The short answer
- It isn't malware. MacKeeper is a paid maintenance and security app from an identifiable company, and MacKeeper says Apple has notarized it since version 4.7.21. Apple describes notarization as Apple checking an app for malicious software and finding none (Apple, Safely open apps on your Mac).
- Its antivirus has been tested. AV-TEST certified MacKeeper 6.8 in its March 2025 macOS test, with full marks for protection, performance and usability (AV-TEST).
- The history is real, and documented. Aggressive advertising, a class action and a data exposure, all under earlier owners and all reported by 2015. MacKeeper says those advertising practices ended after Clario took over.
- You may not need it. macOS includes malware protection, storage tools and startup-item controls, and most of what MacKeeper charges for has a free built-in or free third-party equivalent.
Who makes MacKeeper
MacKeeper's own site says it's developed by Clario Tech FZCO, with an address in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (MacKeeper, About). The app has changed hands twice:
- 2010: MacKeeper's timeline lists its beta launch that year. Its original developer was ZeoBIT LLC, a California company.
- April 2013: ZeoBIT sold MacKeeper to Kromtech Alliance Corp., based in Cologne, Germany (PCWorld, May 2015).
- December 2019: Clario acquired the MacKeeper brand from Kromtech (AV-Comparatives, vendor page).
What it does, and what it costs
MacKeeper describes itself as 11 tools in one app (MacKeeper, Product):
- Security: Antivirus and Adware Cleaner.
- Cleaning: Safe Cleanup, Duplicates Finder and Smart Uninstaller.
- Performance: Memory Cleaner, Login Items and Update Tracker.
- Privacy: ID Theft Guard, StopAd and a VPN, Private Connect.
The current version is 7.8, from September 2026, for macOS 10.15 or later, and MacKeeper says it has run natively on Apple silicon since version 7. It isn't on the Mac App Store; you download it from mackeeper.com.
The free download gives one free fix per tool, except the VPN; after that it needs a subscription. The prices MacKeeper's pricing page showed us in US dollars on 20 October 2026:
| Plan | Macs | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | 1 | $10.95 |
| 12 months | 1 | $71.40 a year ($5.95 a month) |
| 12 months | 3 | $89.40 a year ($7.45 a month) |
Subscriptions renew automatically unless you cancel (MacKeeper, EULA). MacKeeper's refund policy gives 30 days from the first purchase for yearly plans and 14 days for monthly ones (MacKeeper, Refund policy), while its pricing page mentions a 14-day money-back guarantee, so check the terms that apply to your plan.
Why people ask whether it's safe
The advertising
For years MacKeeper was best known for its ads. In 2015, PCWorld reported that some affiliate advertisers, paid commissions by Kromtech, had wrapped MacKeeper ads into adware, and that more than 80% of ZeoBIT's affiliate agreements had since been suspended. MacKeeper now says those practices, under Kromtech's ownership, were completely discontinued after the change to Clario (MacKeeper, FAQ). Reviewing the app in 2021, Macworld wrote that the new owner had pulled back on aggressive marketing and saw no obvious scareware tactics in testing (Macworld).
The class action
In 2014 a US buyer filed a class action, Yencha v. ZeoBIT LLC, in federal court in Pennsylvania. The complaint alleged that MacKeeper was designed to always report that a user's Mac needed repair (complaint, via CourtListener). Those were allegations, not findings: ZeoBIT settled without admitting fault, putting $2 million into a fund for refunds to US buyers (PCWorld, August 2015), and the court gave final approval in November 2015 (final order).
The 2015 data exposure
In December 2015, security researcher Chris Vickery found a MacKeeper database open to the internet, and Kromtech acknowledged that information on more than 13 million customers had been exposed. Kromtech said a server misconfiguration was to blame, that it fixed the error within hours, and that billing information wasn't stored on its servers (Krebs on Security). MacKeeper's timeline says it went on to launch a security research center with Vickery in 2016.
How security companies classify it
Malwarebytes detects MacKeeper as PUP.MacKeeper, its name for a potentially unwanted program that uses aggressive advertising to get installed; the page isn't dated (Malwarebytes). "Potentially unwanted" isn't the same as malware. MacKeeper says it's working with vendors to have such classifications reviewed. In independent testing, besides AV-TEST's certifications (December 2020, and each March from 2022 to 2025), AV-Comparatives didn't approve MacKeeper 5.4 in its 2021 Mac security test (AV-Comparatives), and MacKeeper wasn't among the products in AV-TEST's 2026 macOS tests.
What macOS already covers
| MacKeeper tool | Built into macOS, or free |
|---|---|
| Antivirus, Adware Cleaner | XProtect, Gatekeeper and notarization, updated in the background. What they cover; removing adware by hand |
| Safe Cleanup, Duplicates Finder | System Settings › General › Storage; Photos' Duplicates album. Freeing up space |
| Smart Uninstaller | Drag to the Trash, or free uninstallers. AppCleaner vs Pearcleaner |
| Memory Cleaner | macOS manages memory itself; quitting the app that's using it is the real fix. When clearing RAM helps, and other maintenance myths |
| Login Items | System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions |
| Update Tracker | Software Update, the App Store and each app's own updater |
| VPN, StopAd, ID Theft Guard | Partly. iCloud Private Relay, part of iCloud+, protects your browsing in Safari (Apple), and the Passwords app warns about passwords that appeared in known data leaks (Apple). A full VPN or an ad blocker is a separate choice |
If what you want is one app that does several of these jobs, compare it with the alternatives first: CleanMyMac and the alternatives for each job.
How to remove MacKeeper
These are MacKeeper's own steps for version 7 (MacKeeper, How to uninstall MacKeeper). You need an administrator's password. Check your version first in MacKeeper › About MacKeeper; the same page has steps for older versions.
- Quit MacKeeper with Command-Q or from the MacKeeper menu at the top left. MacKeeper warns that closing it from its Dashboard instead stops the uninstall from completing properly.
- In Finder, open Applications and drag MacKeeper to the Trash.
- Click Continue in the confirmation window, then confirm with Touch ID or your administrator password.
- If you'd installed its StopAd extension for Safari, newer macOS versions ask to let MacKeeperUninstaller continue; click Allow.
Then tidy up what's left:
- Safari: MacKeeper suggests removing its website data. In Safari, choose Safari › Settings, click Privacy, then Manage Website Data, select the MacKeeper entries and click Remove (Apple, Manage cookies and website data in Safari).
- Background items: open System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions and check nothing from MacKeeper is still listed. More on startup items.
- Leftover files: for older versions, MacKeeper lists folders in your Library named after MacKeeper or
com.mackeeper, in Application Support, Caches and LaunchAgents. Search for those and move what you find to the Trash. How to find an app's leftovers safely.
Removing the app doesn't cancel the subscription. MacKeeper's terms say subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled. To stop renewal, sign in to your MacKeeper account, click Manage subscription on your license card and turn off auto-renewal (MacKeeper, How to cancel), or contact MacKeeper's billing support.
Where Tend fits
Tend isn't antivirus. Its free Security check shows FileVault, the firewall, Gatekeeper and other settings, and groups your apps by how they're signed: by a notarized developer, signed but not notarized, unsigned, or with notarization withdrawn by Apple, along with each developer's Team ID. That's a quick way to see what's installed and where it came from, MacKeeper included. Tend Pro's Uninstaller removes an app with the support files it matched in your Library, via the Trash.
Questions
Is MacKeeper a virus?
No. MacKeeper is commercial software from Clario Tech, and MacKeeper says Apple has notarized it since version 4.7.21. Malwarebytes classifies it as a potentially unwanted program because of how it was advertised, which isn't the same as malware.
Is MacKeeper legit?
It's a real product from an identifiable company with a paid subscription. AV-TEST certified its antivirus in March 2025. Its earlier owners faced a class action over its marketing, settled without admitting fault in 2015, and a data exposure the same year.
How do I completely remove MacKeeper?
Quit it with Command-Q, not from its Dashboard, then drag it from Applications to the Trash, click Continue and enter your administrator password. Afterwards, remove its Safari website data, check Login Items & Extensions, and look for leftover MacKeeper folders in your Library.
Does uninstalling MacKeeper cancel my subscription?
No. MacKeeper's terms say subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled. Sign in to your MacKeeper account, choose Manage subscription on your license card and turn off auto-renewal, or contact MacKeeper's billing support.
Do I need MacKeeper on my Mac?
Most people don't. macOS includes XProtect and Gatekeeper for malware, Storage settings for freeing space, and Login Items & Extensions for startup items, and free tools cover uninstalling and finding duplicates. A VPN or ad blocker is a separate choice.
Related guides
CleanMyMac alternatives
Free and paid options for each job a cleaner app does.
How to delete or uninstall apps on a Mac completely
Remove apps and the support files they leave behind.
What is XProtect on Mac?
What macOS's built-in malware protection covers.
How to free up space on your Mac and clear storage safely
The built-in way, in the order that's safest.
More detailed guides:
More detailed guides:
Sources
- MacKeeper, About, Product, Download (version and requirements), Pricing, FAQ, EULA and Refund policy, checked 20 October 2026
- MacKeeper, MacKeeper notarization and MacKeeper 7 release
- MacKeeper, How to uninstall MacKeeper and How to cancel a MacKeeper subscription
- Apple, Safely open apps on your Mac, Manage cookies and website data in Safari on Mac, About iCloud Private Relay and Change weak or compromised passwords in Passwords on Mac
- AV-TEST, Clario test results, including the March 2025 report
- AV-Comparatives, Mac Security Test & Review 2021 and MacKeeper vendor page
- Malwarebytes, PUP.MacKeeper
- Yencha v. ZeoBIT LLC, No. 2:14-cv-00578 (W.D. Pa.): complaint (2014) and order of final judgment (5 November 2015), via CourtListener
- Jeremy Kirk, PCWorld, MacKeeper celebrates a difficult birthday under the cloud of a class action lawsuit (May 2015) and MacKeeper customers can file a claim to get their money back (August 2015)
- Brian Krebs, Krebs on Security, 13 Million MacKeeper Users Exposed (14 December 2015)
- Lance Whitney, Macworld, MacKeeper review (November 2021)
See your Mac's security settings in one place
Tend is free to download. Pro is $1.99 a month, $12.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, or $29.99 once.