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The new Easy Clean section boasts a simplified view that makes it incredibly easy and to remove junk files, website trackers, and browser history information in quick fashion. The newest CCleaner has a feature set that isn't radically different from the previous version's, but it does have a major interface change. Additionally, CCleaner Professional Plus manages to best Windows 10's tools in a few ways that I'll highlight in this review's Performance Improvements section. The upside? The tools are free and effective! The downside? The tools are a bit scattered across different operating system areas and lack some of the extra features found in third-party tools.
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Similar ProductsĪs noted earlier Windows 10 includes a handful of built-in tune-up utilities that you may want to check out if you don't want to spend money on third-party software. CCleaner isn't alone in this regard Ashampoo WinOptimizer has a similar license limitation.
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In the age of the multi-computer household, this license limitation is antiquated-and potentially pricey should you want to clean more than three PCs. Unlike Comodo PC Tuneup and Iolo System Mechanic, tune-up utilities that let you freshen an unlimited number of PCs, CCleaner Professional Pro offers three licenses for your nearly 40 bucks. The top-of-the-line Professional Plus (reviewed here) is a $39.95 application that adds three standalone apps for hard drive defragmentation, file recovery, and PC spec viewing. The $24.95 Professional plan builds on the free option by offering more thorough computer cleaning, real-time system monitoring, automatic history cleaning, and automatic software updates. It has basic PC-cleaning capabilities, as well as privacy-protection tools that let you delete cookies, passwords, and other related browser files. The free version is, as you'd expect, the least feature-packed option. Piriform has corrected the problem in subsequent CCleaner releases. Still, Iolo System Mechanic remains the category's Editors' Choice due to its thorough cleaning tools and unlimited licenses.Įditors' Note: This is PCMag's first CCleaner review since the tune-up utility suffered malware-related issues in 2017. CCleaner is pricier than Windows 10's free, integrated tune-up tools, but it comes in at a lower price than some competing products, offers features that dramatically improved our testbed's boot time, and is easy enough to use that it's worth the investment. It boasts many system-enhancing features, including a registry repairer and real-time system monitoring, as well as extra features like privacy protection and drive-wiping tools. Piriform's CCleaner Professional Plus is one of many tune-up utilities capable of giving a heavily used PC a new shot at life.
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