To run Wise Disk Cleaner in Windows 10 is a good way to clean up free space. However, if you have more advanced and direct needs, why not try the free partition manager AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. It can clean your Windows 10 in different ways and secure erase SSD if you need to.
I’ve been using CCleaner for years on both my PC (HP laptop with Windows 10) and Mac (MacBook Pro with macOS 10.13 High Sierra). Above is the main screen of CCleaner on my Mac.
When I heard the news that the program had been hacked and more than 2 million users were at risk, I was absolutely shocked, just like you.
Am I affected? Should I continue using CCleaner? What’s the best alternative to consider? Questions like these all went through my mind.
In this post, I’ll quickly run through the issue and list a few similar cleaning tools for you to consider. Some of the alternatives are free, while others are paid. I’ll point out what each one has to offer and let you decide which is best.
Please note that you don’t have to switch because you may not be affected — but it’s always good to do the research just in case.
So, What Happened Exactly?
On September 18, 2017, researchers at Cisco Talos published a post stating that
“For a period of time, the legitimate signed version of CCleaner 5.33 being distributed by Avast also contained a multi-stage malware payload that rode on top of the installation of CCleaner.”
Two days later, those researchers posted another article with their continued research on C2 and payloads (i.e. a second payload was found that affected 64-bit Windows users).
The technical description was too complicated to understand. Simply put, the news is this: A hacker “breached CCleaner’s security to inject malware into the app and distribute it to millions of users”, as reported by The Verge.
The malware was built to steal users’ data. It did not actively harm your computer system. However, it did collect and encrypt info that might be used to do harm to your system in the future. The second payload Cisco Talos researchers discovered was a malware attack targeted against big technology organizations like Cisco, VMware, Samsung, and others.
Was I Affected by the Malware?
If you are using CCleaner for Mac, the answer is NO, you are NOT affected! Piriform also confirmed on this. See this reply on Twitter.
No, Mac is not affected 🙂
— CCleaner by Piriform (@piriform) September 22, 2017
If you’re using CCleaner on a Windows PC, then you may have been affected. More specifically, you might have the malware that affected version 5.33.6162 released on August 15th, 2017.
Only the 32-bit version of CCleaner v5.33.6162 was affected and the issue is no longer a threat. Please see here: https://t.co/HAHL12UnsK
— CCleaner by Piriform (@piriform) September 18, 2017
To check what version you have, simply open CCleaner on your computer. Under the program name, you’ll see the version number.
Should I Switch to Another Cleaning Program?
If you’re on Windows, you might want to.
Cisco Talos recommends affected users to restore Windows to a state before Aug 15. Alternatively, you might also reinstall the whole Windows operating system.
If you’re not affected by the malware, I highly recommend you run an antivirus scan with Bitdefender or MalwareBytes to make sure no malicious software.
For those who are skeptical about any future CCleaner issues, another option is to uninstall CCleaner and perhaps install another PC or Mac cleaning app which we cover below.
7 Free and Paid CCleaner Alternatives Worth Considering
For Windows PC users, you may consider:
Glary Utilities — Free. It’s an all-in-one utility for cleaning a PC, similar to what CCleaner offers. You can use it to scan and fix Windows registries, as well as clean junk files from web browsers and third-party applications.
The program also has a professional version Glary Utilities Pro (paid) which offers several advanced features for power users including enhanced system optimizing and free 24*7 technical support. The latest version is 5.8.5 (Sep. 29, 2017) and is fully compatible with Windows 10.
CleanMyPC — Free to try (500 MB limitation on removing files, and 50 registry fixes), $39.95 to buy for a single license. The program works very well for cleaning unwanted files from your PC. We compared CCleaner with CleanMyPC in this review and concluded that CleanMyPC is more user-friendly and probably a better option for less advanced users. The latest version is 1.8.8 (2 August 2017) and is compatible with Windows 7, 8 & 10.
Advanced SystemCare — Both Free and PRO versions are available. As the name indicates, it’s a PC system optimization program for cleaning the Windows registry as well as many kinds of junk files. The Free version is free to download and use with limitations, while the PRO version costs $14.77 with an annual subscription.
For Apple Mac users, you may consider:
Onyx — Free. The “Maintenance” module allows you to run miscellaneous tasks like cleaning and system maintenance, e.g. delete apps, run periodic scripts, rebuild databases, and more. The latest version is 3.3.7 and is fully compatible with High Sierra. I also covered Onyx in this best Mac cleaner list.
CleanMyMac — Free to try (500 MB limitation on removing files), $39.95 to buy for a single license. It’s one of the best Mac cleaning apps in the market, offering a number of utilities for deep cleaning those unnecessary files. You can read our detailed review here. The latest version is 3.9 and is High Sierra compatible.
![There There](/uploads/1/2/6/2/126254904/782215326.png)
Dr. Cleaner — Free version is already powerful enough to meet your Mac cleaning needs. Pro version costs $19.95 to buy. The app offers several free features totally for free, unlike many of its rivals. As I I discovered that most paid apps allow you to scan your disk but limit file removal functions unless you pay to unlock them. That’s not the case with Dr. Cleaner. You can see the differences between Dr. Cleaner and Dr. Cleaner Pro from my full review here.
MacClean — Free to try (scan allowed, but removal restricted), $29.95 to buy for a personal license. This is another great cleaning tool for macOS. What’s unique about MacClean is that it has a duplicate finder feature (similar to what Gemini offers), which can help you free up more disk space. Read our review here.
What Else Should I Do?
If you are on a Windows PC, regularly run antivirus and malware scans. For Mac users, it’s always good practice to examine the apps you have installed, as well as make sure the apps you use are up to date. Consider removing unused apps. You can easily do so with CleanMyMac in just a few clicks.
One more tip: Always backup your computer data (or backup of the backups). You never know when another “CCleaner strategy” will hit and what consequences it will cause. If you have a backup at hand, your data is secure, and you can choose to restore your computer if needed.
Are you looking for a CCleaner alternative? Don鈥檛 worry! I have got you here. In this article, you are going to read about ten of the best CCleaner alternatives for Windows and Mac. I know you are looking for it since a long time.
So, let鈥檚 begin!
Nore: we haven’t mentioned popular ccleaner alternative apps like Shareit on this page, If you want us to include these apps comment below.
Contents
- 1 Best CCleaner Alternatives for Windows & Mac
Best CCleaner Alternatives for Windows & Mac
#1. AVG TuneUp
AVG TuneUp software is available for Windows, Mac and Android. It helps you clean junk files, free up disk space, fix crashes, and get longer battery life.
There are both free and paid versions available on their website. You can buy the premium version only if you like the free one.
#2. Baidu Cleaner
You can download this tool only for your PC. It gets all the job of a standard cleaner done. Moreover, it monitors the status of your PC in real-time to notify about the best time to initiate the cleaning.
Using Baidu鈥檚 cleaning app for computer, you get a chance to uninstall programs in bulk.
It is completely free of costs.
#3. Clean My Mac 3
If you are looking for a dedicated app for Mac, this is it; Clean My Mac 3.
It gets rid of all the junk on your Mac machine. The smart junk remover intelligently sorts out your files and makes it easy for you to delete unused files right away.
The software also has a file shredder and app uninstaller as well.
#4. Glary Utilities
One of the best rivals of CCleaner is Glary Utilities. You get more than 40 different tools on one interface with GU.
The one-click maintenance is what I like the most about this app. You can clear temporary files, optimize RAM, speed up your ram and do a lot of tasks with that one option itself.
#5. Advanced System Care
Advanced System Care is one of the best alternatives to CCleaner. Along with all the features of its competitor, ASC has got an antivirus too. The combination of IObit Malware Fighter and Bitdefender antivirus engine helps your computer stay away from threats.
#6. SimCleaner Free
Here comes another free CCleaner alternative. Just like the rival, this one also comes in free and premium variants.
Along with all features of CCleaner, you get disk defragmenting tool, RAM monitor, CPU analyzer, and a lot of other useful facilities as well.
#7. FileCleaner
The best thing about FileCleaner is its low size. You only need 5 MB of free space to install the software on your computer. The tool is only for Windows user.
Just like CClener, it can clear browsing history from a bunch of popular browsers from the single interface. You can also repair your system.
#8. TweakNow Registry Cleaner
The registry contains information of how your Windows computer runs. When you uninstall an application, you should delete the entries made by that app from the registry. Manually doing it takes hell lots of time and end up corrupting your computer as well.
You can use TweakNow Registry Cleaner for this purpose.
#9. Wise Care 365
Here comes yet another light all-in-one PC cleaner. You can use it monitor your computer real-time.
Both free and paid version is available and the latter comes with a 60 days money back guarantee as well.
#10. Mac Clean 3 by iMobie
Mac Clean 3 is a free CCleaner alternative for Mac OS. It helps you realize big files in your computer and clears the junk.
Your Mac machine will surely get boosted performance once you play around with it.