Pearcleaner README

The project's README from github.com/alienator88/Pearcleaner. As one markdown file: README.md.

Pearcleaner

Website

The only legitimate website owned by me is https://itsalin.com. Anything else offering Pearcleaner downloads is either a scam or not affiliated with me. More details HERE.

Project Status: On Hold

As you may have noticed, development on the app has basically stopped since end of 2025, so I wanted to provide some context.

Between a new job, joining a friend who is building a SaaS company, and other life priorities, I no longer have the time needed to actively maintain or continue development on the project.

Another major reason is that I previously relied on my work MacBook for development. After changing jobs, I no longer have access to a Mac device that I can use for personal development work, which means I’m currently unable to build, test, or release updates for the app.

Because of that, issue responses, feature work, PR reviews, and new releases are effectively on hold indefinitely for now.

The project is not abandoned entirely, and I’d still like to return to it someday if circumstances change. For now though, I want to be transparent that active development is no longer possible on my end.

Thank you to everyone who has used the app, reported issues, submitted ideas, or contributed. I genuinely appreciate all of the support the project has received.



Status: On Hold
Version: 5.4.3
Download · Commits


A free, source-available and fair-code licensed Mac app cleaner inspired by Freemacsoft's AppCleaner and Sun Knudsen's Privacy Guides post on his app-cleaner script. This project was born out of wanting to learn more on how macOS deals with app installation/uninstallation and getting more Swift experience. If you have suggestions I'm open to hearing them, submit a feature request!

Table of Contents:

Features | Screenshots | Issues | Requirements | Download | Translations | License | Thanks | Other Apps


Features

Core

Utilities

Customization

Screenshots

Issues

[!WARNING]

  • When submitting issues, please use the appropriate issue template corresponding with your problem HERE
  • Issues with no template will be closed
  • This is a personal/hobby app, therefore the project is fairly opinionated. Opinion-based requests (e.g., “the layout would look better this way”) will not be considered.

Requirements

[!NOTE]

  • Full Disk permission to search for files
  • Privileged Helper to perform actions on system folders
macOS Version Codename Supported
13.x Ventura ✅
14.x Sonoma ✅
15.x Sequoia ✅
26.x Tahoe ✅
TBD Beta ❌

Versions prior to macOS 13.0 are not supported due to missing Swift/SwiftUI APIs required by the app.

Getting Pearcleaner

Releases

Pre-compiled, always up-to-date versions are available from my releases page.

Homebrew

You can add the app via Homebrew:

brew install --cask pearcleaner

Translations

If you are able to contribute to translations for the app, please see this discussion: https://github.com/alienator88/Pearcleaner/discussions/137

License

[!IMPORTANT] Pearcleaner is licensed under Apache 2.0 with Commons Clause. This means that you can do anything you'd like with the source, modify it, contribute to it, etc., but the license explicitly prohibits any form of monetization for Pearcleaner or any modified versions of it. See full license HERE

Thanks

Some of my apps

Pearcleaner - An opensource app cleaner with privacy in mind

Sentinel - A GUI for controlling gatekeeper status on your Mac

Viz - Utility for extracting text from images, videos, qr/barcodes

PearHID - Remap your macOS keyboard with a simple SwiftUI frontend

Pearcleaner (alienator88/Pearcleaner)

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14.9K ·GitHub
Pearcleaner
What is this?Pearcleaner is a free, source-available Mac app cleaner that uninstalls apps along with their leftover files, inspired by AppCleaner and Sun Knudsen's app-cleaner script.
Is this just an uninstaller, or does it do more?Beyond app uninstalling, it bundles an orphaned file search, development environment manager, Homebrew manager, app lipo (architecture stripper), PKG manager, plugin manager, services manager, and an apps updater.
What permissions does it need to work?It needs Full Disk Access to search for files and a privileged helper to perform actions in system folders.
Is the project still actively maintained?No, development has been on hold since the end of 2025 because the author lost access to a Mac for development after changing jobs; issue responses and new releases are effectively paused indefinitely.
Which macOS versions does it support?It supports macOS 13 Ventura through 26 Tahoe; anything older than macOS 13.0 is not supported due to missing Swift/SwiftUI APIs.
Does it run a background monitor, and what does that cost in resources?Yes, its Sentinel Monitor automatically cleans up leftover files when an app is moved to Trash, using only about 2MB of RAM.
Can I use or sell a modified version of this?It's licensed under Apache 2.0 with Commons Clause, so you can modify and use the source freely, but monetizing Pearcleaner or any fork of it is explicitly prohibited.
Does it work from the Finder's right-click menu?Yes, it includes a Finder Extension that adds a right-click uninstall option, in addition to drag/drop and CLI support.
Can it shrink universal app binaries?Yes, its App Lipo feature strips unneeded CPU architectures from universal apps without needing Xcode's lipo tool.
What other utilities does the author make?The same author also makes Sentinel (a GUI for gatekeeper status), Viz (text/QR/barcode extraction from images and video), and PearHID (keyboard remapping).
Does it support languages other than English?Yes, translations are community-contributed, and the app can prune unused translation files from other apps, keeping only your preferred languages.
What are similar projects?PureMac, OpenYoink, macspace-releases, macos-sysdata, tendedero, MacPacker, DockDoor, RemoveMacAI
Which topics is it in?disk-cleaner, cleanup, file-management, self-hosting, package-manager, apple, macos-app, homebrew, apple-silicon, swift, deprecated, utility
Creator
alienator88
Size
18.5 MB
Stars
14.9K
Updated
CommitJun 22Release5.4.3Nov 26
Age
2y
Commits · 90 Days