Mac cleaners for developers compared: ElfClean, CleanMyMac, DaisyDisk, DevCleaner and others

If you write code or run AI tools, most of your lost space is in caches, build folders, simulators and models, not in system junk. Here's how the common Mac cleaners and disk tools handle that, what they cost, and where your files go when you delete them. ElfClean is our app, so read this knowing that, and check each tool's own page before you decide.

Prices and features below come from each vendor's own website at the time of writing, October 2026. They change; the vendor's page is the final word.

Tool	Best for	Pricing model	Developer and AI tools	Review and where files go
ElfClean	Developers and people who build with AI or run local models	Free to scan; one purchase unlocks cleaning several items at once. No subscription.	Yes: Xcode, package caches, old projects, coding agents, Ollama and Hugging Face models	Review first; Trash by default, and History can put items back
CleanMyMac	A broad all-in-one Mac utility, including malware removal	Subscription, monthly or yearly, or a one-time plan for the current major version	Xcode junk in the app; a separate CLI covers package caches and build folders	You choose what to remove; the pages we read don't say whether cleanup goes to the Trash
DaisyDisk	Seeing the whole disk as a visual map	One-time	Doesn't list developer folders	You pick what to delete; its site says files are deleted permanently
DevCleaner for Xcode	Xcode's own caches, for free	Free, with optional tips	Xcode only	You choose; the deletion method isn't documented
Mole	A free open-source CLI, or a native app that also monitors your Mac	Free CLI; the Mac app is one-time	Yes, including some AI tools and Ollama models	Dry run on the CLI; caches are removed permanently by default, with a setting to use the Trash
Space Hunter	A menu bar monitor with developer cleanup	Free up to a lifetime quota; Pro is one-time	Developer caches; doesn't list AI tools	Not documented
MacSweep	A Trash-first cleaner with a CLI	Free tier; Pro by subscription or a lifetime purchase	Some developer caches; doesn't list AI tools	Trash first, with a cleanup log
OmniDiskSweeper	A free list of everything by size	Free	No special handling	You choose; items go to the Trash
GrandPerspective	A free, open-source treemap	Free, or a small one-time price on the App Store	No special handling	You choose; the method isn't documented
npkill	Clearing `node_modules` from the terminal	Free, open source	`node_modules`, plus folders you name	You pick each folder; dry run available

CleanMyMac

MacPaw's CleanMyMac is the broadest tool here: junk cleanup, an uninstaller, duplicate and similar photo finding, performance tools and malware scanning, all in one app. Its Cleanup section has an Xcode junk group (device support, archives, module and documentation caches, simulators), available in every edition. In 2026 MacPaw added CleanMyMac CLI, a terminal tool that clears package manager caches, Xcode DerivedData and build folders such as node_modules in older projects, and shows what it found before asking you to confirm.

You can buy it as a monthly or yearly subscription, as a one-time purchase that covers the current major version, or through Setapp. Plans start at about $3.33 a month at the time of writing, October 2026. If you want one app for the whole Mac, including malware, it's the obvious candidate.

DaisyDisk

DaisyDisk draws your disk as rings you can click into, which makes it quick to see where space went. It scans internal, external, network and cloud disks, can scan as administrator, and explains APFS snapshots and System Data. It's a one-time purchase of about $9.99 at the time of writing, October 2026, sold on its website and on the Mac App Store, with a free trial.

It's a map, not a rule-based cleaner: it doesn't list developer folders, so you decide what each one is. Its site says deleted files are removed permanently, so be sure before you remove something.

DevCleaner for Xcode

DevCleaner is a free, open-source app (GPL-3.0) on the Mac App Store, with optional tips. It clears device support, archives, DerivedData, documentation caches, old simulator and device logs and SwiftUI previews. It sensibly keeps the newest device support for each system by default. If Xcode is all you need cleaned, it's hard to beat on price. It doesn't cover other languages, package managers or AI tools, and its README suggests a backup before use.

Mole

Mole began as a free, open-source command-line tool (GPL-3.0) that combines cleanup, uninstalling, disk analysis and system monitoring. Its mo purge command removes build folders such as node_modules, target and dist, and every destructive command has a dry run.

Mole for Mac is a separate native app, a one-time purchase of about $19 for two Macs at the time of writing, October 2026. Its cleanup includes developer and AI tool caches, and an AI page lists old versions of AI command-line tools, old sessions past a retention you set, and unused Ollama models, unticked until you confirm. Cache cleanup is permanent by default, with a setting to use the Trash; uninstalls go to the Trash. It's the closest tool to ElfClean on this list, and adds live system monitoring that ElfClean doesn't have.

Space Hunter

Space Hunter is a menu bar app that watches free space and cleans browser caches, downloads, logs, Time Machine local snapshots and developer caches: Xcode DerivedData, npm and Yarn, Docker images, Homebrew, Python virtual environments, Go, Rust, Gradle and Composer. It's free for 10 GB of cleaning; Pro is a one-time purchase of about $39 for one Mac at the time of writing, October 2026, downloaded from its website. Its page doesn't list AI tools or say whether files go to the Trash.

MacSweep

MacSweep, from Arkenage, has six modules: system caches, app leftovers, large files, developer junk (Xcode DerivedData, npm and Yarn caches, CocoaPods), logs and old installers. Files go to the Trash by default, system and credential folders are protected, and every cleanup is logged. The free tier has three modules and a monthly limit; Pro is about $12.99 a year, $1.99 a month or $29.99 once at the time of writing, October 2026. It's a notarized direct download with a CLI. Its page doesn't list AI tools.

OmniDiskSweeper and GrandPerspective

Two long-standing free disk viewers. OmniDiskSweeper, from The Omni Group, lists your files from largest to smallest and moves what you choose to the Trash. GrandPerspective, open source under the GPL, draws a treemap where each file is a rectangle sized by how much it uses; it's free from SourceForge or about $2.99 on the Mac App Store at the time of writing, October 2026, the same app either way. Neither knows what a folder is for: they show size, you supply the judgment.

npkill

npkill is a free, open-source (MIT) terminal tool you run with npx npkill. It lists every node_modules folder with its size and when it was last touched, and you delete the ones you pick. It can target other folder names, has a dry run, and warns about folders that installed apps need. For a JavaScript developer who lives in the terminal, it does one job well.

When ElfClean is the right one

You use coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or VS Code, and want their caches, logs, old versions and leftover worktrees found, with conversation history treated as something to archive, not a cache.
You run local models: Ollama and Hugging Face models are shown with shared files counted once, and you can add model folders kept elsewhere.
You have many old projects. ElfClean finds node_modules, build folders and virtual environments in projects you haven't touched for a while, and marks repositories with uncommitted or unpushed work as at risk, so they're never ticked for you.
You want to review before anything moves. Items are labelled Safe, Review or Caution, everything goes to the Trash by default, and History can put it back.
You want an App Store app with no subscription, no account and no telemetry, made by one developer. Scanning, the storage map and cleaning one item at a time are free; one purchase unlocks cleaning several items at once, and the App Store shows the price in your currency.

When it isn't

You want malware scanning or a single app for every kind of Mac maintenance. ElfClean doesn't scan for malware; CleanMyMac does.
You want a map of the whole disk, external drives or system data. ElfClean measures your home folder and the folders you add, not the whole disk. DaisyDisk, GrandPerspective and OmniDiskSweeper show everything.
You want live CPU, memory or disk monitoring. Mole for Mac and Space Hunter do that; ElfClean doesn't.
You only need Xcode cleaned, or only node_modules, and don't want to pay. DevCleaner and npkill are free.
You prefer a scriptable command-line tool. Mole's CLI, CleanMyMac CLI and npkill fit; ElfClean is an app only.
You want an app from outside the App Store, or you run a macOS version before 15. ElfClean is App Store only and needs macOS 15 or later.

How ElfClean does it

ElfClean scans your home folder against rules for Xcode (DerivedData, archives, device support and simulator devices with their runtimes), package caches for npm, pnpm, Yarn, Bun, pip, uv, Poetry, Cargo, Go, Gradle, CocoaPods, Swift packages and Homebrew, coding agents and editors, local models and app leftovers. Each item says in plain language what it is and whether it rebuilds itself or may be your only copy. Running apps, Apple's apps, credentials, cloud drives and anything you add to Never Touch are left alone. Nothing about your files leaves your Mac.

CleanMyMac, DaisyDisk, DevCleaner, Mole, Space Hunter, MacSweep, OmniDiskSweeper, GrandPerspective and npkill are names or trademarks of their owners. ElfClean isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.