CCleaner Professional Review: Is It Really Worth Buying?

If you‘re looking to optimize your PC‘s performance, you‘ve probably heard of CCleaner. This popular system maintenance tool has been around since 2004 and claims to clean up junk files, fix registry issues, and speed up your computer. But with the release of CCleaner Professional, is the premium version worth the extra cost compared to the free one? I tested it out to help you decide if it deserves a spot in your PC optimization toolkit.

What Is CCleaner Professional?

CCleaner Professional is an all-in-one system maintenance utility for Windows PCs. It aims to be a one-stop shop for cleaning up your hard drive, fixing registry issues, optimizing startup programs, updating drivers, and more.

The Professional version includes all the features of the free version, plus a few premium tools like automatic browser cleanup, real-time system monitoring, scheduled cleaning, and premium support. It‘s a subscription-based license, so you‘ll need to renew it annually to continue using the software.

CCleaner Professional: Features & Tools

Let‘s take a closer look at the key features and tools included in CCleaner Professional and how well they work.

Health Check

The Health Check scans your system and identifies areas that need cleaning up or fixing. It looks for junk files taking up space, browser data that could compromise your privacy, registry issues, and outdated software. You can review the results and choose what to clean up.

I like that the Health Check provides an easy, automated way to maintain your system without having to dig into the individual tools. However, I wish it provided more details about each issue it finds and the implications of fixing them.

Custom Clean

If you want more control over what gets cleaned, the Custom Clean section lets you choose from a huge list of programs and Windows components. You can select anything from your browser history to Windows event logs to Microsoft Office cache files.

This is handy for freeing up disk space, but be careful not to delete cache files you might need. CCleaner doesn‘t provide a lot of guidance here, so when in doubt, leave items unchecked.

Registry Cleaner

The Windows Registry is a database that stores configuration data for software and Windows itself. Over time, as you install and uninstall programs, the registry can get bogged down with outdated, corrupted, or missing entries. CCleaner scans for these issues and can remove them.

While the Registry Cleaner found over a hundred issues on my test PC, fixing them didn‘t make a noticeable difference in performance. I‘m also wary of registry cleaners in general, as deleting the wrong entry can actually cause problems. I recommend backing up your registry before running this tool.

Performance Optimizer

The Performance Optimizer is a new addition in CCleaner Professional. It analyzes your PC‘s resource usage and can disable resource-hungry apps when you need extra speed. For example, it can shut down Dropbox syncing while you‘re gaming to free up memory and CPU cycles.

While this sounds great in theory, I didn‘t notice much real-world benefit on my PC. The Optimizer correctly identified apps that were using a lot of resources, but this was according to CCleaner‘s own metrics. I‘m not confident it‘s making the right calls about what to shut down. This feature is still in beta, so I hope to see it improve over time.

Drive Wiper

If you‘re selling or donating an old PC, the Drive Wiper can securely erase a drive‘s contents, so your data can‘t be recovered. You can choose from four different wipe methods, up to the DOD 5220.22-M standard used by the US Department of Defense.

I tested the Drive Wiper on an old SSD, and it worked well. The interface made it clear exactly which drive I was wiping, and the wipe itself was speedy. This is a handy feature if you deal with old PCs regularly.

User Experience & Interface

CCleaner Professional has a clean, modern interface that‘s easy to navigate. The main features are broken out into logical categories in the left sidebar, and most tools are just a couple clicks away. I particularly like the progress bars and animations that show the status of each cleaning task.

The only complaint I have is that some of the language is a bit vague or overly technical. For example, the Registry Cleaner refers to things like "Application Paths" and "Shared DLLs" without explaining what they are. Some plain-English descriptions or a built-in help guide would be nice for users who aren‘t as tech-savvy.

Performance Testing

Of course, the big question is: will CCleaner Professional actually speed up your PC? To find out, I ran some before-and-after performance tests on my Windows 10 laptop.

I used PCMark 10, a benchmarking tool that measures performance in everyday computing tasks like web browsing, office apps, and digital content creation. I ran the benchmark, used CCleaner to clean up junk files and fix registry issues, then ran the benchmark again. Here are my results:

As you can see, there was virtually no difference in performance before and after using CCleaner. The overall score and the scores for each category were within margin of error.

Now, this is just one synthetic benchmark on one system. Depending on how bogged down your PC is with junk files and registry cruft, you may see more noticeable results. But in my experience, CCleaner is more helpful for freeing up disk space and tidying things up behind the scenes than it is for giving a big speed boost.

CCleaner Professional vs. Other PC Optimization Software

How does CCleaner Professional stack up against other popular system maintenance tools? Here‘s a quick comparison with a few leading products:

CCleaner Professional vs. Iolo System Mechanic

System Mechanic is another comprehensive PC tune-up suite. It has a lot of the same tools as CCleaner, plus some extras like a secure file shredder and malware scanner. At $49.95/year, it‘s pricier than CCleaner Professional‘s $29.95/year. In my tests, System Mechanic found more registry issues and junk files than CCleaner did.

CCleaner Professional vs. Glary Utilities Pro

Glary Utilities Pro is a more affordable option at just $19.97/year. It includes a disk cleaner, registry fixer, startup manager, and more. While it has fewer features overall than CCleaner, I found its one-click maintenance feature very convenient. The interface feels a bit dated compared to CCleaner‘s slick look.

CCleaner Professional vs. AVG TuneUp

AVG TuneUp is a well-rounded optimization tool that can clean up disk space, fix registry issues, update software, and boost speed. At $49.99/year, it‘s on the pricey side. In my tests, its cleaning features were comparable to CCleaner‘s, but I had some issues with the TuneUp crashing.

Pricing: Is CCleaner Professional Worth It?

CCleaner Professional is normally priced at $29.95/year for 1 PC, though there is often a discount offered for the first year. I was able to snag a subscription for $19.95.

Considering all the features you get – disk cleanup, registry fixing, performance optimization, software updater, drive wiper – I think this price is reasonable. The catch is that many of these tools are also included in the free version of CCleaner.

So what are you really getting for that annual fee? The main premium features are:

• Automatic browser cleanup
• Real-time system monitoring
• Scheduled cleaning
• Premium support

Personally, I don‘t think those features are must-haves. The free version of CCleaner is still very capable, and the premium features feel more like nice-to-haves than essentials. I‘d say CCleaner Professional is worth it if you want the convenience of automatic cleaning and premium support, but the free version is probably sufficient for most users.

The Verdict: Should You Buy CCleaner Professional?

So, is CCleaner Professional worth your money? Here‘s my take:

CCleaner Professional is a versatile, easy-to-use system maintenance tool. It has a wide range of features for cleaning up junk files, fixing registry issues, freeing up disk space, and improving PC performance. The interface is clean and user-friendly, and the tools generally work as advertised.

However, in my tests, I didn‘t notice a significant speed boost after running CCleaner. Its cleaning features are thorough, but not necessarily more effective than the free version. And while the premium features like automatic cleaning and software updates are convenient, they‘re not essential.

If you want an all-in-one system optimization tool and don‘t mind paying an annual subscription, CCleaner Professional is a solid choice. But if you‘re on a budget or prefer one-time licenses, there are alternatives like Glary Utilities and System Mechanic that offer similar features.

For most users, I‘d recommend starting with the free version of CCleaner. It has the same cleaning and fixing tools as the Pro version, minus a few automated features. If you decide you need the premium features down the line, you can always upgrade later.

CCleaner Professional FAQ

Can CCleaner Professional remove malware or viruses?

• No, CCleaner Professional is not a malware removal tool or antivirus software. It‘s designed for general system cleaning and optimization. For malware issues, you‘ll need a dedicated security program.

Is CCleaner Professional‘s registry cleaner safe?

• In general, yes, running CCleaner‘s registry scan and cleanup is safe. However, the Windows registry is complex, and removing the wrong entry could potentially cause problems. I recommend creating a registry backup before running the cleaner, just in case.

Does CCleaner Professional work on Windows 11?

• Yes, the latest version of CCleaner Professional is fully compatible with Windows 11, as well as Windows 10, 8, 7, and Vista.

How do I contact CCleaner Professional support?

As a CCleaner Professional subscriber, you can get prioritized support by submitting a request through your account dashboard. Piriform, the company behind CCleaner, says it aims to respond to all requests within 24 hours.

Can I install CCleaner Professional on multiple computers?

Yes, if you need to clean multiple PCs, Piriform offers multi-license subscriptions. For example, you can get CCleaner for up to 3 PCs for $44.95/year. The more computers you need to cover, the higher the discount on the per-PC price.

The bottom line is that CCleaner Professional can be a handy tool for keeping your PC optimized and junk-free, but it‘s not a magic solution for slow performance. I‘d recommend it if you want a robust set of system maintenance tools in one convenient package. But if you‘re willing to put in a bit more effort, the free version plus some manual cleaning will get you similar results.