Know what’s filling your Mac, before it’s full.

Free space in your menu bar, every gigabyte explained in plain English, and a one-click clean when you’re ready.

Download free Buy Pro $29 $19 launch

macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon & Intel

Watch the 40‑second demo

Scan, explain, clean and undo, on a real Mac. Captions are burned in, so it works with the sound off too.

We scanned a developer’s MacBook and found 26 GB of wallpaper videos they’d never seen.

The MacBook belongs to Sparebyte’s founder: 494 GB, 26 GB free, almost full. macOS Storage settings filed 127 GB under “System Data” and stopped there. Sparebyte opened it up.

Macintosh HD468 GB used of 494 GB · 26 GB free
  • Wallpaper videos26 GBmacOS Aerials: 45 downloaded, 1 on screen. Safe to clean.
  • Docker & virtual machines35 GBOrbStack’s disk: images, containers, volumes. Cleaned in OrbStack itself.
  • App data30 GBWhat apps keep in your Library: AI assistants, databases, IDEs.
  • Caches7 GB38 apps’ caches. They rebuild themselves.
  • Swap & sleep image6 GBmacOS manages this. It shrinks after a restart.
  • Mail & Messages attachments4 GBFiles people sent you.
  • Logs, backups & more7 GBLogs 1.2 GB, no iPhone backups, other system files.
  • Can’t be explained12 GBPurgeable space and APFS overhead macOS keeps to itself. Sparebyte says so instead of guessing.

What Sparebyte found to clean

64 GB

safe to get back right away, taking this Mac from 26 GB free to 90 GB.

Another 41 GB is worth a look, like Docker images and leftovers from deleted apps. Sparebyte lists it, but never ticks it for you; Docker is cleaned in OrbStack or Docker itself.

The biggest findings from that scan, in Sparebyte’s own words
FindingSafetySize
Wallpapers you’re not usingmacOS Aerial videos. Re-downloaded if you pick one again.Safe26 GB
npm download cache~/.npm, rebuilt on your next install.Safe22 GB
App cachesTemporary files apps rebuild. Open apps are skipped.Safe7 GB
node_modules in 11 idle projectsUntouched for 60+ days. npm install brings them back.Safe5.9 GB
Docker images and volumesShown with sizes. You clean them in OrbStack or Docker.Review35 GB
Leftovers from deleted apps12 apps you removed left data behind. Goes to the Trash.Review3 GB
64 GB safe · 41 GB more to review · 14 findings in all

What it finds

Two lists from one scan, each item named in plain English with a safety level. The developer list only appears when Sparebyte finds developer tools.

For everyone

The things that quietly fill a 256 or 512 GB Mac.

  • Wallpaper videos you’re not usingSafemacOS Aerials, minus the one on your screen.
  • App cachesSafeTemporary files apps rebuild on their own.
  • Leftovers from deleted appsReviewData apps leave behind after you drag them to the Trash.
  • Old iPhone and iPad backupsReviewMoved to the Trash, so you can undo.
  • Old downloadsReviewFiles in Downloads untouched for 90 days. Never pre-ticked.
  • TrashReviewEmptying can’t be undone, so Sparebyte says so first.
  • Apps you don’t useReviewTheir true size, including what they keep in your Library.
  • Your biggest filesReviewWith the date you last opened each one.

For developers

The tool clutter no other cleaner explains.

  • node_modules in idle projectsSafeActive projects stay unticked. npm install brings them back.
  • npm, pnpm, Yarn and Bun cachesSafe~/.npm, ~/.bun and friends. Re-downloaded when needed.
  • Xcode build files and Simulator cachesSafeDerivedData, rebuilt next time you build.
  • Old Xcode archives and device supportReviewArchives older than 6 months go to the Trash.
  • Docker and OrbStack images and volumesReviewSparebyte shows how much they use and points you to OrbStack or Docker to clean them.
  • Gradle, Cargo, Go, pip, uv and Homebrew cachesSafeDownloaded again on the next build.
  • Hugging Face, Ollama and LM Studio modelsReviewListed one model at a time.
  • AI coding tools you stopped openingReviewEditors and agents not opened in 90 days.

Keep  Your databases (DBngin, Postgres.app) are shown so you know they’re there, and are never touched.

Honest by design

No scare banners, no inflated numbers, no nagging. Four promises shape every screen.

Nothing irreplaceable is deleted without a 7-day Undo.

Things that rebuild themselves are deleted right away, so the space really comes back. Everything else goes to the Trash, and Undo puts it back for 7 days.

The big number counts Safe items only.

Things worth a second look are listed on their own and never added to the headline.

No subscription.

Pay once for Pro, use it on 2 Macs and get every 1.x update. Free never expires.

Your files and their names stay on your Mac.

Sparebyte reads sizes and names on your Mac to explain them. None of that is uploaded.

Sent, only when needed

  • License key and a hashed Mac ID, to turn on Pro
  • Crash reports and usage totals, if you opt in

Never sent

  • File and folder names
  • Paths
  • File contents

How Sparebyte compares

Features and prices only, taken from each vendor’s own website. Where a vendor’s site doesn’t say, the table says so instead of guessing.

Feature Sparebyte CleanMyMacby MacPaw DaisyDisk macOS Storage settingsSystem Settings › General › Storage
PriceFree, Pro $29 one-time$19 for the first 2 weeksFrom $3.33 a monthSubscription; a one-time purchase is also sold$9.99 one-timeIncluded with macOS
Try before you payFree version, no time limitFree trialFree trial downloadBuilt in
Macs per license2Not statedUp to 5 personal MacsNot applicable
Visual disk mapYes, home folder or whole diskYes, Space LensYesNo, a list of categories
Breaks down “System Data”Yes, piece by piece, with what you can do about eachNot statedShows hidden space in “Other”Per its App Store listingOne combined category
Uninstall apps with their leftoversYes, in Pro, to the Trash with UndoYes, UninstallerNot statedNot stated
Malware removalNo, not what Sparebyte is forYesNot statedNot stated
Mac App StoreNo, sold directly (see FAQ)Yes, and sold directlyYes, and sold directlyPart of macOS
As of October 2026 · verify before launch “Not stated” means the vendor’s own site doesn’t say. Sources: macpaw.com, daisydiskapp.com, Apple Support

See everything free. Clean with Pro.

There’s no trial, because Free already shows you everything Sparebyte finds. On Free you can clean by hand with Reveal in Finder. Pro adds the Clean button and the tools around it.

One price, once. Nothing hidden or blurred on Free.

Pro covers 2 Macs and every update in version 1.

 Free $0 See everything, forever Download free

macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon & Intel

 Pro $29 One-time. $19 for the first 2 weeks. Buy Pro Checkout opens at launch
Full scan including hidden files, findings list, drill-down and map
Plain-English explanations and safety levels
Reveal in Finder, Quick Look
Menu-bar free-space indicator
Clean from inside Sparebyte: things that rebuild are deleted now, everything else goes to the Trash with a 7-day Undo
Developer cleanup: node_modules, npm, pnpm, Yarn and Bun caches, Xcode build files, Simulator caches and device support, old Xcode archives, Gradle, Maven, Cargo, Go and Python caches, Homebrew downloads, AI models and unused AI tools
App uninstaller with leftovers
“What grew since last scan” history
Notifications: low disk, leftovers after you trash an app, weekly space check (opt-in)
2 Macs per licenseAll 1.x updates included30-day refunds, no questionsmacOS 14 Sonoma or later

Questions

Why does Sparebyte ask for Full Disk Access?

macOS hides some folders from every app until you say otherwise: Mail and Messages, app containers, Docker’s data and more. Without access, Sparebyte still scans everything it can see and tells you what’s hidden. With access, it can explain the whole picture.

Sparebyte only reads sizes and names, on your Mac. It never uploads your files or their names. To turn it on, open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Full Disk Access and switch on Sparebyte. Sparebyte notices and rescans by itself. Step-by-step guide

Why isn’t Sparebyte on the Mac App Store?

Apps on the Mac App Store must run in Apple’s sandbox, which doesn’t allow the Full Disk Access and cleaning Sparebyte needs. So Sparebyte is sold directly. Release builds are signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple; beta builds may not be yet.

How do refunds work?

Within 30 days of buying Pro, email hello@sparebyte.app from the address you bought with and ask for a refund. No questions, no forms. The money goes back to your original payment method and the license key stops working. Refund policy

What does Sparebyte send over the network?

Very little, and never anything about your files:

  • License: when you turn on Pro, and about every 14 days after, your license key, a hashed Mac ID, app version, macOS version and Mac model.
  • Updates: a check for new versions of Sparebyte and a weekly download of its cleaning rules.
  • Only if you opt in: crash reports and anonymous usage totals (which rules matched and how many GB were cleaned). Both are off by default.
  • Only when you press Send: feedback you write, with app version, macOS version and category totals.

File names, paths and contents are never sent. Privacy policy

Could Sparebyte delete something I need?

Sparebyte is built so that it can’t do that quietly. Only items that rebuild themselves are pre-ticked. Items marked Review are never ticked for you. Things like your databases are shown as Keep and can’t be selected. System folders, Keychains, Mail, Photos libraries and git repositories are blocked, whatever you pick. Anything that won’t rebuild goes to the Trash with a 7-day Undo.

How long does a scan take?

Findings start appearing within seconds, biggest first, while the scan keeps running. A full scan of a large disk takes about 30 seconds on Apple silicon; Sparebyte reads around 145,000 files a second in our tests.

See what’s filling your Mac.

Free shows you everything. Pro cleans it in one click, with a way back.

Download free Buy Pro $29 $19 launch