Cleaning utility programs for the Mac are ok, but they each have their own flaws. Our favorite up and till now has always been CleanMyMac.
CMM isn’t without it’s flaws but in our opinion it’s the most established Mac cleaner. However, there’s a new kid on the block and it’s punching way beyond it’s weight. Introducing MacKeeper….
It’s a little unfair. You see MacKeeper packs so much into it’s $39.95 package that all of it’s competitors should be quaking. In fact, if you had to purchase every separate application to achieve the functionality of MacKeeper, you’d spend a whopping $318.
That’s because MacKeeper includes the following, all in one single application:
- Duplicates Finder
- Shredder
- Anti-Theft service
- Data Recovery
- Back-up
- System Cleaner
- Hider
- Disk Explorer
- Uninstaller
- Personal Support Service
Imagine if you had installed all the above separately. You’d have several task bar icons, a lot of hard drive space used up and pretty high system load. Plus, each application would have it’s own support service. Not so with MacKeeper, which has it’s very own, dedicated customer support – either via phone, email or live chat. Pretty impressive! MacKeeper is offered as a 1 year, single user license and as an all-in-one application. Let’s take a look at each element in turn:
Cleaner
The Cleaner section comprises of 6 cleaner types. These are:
- Binary Cutter
- Cache Cleaner
- Duplicates Finder
- Language Cutter
- Log Cleaner
- Old Files Finder
The Binary Cutter at work
Using the one-click scan prompts the program to sift through each of the above cleaners and cut down on junk across your system. The first scan we did saved a very large 14.7GB. Granted we have a 1TB drive but still 14.7 is a large chunk. That’s not forgetting we run regular sweeps with CleanMyMac as well as apps such as Squeeze that are designed to save space and boost performance.
The One-click scan in progress (before finally finding 14.7GB!)
Scanning takes around 5 -10 minutes but results are good. The old finder and duplicates cleaners require you to check and select files that can and can’t be deleted. Make sure you do this!
Overall, Cleaners under MacKeeper get a solid:
5 /5
Back-up
Next up, back-up. MacKeeper back-up works well. It’s also a cynch to use, simply add a file to back-up, set a back-up destination (such as FTP or the upcoming ZeoDisk) and then hit Back-up Now. You can also select the frequency of back-up, from hourly to monthly.
Setting save frequency and then destination
Data Encryptor
The Data Encryptor has a a simple set password and you’re off set-up. Works well and we like this a lot!
Selecting files for encryption – with a choice of no encryption or AES-128 / AES-256.
Default Apps
Default Apps allows you to easily manage file extension associations all in one place. Much better than the clunky OSX manager.
Disk Usage
Disk Usage displays some of your biggest folders and files and allows you to manually remove them should you wish.
Login Items
Another user friendly format to manage items that start-up on boot up.
Shredder
Shredder is like the Mac equivalent of your office paper shredder – once files have been passed through here, there’s no saving them! Great for deleting confidential files in a fool-proof manner.
Undelete
Ever accidentally deleted a file you really, really needed? Undelete can recompile your trash folder byte by byte and restore the file. Very, very clever stuff indeed! Once you’ve scanned for old files, you just need to hit recover and select a destination!
The Undeleter is also category sortable!
Wise Uninstaller
Wise Uninstaller works somewhat like AppZapper in that you select an application, widget, preference pane and even plug-in and then hit uninstall. The resulting uninstall completely removes the application.
Anti-Theft Service
If you’re Mac is stolen, don’t worry!
Simply log on to the MacKeeper site and click on Anti-theft. You can then view details of your mac and it’s rough location, report it stolen / found and take snapshots of the thief in action!
I reported my Mac stolen as a test. I noticed around 10 minutes later, the iSight light discreetly lit up for a second. This was only noticeable as I was ready for it. A common thief would take no notice, but MacKeeper now has a picture of the thief in question – as well as tracking within a 30 mile radius.
Conclusion
We really can’t fault MacKeeper one dot! You see, for the amount of functionality and for the price AND for the sheer combining of a dozen apps into one single application we can only recommend MacKeeper. Well worth the investment if you want to keep your Mac speedy, secure and well maintained. Utility programs are finally easy to use!
You can purchase MacKeeper directly from the developers for $39.95 (single-user, 12 month license)
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Dragan Ruzic July 22, 2010
Hi folks!
I canot but agree with this fine review, I’m using the macKeeper and I’m satisfied to 300%!
When you write:
“You can purchase MacKeeper directly from the developers for $39.95 (single-user, 12 month license)” it’s a little confusing and may discourage possible customers who’ll find an _annual_ fee of USD 39.95 a bit expensive.
Like me for example. I’m more than happy with a one time cost of USD39.95 and don’t need the extra service or (otherwise) very nice functions that come with the yearly subscription.
All I need to do is to (after the first year) manually check for updates and keep enjoying a very good application – for a one time fee.
Just to clear things up here, otherwise the MacKeeper website will explain this in detail.
Thanks for a good review!
Ben Gribbin September 13, 2010
Thanks for the comments!
Sascha March 15, 2011
Hi Dragan thx for raising this it is one of my main concerns. Is there something specific to do in order to assure purchse is a one time fee? I could not find details on the topic at the website.
Can you advise / submit a link. I would intedn purchasing the App for two MACs so the 58.95$ option.
Thx
Charles Welsh November 15, 2010
On my i& iMac, II downloaded the trial version and ran the Fast Clean up feature — taking all recommended changes After doing this, my USB headset/mic stopped working, so I pulled the Apple menu down and restarted.
On attempting to reboot, I received the universal unhappy we can’t find your boot files message of a circle with a slash through it. Took it into the Apple store and they reloaded OSX for me and all was fine.
So be careful, this software does some pretty profound things, and while lots of folks like it, your mileage may vary. As for me, I don’t think I’ll be running it again…
Kimberly April 10, 2011
Thanks for this. I did the same thing and the same thing happened to me. It was a good lesson and thought it was apple approved, so others out there BEWARE.
Marco Dees June 13, 2011
Immediately after installing the trial Safari started generating all sorts of sex related popups. So I tried to uninstall but the application can not be uninstalled because it is active. So I unchecked the launch at startup box but it still launched itself at startup. Uninstalling seems impossible.
BE AWARE!!!!!!! Never, never, never download the trial version of this software. It will bring you nothing but trouble!!!!!
Wag September 10, 2011
I installed Mackeeper and only after using it once I realized that this app made many users very unhappy!! I decided to not take the chance and uninstalled it. It was an easy process, just drop the app in the trash can that un uninstaller will pop and all you have to do is to choose the reason you are doing it. So far my computer does not show signs of any problem.
edu moraes August 10, 2011
The App F$%%# my firefox!
Stephen Dunaway December 8, 2010
I downloaded the trial version but I did not install it. The next day while my computer was on and no programs were running, a small window popped up with this warning; “Your Mac OS X security level is at risk” I still haven’t installed MacKeeper and I never will. I don’t trust a company that has to use scare tactics to sell their product and after calling their tech support I think they outsource and thats why it’s cheap.
AL December 22, 2010
Thanks … – good point !
Etienne LeSage December 25, 2010
I was impressed with this product and all its very useful and friendly features for a few days until I had a problem with testing the file hider. Works well with small files but when I tried with larger ones, the application could not mount them back on further uses. I called their customer service 3 times, asking for help or if there was an undocumented limit on file size and they promised me 3 times to call me back within 48 hours, which they never did. Looks like they did not want to help me solve the issue or at least follow up with me that they were still working on it. I will not buy this product, but would have if they backed up their promise of support.
Kontol September 6, 2011
Thanks for the advice. I suspected so when installing the trial. I am uninstalling this damn apps.
K Rae January 1, 2011
Bit confused, i saw your review for CMM which, stated you were hesitant using it, and it left your mac with some hiccups. So CMM vs OnyX vs Mackeeper?
Dan Folse January 6, 2011
I fully agree with Mr. Dunaway. I don’t like scare tactics, and because of it, I completely deleted anything to do with MacKeeper. I don’t like computer bullies! Because of this ignorant tactic, I’ll probably check out “Sophos”.
Debbie Ball January 11, 2011
I was a little anxious about giving over my computer login password-the antivirus on my PC never asks for a password. I downloaded theMacKeeper free trial. It said I have over 1200 files needing attention…had the Mac less than a year. Is that even possible to have so much? Made me wonder if it was legitimate. After reading the reviews, I think I will delete the software before I have troubles….and change my password.
Jimmy January 12, 2011
It’s my own fault for not realizing something was up. MacLife website said “run this cleanup software for free!” Downloaded the program and began running the diagnostic. Half way through it told me my computer had critical problems, and of course I’d have to pay to get it to fix it all. What a scam !!…don’t feel good about having to give my computer password to let it install either. Would definitely not recommend this to anyone
VideoLAD January 18, 2011
These negative comments have put me off. I checked out some other sites and noticed the same ‘worded’ positive comments on each. I wonder if the staff (or their friends) at MacKeeper are posting them? Still not sure if to buy. I’ll await a review by MacWorld or MacUser.
Helen Abrams January 19, 2011
Bought MacKeeper for my MacBook. I love all the features. Everything worked as advertised. Except for the antivirus. After activating real-time protection, my computer slowed to a crawl – spinning beach balls at every turn. After turning it off, the computer immediately was back to normal.
felix January 22, 2011
Hmmm…. i read this page before purchasing MacKeeper and thought i’d post an update.
Plus points: it freed up a fair bit of space and support was good
Pain points: the software slowed my computer down massively. Even with the antivirus element turned off it was noticeably, painfully slower.
I took my macbook into the Genius bar who identified MacKeeper as something that was slowing the whole system down.
If they fix this issue they will have a good product on their hands
Ed February 18, 2011
I can’t disagree with this review more. MacKeeper is dog slow. Be aware that every function that this piece of software performs is done under wine (its all done in Windows emulation mode). This is actually a windows application running under a Windows virtual machine. The Real-time protection is unusable on a laptop and its painful on a dual quad core desktop because any code that you run and (especially) anything that you download gets slowed down because it all has to go thru this emulation process. If you don’t believe me, try the demo and watch the 4 wine processes and the wineserver with the activity monitor when you turn on real-time protection. Try visiting a few web pages and watch your CPU usage go to 100% and stay there. I’m very unhappy with this product and I have not gotten an answer as to why everything is run in emulation mode, I can only assume that they are Windows programmers and that’s all they know.
genenail March 5, 2011
I think these people are frauds. When trying to get you to buy the utility, it FAILS to mention that you are buying a license for only one computer and for only one year.
this is very close to fraud and i think it constitute stealing.l
Lucy March 7, 2011
I cannot be happier with mackeeper. Its an excellent app. The speed of my macbook pro is really enhanced, it no longer stalls or lingers. It removed a malware and doesn’t interfere with the functioning of other applications. Great price for what it offers.
rhouy March 14, 2011
I have had no problems with Mackeeper. The installation was smooth, it hasn’t affected any other programs and my macbook pro works faster than it has in a very long time. Customer service is fast and efficient. It removed some malware and I have retried valuable disk space. I probably will never have to use it but love the idea of the anti-theft feature. I love this product
Allan April 1, 2011
I’ve read quite a lot about how difficult it is to uninstall and doubted if it’s worth to be used at all. But then I faced a huge problem – some very important docs disappeared I can’t even imagine how so I was in need and as MacKeeper has 15-days free trial I decided to use it to try to restore my docs. And it worked!!! Then I noticed they have released a new version with numerous bug fixes and decided to purchase. Seems to work fine, anyhow if something goes wrong I’ll be able to get my money back. It’s rather clever to promise one year moneyback, I trust them more now.
hank April 1, 2011
I did the trial, did not decide to buy it, and am still getting popups as it tries to connect to the developers’ website, blocked by my security settings. I can’t figure out how to get rid of it. An uninstall that works would be a selling point. It’s not in the Accounts/Login list.
Me May 8, 2011
Guys – they are from Ukraine – what other than backdoor software do you expect from these people?
Craig williams May 31, 2011
This program crashed our computers and our new system we had installed. When i called customer support after being on hold for 30 minutes I could not understand a word the individual was saying and he wanted access to our computers leaving me with the impression that this was some type of scam. I now have crashed computers and desperately want to uninstall the program. I agree with the comments of the last posters. BEWARE THIS PRODUCT
Mark Henderson June 5, 2011
Mackeeper uninstalls everything on demand… except itself! after installing the trial, I had to reinstall OSX to get rid of the annoying growls-style messages saying my mac was ‘about to die’. Anyway,I have a brand new iMac now, and i need it professionally. Anyone here who knows how it works on OSX 10.6?
Franklin Kirk June 16, 2011
I had elected NOT to install on my Mac at this time. I wanted to check the reviews prior to purchase. So then, I get this annoying pop up every time I use my Mac. Keep the software
Joseph July 3, 2011
I down loaded the trial version and my wireless printer quit working. I removed the free trial version from my computer and now I am being bombarded with emails to get me to buy. DO NOT DOWN LOAD ANYthING from MacKeeper!
Admitted Nitpicker July 6, 2011
I knew nothing about MacKeeper until I hit F3 while looking for another window and saw a blank window labeled MacKeeper. Intrigued, I clicked on it and clicked the nearly invisible Flash box to see it. Legit? Did a Google search on its reviews and picked yours.
Sorry, it looked good but I couldn’t make it through all the occurrences of “it’s” and had to stop reading. I thought I’d finally developed immunity to it after 30 years of email and 20 of the WWW but apparently not – going straight up the wall. I used to call it the “programmer’s its” but it’s too ubiquitous now.
This is the first time I’ve ever complained complained publicly. You’re at least a semi-pro writer; can’t you do better?
There. I finally said something and will check back in a week or so to see how much vituperation the community has heaped on me Still, I feel better.
Admitted Nitpicker July 6, 2011
Complained, complained. I know. I transposed “publicly” and “complained” and didn’t proofread before sending. (The transpose – select and drag – worked, but left the original word in place.)
Go ahead, guys, pile on.
Jan Van de Perre July 19, 2011
Please, can someone from Apple give his review ?
nebuar July 28, 2011
I have downloaded and installed this – even handing over my password – as I have read several good reviews. I was pretty convinced I’d buy the product after trying it. The 15 days fully functional trial sounded very convincing.
It identified over a thousand problems and said it could save me 5.5GB but when I ran the next stage it stopped, told me I had reached my ‘Free Limit’ and that I must purchase immediately.
I agree with those who felt bullied. This is a spam tactic. I will be deleting the app. immediately though I need to find out how to stop it running first !
I have now looked more closely for further reviews as this process has worried me. I notice that several of the review sites seem to have been set up by Mackeeper themselves as they review nothing else. There are no reviews on the main sites like Version Tracker, Mac user etc.
I am very worried. I may have to buy a different piece of software to ensure i have blitzed this one.
DO NOT TRUST THIS COMPANY. If they are legit their marketing strategy is enough to boycott them. If not then who knows what trouble this download will cause….
M August 2, 2011
Mackeeper is a pretty dangerous virus. After I installed it I now get an error message whenever I turn on my mac. My Mac is now a brick : (
H August 26, 2011
I download this mackeeper, after read the review I am really worried, and uninstalled it, and then i found i couldn’t change my password, and then old password not working as well. dangerous virus.
Marie September 5, 2011
I like the features on the mackeeper but it does slow down the computer badly. Though I think they could use some twick with the virus scan since it didn’t catch a few melware. Just wish it didn’t slow down my computer so much when I want to work on Photoshop CS5.
Also To those who keep saying it’s a virus…..I think that it depends on where you download mackeeper. I was really worried about MacKeeper Being a Scam and So I did research, on it. It was around the time it came out so I didn’t read anything about the problems. Kinda Wish I did.
But I bought it for cheap when they were having a HUGE sell. So, I hope it runs out soon, I kinda don’t want to it anymore cause of the Lagging issue…. but the ability to clean the computer free of junk files is what I like alot.
They need to fix lagging issues.
rekindaguy September 18, 2011
Mackeeper: Fraud, Fraud, Fraud! DO NOT buy this product. Tech support -from the Ukraine, BTW, was totally unable to allow me to log in to the program without me giving them remote access to my computer. NO WAY! Stay away from this company and this program!
Nico September 19, 2011
I see the ads for this app everywhere on internet. They do pop-ups with a dialog window which you have first to dismatch. I don’t trust a product that needs such ways of publicity. Most reviews seem to go in the same direction.
Yanoboy September 23, 2011
6 monts ago i was interested in this product. On the site, they were saying that you have 2 days to buy the product at the discount price….well, got on the site today ( 6 months later ) and guess what? I STILL have 2 days to buy at discount price! This type of marketing inspire no trust at all!
Sana Paul October 20, 2011
Yanoboy, do you think we run such sells only once? In fact, every major release of the app is followed by such time-limited offers. You are just the lucky one to see them twice =)
Sana Paul, Zeobit LLC PR Manager
Hugo November 7, 2011
Wish I’d remembered to read these reviews before I spent my hard earned cash on this product. Waste of cash :
- It does not make any improvements at all
- It slows down my Mac massively, gobbling up RAM and processor no end
- Disabling the AntiVirus does not work from within the application, so you have to
- Uninstall completely, but there is no way of doing that in MacKeeper.
It is in my mind an example of very user-unfriendly, poorly designed and bloated software that should be avoided.
I finally solved my problems with it by un-installing with CleanMyMac, and optimising my system with MainMenu. That works.
Best advice : Keep clear, and ignore the scare tactics (which I fell for)
Platonykiss November 7, 2011
I share all the suspicions concerning McKeeper’s way of already spying a computer of somebody who simply would like to try this software.
Most suspicious after all was the disqualifying evaluation of the computer’s harddisc. First it maintains that it had serious problems, and when I tried to find out what was really making the difference, it was to give the company access to your computer. After the procedure of giving permission, the system scan gave immediately positive results.
My other critic concerns the fact, that all the changes are not properly documented by a log file.
I think, this way is certainly not up to make clients trust in this software, it rather gave the impression that certain resting files after removing are troians.
Nevertheless I was positively impressed by the duplicates finder, which also discover duplicates made by the mac system under an unknown name. Usually OSX works invisibly, and snowleopard users need to install onyx, if they want to understand what it is really doing.
PainInTheA December 4, 2011
I stumbled across the same experience as others here: seeing great reviews, downloading the app, beeing surprised about the massive advertisment inside the app and the slow down of my system.
And than I, for curiosity’s sake, I had a look at the pricing of the unlocked Version. They honestly tried to make you buy the App by saying that their standard price of arround 40€ would normally cost over 500€. Is that a joke? Honestly!
PainInTheA December 4, 2011
Update: trying to uninstall the App broucht up a strange Message: trying to make you buy another product and getting the App for free.
These marketing ideas are dubios.
Richard Wozniak January 8, 2012
Do not download, still less buy, this horrid piece of malware.
not only is it not necessary, it will clog up your Mac and slow it virtually to a standstill. Do not repeat the mistake I made.
When I checked my own Mac Pro to see why it had virtually ground to a halt, I found that MacKeeper had hijacked 96% – 99% of the CPU!
Once installed, MacKeeper is very difficult to uninstall and has to be done manually in a large number of steps. If any of these are missed, it will continue to cripple your Mac.
DO NOT BUY THIS PIECE OF EVIL GARBAGE.
Richard Wozniak January 8, 2012
To get rid of MacKeeper properly and permanently, go to this link and follow the instructions to the letter.http://applehelpwriter.com/2011/09/21/how-to-uninstall-mackeeper-malware/