Best CCleaner Alternatives for PC and Mobile
CCleaner is arguably the world’s most famous PC file cleaner. We have all used it to remove a few megabytes, believing afterwards that the difference was huge and being amazed at the amazing new and improved performance of our team, hehe.
Well, it might not be that bad, but surely if the software has been around for so long and is still famous, it is because it is certainly good at its own.
That is precisely what we will see today telling you what CCleaner is, what advantages and disadvantages it has, how to use it and, of course, giving you some other very good alternatives for you to try until you find your favourite cleaning optimization program.
Table of Contents
What is Piriform CCleaner, and what is it used for?
CCleaner is a C ++ computer software (developed in 2003 by Piriform and recently bought by Avast) that ensures that you get better performance from your computer (and now also your mobile phone).
For this, it uses the cleaning of unnecessary files and registry data and invalid entries that our operating system has registered. This achieves a greater free disk space (which speeds up the work of the machine) and much faster registry accesses.
Other options available in this cleaning and optimization program are configuring programs to run at login or uninstalling recommended programs from the same interface. In this way, we make the boot faster, and the system does not have as much load.
It has three versions, one free and more limited, one professional, that integrates various functionalities and one plus, which includes file recovery and disk defragmenter.
Advantages
- The processes are really simple and comfortable for the user. You just have to indicate what you want to do and the software gets to work, analyzing everything we have on the team.
Our contribution is to make requests and confirm actions. - Cleaning everything unnecessary makes our team faster both when it starts, when it restarts or when running any application.
- It has a free version, and the professional version can be tested free of charge for 15 days, which are more than enough to analyze whether the software is worth it.
- We can create a backup of the files before deleting them.
Disadvantages
- The possibility of allowing us to delete anything causes a risk of deleting something that may be necessary for the proper functioning of the equipment. This is not usually given and, luckily, with the internet, it is not difficult to re-download that deleted by accident. Still, you take the scare and sometimes there is no possibility of restoration.
- Deleting log data is usually not a good thing, as it always ends up causing problems. Users who do not know this information have no qualms about using the function to save a few megabytes and then regret it.
How does CCleaner work?
Let’s see, roughly, how you can use the tool at the user level and at the same time making the most of it. Let’s see the steps to follow to have installed and working correctly this performance utility of your computer equipment.
How to Download and Install CCleaner
- Go to their official site Ccleaner.com
- Click on the green “Free Download” button.
- Scroll down, after viewing the features of the three available versions.
- Click on “Filehippo”.
- A new tab will open.
- Click on the button “Download the latest version”.
- The executable will be downloaded automatically.
- Click on it in the download bar of your browser or go to the download folder to double-click it and run it.
- You will see that the download tab has changed to thank you. The software installation also begins with the appearance of your window. Click on “Install“.
- In a few seconds, the installation will be finished, and you can click on the “Run CCleaner” button to start.
Download CCleaner for Android (CCleaner: Cache Cleaner, Phone Booster, Optimizer)
Program settings
- Go to the “Options” menu on the left.
- Click on “Settings“.
- You will be shown the available options. English is the default language. Click on “English”
- Now you can easily see all the configuration options available to the program. Choose wisely to your liking and convenience.
Cleaner
- Click on the “Cleaner” button, which is the primary function of this application.
- Right next to it you will find two tabs, one for “Windows” and the other for “Programs”. This is because these two aspects work separately so that you know what each file that you intend to delete belongs to.
- In both tabs, you have an extensive classification of the places where CCleaner should search (comes a default selection that offers a high degree of optimization without putting data at risk, ideal for those who do not know the program and do not have much experience with computers). Mark and unmark as you want or not to search in one and other locations.
- Once all the analysis routes have been chosen, click on the “Analyze” button.
- In a few seconds all the information that the program suggests you delete will appear (you can see in the upper area the memory you will earn). If you agree, click on “Run the cleaner”.
- A warning window will appear and demand your agreement. Click on the “Continue” button.
- In a few seconds, the program will delete all those unnecessary data from the computer. You will be told the type of files that have been removed.
How to Register
- Click on the “Register” button.
- As in the previous case, the search places and file types to access are classified next to it. Select and deselect the ones you consider.
- Click on “Search for problems”. The window will fill with faults that the program considers should be repaired.
- Now click on “Repair selected problems”.
- A box will appear asking if you want to make a backup. Click on “Yes”.
- A save window appears. Choose a location and a name, for example, “backup data”. Click on “Save”.
- If there is a problem with the repairs, you will be asked, in isolation for the failure in question, what you want to do.
- Once everything has been repaired, click “Close”.
Tools
The above are the cleaning functions of the software, which are often what the user demands and uses. However, in the “Tools” button, we have some more details.
- Software updater: From here, it is shown what starts when the system does it, and you can choose to disable what you are not interested in.
- Uninstall programs: There is no mystery. You can uninstall the programs from here with the exact same result as if you do it from your control panel.
- Browser plugins: It shows you the plugins that you have active in the different browsers that you have installed and gives you the option of deactivating or deleting them.
- Disk Analyzer: Analyzes the disk to check the data that is using the hard disk. You can select or deselect routes.
- Duplicate search engine: It offers you some parameters that you choose or not and, with this, it performs a search to find duplicate content. Once all are discovered, you can easily remove them by clicking on “Delete selected ones”.
- System Restore: It offers you previous versions of the program and gives you the option to restore them.
- Erase Drive: Gives you the ability to choose a drive and erase it, working entirely or only with free space and implementing security based on overwriting in passes (the more passes, the longer it takes to erase).
To update
The “Update CCleaner” button gives you the option to go to the next plan, to the next version of the program.
List of the 5 best programs similar to CCleaner for Windows or Mac computers
Let’s see what other computer tools can come in handy as alternatives for CCleaner to get rid of unnecessary files.
BleachBit
This alternative to CCleaner is very popular because it is very light, in addition to having a portable version, which makes it even more attractive. We have customizable options such as removal of routes, white listings (to include content that we do not want to be deleted under any circumstances).
In addition to cleaning disk drives, we have a good tool for privacy management and cache deletion for browsers and other software. We can use it in the three basic operating systems: Windows, Linux and macOS.
Glary Utilities
This is more complete than the previous one, counting, in the same way, with a portable version. You have one-click maintenance options (erase temporary files, erase tracks, clean registry and repair disk), automatic maintenance, a restore centre, a list of ignored items and a context menu.
He likes that its interface is complete and very well detailed. Negative but solvable points are its direct execution when turning on the equipment, the data collection or the advice it shows; all this can be easily configured from its configuration menu. It is only for Windows.
PrivaZer
Another cleaning program as useful as CCleaner and that has several functions that can be customized. Added to these typical cleaning tools we have, we have other tools that are related to privacy. In this case, we are also dealing with software only available for the Microsoft operating system.
Iobit Advanced SystemCare 11 Free
This tool is quite a discovery, having a significant number of functions it has, such as secure file deletion, defragmentation, registry cleaning, privacy protection elements, visualization of the parts of your computer and system … available for Windows OS.
Wise Disk Cleaner
A truly easy-to-use software, making it ideal for first-time users of computing. This is very light and, in addition, it has a portable version, which allows you to consume less data yet not forcing you to perform a complete installation.
It has a normal and an advanced cleaner, which is nothing more than a somewhat deeper search engine and that requires a little more time, providing some additional information that is not in use. It also has the typical hard drive defragmentation option, included in the original CCleaner.
I really like that. In addition, it comes with a function to reduce the size of both files and folders. Like the previous ones, we can only use it in Windows.
5 best alternative to CCleaner for Android and iPhone
Finally, we will also leave you some options so that you can clean your smartphone because, obviously, with its habitual use and accessing the internet with it, in the end, we save too many unnecessary files.
Files Go
Files Go, you know that it does not disappoint as soon as you discover that Google has created it. It is not a specific software for this, which makes it even more attractive since we have a little of everything in a single installation. Files Go really is a file explorer. However, its perfect design and practicality make it as valid for cleaning your phone as any cleaning app.
What it does is an analysis and subsequent intelligent identification of apps that are not used or have been used less in the last period of time, giving them to us as suggestions for removal. It is also capable of detecting duplicate images as well as spam that has been stored locally on the device.
It also stands out for being a very light tool, which does not reach 6 MB, and for being in a growth phase, with Google promising new functions in a short time. Being from this corporation, you can already imagine that it is a product only for Android.
SDMaid
Analyze the memory of your device to find the files that have been cached by the apps, and then delete them. But its strong point, and the one that gives its name to the software, is the analysis of the SD memory card, something that we do not find in all mobile cleaners.
In addition, we find duplicate file detection tools, a frost app to prevent them from starting when you turn on the phone (which is appreciated if you don’t have RAM leftover), identification of empty folders, optimization of databases … a free basic version and another (SDMaid Pro) that costs $3.28 and is the one that comes packed with features.
Du Speed Booster
It turns out to be a complete application that includes, of course, an excellent mobile cleaner. But it also offers us the possibility of hibernating apps, blocking by password, analysis with the antivirus that comes with it, warning of items that occupy too much, suspicious behaviour…
The analyzes are really fast, so you will get the best out of it if your hardware is not the latest generation. This can be downloaded from the Google Play Store, so it is offered only for Android.
PhoneExpander
In this case, we propose you to clean your iPhone without having to install anything directly, with an application that we will use from the computer.
This program can uninstall applications, delete photos and other files, delete cache and is waiting to receive news on major updates.
iCleaner Pro
Finally, we have the iCleaner Pro application, which requires, of course, Jailbreak. If this is your case, do not hesitate because it will do everything for you.
It is a tweak that eliminates unnecessary files, looking, above all, among the content of other apps, which is the one that we least pay attention to and the one that is introduced without us noticing, but also looks at the rest of the terminal (Cydia, Temporary files…).
To achieve this, we find functionalities such as the specific removal of files or the making of backups. Obviously, it is an iPhone software.
[Also Read: Best Free and Paid Antivirus for all Devices in 2020]
