How is it different from AppCleaner?

Same job, more coverage: orphaned files from long-deleted apps, a Trash watcher, Homebrew and iOS app extras, and an actively maintained codebase.

Download Pearcleaner - Free Software

About Pearcleaner

Dragging an app to the Trash on a Mac leaves a trail: caches, preferences, support files, and logs scattered across the Library folders. Pearcleaner exists to find that trail. Drop an app on it, or pick from the list, and it shows every related file before deleting anything, with sizes and locations, so you decide what actually goes.

It covers the expected ground and then some: leftover-file detection when you uninstall, orphaned files from apps removed long ago, an optional watcher that pops up when you Trash an app yourself, and extras like finding old iOS apps and cleaning up after Homebrew. The interface is a small, native-feeling macOS utility, the download is about 10 MB, and the current release is 5.4.3 (November 2025). It is free, and the source is public.

Two honesty notes. First, the license: Pearcleaner is source-available under a fair-code model, which is not OSI open source; you can read and build the code, but it is not the same freedom as MIT or GPL. Second, any uninstaller can delete something you wanted: the pre-delete file list is there for a reason, so read it, and the app asks before it acts. Verdict: the tidy, free replacement for the aging AppCleaner on modern macOS, with the one caveat that its license is source-available rather than true open source.

Key Features

Complete app uninstalls

Shows every related file (caches, preferences, support files) before deleting an app

Orphaned file cleanup

Finds leftovers from apps you removed long ago

Trash watcher

Optionally offers cleanup when you drag an app to the Trash yourself

Sizes and locations shown

Review exactly what will be deleted and where it lives

Pros & Cons

Pros

Shows you the file list before deleting anything, with sizes
Free with no feature paywall
Small, focused, and native-feeling on macOS
Source code is public for inspection
More thorough than dragging apps to the Trash, friendlier than manual Library hunting

Cons

Fair-code source-available license, not OSI open source
macOS only
Like every uninstaller, a careless click can remove a file you wanted
Small one-developer project, so support is community-scale

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Pearcleaner free?

Yes, it costs nothing and has no paid tier. The source code is public, but note the license is fair-code source-available, which is not the same as OSI open source.

Is it safe to let it delete files?

It shows the full file list with sizes before deleting and asks for confirmation. As with any uninstaller, glance at the list rather than clicking through blindly.

Which Macs does it support?

macOS, with a download of about 10 MB. The current release is 5.4.3 (November 2025).

Pearcleaner