MacKeeper Review 2023: Will it Keep Your Mac Good and Safe?
Reviews • Updated on Feb. 19, 2023
Nowadays, most users know that their Mac also needs regular cleaning and maintenance! That’s, of course, when you need the best performance and other workflow improvements. However, most people still believe that Macs are more secure than Windows-based PCs.
They are not entirely wrong. Apple does an impressive job keeping its OS and other software privacy and security-friendly. But it does not mean macOS is absolutely secure. As you may have heard, Mac computers are also vulnerable to malware and other digital threats. So, you often need a Mac cleaner that handles the sheer variety of digital threats, including adware, spyware, data breaches, and tracking.
Therefore, we were excited when we came across MacKeeper, a tool that keeps your Mac clean and safe 24×7. And we have been testing this Mac cleaning and optimization app for the past few weeks. In this MacKeeper 2023 review, we have covered everything you should know about this app.
Getting to Know MacKeeper
Let’s discuss the basics you should know about MacKeeper.
What is MacKeeper?
MacKeeper claims to be an all-in-one cleaning and optimization solution for Mac computers. In addition to standard Mac cleaning utilities like storage cleaning and RAM optimization, MacKeeper offers an additional layer of protection for your digital privacy.
As a result, MacKeeper aims to keep your Mac not only snappier but also secure. It is also worth noting that the complete version of MacKeeper extends the layer of security to include your digital life. Therefore, you can stay protected from various threats, such as data breaches.
About the Developer
This multipurpose Mac cleaning and optimization tool comes from a developer headquartered in Dubai, UAE. And MacKeeper, in particular, has been an active project since 2011. Over time, the company has changed how the tool looks and works under the hood. But the focus on performance and security has been constant.
The current developer, Clario Tech, is also proud of the customer support it offers for MacKeeper. It was one of the first apps to introduce individualized support systems, where the customer can talk to an actual tech expert to resolve many Mac issues.
So, in terms of reputation, MacKeeper has a great base.
Installation and Set-up
Here is what we found while installing and setting up MacKeeper on our devices.
Downloading and Installing MacKeeper
You can download MacKeeper from the official website; there is no App Store version. It sounds like a good move considering the level of limitation App Store apps have. So, if you want to use the system-level features of MacKeeper, you should feel confident downloading and installing the app from the official website.
Setting up MacKeeper
The setup process for MacKeeper also does not consume much time or resources. First, you need to provide system-level permissions like Accessibility and Full Disk access, but it is common for all the best Mac cleaner tools in the market. So, once you have provided these permissions, MacKeeper will launch fully.
Features and Benefits
We will now look at the different features and benefits you get from MacKeeper.
Find & Fix
The Find & Fix section on MacKeeper works like a dashboard. You can use it to run a complete scan and find out potential problems with your Mac. But, as the name says, the dashboard allows you to fix these issues from the same window.
Depending on what you have on your Mac, the finding process may take up to a few minutes. It will show a comprehensive representation of fixes and a single button to fix these issues safely. Clicking this button will do a few things, like,
- Enabling antivirus protection on your Mac
- Cleaning junk files and residual items
- Optimizing the device for performance boost
- Checking for privacy issues like a data breach
Therefore, this single-button system saves you time and effort. Furthermore, having MacKeeper do it can be a blessing if you are new to Mac. By the way, if you want to know what exactly MacKeeper is doing, you can head to the respective subsections.
For instance, you can see the list of updated apps in the Update Tracker section. Personally, I like this feature a lot. It’s convenient that I can have an overview of my Mac’s health, performance, and security from a single screen instead of exploring multiple options. Even though I love to explore subsections with specific care, a single dashboard should do the job most time.
Premium Services
You can utilize the Premium Services section if a Find & Fix session does not solve your problem. This section allows you to contact tech support, schedule a one-on-one appointment, and get personalized solutions for your Mac.
We tried this feature, and MacKeeper tech support was quick enough to transfer the chat to a technician. It is impressive that you can chat with the expert from the MacKeeper app itself. The expert also offered to set up a remote connection to analyze the Mac better and fix the issues.
Overall, we are pretty impressed. We also did some tests to confirm that we were talking to an actual human tech support assistant, not an AI-powered bot. However, on a personal note, I’m not a big fan of the support team requesting remote connection in the very beginning. It would be nice if the team listened to what the user had to say before establishing remote access.
Security
- Antivirus: This utility will scan your Mac for potential malware and remove them. You can also enable real-time protection, which works like active security. This way, MacKeeper can prevent malware or fraudulent apps from running on your Mac in the first place. Because the antivirus system uses virus and malware databases from Avira, we were confident about the results.
- Adware Cleaner: These days, you come across multiple adware threats that can impact the security of your Mac. You can use this utility to check whether one of the installed apps is malware. It works pretty quickly too. We cannot comment on this point because MacKeeper did not find any adware on our Mac.
Cleaning
- Safe Cleanup: This cleaning utility can remove various junk files like logs, caches, trash, language files, and mail attachments in a single click. Of course, you have an option not to remove a particular set of files. Despite using other cleaning tools, my Mac had a noticeable amount of junk, and MacKeeper could detect and remove those unwanted files.
- Smart Uninstaller: Sometimes, removing applications from the Applications folder does not cut it. In these instances, you can rely on the Smart Uninstaller utility. It can also be used to get rid of browser extensions and other add-ons.
- Duplicates Finder: MacKeeper also doubles as a storage space saver tool, thanks to this utility to get rid of duplicate files. After it has scanned your Mac, this utility will suggest pairs of duplicate files, and you can remove them as per your needs.
Performance
- Memory Cleaner: It’s no fun when your Mac struggles with available RAM, is it? With this Memory Cleaner utility, you can clear RAM at frequent intervals and keep your Mac running smoothly. It can also monitor real-time RAM usage and notify you. As a result, our Mac system was a little more snappy after running the memory cleaner.
- Login Items: Don’t you hate it when thousands of app windows pop up when you restart your Mac? You can use the Login Items utility to find those apps and shut them down. So you can have a smoother-functioning Mac experience.
- Update Tracker: When you have installed applications from different sources, updating them from a single screen is a dream. However, the Update Tracker utility can help you do it while saving you time and effort. The Update Tracker is perhaps one of our favorite features in the bunch. It offers an easy and seamless process of updating all your apps to the latest version. In addition, thanks to caching and related features, you can also expect the best download speeds.
Privacy
- Private Connect: Private Connect is essentially a VPN built into MacKeeper. It comes in handy when you want to enable safe browsing. For instance, if you use public WiFi connections, you can use this VPN, which also uses intelligence from other protection facilities on MacKeeper.
- StopAd: As you can guess from the name, StopAd is an ad-blocker system that works across your Mac in a single click. Therefore, you do not have to worry about those annoying ads or pop-ups that keep coming up when you browse the web. But, if you are like us and already use an efficient ad-blocker for Mac, this feature may not come in handy.
- ID Theft Guard: ID Theft Gurad is a privacy-centric feature that makes MacKeeper unique. It will help you understand whether your online credentials have been exposed to a data breach. In addition, you can verify your email ID and do some reparations to keep your digital identity safe. In our case, this utility could find a vast number of sensitive information, helping us take control of the accounts. So, we owe MacKeeper one.
As you can imagine, we are thoroughly impressed by the set of features available in the MacKeeper package. It has everything you need to ensure a faster Mac experience. It is also good to see companies expanding the toolbox with utilities that make Macs more secure.
User Interface and Ease of Use
MacKeeper gets things almost perfect when it comes to the UI. You do not need additional support to install or set up this versatile Mac cleaning app. Also, it is an install-and-forget system for the most part. This app will give you timely reminders to perform scans and other actions.
For instance, when you connect to a public WiFi network, you will receive the suggestion to connect to the VPN. Frequent scanning reminders are also great when you want to keep your Mac safe from many threats, like spyware and ransomware. There is also a menu-bar interface that lets you keep track of the features you have turned on.
Altogether, we believe MacKeeper is incredibly easy to use. And we can recommend this tool to those who just moved to Mac from Windows. A dashboard is a great option, particularly if you do not want to know the technical aspects but aim to keep the system snappy and on edge.
Security and Privacy
You must be concerned about security and privacy even when a tool claims to protect your device from the sheer variety of threats.
First, MacKeeper uses antivirus definitions from Avira, which is known for its accuracy. So, there is no need to worry about the effectiveness of the scan results. We also noticed that MacKeeper is very sensitive when it comes to permissions. For instance, if you do not want to provide Full Disk Access, you can use the features without it.
Overall, we found that MacKeeper keeps things crisp regarding security and privacy. But unfortunately, it does not support any background items or pop-ups. We also checked whether MacKeeper was siphoning any files, which it was not.
Pricing and Subscription Options
Like many Mac cleaning apps out there, MacKeeper follows a freemium system. However, the free version has quite a few restrictions.
For instance, you can enjoy anti-malware scanning and real-time protection for only one month. Similarly, it allows junk file cleaning, memory clearing, and the anti-adware system only once. And you do not get the extra features like 24*7 tech support, built-in VPN, and data breach protection.
So, if you want unlimited access to these features, you should get the premium plan with a paid subscription. At the time of writing, MacKeeper is available with the following plans.
- $10.95 per month (monthly billing)
- $5.97 per month (yearly billing, 4 Mac licenses)
- $5.57 per month (annual billing, single-Mac license)
Of course, these plans come with certain benefits. For instance, there is a 14-day money-back guarantee. It can be availed if you request a refund within 14 or 30 days from the purchase date. It is also impressive that MacKeeper does not charge you automatically. Instead, it reminds you to charge before seven days.
Altogether, MacKeeper is very transparent regarding pricing and subscription options.
Customer Support and Reputation
We already told you that the customer support from MacKeeper is impressive. You can use multiple methods to get in touch with the tech support team, including live chat and an international toll-free number. More importantly, you can be assured that you are talking to a real person at the other end. Even the setup for remote connection for Mac cleaning is designed keeping in mind user privacy.
The reputation of MacKeeper is a slightly different story, though. In the past, users have accused MacKeeper of following some shady practices regarding pricing and subscriptions. However, after testing the app for over a few weeks, we can say that MacKeeper is up-to-date. Moreover, it means you do not have to worry about privacy issues.
We have also checked other user and expert reviews of MacKeeper. And all of them point to the fact that it is an entirely trustworthy Mac optimization software utility. So, if you are asking whether MacKeeper is legit, the answer is Yes. It remains one of the most legit and effective ways to clean your Mac in 2023. And it is high time we stop associating the tool with its past.
Pros and Cons
Let’s quickly look at the pros and cons of using MacKeeper as your default Mac cleaning, optimization, and security suite.
Pros
- It is an all-in-one solution that can take care of your Mac’s performance and security.
- The setup process is easy, and you do not have to worry about protection after the setup.
- Premium features like digital privacy protection and on-demand tech support are great.
- It has a minimal software footprint and downloads modules only when you need them.
- MacKeeper is an excellent value-for-money deal, especially considering what is inside.
Cons
- The company, even though legit and secure, carries the baggage of a questionable past.
- It would be nice to see a module or menu-bar element that keeps track of system info.
FAQs
We have answered some questions you may have about MacKeeper.
Can we trust MacKeeper?
Yes, after testing the different aspects of MacKeeper for weeks, we can confidently say that you can trust it. MacKeeper developers have done an impressive job optimizing the tool to offer maximum performance and security features to each user. It is a great package even if you do not purchase a paid subscription.
Is MacKeeper legit?
Yes, MacKeeper is legit in every possible sense. For instance, developers care about accountability, and the features you get are more impressive than ever before. With our expertise in the industry, we can suggest this tool as a legitimate option for all Mac users.
Does MacKeeper actually work?
Absolutely! MacKeeper does everything it claims to do, be it Mac cleaning, speed optimization, or enhanced security and privacy. The premium services are an excellent option for most people if you are wondering about the whole value proposition.
Is MacKeeper safe to use?
Yes, after testing, we have found that MacKeeper is safe to use. It does not cause any security issues that may affect your Mac in any way. So, you can stay confident while using this app.
The Verdict
Now it is time for the final verdict.
We are impressed by the features and benefits MacKeeper offers in the single package. It is great that you can cover different aspects of your Mac with a single monthly/yearly subscription. In particular, we love that the tool can offer protection from unseen threats like data breaches. By paying the monthly fee, you also get a functional VPN to protect your digital life from threats.
Considering these features, MacKeeper is also a great value for money! For the price you may already have to pay for a VPN service, you get a VPN and a fantastic bunch of tools. Moreover, having many tech support people at the end of a chat is an impressive feature any user would love. And the tech support part can very well be a reason to buy MacKeeper in the first place.
