MacPrune vs OnyX: Deep System Cleaning Made Simple

The short answer: OnyX is a maintenance and settings utility, and MacPrune is a disk space tool. If you want to run system maintenance tasks, rebuild indexes and change hidden settings, OnyX is made for that. If you want to see what is filling the disk and remove it with a review step, that is what we built MacPrune for. Plenty of people keep both. We make MacPrune, so read this as the maker's view, not an independent review.

What OnyX is

As of October 2026, the Titanium Software website describes OnyX as a multifunction utility that gives a graphical front end to tasks that would otherwise need Terminal commands. The functions it lists include verifying the structure of system files, running cleaning and maintenance tasks, deleting caches, rebuilding databases and indexes, uninstalling applications, and configuring settings in the Finder, Dock, Safari and some Apple apps. The author offers it free to use and accepts donations.

One point from that page matters before you download: each major version of macOS has its own OnyX release, and a release made for one system should not be run on another. Check which macOS you have under the Apple menu, then About This Mac, and pick the matching download.

What MacPrune is

MacPrune v2.0 is about storage. The Disk page draws a map where every folder is a tile sized by the space it takes, with further views by kind of content, folders and file types. The Clean page runs one scan and sorts the results into three groups: Safe to clean (user caches, browser caches, the Trash, system logs, Xcode data, package manager caches), Review before cleaning (large files, downloads older than 90 days, duplicate downloads, mail attachments) and Handle with care (iOS backups, Docker data). There are also pages for Large Files, Apps (uninstall an app with its related files and find leftovers), AI tool storage and a live Monitor.

Everything you choose to clean moves to the Trash after a confirmation, and the space comes back when the Trash is emptied. MacPrune does not rebuild system databases or change hidden macOS settings.

Who each tool suits

• OnyX suits someone comfortable with macOS internals who wants maintenance tasks and hidden preferences in one place, and who reads each option before ticking it.
• MacPrune suits someone whose question is "where did my space go" and who wants to look at a map, review a list and decide what to remove.
• Both is a reasonable answer. They overlap on cache deletion and app removal and differ on almost everything else.

What you can do by hand first

Neither tool is required for the basics. Try these before installing anything:

1. Open System Settings, then General, then Storage. Wait for the bar to finish calculating and read the categories.
2. Click the info button beside Applications, Documents or another large category to see its biggest items, and delete the ones you no longer need.
3. Empty the Trash: right-click the Trash in the Dock and choose Empty Trash.
4. In Finder choose Go, then Go to Folder, type ~/Library/Caches and look at which app folders are large. Quit an app before removing its cache folder; the app builds a new one when it next opens.
5. Restart the Mac. macOS clears some temporary files during a restart.

How to choose

Start from the problem. A Mac that is misbehaving after an update, with a search index or icon cache that seems wrong, points to a maintenance utility. A disk that is full points to a storage tool. If you are not sure which you have, the Storage screen in step 1 above will tell you in a minute.

Where to go next

The basic version of MacPrune is free and Pro is a one-time purchase with no subscription; details are on the pricing page. Related guides: how to clear System Data on a Mac, how to completely uninstall apps and the full Mac cleaning guide.