Cleaner One Pro Review: one of the best Mac cleaners

Cleaner One Pro for Mac is easy to download and install: just snag either the free copy or sign up for the tiered subscription, install the software, give it permission to access your hard drive, and you’re set.

See how Cleaner One Pro compares to other Mac Cleaners in our round-up of the Best Mac Cleaner software.

The software requires Mac OS 10.12 (Sierra) or later to install and run, and is available in both free and paid subscription-based tiers. For the free tier, the software offers basic scanning and no user limits while requiring no credit or debit card to be stored with Trend Micro. The Basic tier, which currently retails for $19.99/£19.99 a year (then $24.99/£24.99 a year) requires a payment method to be stored with Trend Micro, offers support for one device, access to additional tools, and easy uninstallation if desired. The Advanced tier retails for $29.99/£29.99 a year currently (then $59.99/£46.99), requires a payment method to be stored with Trend Micro, and offers support for five devices, macOS and Windows support, quick uninstallation, and access to additional tools. There is a version on the Mac App Store that retails at $19.99/£19.99 or $29.99/£30.99 on a yearly subscription. There’s also an iOS version.

Once installed and run, a clean, animated user interface invites you in. Like similar tools, Cleaner One Pro is designed around an assortment of modules along with its overarching Smart Scan, which looks over your storage, diagnostics, and applications, while the other modules (Junk Files, Big Files, Disk Map, Startup Manager, Duplicate Files, Similar Photos, App Manager, and File Shredder) attend to their own tasks when activated. The modules, in turn, performed well during testing, and were able to locate large files and duplicates that could be disposed of.

The Junk Files module found a nice variety of unused disk images and installers I’d forgotten about and didn’t need, and an interface along the Menu Bar tracked memory usage, CPU usage, network usage, and hooked into Dropbox to help put files up on the cloud, which was useful. Other nice touches included easy access to technical support to quickly file a ticket, report a bug, or suggest a new feature, and the Smart Scan feature helpfully points out whether or not a macOS update is available for download and installation, which is a helpful add-on.

Still, there are some elements that could require some attention. First, and as helpful as it may be, the free version of Cleaner One Pro feels like a living ad for the subscription-based tiers, the interface being slathered in advertising encouraging you to unlock the full feature set. This advertising, of course, disappears once you sign up for the service, but the “More Tools” module leads to a screen offering access to Trend Micro’s antivirus, VPN, decompression, and ad blocking utilities. Yes, this can be argued from both sides and a company has every right to advertise its full set of wares, but this still seems excessive once you click into the “More Tools” window. You can’t navigate through module windows using the page up and page down keys, and are instead limited to the mouse, which seems like an odd feature to leave out. This and the fact that once an activation key has been purchased, it can’t be copied and pasted from the Trend Micro website or your email, and has to be entered in by hand, shows security overlapping ease of use, even if it is for a one-time thing like entering the activation code you just paid for.

Finally, a lack of communication from Trend Micro itself for product and technical questions raised my eyebrows a bit, and I’m curious as to whether others have experienced this, or have had quick, speedy communication with the company.

Should you buy Cleaner One Pro for Mac?

What’s present with Cleaner One Pro is useful, lives up to its description, and an elegant user interface makes it easy to navigate the program, customize settings, quickly view extraneous apps, files, and login items, and prune your Mac down more effectively. It’s also to Cleaner One Pro’s credit that the application doesn’t try to make itself a mega-suite and do everything under the sun, including antiviral scanning and protection or act as a VPN, although Trend Micro readily advertises those products for sale. A free trial for Cleaner One Pro would not go amiss, and if Trend Micro could find a way to keep its customers informed of its offerings while easing up a bit on its in-app advertising, the experience would be that much better. Still, Cleaner One Pro offers a useful set of Mac cleaning tools for a good price, and if you’re looking for something reliable in this field, it’s worth your consideration.