# OnyX for Mac: What It Does and the Alternatives

> OnyX is a free Mac maintenance utility with one version per macOS. What it runs, which version you need (5.1.2 for macOS 27 is Apple silicon only), and when another tool fits better.

Canonical: https://bytesweep.app/alternatives/onyx-alternative.html
Last updated: 2026-11-04

## Is OnyX a Mac cleaner, and what are the alternatives?

OnyX is a free Mac maintenance utility with one version per macOS. What it runs, which version you need (5.1.2 for macOS 27 is Apple silicon only), and when another tool fits better.

- By [Shajeen Ahamed](https://bytesweep.app/about.html#author)
- Updated 4 November 2026
- Prices and versions read on each maker's own site

**Short answer**

OnyX is a free maintenance utility from Titanium Software, not a disk cleaner in the usual sense: it runs macOS's maintenance tasks, rebuilds indexes, clears caches and changes hidden settings. Each macOS needs its own version; 5.1.2 for macOS 27 is Apple silicon only. To find what fills a disk, a disk analyzer or a cleaner with an undo fits better.

### What does OnyX do?

In [Titanium Software's own words](https://www.titanium-software.fr/en/onyx.html), OnyX can "verify the structure of the system files; perform cleaning and computer maintenance tasks; uninstall applications; configure parameters in the Finder, Dock, Safari, and some Apple applications; delete caches; remove certain problematic folders and files; rebuild various databases and indexes". It is, as the maker puts it, a clean interface to tasks that would otherwise need commands typed in Terminal. It is free; the developer asks for a donation if you want to support it.

The maker also publishes **Maintenance**, a smaller app that only runs the rebuild and cache tasks (3.6.2 for macOS 27, Apple silicon only).

### Which version of OnyX do I need?

The maker is firm about this: "There's a specific version of OnyX for each major operating system version. Use the correct version, and don't try to use a version intended for an earlier operating system."

| Your macOS | OnyX version | Runs on |
| --- | --- | --- |
| macOS 27 Golden Gate | 5.1.2 (2 November 2026) | Apple silicon only |
| macOS 26 Tahoe | 5.0.6 | Intel and Apple silicon |
| macOS 15 Sequoia | 4.8.5 | Intel and Apple silicon |
| macOS 14 Sonoma | 4.6.2 | Intel and Apple silicon |
| macOS 13 Ventura | 4.4.7 | Intel and Apple silicon |

Older versions still download but are no longer updated. To check your macOS, choose Apple menu, About This Mac.

### Does OnyX free much disk space?

Some, mostly from caches and logs. That is not what it is built for. OnyX's strength is maintenance: rebuilding a broken Spotlight index or Launch Services database (the cause of wrong "Open With" lists and duplicate apps in menus), clearing font caches when text renders oddly, and switching hidden Finder and Dock settings. If your problem is "the disk is full", the space is usually in places OnyX does not list: local Time Machine snapshots, Xcode and Docker data, iPhone backups, AI models, video projects. Find those first with [a large-file search](https://bytesweep.app/answers/find-large-files-on-mac.html) or [folder sizes](https://bytesweep.app/answers/see-folder-sizes-on-mac.html).

A practical note: clearing every cache at once makes the next hours slower while apps rebuild what they had, and a Spotlight rebuild can keep the Mac busy for a while. Run the tasks you need rather than all of them by default.

### What are the alternatives to OnyX?

| Tool | Runs on | Price and licence | How it shows space |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| OnyX | One version per macOS; 5.1.2 for macOS 27 (Apple silicon) | Free, donations welcome | Maintenance tasks, no disk map |
| AppCleaner | macOS 15+ (3.7); 3.6.8 for 10.14 to 15.6 | Free, donations welcome | App uninstaller only |
| GrandPerspective | macOS 14+ | Free (SourceForge) or $2.99 (App Store), GPL v2 | Treemap |
| CleanMyMac | macOS 11+ | App Store: $39.99 a year, or $89.99 one-time in-app purchase | Space Lens map plus cleaner |
| Bytesweep | macOS 14+; Windows 10 and 11; Linux | $29.99 once per computer; 3-day trial | Nine views on Mac incl. map, list, sunburst, flame |

Prices and versions read on each maker's site on 4 November 2026. Bytesweep's version is the current Mac and Windows release.

- **For maintenance only:** Maintenance, from the same developer, or the commands themselves, such as `mdutil -E /` to rebuild the Spotlight index (with your password).
- **For removing apps completely:** AppCleaner, free; 3.7 needs macOS 15 or later.
- **For seeing what fills the disk:** GrandPerspective, free and open source, or the other tools on [our alternatives pages](https://bytesweep.app/alternatives/).
- **For an all-in-one cleaner:** CleanMyMac, subscription or one-time on the Mac App Store, or Bytesweep, below.

### Where does Bytesweep fit?

Bytesweep is a disk analyzer and cleaner rather than a maintenance-script runner. It scans the disk, shows it as a map, a list and seven other views, names the folders that fill a Mac (snapshots, caches, Xcode, Docker, iPhone backups, AI models, cloud copies) and rates each one safe, review first or keep. What it cleans goes to a restore point and can be put back for 7 days, with the exceptions marked, such as local Time Machine snapshots, which macOS deletes itself. It also uninstalls apps with their leftovers, lists startup items and finds duplicates.

It does not rebuild Spotlight or change hidden Finder settings, so OnyX still has a place next to it. Bytesweep runs on macOS 14 or later (Intel and Apple silicon) and is free to try for 3 days; cleaning needs a licence, $29.99 once per computer.

### Sources

Read on 4 November 2026. If something here has changed, write to [support@bytesweep.app](mailto:support@bytesweep.app) and it will be corrected.

- [Titanium Software, OnyX](https://www.titanium-software.fr/en/onyx.html)
- [Titanium Software, Maintenance](https://www.titanium-software.fr/en/maintenance.html)
- [FreeMacSoft, AppCleaner](https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/)
- [CleanMyMac on the Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cleanmymac/id1339170533?mt=12)

### Keep reading

- [**CCleaner for Mac**](https://bytesweep.app/alternatives/ccleaner-for-mac.html)
- [**How do I clear the cache on a Mac?**](https://bytesweep.app/answers/clear-cache-on-mac.html)
- [**How Bytesweep decides what is safe**](https://bytesweep.app/how-it-works.html)
- [**All alternatives**](https://bytesweep.app/alternatives/)

### See what is filling your disk, and why.

Bytesweep is free to try for 3 days on [Mac](https://bytesweep.app/mac.html), [Windows](https://bytesweep.app/windows.html) and [Linux](https://bytesweep.app/linux.html). Cleaning needs a licence: $29.99 once per computer, no subscription.

[Download](https://bytesweep.app/download.html) [Pricing](https://bytesweep.app/pricing.html)