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You may have heard of MacKeeper before it was very controversial, with many customers accusing the company of leaking data, sending spam and tricking users into paying for upgrades.
The company faced a class action lawsuit in 2014 after it allegedly tried to trick people into paying for unwanted fixes. The software maker settled the lawsuit in 2015 and paid $2 million worth of claims.
After that, the organization changed its approach. macKeeper is now owned by Clario Tech Limited, and the new company has made a great effort to eliminate the previous bad influence. in 2019, MacKeeper received the prestigious AppEsteem certification. This certification can only be awarded to brands that have completely erased their history of using deceptive practices.
Mackeeper continues to provide quality services regarding cleanliness, privacy, security and performance by protecting computers from adware, malware and viruses.
To date, 56+ million users in over 247 countries have downloaded the MacKeeper application.
This review will help you determine if the software is right for your needs.
MacKeeper Overview
Duplicate Finder
It’s possible that you’ve suddenly run out of storage space and your machine is starting to lag. This feature will detect any copies of files, such as duplicate downloads or similar photos, that are taking up unnecessary space on your Mac.
While testing this MacKeeper review, I noticed that the tools list them for you, including their size and number of occurrences, even if they have different names.
After presenting them, you can manually view them to determine which ones to keep, transfer to external storage, or delete.
This way, you will free up more hard drive space. Please note that the system will only delete unnecessary ones after you confirm them.
Logging in items
Your Mac device shouldn’t take a long time to boot up unless there’s something that slows it down. This solution does an excellent job of reducing your computer’s startup time.
It shows you all the items that start up after you click the Open button. From here, you can remove applications that slow down your machine or add necessary applications to the logins using the minus and plus signs.
Smart Uninstaller
MacKeeper reviews emphasize that Smart Uninstaller is a handy tool.
Here’s why:
It’s not enough to just remove apps from your folders, because it leaves their components intact. MacKeeper scans your device and removes remaining apps, browser extensions, plug-ins, and widgets from your machine.
This helps free up space and improves the performance of your Mac.
Secure cleanup
You can use this tool to scan your hard drive, including cache, logs, languages and junk. It also lists all the junk folders and files that exist in storage, along with their sizes.
Track My Mac
“Track My Mac” is not a default feature of the program. You have to turn it on manually to get basic anti-theft protection. It works by enabling location tracking, which allows you to find your device when you are logged into your MacKeeper account.
You can configure this feature to take a picture of anyone who tries to log into your Mac with the wrong password. By default, the company has set it to take a snapshot after every error.
However, you can change the setting so that it waits for a second, fourth, or even tenth failed login attempt. The photo will be displayed on both your online account and your device. Track My Mac also allows you to configure the buttons that can quickly display the lock screen.
*Please note that MacKeeper plans to discontinue this service as of June 1, 2021.
The good news is that you can still find your machine through “Find My Apps”. This is a built-in feature, so you don’t need to install it.
Identity Theft Guard
Protect yourself from identity theft with this solution. If you want to know if a data breach has exposed your email account, you can use “ID Theft Guard” to find out.
Please note that you cannot use just any email address. To use the scanner, you must add a confirmation code that the program sends to the specific email address you used to register.
The MacKeeper scan results will show you a complete list of accounts that the hacker may have accessed. It also gives you the option to view specific passwords that are in question.
You can then change them to enhance your security and mark each one as secure in this application. You can set MacKeeper to constantly monitor email addresses and send you instant reports on any data breaches.
Private Connection VPN
The MacKeeper app also includes an integrated VPN, especially if you use public Wi-Fi for secure connections.
Here is what the platform can do for you.
The moment you open the Internet via VPN, it encrypts all your sensitive data and then transmits it to the selected server through a secure tunnel. This prevents anyone from snooping on your network traffic.
In addition, all requests you make over your Internet connection appear to come from the server and not from your own IP address. This will keep you away from any trackers that try to find your location.
With it, you can pay your bank securely. Shopping from anywhere also becomes a breeze without worrying about hackers who might have access to your financial details.
This VPN also allows you to access content that is not available in your area, such as streaming services or websites. The list of available servers is based on distance from your current location, rather than letting you select countries in alphabetical order.
At the time of this review of MacKeeper, it had 296 locations in 50 countries/regions. Please note that all sites are physical sites rather than virtual sites to avoid impacting speed.
These locations include South America and Africa, which is where most privacy companies are underserved. Servers are also available in countries/regions that do not support VPN, including Turkey, Russia and China.
MacKeeper uses military-grade encryption. This means top-of-the-line technology, such as AES-256.
In other words, hackers have no chance to try to break into top-class algorithms.
And there is more.
The tool is flexible in terms of connectivity. You can set it to connect automatically or manually.
Update Tracker
While conducting this MacKeeper review, I realized that the software will track updates for you. It classifies this feature as a performance enhancer. However, it is more of a security tool.
Security researchers are constantly creating and releasing patches to fix vulnerabilities and exploits. Not applying these security patches can put your Mac at risk.
This Update Tracker updates your system every five minutes. It performs a four-part scan and automatically installs any necessary updates to fix problems. You can also run this feature on its own.
Antivirus
MacKeeper is a full-featured, real-time antivirus tool. You can use it to detect malware and malicious files.
This solution can help if you are concerned that someone may be spying on you through your camera or microphone. If this happens, MacKeeper Virus Scan will alert you immediately.
This feature also shows you all items in quarantine. Thus, if some sanitized files contain important data, you will have the opportunity to view them. You can recover them again from this special storage.
Adware Cleaner
While writing his review of MacKeeper software, I found that the tool is designed to identify and remove malware that may use the application to attack your system.
Mac is secure enough to ensure that no adware enters your operating system, as long as you stay away from pirated content. The best thing about it is that it sends you alerts every time a suspicious program is found.
Memory Cleaner
If you have applications that take up a lot of memory, Mackeeper will help you manage this situation better. “Memory Cleaner unloads RAM and helps speed up the performance of your machine.
However, please note that this application is only useful if you have only 4GB of RAM in your system. In addition, you must have multiple tabs open on Google Chrome.
On-demand experts
MacKeeper understands that not everyone can be a technician, just like everyone can’t be a doctor or an artist. The company has experts to help you with any questions you may have about the software.
I tried the service before writing this Mackeeper Remote Assistance review.
It was simply outstanding. The team is on call 24/7 and they are great.
Shredder
This feature works in the same way as Smart Uninstall. If you want to permanently delete files from your Mac, this tool will delete them and make them unrecoverable.
*Please note that this feature is not available in Mac 5 generation. It is only available on 3rd generation, 10.13 and lower.
Price of MacKeeper
MacKeeper is available in a variety of plans and pricing options.
First, there is an option to use the software for free, but it only allows you to perform “find and fix”
However, if you want to use features like Memory Cleaner or the integrated VPN, you must subscribe to a premium account.
You can only clean or uninstall applications or junk once before switching to the paid version.
The good news is.
The company offers a 14-day money-back guarantee on all of its plans. If you go beyond 14 days, then you may be able to get a partial refund, depending on the number of days you use the software.
Now, let’s take a look at MacKeeper’s pricing and plans:
- One Month Plan: The MacKeeper Basic Plan starts at $10.95/month. This is a one-month plan and is billed on a monthly basis.
- Twelve Month Plan/1 Mac: This plan starts at $5.00 per month and is billed annually.
- Twelve Month Plan/3 Macs: This plan starts at $5.20 per month and is billed annually.
Client Support
MacKeeper’s client support is great. You can choose to contact them via live chat on their website, email them with your concerns, or call them by phone. All channels are available 24/7 and the representatives are very quick to respond and provide competent help.
How to remove MacKeeper?
Many users complained about how difficult it was to uninstall the software, which led to a large number of negative customer reviews. However, the company seems to have learned a lot from its previous mistakes.
It has been making changes to meet the needs of its customers and the latest version of MacKeeper is not so tricky to uninstall. After receiving these negative comments, MacKeepers now offers a step-by-step guide to removing the application from the Mac website.
Before proceeding, be sure to note that once you uninstall this application, all files and folders you have encrypted with this software will not be able to be opened.
To regain access to these files and folders, you must reinstall the software and decrypt everything before uninstalling MacKeeper again.
Therefore, be sure to decrypt files and folders before you begin these steps.
Remove the MacKeeper icon from the menu bar
On a Mac’s menu bar, the Exit command does not appear when you click the MacKeeper menu. This may lead you to believe that you cannot quit. Even trying to force quit won’t work. To remove the icon from the menu bar, follow these steps:
- Start MacKeeper from the Applications folder.
- Click the software’s menu bar and select Preferences.
- Select the General tab.
- Now, in the menu bar, find “Show MacKeeper icon” and uncheck the box.
Uninstalling MacKeeper
Here are the simple steps to remove MacKeeper from your Mac:
- First quit the MacKeeper application.
- Open the Applications folder.
- Click on MacKeeper and drag it to the Trash.
- You may be prompted to add an administrator password. Simply enter it and select it.
- The MacKeeper software will be moved to the Trash.
- The screen will display another pop-up window, just like the administrator password. It will ask if you are sure you want to remove or uninstall this application.
- You must enter your password again and click OK.
These steps will remove the software from your Mac.
Is MacKeeper a virus?
To be honest, this macOS security software does not have a good history.
Many customers have accused the company of leaking data, sending spam and tricking users into paying for upgrades in the past.
Since then, many people have wondered if MacKeeper is really a virus.
Understandably so.
It’s not.
According to ESET and Malwarebytes, MacKeeper is a potentially harmful program (PUP). However, it is unclear whether either of these antivirus programs classified MacKeeper as a PUP prior to its launch, or whether they still maintain their ratings.
Mac users are familiar with the so-called MacKeeper scam. It has a reputation for being scareware, meaning that the free version highlights false issues to scare users into paying for fixes. The company has also faced lawsuits as a result, as have its aggressive affiliates.
However, since Clario acquired the software, there has been some light on the horizon. The company has been working to repair the tool’s poor reputation.
Here’s some of the exciting news I found while writing this review.
In 2019, MacKeeper received the prestigious AppEsteem certification.
It is important to note that only brands that have completely cleared their history of using deceptive practices can receive this certification.
What this means for consumers is:
It protects you by eliminating the deceptive practices of application manufacturers. In other words, it acts as a watchdog, ensuring that vendors only release clean apps to the market.
Better yet:
Since then, MacKeeper’s rating has improved slightly as rough affiliates have decreased. This means only one thing – scareware behavior has also disappeared.
Verdict
All in all, MacKeeper is now a reliable software with many great features. It gives you privacy, security and cleans up your Mac for extra space beyond any ordinary anti-virus software.
MacKeeper safely removes malware and detects spyware as well as ransomware. AVG Test Labs tested MacKeeper’s virus, malware and other protection features and gave it a score of 13/18.
The software is more expensive than many of the best anti-virus software programs out there. However, it tops most software in this category with its powerful features.
In addition, the tool’s StopAd, identity theft protection and VPN provide security for your online browsing.
Overall, after testing this MacKeeper antivirus review, I can say that this software is a good choice. However, if you want a password management tool and a firewall, then this antivirus is not for you.
Mackeeper
STRENGTHS
- Privacy and security features
- Adware prevention
- Decent customer support
- ID Theft Guard
WEAKNESSES
- On-access scanning not available
- Somewhat expensive
- Not a good reputation
Reference Articles: https://techjury.net/reviews/mackeeper-review/