AppZapper is a revolutionary new utility that uninstalls apps for you. They come out with AppZapper just as easy as installing them. It is a very easy “drag and drop” type utility that requires little or no effort to use. It even has a safety feature that protects the apps you need to keep and keeps track of the ones you got rid of. Users are wondering why Apple didn’t include this utility with their systems and can’t seem to live without it. Our experts caught wind of all the buzz and decided to do an AppZapper review.
What is AppZapper?
This is a utility designed for use on Mac OS X to uninstall apps on your Mac. It gives you the ease of just “dragging and dropping” any app you don’t want straight into the trash. It also looks for other files in distant directories associated with the app and gives you the option to delete these too. It also has a safety feature to prevent unwanted deletions and keeps a log of what you threw away.
We found the fact that it is Shareware a bit discomforting. It must be uninstalled with another “un-install” utility to completely remove it.
AppZapper Features (list)
AppZapper is a small program compared to other Mac cleaner utilities. It is pretty straightforward about what it does.
The features include:
- Drag and Drop Uninstall
- Suggested Files To Remove
- The “Hit List”
- “My Apps” License Storage
- Safe Applications List
What Does AppZapper Do?
Drag and Drop/Suggested Files to Remove
Like we said, this is a small program that helps you uninstall apps and any associated files that get scattered throughout your hard drive. You just “drag and drop” the application into the box. The utility then scans for any related files anywhere are your hard drive that were part of the app. Sometimes, when you uninstall an app you still have some files somewhere on your computer and these can build up over time. When you do a manual uninstall, you have to go searching for all these pieces yourself. AppZapper takes care of that for you.
The “Hit List”
This function works just like the Add/Remove programs in Windows. A window opens up and shows you all of your installed applications. It shows you the installation date and how often you use the app. You can uninstall any unused apps right from this window.
My Apps
This feature is a safe place to store licenses from applications you have purchased. Again, you just “drag and drop” the app straight into My Apps and it keeps the purchase date and license information safe for you on little cards.
Safe Applications
It would never be a good thing to accidentally delete Apple operating files. AppZapper keeps a list of files to keep safe from getting “zapped.” These include files for your operating system.
Installing AppZapper
You just go to the AppZapper website and click on the download button.
Beware of the FREE version, it will uninstall itself after just a few trial zaps. The cost of AppZapper is quite a steal at $12.95. After you pay and download (only about 2 to 3 minutes) then you just AGREE to the terms of service. After that the app opens up and you can just zap away!
AppZapper vs CleanApp Comparison Table
| Utility/Feature | AppZapper ($12.95) | CleanApp ($14.99) |
| Total Application Removal | Included | Included |
| Monitors App Activity | Included | Included |
| Deletes Widgets/Plug-ins | Included | Included |
| Calculates Disk Space | Not Included | Included |
| Remove Old Files | Not Included | Included |
While it does appear that AppZapper does a little less, our editors are equally fond of both programs.
AppZapper Expert Review
“So, AppZapper, we like you. We’ve been fond of another tool called CleanApp (which recently graduated to version 3) and AppZapper reminds us of what CleanApp used to be like, before it became all macho and industrial-strength. “Kari Hodge/Macworld.co.uk
AppZapper User Review
We got some mixed user AppZapper review items. It seems that most of the dissatisfied were just a bit more loyal to other utilities. The positive reviews were plenty though.
Positive Reviews
“The best I ever had…work really fine…” – O24
“Great little app. There’s a nice feature called ‘Hit List’ in the view menu that lets you see *apps preferences files, etc . . . . *you can show apps not used recently. I’ve had AppZapper for 2 years and I had no idea this feature existed. Then you can just go through apps and zap em.” –MG
“I’ve never had any problems with AppZapper. It has a much nicer and simpler interface than other app removal apps. I really love the My Apps feature, saves product keys and stops you from accidentally zapping an important app. Oh, and of course, I love the zapping animation.” –UT
“In my opinion this is the best uninstaller application for Mac OS. I have been using this since it came out, and it is amazing. It is light, and finds the files fast.” –FK
“I am giving this five stars, in part because it’s always been a great (and fun) little app, but particularly because the devs have made this major upgrade free to recent buyers. That’s how you build loyalty! Thanks!” –CM
“Some complain about not getting the same new fancy version for 10.5, some others say that the new version is overloaded and they’re rather using the older version on 10.6. Folks really, I don’t get it. Can’t you ever be satisfied? Version 2 is a free upgrade so what do you complain about? Maybe you should get your personal problems solved first and don’t take it out on developers offering free upgrades, hmm?” –XT
Negative Reviews
“Love the new interface, but it still doesn’t have a feature like AppCleaner’s SmartDelete that detects an app when you throw it in the trash. AppCleaner’s doesn’t have the best way of pulling this off, but it’s better than not having it at all. If AppZapper includes this feature in one of their new versions, I will definitely be switching!” –J506
“An unexpected new release. I always used the previously version, and in fact I still use the old version. For several reasons this new versions is not worth it. The new browse window is fancy but doesn’t add anything useful. In fact, it is more of an overload. A uninstall application just needs to find as many related files without bells no one is ever going to use anyway. Looks aren’t everything. Fanciness is nice but it should be functional. Sorry, I just don’t like this new look. 3 star for this and 4.5stars for the previous version.” –MP
“I just received AppZapper as part of a bundle. The first thing I did is compare it with the ‘Delete App’ functionality of forklift. In each and every application I tried, forklift caught more files on my system than AppZapper. Sometimes AppZapper would miss out a file in ‘receipts’ folder or sometimes in ‘caches’ folder and sometimes in both. Considering AppZapper is a program dedicated to this functionality, I am pretty surprised by this. If all application deleters out there were missing the same files then I wouldn’t have been so harsh on AppZapper. But the fact that another application catches extra files every time is inexcusable.” -PW
Conclusion
Even seeing a negative AppZapper review or two didn’t sway our editors. We think this utility is pretty nifty! It looks way better then what we saw on the MacKeeper review with very few bugs and very easy to use. Good job AppZapper!
