CCleaner Alternatives 2026: 5 Free Options
CCleaner alternatives: BleachBit, Czkawka, WinDirStat, PrivaZer and 1 more. Prices and licenses checked October 23, 2026.
•2 min read•Browsers & System Utilities
Verdict:CCleaner's free version covers basic cleaning, while the paid Professional tier adds a driver updater, software updater and automatic cleaning, according to secondary reviews; CCleaner's own pages blocked our fetch, so we state no price. Most people leave because they want a cleaner without upsell prompts. BleachBit is the nearest match: GPL-3.0, free, and available for Windows, Linux and macOS. If your real goal is freeing disk space, WinDirStat and Czkawka are better tools than a cleaner, because they show you the large and duplicate files that actually take up room. PrivaZer is free and thorough on Windows but is not open source. Windows Storage Sense is already installed, deletes temporary files and old Downloads on the system drive if you turn it on, and is enough for many people. The trade-off is convenience. None of these bundle a driver updater or a one-click health check, and registry cleaning, which CCleaner offers, is something most guides advise against anyway. Switch if you only want temp files and browser traces cleared. Stay if you actually use the Professional extras.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BleachBit | Free (free forever) | Windows, Linux, macOS | Open-source cleaning across platforms | Docs only |
| Czkawka | Free (free, open source) | Windows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, Android | Reclaiming space from duplicate files | Docs only |
| WinDirStat | Free (free, open source) | Windows | Seeing what fills your drive | Docs only |
| PrivaZer | Free (free; PRO version for contributors) | Windows | Deep trace cleaning on Windows | Docs only |
| Windows Storage Sense | Free (built into Windows 10 and 11, off by default) | Windows | Basic cleaning with nothing to install | Docs only |
| CleanMyMac | Paid from $3.33 per month (starting at, billing period not stated) | macOS | Mac maintenance | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You want a free open-source cleaner (BleachBit is the pick)
- You want to find duplicates and reclaim space (Czkawka is the pick)
- You want to see what is filling the disk (WinDirStat is the pick)
- You want a deep clean of Windows traces (PrivaZer is the pick)
- You want nothing extra to install (Windows Storage Sense is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on CCleaner features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
CCleaner today: Free (Free version covers basic cleaning) (CCleaner pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
BleachBit
Compared with CCleaner: GPL-3.0 and free forever, with versions for Windows, Linux and macOS. It cleans caches and traces like CCleaner's free tier but has no paid tier or driver updater to push at you.
Price: Free (free forever) (BleachBit pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, Linux, macOS. GPL-3.0 (open source).
Project activity: 7.3k GitHub stars · latest release v6.0.6 (Oct 22, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Open-source cleaning across platforms.
Czkawka
Compared with CCleaner: MIT-licensed finder for duplicates, empty folders, big files, temporary files and similar images. It finds space to reclaim rather than clearing browser traces, which CCleaner does.
Price: Free (free, open source) (Czkawka pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, Android. MIT (core) (open source).
Project activity: 34.6k GitHub stars · latest release 12.0.2 (Sep 9, 2026) · last commit Sep 16, 2026
Best for: Reclaiming space from duplicate files.
Worth knowing: Finds duplicates, empty folders, big and temporary files; GTK GUI superseded by Krokiet.
WinDirStat
Compared with CCleaner: GPL-3.0-or-later disk usage analyzer with treemaps and a cleanup assistant, Windows only. It shows what is filling the disk, which CCleaner does not.
Price: Free (free, open source) (WinDirStat pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows. GPL-3.0-or-later (open source).
Project activity: 4.4k GitHub stars · latest release release/v2.9.3 (Oct 11, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Seeing what fills your drive.
Worth knowing: Treemap disk usage analyzer with a cleanup assistant.
PrivaZer
Compared with CCleaner: Free PC cleaner with more than 100 analyses and cleanups, with no tracking or ads claimed and a PRO version for contributors. Closed source and Windows only by inference.
Price: Free (free; PRO version for contributors) (PrivaZer pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows. Proprietary freeware.
Best for: Deep trace cleaning on Windows.
Windows Storage Sense
Compared with CCleaner: Built into Windows 10 and 11 and off by default; it clears temporary files, the Recycle Bin and old Downloads on the system drive only. Nothing to install, but no browser or registry cleaning.
Price: Free (built into Windows 10 and 11, off by default) (Windows Storage Sense pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows. Proprietary.
Best for: Basic cleaning with nothing to install.
Worth knowing: Cleans temp files, Recycle Bin and old Downloads on the system drive only.
Other popular options (paid)
CleanMyMac
Compared with CCleaner: Mac-only cleaner listed from $3.33 per month with a 7-day free trial. It does not cover Windows, where CCleaner is mostly used, so it only applies if you moved to a Mac.
Price: Paid from $3.33 per month (starting at, billing period not stated) (CleanMyMac pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Which one to pick
- You want a free open-source cleaner: BleachBit
- You want to find duplicates and reclaim space: Czkawka
- You want to see what is filling the disk: WinDirStat
- You want a deep clean of Windows traces: PrivaZer
- You want nothing extra to install: Windows Storage Sense
Limits of this review
Docs-only for BleachBit, Czkawka, WinDirStat, PrivaZer, Windows Storage Sense: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from CCleaner. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
Related guides
More in Browsers & System Utilities
All Browsers & System Utilities alternatives →Sources
Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-23: CCleaner, BleachBit, Czkawka, WinDirStat, PrivaZer, Windows Storage Sense, CleanMyMac. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.