Scanning, Safe Quick Clean / manual Safe clean, discovery of Ghost Projects / Artifacts, the widget, and restore are free. Pro automates cleanup: Auto Clean, Smart Triggers, and opt-in Project Auto Clean. Pro also adds Project Hibernation, Warning and Danger cleanup, custom folders, and Dangerous+ uninstall.

Do I need Pro to restore archived projects?

No. Restore is always free ; even without a license.

DevCleaner Pro Features ; Docs

Free forever

Full scan across every supported toolchain and AI tool
Quick Clean and manual clean for built-in SAFE categories
Ghost Projects / Project Artifacts ; see what’s eating space under your project roots
Restore hibernated projects ; always free, even without a license
Desktop widget (view + Quick Clean)

Pro unlocks

Auto Clean

When safe caches exceed a size threshold you set, DevCleaner cleans them automatically ; with an optional minimum age so fresh work is never touched. Configure in Settings → Scanning.

Smart Triggers

When you quit a dev app (Xcode, Cursor, Android Studio…), DevCleaner cleans that app's safe caches in the background and shows a notification with how much was freed. Opt-in, off by default.

Deep cleans & custom paths

Manual clean of Warning / Danger categories (unused Docker images, older toolchains, large package stores, and similar), plus custom folders and project-roots management for cleaning Ghost Projects / Project Artifacts ; not just viewing them.

Dangerous+ uninstall

DANGER+ rows remove complete app data for supported tools. Never pre-selected, never automated, double confirmation (Touch ID or typing DELETE), permanent delete. See risk levels.

Project Hibernation

Archive whole inactive projects off your local disk into a zip or tar archive, move them to an external drive or iCloud, and delete the original ; with a full safety chain (verify, checksum, breadcrumb). Includes:

Light archive ; strips heavy artifacts, keeps source and lockfiles
Full archive ; keeps everything
Docker runtime capture ; compose volumes, image strategy on restore
Batch archive ; archive all unused projects at once (Pro)

See Project Hibernation for the full restore flow and dependency reinstall. Restore stays free.

Docker VM Storage is informational only: it is not a selectable cleanup category and does not count toward reclaimable totals. Clean Docker objects through the separate prune categories.

Some older Free installations retain earlier manual-cleanup access. See existing Free installations for the exception; automation and archiving still require Pro.

Trial & pricing

Every install can start a 14-day Pro trial (email, no card) from onboarding, Settings → License, or the paywall. After that, buy a yearly or lifetime license ; activate on up to 3 of your Macs. Details in License, trial & pricing and on the homepage.

Pro features never bypass the safety model. Automation only touches SAFE caches. Dangerous+ still needs double confirmation. Hibernation is a deliberate, confirmed action ; never part of Quick Clean or Smart Triggers.

FAQ

What is free vs Pro?: Scanning, Safe Quick Clean / manual Safe clean, discovery of Ghost Projects / Artifacts, the widget, and restore are free. Pro automates cleanup: Auto Clean, Smart Triggers, and opt-in Project Auto Clean. Pro also adds Project Hibernation, Warning and Danger cleanup, custom folders, and Dangerous+ uninstall.
Do I need Pro to restore archived projects?: No. Restore is always free ; even without a license.
Does Pro bypass safety ratings?: No. Automation only touches SAFE caches. Dangerous+ still needs double confirmation. Hibernation is a separate confirmed action.

DevCleaner Pro features