Magicanis a freeware tool that monitors system stats and searches for files that bog down the operating system. One among a list of other tools, Magican is developed by self-proclaimed Mac fans to optimize systems and deliver a product across multiple outlets. After a run at other applications, Magican is the combination of previous software, user suggestions, and feedback.
Design and Layout
First to open is a small systems monitor displays on the desktop, which displays either RAM/CPU, network activity, or CPU/GPU temperatures. A popup window from the systems monitor provides a more in-depth view of the same information. In addition to this small controller, a menu bar icon is placed without asking user permission. Even worse, when clicked, the drop down menu will not remain active and disappears after a few seconds.
The Magican window utilizes a familiar navigation bar to the left, with the real meat-and-potatos to theright. Navigating through the app is fairly seamless, but there are several items which annoy. To the far right, there is a panel of contact information for the dev team. I cannot figure out how to remove the “toolbar,” which contains links/icons for email, feedback, join the community, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Additionally, there is a navigation tab that links to “Software.” The tab provides the user with a list of suggested applications – How or why they are suggested, I cannot tell. The only benefit to the software tab is the ability to uninstall any application and its linked files in one location. Another odd stab to convince the user to download more software is the “Toolbox,” which promotes three additional Magican software suites.
Function
In addition to the aforementioned functions, the heart of Magican is the “Quick Scan” which is located on the main page of the app. This scan will check for user defined categories which include: duplicate files; logs and caches; unused languages; useless binaries; web browser caches; and, application leftovers. Each category can be toggled individually and findings from each are searchable. Running the scan found results in all selected categories. In addition, the app has a built in system monitor, which displays disk usage, RAM, temperature, and battery information. Check out developer videos on YouTube for a hands-on look.
Caution
Magican is freeware, which is readily available for download across the internet. As this developer chose not to list its application on the Mac App Store, I am very leery about my personal computer’s safety. In a controlled Apple ecosystem, the engineers behind the Mac App Store approval process ensure apps meet certain standards. By circumventing these processes, I cannot guarantee the app behaves in accordance with Apple standards; consequently, the files the “Quick Scan” finds, may or may not be important system files.
My scan revealed many “unnecessary files,” but I am reluctant to let the app delete them. More interesting is the Duplicate Files search. Looking through the log, I noticed there were many picture files that appear on my HDD twice, but after sampling some of the files, they were ones I had intentionally placed in multiple places on my HDD. Had I simply trashed all of the scanned findings, I may have deleted files I actually use.
Another cause for alarm is the long list of “awards” on the MagicanSoft.com website. Several badges list star ratings that I could not actually find on the linked pages. Specifically, the MacUpdate badge shows a 5-star rating, but when clicked, the average user rating is 2-stars, with a long list of customer complaints.
Conclusion [rating: 2.5/5]
Based on my interactions with Magican (Free, .pkg download), the app behaves as advertised. It found a long list of registry, cache, and binary logs it deemed excess information. However, since converting to Mac, I have taken a if-it’s-not-broke-don’t-fix it approach to computing. Blindly deleting a long list of files with an app that has not been approved by the Mac App Store is concerning.
Magican received 2.5/5 stars because the app works as advertised, but needs a lot of refining. The user interface is more of a self promotion than a useable space, the menu icon does not function properly, and the duplicate file search may cause you to delete files you actually use. If the dev team submitted this for officially Mac App Store publication and fixed the small bugs, it would achieve a much higher rating.
Pros
- Free
- RAM release button clears used memory
- Monitor system temperature
- Uninstall apps from one location
Cons
- Un-regulated freeware is not officially approved by Apple
- May delete usable files
- Menu icon is inoperable
