Freeware

Mac OS X App Remover Shootout: 7 Uninstallers

By EAN ⋅ March 27, 2008 ⋅  Email this Post ⋅  Print this Post ⋅ Post a Comment

Mac OS X is missing an important utility. An application remover. Yes, you’re supposed to scrap an app by depositing it in the round file, but what about all the crap that’s left behind to clog up your system? I’m talking about the .plist file, the application support folder, and so on. That stuff isn’t going away on its own.

The reason for the app deletion market: Apple forgot to include a suitable uninstaller. But its not all bad news. There are plenty of apps out there to do the job. Finding the right one, however, can be a bit of a chore. Here’s a shootout featuring 7 programs to scrap everything you’ve been installing on your Apple. Hell, they can even help you keep using trial software for as long as you like–if you’re into ripping off developers.

All of these apps were tested using Pixelmator as the app to be removed and MAMP as the folder with an app inside to be removed.

• AppCleaner: AppCleaner is a free, simple and lightweight app remover that can operate under two modes. The drag and drop ability that is built into most Mac app removers is here, along with a mode that lets the user select which program to remove from a list from the Applications, Widgets, Plugins, Pref Panes and more. Apps can also be drug into the program to be protected from removal. A nice feature of AppCleaner was the ability to remove only selected files if you so choose, leaving the rest intact.
• AppDelete: Forsaking the GUI, the free program AppDelete requires users to drag apps to the dock icon. A window pops up asking if you’d like to delete that app, followed by another window which asks if you’d like to delete associated files. It’s not a very elegant solution, but it gets the job done. On the positive side, AppDelete allows you to undo files you sent to the trash. The memory footprint is small, but deleting a larger program takes several seconds. And the popup windows can get to be annoying.
• AppTrap: Unlike the other apps in the list, AppTrap inserts itself right into the operating system. It’s more like a folder action than a real program. Whenever an app is dragged to the trash, AppTrap pops up a window asking if you want to delete the associated files as well. The response time is excellent, but, as was the case with AppDelete, the popups can be annoying. However, it’s nice not to have to think about opening another program each time you want to delete an app–and it’s free.
• AppZapper: Think of AppZapper as the $12.95 version of AppCleaner. It provides all of the same functionality, in a larger package (3.9MB vs. 1.6MB), with a high cost. You do get to hear a cool sound, though, every time you zap an app. And you get free updates for life. AppZapper does itemize associated files by type, which is a nice feature if you’re deleting big programs. Unfortunately, for nearly $13, AppZapper needs to provide more features to stand out from the crowd.
• CleanApp: CleanApp is easily the mother of all app removers. With slick animations, a wide array of features, and an easy to use interface, it really feels like it’s going to get the job done right. The asking price of $10 feels right, as you’re getting so many features. There’s the traditional drag and drop interface, an Applications list, a System Accessories list, you can pull PPC or Intel files from Universal Binaries, remove Language packs, and it will even make a list of your least used files. And it will even log which files were installed along with an app so it can completely remove an app later. Unfortunately, CleanApp is missing a protection feature to prevent accidental removal, although it will archive and store deleted files for restoration if necessary.
• Uninstaller: Up until this point, all of the applications have been simple and to the point. Drag an app, hit ‘OK’ and watch the file and its associated be tossed to the trash. Uninstaller, however, is more complex than that. It maintains snapshots of your disk to learn when new files have been created and how they are associated with your applications. Using Uninstaller is not particularly easy, and it requires that you continue to scan and save your disk before and after you install anything. It’s also the most expensive app here, running $25. However, Uninstaller is the only app remover that finds absolutely everything.
• Yank: Yank is another unique type of app remover. It requires you to install an app using Yank, so that it can install it using “Yank protection” which takes note of which files were added to the disk at the time of installation. Unfortunately, that function doesn’t always work as advertised, sometimes missing files. Furthermore, Yank can’t keep track of changes made after a program was installed. Even if it did work as advertised, the $20 price tag is too high when there are free apps out there that do essentially the same thing.

Which One Should You Download?

After using each one of these, I wondered why in the world anyone would want to pay for an app remover. What a waste of money. All of the apps found exactly the same associated files with both Pixelmator and MAMP. Uninstaller, of course, has the ability to find a lot more files than the rest–but a significant cost and a lot of wasted time if you have a 100GB+ hard disk. In other words, go with Uninstaller only if you have some kind of clean freak–like Martha Stewart.

There is no be all and end all app remover for the Mac–though they’re all more effective than simply dragging an app to the Trash. They all do pretty much the same thing. If you find that you do want to actually pay, then CleanApp is currently the best app remover. It has more features than the rest of the drag and drop style uninstallers.

My recommendation, though, is to go with AppCleaner. It’s free and it does a good enough job of cleaning out remaining files.