MacBooster 8 Pro

Quick facts

• Product: MacBooster 8 Pro, 12-month subscription for 3 Macs
• Developer: IObit
• Version: 8.3.2
• Platform: macOS 11.5 or later, Universal app (Intel and Apple silicon)
• Download size: 34 MB installer package
• Price: $49.95 per year, renewing automatically each year until you turn renewal off
• Free version: scans and lists issues; cleaning and fixing need Pro
• Refund policy: IObit's 60-day money-back guarantee, which excludes a change of mind (see the FAQs)
• Languages: English and 14 other languages, including French, German, Japanese, Spanish and Chinese
• What we checked: the MacBooster_8.pkg installer (34 MB) from IObit's download server, whose MacBooster 8.app reports version 8.3.2, requires macOS 11.5 and contains both Intel and Apple silicon code, and the order page price of $49.95 with yearly automatic renewal switched on by default, on October 29, 2026. We didn't install or run MacBooster on a Mac, so we haven't tested its scan results ourselves.

Before you buy

• Security vendors flag it. Malwarebytes lists MacBooster under the detection name PUP.MacBooster (potentially unwanted program) in its "system optimizer" category. Macworld's reviewer reported in August 2024 that about 20 security companies identified it as adware.
• The free scan's warnings are alarming by design. In Macworld's test, the free version reported 229 threats and a "Dangerous" status, and counted Google Chrome cookie files as threats that only the paid version could remove. Cookies are not malware. Treat a big red number from the free scan as a sales pitch, not a diagnosis.
• It's a yearly subscription. The order page shows a 12-month plan with automatic renewal on. The "per month" prices on IObit's store page are a yearly charge divided by 12, not a monthly plan you can cancel after a month.
• Don't count on the refund. IObit's refund policy generally refuses a refund when "a customer suddenly changes his mind after purchase". Run the free scan first and decide from that.

Junk cleanup across 20+ file types

MacBooster's System Junk scan finds application junk, system caches and logs, mail attachments, language files, leftovers from deleted apps, broken login items, Xcode derived data, old iOS backups and software updates, iTunes caches and downloaded installers, then shows the total that can be removed. IObit says it covers over 20 types of junk. Developers and iPhone owners gain the most here, since Xcode data and old iOS backups often run to several gigabytes.

Virus and malware scan

MacBooster's Virus & Malware Scan has two parts: Malware Removal, for stubborn apps and files that won't uninstall the normal way, and Virus Scan. IObit's site says MacBooster blocks threats with real-time protection, while macsecurity.net's review of version 8 found that "The utility doesn't deliver real-time protection, though." Either way, it isn't a replacement for a dedicated antivirus, and its threat counts have been criticized for including harmless items such as browser cookies.

The Virus & Malware Scan screen, reporting 13 issues split between Malware Removal and Virus Scan.

Turbo Boost for disk, permissions and media caches

MacBooster's Turbo Boost runs three fixes in one click: Disk Optimization (cache files), Disk Permission Optimization (permission problems left by third-party apps) and Storage Optimization (media cache settings). Modern macOS protects its system files and handles permissions itself, so expect the gains here to be smaller than the cleanup tools'.

Turbo Boost lists Disk Optimization, Disk Permission Optimization and Storage Optimization, with the full System Status and Tools sidebar on the left.

Startup Optimization with keep-or-remove advice

MacBooster's Startup Optimization lists the services and login items that launch with your Mac, with the company behind each one and a recommendation such as "Keep". Even Macworld's critical review counted this module as a plus for its detailed view of what starts with your Mac. You can disable items or add new ones from the same list.

Startup Optimization showing services from Google, VirtualBox, Oracle and IObit, each marked "Keep".

Memory Clean

MacBooster's Memory Clean shows how much RAM is in use and frees inactive memory with one click. A Details button lists the apps using the most memory, so you can close the ones you don't need.

Memory Clean reporting 14.9 GB used (93%), with a Clean button and a Details button.

Large & Old Files, Duplicate Finder and Photo Sweeper

MacBooster's Large & Old Files tool scans your home folder, or any folder you add, for big files you haven't used in a long time. Duplicate Finder finds identical copies and keeps a backup of what it deletes, which you can restore from Preferences. Photo Sweeper groups similar photos so you can keep the best shot. In Macworld's test, Duplicate Finder found 34.4 GB of redundant files and Photo Sweeper found 5,340 duplicates.

Large & Old Files, set to scan the user's home folder, with Add Folder and Clear List buttons.

Privacy Protection and Uninstaller

MacBooster's Privacy Protection clears cookies, history, last-session tabs and recent-item lists for Safari and Chrome, plus app traces. The Uninstaller removes apps together with their leftover files and can also reset an app to its original state.

Privacy Protection with 40 Safari items, Chrome, Recent Item List and App Traces in the middle column.

Where it falls short

• Inflated threat counts. Counting browser cookies as threats makes the free scan look worse than your Mac really is, which is the main complaint against MacBooster.
• Interface rough edges. Macworld found no progress timers on longer scans, a scroll bar that blends into the background, and no "Select All" in Photo Sweeper.
• Removal leftovers. Apple Community threads include several users asking how to remove MacBooster and MacBooster Mini completely. Use the built-in Help > Uninstall command rather than dragging the app to the Trash.
• Mixed licensing messages. IObit's FAQ still says a license is valid "for lifetime", while the plan sold here is a 12-month subscription that renews automatically.

Customer testimonials on macbooster.net

"Got this product for my older mac to help speed it up. This product found errors and fixed them quickly and gave me the option to free up memory which greatly helped my aging mac function better." - Michael Kern

"I've used MacBooster on Mac OS X for several years and strongly recommend it. It's my all-in-one maintenance tool, keeping my machines constantly running like new." - Aaron Takizad

"I'm an app junkie, and...I LOVE MacBooster! It actually makes cleaning up your mac FUN. It's EASY to use, It's super-FAST, & has a BEAUTIFUL interface." - Lisa Lockworth

"I've been using ASC for a number of years on my PC - and I missed it when I changed to MAC. But now I'm back on track again using a tool giving the optimal conditions run my MAC." - Mogens Bandholm

These are chosen by the vendor and undated, and one still refers to "Mac OS X".

Macworld (Chris Barylick, August 12, 2024, version 8.2)

Macworld's review, titled "MacBooster Review: it's no surprise people think it's malware", is the most detailed independent test of version 8. It gave credit where it was due: "There was some good: several of the modules came in handy, and modules like Duplicate Finder were able to dig through my hard drives and find 34.4 GB of redundant files and clear them out, and Photo Sweeper located 5,340 duplicates in 1,692 groups and offered a precise way to remove individual photos."

The verdict was still negative: "MacBooster's functionality is limited and competitors offer better options. The scaremongering is unacceptable and the software feels like a cheap copy of other multi-purpose utilities."

On the free scan: "the application declared that I had 229 threats to my operating system, was ranked in the "Dangerous" category, and that the only means of removing these hundreds of threats to my operating system and data was to upgrade from my free version of MacBooster to the licensed version". The review's buying advice: "We really can't recommend it."

macsecurity.net (David Balaban, updated December 9, 2024)

macsecurity.net's review of MacBooster 8 is far kinder: "Its interface is clean and streamlined, and the names of the features are very easy to interpret, even for inexperienced users." It singled out the startup advice: "The things we really like in MacBooster 8 include helpful suggestions displayed by the Startup Optimization module, as well as the handy firewall switch now complementing the old options in the MacBooster Mini app."

Its reservation: "However, this release still lacks real-time security functions, which is what we anticipate seeing in editions to come." Bottom line: "we find it effective and user-friendly."

Malwarebytes and the Apple Community

Malwarebytes' threat page for PUP.MacBooster explains why it flags this category of app: "These so-called "system optimizers" have been known to use intentional false positives to convince users that their systems have problems. Then they try to sell you their software, claiming it will remove these problems." It adds: "PUP.MacBooster is often installed by bundlers."

On Apple's own support forum, threads about MacBooster are mostly removal requests and "is this safe?" questions. Asked "Is MacBooster mini a virus?" in July 2020, Apple Community member Kurt Lang replied: "No, it's a Trojan, which is any type of software YOU install, whether you realize you did it or not."

Recurring themes

• Liked: easy, tidy interface; the duplicate and large-file finders recover real space; Startup Optimization's clear recommendations.
• Disliked: alarming threat counts that include harmless cookies to push the upgrade; being flagged by security vendors; yearly subscription pressure; trouble removing it completely.
• Company-wide: IObit as a whole rates 4.6 out of 5 from 2,554 reviews on Trustpilot (iobit.com), but none of the reviews we read there mentioned MacBooster.

MacBooster vs the tools built into macOS

macOS already lets you review large files, empty the Trash automatically and optimize storage under System Settings > General > Storage, manage startup apps under Login Items, and see memory hogs in Activity Monitor, all for free. MacBooster adds Xcode and iOS-backup cleanup, a duplicate and similar-photo finder, and one-click scans across everything. If those extras matter to you, MacBooster saves time; if not, macOS does the basics without a subscription or a third-party app with this reputation.

MacBooster vs Advanced SystemCare

MacBooster is IObit's Mac counterpart to Advanced SystemCare for Windows, with the same scan-then-fix model. The two are sold separately, and one license doesn't cover the other.

Conclusion

MacBooster 8 Pro is hard to recommend. The cleanup tools work, and the duplicate finder, large-file scanner and startup manager can recover real space and time on a cluttered Mac. At $49.95 a year for three Macs, the price is fair for that kind of convenience.

The reason to buy it: you want one simple app that cleans several Macs and you'll judge its scan results yourself. The reason not to: its free scan has been caught counting harmless cookies as threats to push the upgrade, security vendors including Malwarebytes flag it as unwanted software, and the license renews automatically every year. If you want security, buy a real antivirus; if you only want space back, try macOS's own Storage tools first. If you still want MacBooster, run the free scan, read the details, and only then decide.

Download Free Scan VersionBuy Now ($49.95/year)