For Mac, not many software developers include an uninstaller program in their software package. Rare ones are Symantec and Microsoft. For example, Norton AntiVirus for Mac v.11 comes with an uninstaller program called Symantec Uninstaller. Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac also comes with an installer program called Remove Office.

When Austin Sarner and Brian Ball introduced AppZapper to the Mac community several years ago, it turned out to be a hit. The idea was so simple. It’s just that other software developers didn’t do it successfully before.

Now, we have at least one more choice for removing unwanted applications. A German software developer called Synium Software has an affordable solution to removing software titles. The latest version, CleanApp 3, is still in beta. According to the software developer, this version is Leopard-compatible. CleanApp 2.4.1 is not. 

Okay. Let’s see how CleanApp 3 works. When you launch CleaApp, it will look for files with .app extension only inside System’s Application folder. (See Screenshot 01.) CleanApp automatically lists up all available applications to remove. If you have Mac applications installed in other volumes or outside system’s Application folder, they will not be listed unless you add a new search path. That doesn’t mean you can’t remove those Mac applications.

Screenshot 01

Screenshot 02

As shown in Screenshot 01, let me select Apple Qadministrator.app and click on the button at the bottom that says Prepare to Delete. Now, the same application name will appear under the left column with an eject button. (See Screenshot 02.) If I click on this button, I can still abort uninstallation. On the other hand, if I click on the button appearing at the bottom of CleaApp’s window that says Perform Selected Actions, CleanApp will list all files and folders that are associated with Apple Qadministrator. Then I will get to choose which associated file to send to Trash.

Screenshot 03

Screenshot 04

Next, let me select Functions under the left column. What’s shown in Screenshot 03 is a Mac application we reviewed just a couple of days ago. So I’m going to drag and drop this ImageWell icon (.app) onto CleanApp’s window. I get a green X, as opposed to a red X, inside a circle. That means CleanApp will be able to uninstall this application. Then CleanApp will list up files and folders that are related to ImageWell.app. (See Screenshot 04.)

Screenshot 05

Screenshot 06

Screenshot 07

Let’s open CleanApp’s Preferences. Under the Search Path tab, there are a couple of folders that CleanApp has automatically added. (See Screenshot 05.) Okay. I have a lot of Mac applications installed on a different volume (Applications) other than the one (Mac OS X 2 GHz) where the current running system is installed. So I’m going to select this “different” volume. (See Screenshot 06.) Then I press Open. Ohh… CleanApp doesn’t add the folder that I have specified. (See Screenshot 07.)

Screenshot 08

Screenshot 09

What happened? As I noted earlier, CleanApp only lists Mac applications that are installed in the Application folder on the volume where the current running system is installed. That also means that you can only create search paths within the system volume. For example, let me designate a folder on the system volume. I’m going to choose Library. (See Screenshot 08.) Then if I press Open… Yes, a new path has been recorded. (See Screenshot 09.)

Screenshot 10

Screenshot 11

Next, let’s see what happens if I try to remove a Photoshop plug-in. We reviewed a Photoshop plug-in called Mask Pro 4 last month. If I try to drag and drop a file titled Mask Pro 4.1.bundle onto CleanApp’s application window… I get a red landing mark, which indicates that CleanApp doesn’t work with this file type. (See Screenshot 10.) Let’s see if AppZapper can do the job. As show in Screenshot 11, AppZapper says it can remove this Photoshop plug-in.

Let’s work on another application to remove. Actually, I want to install something new. It’s Sound Grinder 3.2 from Monkey Tools. If you install Sound Grinder for the first time, you can use it with no restrictions for 15 days. After 15 days, unless you enter a valid activation code, you won’t be able to use it again. So let’s see if CleanApp can completely remove Sound Grinder so that I can re-install and then use it even after 15 days.

Screenshot 12

Screenshot 13

Screenshot 14

The current time is a few minutes past 4 PM (JST) on June 16, 2008. We are located in Japan. I’m going to switch the time zone of the system clock to the U.S. Pacific Summer Time. So it’s past 12 AM, June 16. (See Screenshot 12.) Then I’m going to drag and drop the Sound Grinder folder onto the Application folder of the system. (See Screenshot 13.) And if I launch Sound Grinder, I see a welcome screen with three buttons at the bottom. One of them is the Demo button. That means I can use it for the next 15 days. (See Screenshot 14.) Let me make sure if I’m allowed to use Sound Grinder. And I do get to see the application window. So there’s no problem so far. (See Screenshot 15.)

Screenshot 15

Screenshot 16

Screenshot 17

Next, I’m going to change the time of the system clock. Let’s change the month to August so that the demo version of Sound Grinder will be put to expiration. (See Screenshot 16.) Now, the current time is about 12:06 AM under the U.S. Pacific Summer Time. If I now launch Sound Grinder… The demo button is gone. A pop-up window says “Your demo period has now expired.” (See Screenshot 18.) All right. Let’s use CleanApp to uninstall Sound Grinder. (See Screenshot 19.) CleanApp identifies several files. (See Screenshot 20.) And I’m going to go ahead and press the bottom button. I get a warning message that says “Move selected files to the Trash?” (See Screenshot 21.) So I click on OK.

Screenshot 18

Screenshot 19

Screenshot 20

Then? I’m going to install Sound Grinder again by dragging and dropping the same folder onto the Application folder. (See Screenshot 22.) If I launch Sound Grinder… Oh, no… The pop-up message still says that my demo period has expired. (See Screenshot 23.)

Screenshot 21

Screenshot 22

Screenshot 23

All right. CleanApp can’t do it. So let’s see if AppZapper can do the same job. AppZapper recognizes 3 items. (See Screenshot 24.) Looking at Screenshot 20, AppZapper doesn’t recognize Sound Grinder’s log files. Anyway, I’m going to go ahead and trash all files associated with Sound Grinder. Let’s drag and drop the application folder again. (See Screenshot 25.) The current time is 20 minutes past the midnight. And Sound Grinder still says that my demo period has expired.

Screenshot 24

Screenshot 25

Screenshot 26

So which is better, CleanApp or AppZapper? We now know that neither of them perfect. CleanApp doesn’t work with Photoshop plug-ins while AppZapper does. AppZapper doesn’t find log files while CleanApp does.

In some respects, CleanApp is better. For example, Synium Software is a trusted source. They indicate their office location at their website. As for AppZapper, it’s not a trusted source. All they have is a single e-mail address with which you can possibly contact the software developer. We do not certainly recommend fellow Mac users to buy anything from such software developer. The software developer of CleanApp is also better to the extent that they have online forums where users can exchange information.

In summary, CleanApp is an affordable application that Mac users can use to remove unwanted applications. There is not much difference beween what CleanApp can do and what AppZapper can do. One is better in some aspects while the other is better in other areas. The bottom line is that neither of them is perfect and won’t go beyond what you can do manually.

MacHouse recommendation: The price says it all. CleanApp is an affordable uninstaller to remove unwanted applications. But it won’t go beyond what you can do manually. But if you want to save your time by just dragging and dropping an application icon instead of manually looking for associated files to remove, CleanApp 3 may not be a bad purchase.






CleanApp is a product of Synium Software GmbH.
AppZapper is a product of Austin Sarner and Brian Ball.
Sound Grinder is a product of Monkey Tools.

Click for