CleanMyMac buyers and Setapp members paid for password managers more often than antivirus
Share with a tracked password-manager or dedicated-antivirus receipt, August 2025–August 2026
Share with a tracked paid-protection receipt
Source: YipitData U.S. e-receipt panel. CleanMyMac buyers n≈4,300; Setapp members n≈830. Free and bundled protection does not generate a purchase receipt and is not measured.
Chart data
| Series | Share with a tracked paid-protection receipt |
|---|---|
| Setapp: password manager | 32% |
| CleanMyMac: password manager | 15.8% |
| CleanMyMac: antivirus | 8.3% |
| Setapp: antivirus | 5.1% |
Which other protection categories did MacPaw buyers pay for?
Cloud storage or backup appeared among 12.4% of CleanMyMac buyers and 16.1% of Setapp members, while paid VPNs appeared among 7.7% and 6.7%. Dropbox is included in the cloud category, so that measure covers broader cloud storage as well as dedicated backup. The category rates show paid protection beyond antivirus, not whether customers used each service regularly.
Was the CleanMyMac antivirus gap limited to one year?
No. Dedicated-antivirus payment among yearly CleanMyMac buyer cohorts was 9.1% in 2023, 8.7% in 2024, and 8.8% in 2025. Password-manager payment stayed higher at roughly 16%–17% in those cohorts. The stability supports a recurring difference in paid category choice, but it does not explain why buyers favored one type of protection.
Does low paid-antivirus overlap mean MacPaw buyers lacked antivirus protection?
No. The panel observes paid receipts and can miss free antivirus, macOS protections, ISP or device bundles, and purchases outside connected inboxes. The finding is narrower: observed CleanMyMac and Setapp buyers paid for password managers more often than dedicated antivirus during the measured period.
Assumptions & Methodologies
We analyzed active U.S. e-receipt panelists with a captured CleanMyMac or Setapp receipt from August 18, 2025–August 18, 2026. MacPaw products were identified from processor and Apple receipt text. External categories covered tracked paid password managers, VPNs, antivirus, and cloud storage or backup vendors. The cohorts represent observable purchasers, not all product users. Free, bundled, and built-in protection is invisible; some Mac-native antivirus billing may be missed. The Setapp cohort is smaller, so its exact percentages are less precise than the CleanMyMac estimates. Results describe paid receipt overlap rather than usage, switching, or causality.