Tidy My Mac
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OnyX vs Tidy My Mac
OnyX is a free Mac maintenance utility that has been around for more than twenty years. Here is what it does, whether it is safe, what it leaves out, and how it compares with Tidy My Mac.
macOS 26 Tahoe or later · No credit card · Everything runs on your Mac
The short answer: OnyX is a good, free toolbox for maintenance: it rebuilds macOS's indexes and databases, clears caches and logs, checks the startup disk and unlocks hidden settings. It doesn't show what fills your disk, find duplicates or update apps, and it has no protection at all. Tidy My Mac does those, with antivirus, a firewall and Web Protection, but has only four maintenance tasks. Many people keep OnyX for the occasional fix and use another app for everyday cleanup and protection.
| Feature | Tidy My MacCleanup + security | OnyXMaintenance utility |
|---|---|---|
| Price and trial | ||
| First year | $19.99 | Freedonations welcome |
| Years after | $59.99a year | Free |
| Covers | 1 Mac | Any number of Macs |
| Free trial | 7 daysno card | Not neededfree app |
| Runs on | macOS 26 Tahoe or later | One version per macOS5.1.1 for macOS 27, 5.0.6 for 26 |
| Clean up | ||
| One scan for the whole Mac | YesCleanup and security score | No |
| Junk and cache cleaner | YesIncludes developer junk | YesCaches and logs |
| Large and old files | Yes | No |
| Visual disk map | YesTreemap | No |
| Duplicate files | YesMatched byte for byte | No |
| Similar photos | Yes | No |
| Applications | ||
| Uninstaller that removes leftovers | Yes | Not stated by the vendor |
| App updates | YesSecurity fixes first | No |
| Startup items and launch agents | YesWith boot time | Not stated by the vendor |
| Protection | ||
| Real-time antivirus | YesNew files in Downloads and Desktop | No |
| Malware scan on demand | YesQuick, Normal and Deep | No |
| Ransomware protection | YesBy behavior and decoy files | No |
| Adware and browser hijackers | YesProfiles, policies and proxies | No |
| Per-app outgoing firewall | Yes | No |
| Blocks phishing and malware sites | YesEvery browser and app | No |
| Blocks ads and trackers | YesEvery browser and app | No |
| Scam message checker | YesOn-device, Apple Intelligence | No |
| VPN | No | No |
| Security and privacy checks | ||
| macOS security settings, scored | YesSIP, Gatekeeper, FileVault and more | No |
| Alerts for apps with known vulnerabilities | Yes | No |
| Camera and microphone access | YesGrants and live alerts | No |
| Browser history and cookies cleanup | Yes | Not stated by the vendor |
| Browser extensions check | YesRated by access, 7 browsers | No |
| Wi-Fi security check | Yes | No |
| System | ||
| CPU and memory monitor | YesPlus battery and SSD health | No |
| Maintenance tasks | YesDNS, Spotlight, font caches | YesIts main job: indexes, caches, checks |
Each vendor's own pricing and feature pages, checked October 29, 2026. Prices change often and many apps sell at a discount; check the vendor's site before you buy. Tell us about anything out of date at info@tidymymac.com and we will fix it. Product names are trademarks of their owners, who do not endorse this page.
What OnyX does
OnyX is made by Titanium Software, a one-person developer, and is free. Its developer describes it as a tool to:
- verify the structure of the system files and the startup disk;
- run cleaning and maintenance tasks, and delete caches and some problematic files and folders;
- rebuild databases and indexes, such as Spotlight and the one behind the “Open With” menu;
- change hidden settings in the Finder, the Dock, Safari and some other Apple apps;
- uninstall apps.
Each task explains itself in OnyX, and most run in a few seconds. Some need your administrator password, and a few ask for a restart.
Is OnyX safe?
Yes, when you download it from Titanium Software's own website and use the version made for your macOS. OnyX is built separately for each major release: version 5.1.1 is for macOS 27, and 5.0.6 for macOS 26 Tahoe. The developer warns against using a version made for an older macOS. Avoid copies from download sites, which sometimes bundle adware.
OnyX does what you tell it to, so read what a task does before you run it. Clearing every cache makes apps slower until they rebuild them, and running maintenance on a Mac that works fine doesn't make it faster; see what actually speeds up a Mac.
Is OnyX free?
Yes, with no paid version, ads or limits, on as many Macs as you like. Its developer asks for a donation if you find it useful.
Where OnyX does more
- More maintenance: more databases and indexes to rebuild, disk checks, and log and cache cleaning by type. Tidy My Mac's Maintenance has four tasks: flush the DNS cache, rebuild Spotlight, rebuild “Open With” and clear font caches.
- Hidden settings for the Finder, the Dock, Safari and screenshots, which otherwise take Terminal commands.
- Free, on any number of Macs, and with a version for every macOS back to Mac OS X 10.2.
Where Tidy My Mac does more
- Seeing what fills your disk: a disk map, large and old files, duplicates and similar photos.
- Apps: an uninstaller that finds leftovers, app updates with security fixes first, and every startup item with the app it belongs to.
- Protection: real-time antivirus, ransomware protection, an outgoing firewall, Web Protection and a security settings score. OnyX has none of these.
- Watching your Mac: live CPU and memory with the app behind them, heat, battery and SSD health in Performance.
- One scan for everything, with each finding explained, and Put Back for whatever it moved to the Trash.
Can you use OnyX and Tidy My Mac together?
Yes. They don't get in each other's way, and their overlap is small: both clear caches and both rebuild Spotlight and the “Open With” menu. A common setup is Tidy My Mac for everyday cleanup and protection, and OnyX now and then for a maintenance task or a hidden setting Tidy My Mac doesn't have.
OnyX's details were checked on Titanium Software's website on October 29, 2026. We make Tidy My Mac, so read this page with that in mind. See the full comparison for CleanMyMac, MacKeeper, Intego and the other apps.
Questions about OnyX
Yes, if you download it from Titanium Software's website and use the version for your macOS. It does exactly what you choose, so read each task's description first.
Partly. It clears caches and logs, but it is mainly a maintenance tool. It doesn't show what fills your disk, find large files or duplicates, or protect against malware.
The one for your macOS: 5.1.1 for macOS 27 and 5.0.6 for macOS 26 Tahoe. Older versions for older macOS releases are on Titanium Software's website.
Only if you want its extra maintenance tasks or hidden settings. Tidy My Mac covers cleanup, apps and protection, and the four maintenance tasks most people look up.
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