head to head · open source
Mole vs BleachBit
Mole has 73,641 GitHub stars, 2,611 forks, 6 open issues and last shipped yesterday. BleachBit has 7,349 stars, 486 forks, 313 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Mole leads on adoption by 902% (73,641 vs 7,349 stars). Mole is written in Shell under GPL-3.0; BleachBit is written in Python under GPL-3.0. Mole has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, BleachBit 7%. BleachBit was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (cleaner), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Mole | BleachBit | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 74K | ★ 7.3K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Shell | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.6K | ⑂ 486 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Mole if
- You weight community size — 74K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick BleachBit if
- You want the BleachBit feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and BleachBit fits your workflow better
About Mole
Mole 🐹 Clean, uninstall, analyze, optimize, and monitor your Mac. Free open source CLI, plus a native Mac app. 💡 Prefer a native app? Mole for Mac brings cleanup, app management, maintenance, disk maps, and live status into one lightweight, VoiceOver ready app. One license covers 2 Macs with lifetime updates and a 14 day refund. The CLI stays free and open source. Features All in one toolkit : Combines CleanMyMac, AppCleaner, DaisyDisk, and iStat Menus in a single binary Deep cleaning : Removes caches, logs, leftovers, and orphaned app data to reclaim gigabytes of space Smart uninstaller : Removes apps plus…
About BleachBit
BleachBit BleachBit cleans files to free disk space and to maintain privacy. Running from source To run BleachBit without installation, first install the system dependencies, then build the translations and run it: Many Linux systems have the basic dependencies: you may skip installation, but in case of any issues, please check for missing dependencies. Then, review the preferences. Then, select some options, and click Preview. Review the files, toggle options accordingly, and click Delete. For information regarding the command line interface, run: Read more about running from source. Links BleachBit home page…
read the full BleachBit overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Mole or BleachBit more popular?
Mole has 73,641 GitHub stars and BleachBit has 7,349. Mole has the larger community by that measure.
Are Mole and BleachBit free?
Both are open source. Mole is licensed under GPL-3.0 and BleachBit under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Mole and BleachBit?
Mole is written in Shell and BleachBit in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Mole or BleachBit?
Choose Mole if you want the larger community (73,641 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose BleachBit if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.