MacKeeper review: A handy security suite grappling with a shady past

Price during the exam

$ 62.64 / year family plan; $ 60 / year for a single Mac; $ 10.95 / month for a single Mac

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Say the word “MacKeeper” and many Mac users will cringe in horror. This is because this utility program has gained a sordid reputation over the past few years. Under its previous owners, MacKeeper came under heavy criticism for being difficult to uninstall and for using scareware tactics to try and convince people to upgrade to the paid version. A former owner was even the target of a class action lawsuit in 2014, alleging the company tricked users into reporting bogus issues with their Macs. To make matters worse, a data breach in 2015 leaked some account details of millions of MacKeeper users.

Now MacKeeper is owned by Clario, who has worked to repair past damage to the product’s reputation. The new owner withdrew from aggressive marketing plans and got rid of questionable affiliates. The software itself has received a good rating from AV-Test as well as ISO 27001 certification and notarization from Apple. Assuming the business and product have learned from the mistakes of the past, is it worth giving the sequel another chance at this point?

MacKeeper consists of 11 separate tools organized into four different categories. Security category provides antivirus scanner and adware removal tool. Under the Cleanup category is a Safe Cleanup feature, a Duplicate File Finder, and a Smart Uninstaller. Under the Performance category are a garbage collection, a software update tracker, and a startup item locator. And under the Privacy category are Identity Anti-Theft Agent, VPN, and Online Ad Blocker.

MacKeeper is available in a free version and a paid subscription edition. The paid edition starts at $ 5 per month for an annual subscription and $ 10.95 per month for a monthly subscription. A family plan that covers four computers costs $ 5.20 per month for an annual subscription.

The free version gives you access to most of the 11 built-in tools. The anti-adware tool provides on-demand scanning for free, but requires a paid subscription for real-time scanning. The Secure Cleaner looks for junk files that are clogging your Mac, while the Private Connection feature offers a VPN to secure your online connection. These two tools require the paid version.

After installing MacKeeper, the program offers to scan your Mac for viruses, privacy issues, wasted storage space, and performance issues. You can review the results, but resolving reported issues is another option that requires you to pay. A subscription also gives you 24/7 technical support where you can email, chat with, or speak to support staff.

Yet what you get for free is mostly effective (although a Unlock the free version button is a constant reminder) and the interface is clean and easy to use. Antivirus protection offers both real-time and on-demand scanning, while the Duplicate File Finder will scan your entire system or just specific folders for photos and other files. two fold. The smart uninstaller scans for unnecessary apps, widgets, browser plugins, and leftovers, letting you choose which items you want to remove. They all work pretty well, but nothing stands out from other cleaning apps.

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Memory Cleaner will free up RAM by removing unnecessary items from memory without you having to restart your computer. Update tracking will check for available updates for installed apps. The Login Items tool searches for all programs that start automatically at startup, so you can turn off those you don’t need. The Identity Theft Tool sees if your email address has been a victim of data breaches. Finally, the StopAd tool sets up extensions for Safari and Chrome to prevent ads and trackers from monitoring your online activities.

At the end of the line

You can probably find individual products – and in some cases, more robust products – for each of MacKeeper’s features. But having all of these tools under one roof is easy and convenient. Since the paid subscription costs $ 5 or more per month, the free version is sufficient if you don’t need the cleaner, VPN, or 24/7 support. Based on my testing, each tool performed reliably, producing mostly useful results and no obvious scareware tactics. I especially liked the smart uninstaller, tracking software updates, and identity theft protection. Those of you who are disheartened by MacKeeper’s shady story may not be so willing to forgive and forget. But if you can overcome all of that, the latest version might be worth a try.