weather's turning warmer in our neck of the woods, which means it's time to start thinking about spring cleaning. While you're emptying your closets, decluttering, and getting rid of the bloat in your life, why not do the same for your Mac? Here are some simple, easy to follow tips to give your trusted Mac a little spring cleaning of its own.

Clean It Out

Let's start with the outside of your system. Turn it off, unplug everything, and move it out from where you normally have it set up. Give the area around your Mac, whether it's an iMac on your desk, or a Mac Pro under your desk, a good cleaning—there's probably dust and grime built up around it. Apple has specific guidelines to cleaning your gear, and while each system is a little different, it's always a safe bet to take a microfiber cloth to the surface of your device to wipe away the dust and any smudges or oils that may be lingering on your screen or case. Apple suggests a damp, lint-free cloth to do the job, but even a dry microfiber cloth will get he job done—especially on displays and screens where you absolutely don't want to use harsh chemicals of any kind. Photo by Cheon Fong Liew.

Even though it's not officially recommended by Apple, a little compressed air will go a long way towards getting the dust out of the cracks, crevices, and exhaust vents. If you have a Mac Pro, you can crack the case open and attack the inside with the same cloth and compressed air.

If your case or keyboard are seriously gunky, we highly recommend attacking the filth with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, but keep in mind that they—and other melamine sponges—are slightly abrasive, so you may be rubbing away grease and dirt, but if you keep scrubbing you can wear away the top layer of the finish as well.

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Tame Your Cable Clutter

Before you set your Mac back up, go ahead and take some time to tame the cable clutter that may have accumulated under your desk over months of use. Now is a good time to learn how to wrap those cables so they don't take up so much space, or order some velcro cable ties, twist ties, or zip ties to help you keep everything coming out of the back of your computer neat and tidy, and maybe even label them with milk jug labels or bread tags. If it's really bad, you can always repurpose a rain gutter, use a flower pot, or find another container to keep the cables and their slack out of sight.

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Get Up to Date

If you're setting some time aside to tidy up your Mac for the spring, the first thing you'll want to do is make sure you have all of the latest patches, security updates, and application updates available via Software Update. If you're running a really old version of Mac OS and you've been thinking about upgrading, there's no time like the present to get on board with OS 10.8 'Mountain Lion.' Even if you stick to Snow Leopard, or newer verisons of Mac OS aren't supported on your hardware, it's worth using Software Update to make sure your system is as up to date as it can be.

Uninstall Unnecessary Apps

After you've made sure your system is all up to date, it's time to dig into your Applications folder and start uninstalling programs that you know you no longer need. In most cases, uninstalling a Mac app is as simple as dragging the app to the trash, but doing just that can leave orphaned preferences files from those uninstalled apps on your computer. We'd suggest using an actual uninstaller, like our current favorite, AppCleaner, which is completely free. If you're willing to spend some coin ($13, to be exact), AppZapper has a prettier UI and a few more options, but in the end they both do the same thing. If you use one of these apps to remove those unwanted programs from your system, you can be sure you're getting rid of all of their associated files as well. Finally, head into System Preferences, click on Accounts, and clean out the Login Items tab of any applications that you don't want to run on startup. Sometimes even uninstalled apps leave entries behind, and it's a good idea to tidy up your startup items anyway.

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Reclaim Hard Drive Space

If you've been following along, you've cleaned up your Mac on the outside, your Mac is up to date, and you've uninstalled the programs you no longer use or need on your system. Now it's time to finish cleaning your Mac up on the inside and get back the hard drive space that's probably being wasted by old VirtualBox images, video game screenshots, or other assorted files you didn't know were lurking on your system.

The venerable Disk Inventory X is a great tool that will scan your drives and show you what's eating up all of your space in an easy to understand view, and it's completely free. Alternatively, $10, if you have it to spend, will buy you a copy of Daisy Disk, an app that many of you preferred because it allows you to not just see the contents of your drive in multiple views, but go ahead and delete, compress, and organize your drive quickly—and automatically, without you having to lift a finger. Just make sure you empty your trash when you're through with everything to really get the space back.

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Do Some Maintenance and Optimize Your System

Now that you've cleaned out the mess from your Mac, it's time to give OS X a little TLC. Head into Disk Utility and click 'Verify Disk.' It shouldn't take too long, and if you see any errors, wait for it to finish and click 'Repair Disk.' It's always a good idea to verify your disk every few months, just to make sure you're not missing some creeping issue with your hard drive or your OS X installation. You may also notice that you can verify or repair disk permissions. It doesn't hurt if you do it, but whether or not it's actually useful as a troubleshooting step is hotly debated. All-things-Mac writer John Gruber says it's voodoo, and honestly, he's right—it's not very useful for regular troubleshooting. However, Dwight Silverman says it's saved his bacon, although he had to dig deeper to fix his issue. Apple still reccomends repairing permissions for specific issues and references it in its knowledgebase. Your mileage may vary.

Beyond Disk Utility , you may also want to look into a system optimization utility like Onyx, our favorite system tweaker for Mac. Alternatively, previously mentioned cleaning utility iBoostUp does a great job of tidying up your system, as does the newly releasedCCleaner for Mac.

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Back Up Your Refreshed Mac

These steps are all well and good to keep your Mac running smoothly, and even for periodic cleanups like these to get everything back in top shape. That said, they're all but wasted if you're not backing up your system. If you need help getting started, here's how to set up a bulletproof backup system using our favorite tool, CrashPlan. I use it personally to keep both my Mac and Windows systems backed up, and once it's set up, it really is fire and forget—and you get to sleep at night knowing all of your data is safely backed up to another computer, external drives, or—if you have the money to spend—an offsite location.

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You may also consider taking a disk image of your freshly tidied Mac in case you need to restore later after a hard drive upgrade or replacement. You can do this in Disk Utility, but our favorite disk cloning tool for Mac is Carbon Copy Cloner, which is a bit more robust and reliable.

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Best maintenance and optimization software

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That's all there is to it. Macs usually don't need much in the way of maintenance, but they can definitely use some cleanup from time to time, especially after heavy use. Apple doesn't ship too much in the way of tweaking or optimization tools for your Mac, but there are plenty out there for all versions of Mac OS, so don't be shy when it comes to giving your ailing Mac a tune-up. After all, it's spring, and now's the perfect time to declutter and clean up your Mac as well as the rest of your life.

Do you have any spring cleaning tips that we left out? Share your tips—and suggestions—in the comments below.

Last update: Apr. 17, 2018

Is your Mac machine running a little slowly? Does it hand up more often? MacBook, iMac, it doesn't matter. Over time hard drives accumulate all kinds of things that slow down macOS, especially latest 10.13 High Sierra which requires more available storage and memory.

Reasons behind a slow Mac vary, so are the ways to tune it up. Just do a quick search in Apple Support Community, you'll find tons of optimization tips — though many of which turned out to be a little unhelpful.

In general, there are two ways to speed up a Mac: upgrade hardware, optimize macOS system. If your Mac machine is struggling to meet the basic requirements for High Sierra or apps, you'll benefit from the addition of RAM or solid state drive (see the best SSDs for MacBook Pro).

If the slowdown is software or macOS system related, a Mac optimizer app can really help. Although we'd be realistic that it is unlikely that you'll be able to tune up your Mac with rocket speed.

In this review, we'll show you the best Mac optimizer apps to clean, tune-up, and improve your Mac's performance. Depending on the conditions of your computer e.g. new or old, storage space enough to not, your mileage may vary.

Quick Summary

Want to save time exploring? We understand. Here's a recap of our recommendations:

If your Mac is slow because the startup disk is almost full, get CleanMyMac 3 to run a quick scan and remove those system junk and unnecessary files.
For most Mac users especially those who aren't tech-savvy, you'll love what IObit MacBooster has to offers. It's a one-stop Mac maintenance tool that can protect and tune up your Mac.
If you just switched to Mac from a PC and prefer apps that are easy to use, consider Stellar SpeedUp Mac as it all starts with one-click to scan and fix all found Mac issues. CCleaner Pro is also a great option and it's available for both macOS and Windows.

Below, you'll find our detailed reviews, but you can also click the links above to get your desired app and start optimizing your Mac.

Optimization Software for Mac: What to Look for?

There is an extensive list of Mac apps that claim to be able to speed up or make a Mac run faster, and usually, each of them has its own unique features. It's really challenging to put them in comparison, so we review each Mac clean/speed app based on the following factors.

Security

The app should be free of malware or bundled apps. Although macOS is less prone to be infected with viruses or malware compared to Windows OS, it's still worth paying attention to as this breaking news reported by WIRED:

'..while Apple has earned a strong reputation for security, a string of significant vulnerabilities in macOS and iOS have strained Apple's safety net.'

Therefore, many people say macOS isn't safe anymore (in our opinion, we'd add 'that' before 'safe'). We test this by running Mac security software to test whether the app contains malicious procedures. To be honest, we knocked out quite a few programs such as MacKeeper, which was reported by many Mac users for being hard to uninstall. Offensive software like that also hurt user experience.

App Quality

The app must deliver what it claims to offer, simple and fair! In our opinion, if a piece of software or app turns out to be different from what it claims to be — for example, fails to free up a decent amount of disk space, or improve the performance of our Macs (which show a bit age), then the value of getting such an app becomes little if not none at all.

Also, we prefer Mac apps that are light-weighted. That means even if a Mac tuneup app does a great job in helping reclaim tons of storage by clearing system junks, but at the cost of consuming a big portion of system resources while running in the background, we'd rather not to feature it in our best list.

macOS Compatibility

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This is very straightforward. Apple pushes out a main yet new version of macOS once a year and to date, it's High Sierra 10.13.3. If an app is unable to run smoothly under High Sierra, it's definitely a problem. Because most Mac users will upgrade to the latest macOS sooner or later. According to ComputerWorld, 25% of all Mac users upgraded to 10.11 El Capitan in the first month, not to mention those who chose to upgrade on and from day 31.

If the developer of a Mac app fails to update the software in time, chances are the app has compatibility issues with the latest macOS version. Those who download and install it would have a hard time running it smoothly, let alone fixing potential Mac issues and optimizing your Mac's performance.

Tech Support

Not all Mac users are tech-savvy. Those who just joined the Apple Mac family or switched from the PCs will take much time getting familiarized with Apple's macOS operating system. When it comes to handling technical tasks such as diagnosing Mac system issues, removing junks, cleaning caches, uninstalling third-party apps, etc., novice users definitely need help along the way so it's ideal that the app developer can offer prompt tech support.

For example, we value developers that provide various channels for customers (and potential customers) to reach out to, those could include emails, online chat, social media, or even phone calls. We have therefore decided not to include several programs written by individual developers who are unable to provide a decent level of support.

Ease of Use

All software programs are designed for human beings, not machines. It's important that the best Mac performance tuneup software should be fairly easy and simple to use. From user interfaces, interactive buttons, to explanatory text instructions, they must be clear and to the point.

Speaking of this, one main reason why our AnySoftwareTools team love Macs more than PCs is that macOS is much friendlier than Windows. We all are used to the awesome feeling of smooth navigation on our MacBooks, right? If a third-party Mac optimization software can't live up to this principle, we'll hesitate to recommend it unless it shows merits over other aspects.

Cost

Well, pricing used to be the primary factor when we make decisions and it's reasonable. Who wants to pay for a commercial software given that a free option is available in the market. However, the truth is these days freeware or open source are becoming rare. Plus, many times free apps just don't cut it.

What do we mean? Well, we've tested a number of free Mac cleaner and optimizer apps, only to find that some aren't compatible with High Sierra due to lack of update, while others are either confusing to use or very limited in terms of features. We'd rather not to say this, but it's often tedious and frustrating to install a free app and remove it later on.

The Best Mac Performance Optimization Software in 2018

Please note: all the apps we recommend below are safe to download and use (in other words, they are free of virus or malware). They are also moderately easy to use with sleek interfaces and clear instructions. And we tested them on a High Sierra based MacBook Pro and they all turned out to be fully compatible with the latest macOS. Last but not least, we chose them because they have a dedicated support team taking customer queries.

1. Best Mac Clean up Software: CleanMyMac 3

(Free to try, starting from $39.95 to buy)

Most newer Mac machines (especially MacBooks) are now with small-volume flash storage starting from 256GB, that means your Mac will fill up quick and run slowly after some time. What can you do? The answer seems oddly simple: clean up Mac drive. But the process isn't as easy as it may sound. Often it takes hours if not days to find out what files taking up the major disk space.

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That's where CleanMyMac 3 excels. It's an intelligent app designed and developed by MacPaw, aiming to make your life easier. You can use the app to easily reclaim gigabytes of free storage space in just a few clicks. For example, scan and remove system/iTunes/Photo junk, identify large old files that are safe to delete, uninstall useless third-party apps in batch, etc.

(A quick scan took only 30 seconds and the app found 4.16 GB files ready for safe cleanup)

One particular section we like about CleanMyMac is the 'Maintenance' module, which is packed with 7 useful utilities that help fix various common Mac issues, such as speed up Mail, verify startup disk, repair disk permissions, flush DNS cache, etc. These maintenance tasks are usually for power users, but CleanMyMac makes it easy for us basic users to use as well.

There are also a handful of other super helpful utilities within the app, and it's up to you to choose to use them or not. We believe CleanMyMac is the best Mac cleanup app out there and we highly recommend it to most of Mac users.

2. Best Mac Maintenance Software: IObit MacBooster

What separates MacBooster from other Mac optimization software is its all-in-one concept. You'll rarely see how one piece of software can achieve so much — protecting your Mac from virus and malware, cleaning Mac disk drive, optimizing Mac startup times, and others. Obviously, IObit wants to position the app as a one-stop maintenance tool for a Mac.

Once you install and run the app, the main interface shows 'System Status: Unknown'. All you need to do is clicking the 'Scan' button, within seconds or minutes you'll see an overview report detailing the issues with your Mac system. Well, we have to point out though, that the software over exaggerates the seriousness of certain issues. For example, it detected 5751 issues under Privacy Protection but turned out those 'issues' are actually browsing histories we feel okay to keep.

Nevertheless, we still think the app is valuable for many users. In particular, we like the Duplicate Finder feature — which can help you spot out tons of duplicate and similar items (especially pictures) that are safe for removal. And by doing so, you could free up much storage on your Mac. There are also several other great features like Photo Sweeper, Uninstaller, etc. The bottom line: MacBooster is probably the only yet most comprehensive Mac maintenance app you'll need to keep your Mac secure and fast.

Best Maintenance And Optimization Software For Mac

3. Easiest Mac Tuneup Software: Stellar SpeedUp Mac

(Free trial available, $39.99 to buy)

Bill itself to be able to 'increase the speed of your Mac by up to 25%', Stellar SpeedUp Mac is another Mac performance app that strives to take a share in the crowded market. The app is well designed with clean interfaces and text instructions. To get started, all you have to do is clicking the 'SpeedUp Now' located in the center, and select 'Recommended Scan' to continue.

The app then shows you a list of files that are supposed to be deleted, though within the program this action is called 'SpeedUp Now'. We found this a bit confusing as cleaning Mac junk files is one thing and speeding up the computer is another, not sure why Stellar Phoenix uses the words interchangeably.

That being said, it's one of the easiest-to-use programs we've tested and some of you may actually like it even though it's not the fully-packed or powerful optimization apps.

4. Best Cross-Platform Cleaning Tool: CCleaner Pro

(Free version is available, Pro version costs $24.95)

Best Optimization Software

For those of you who just switched to Mac, you probably have used CCleaner back in the PC days. CCleaner was so popular and Piriform claimed it had achieved millions of downloads. But its popularity perhaps has decreased a bit due to the malware hack happened in September 2017 (read more from this Time report). Still, it's a tool loved by many and CCleaner is definitely the number-one tool for cleaning a Windows PC.

Few Mac users actually know that the app is also now available for macOS. Clearly, Avast (who acquired Piriform) wants to replicate the success of CCleaner in the Mac market. CCleaner Free allows you to scan and clean your computer, while the Pro version offers additional real-time monitoring, automatic updates, and premium support.

Best Maintenance Software For Mac

Influenced by the startup culture in the Silicon Valley, Jessica loves building things from zero to one and is keen on following news related to the Big Five tech giants and many SaaS startups.

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