CCleaner was the gold standard for system cleaning for nearly 20 years. After the Avast acquisition, things changed significantly. Here is how RJL System Cleaner compares:
Price: CCleaner Professional costs $29.95 per year as a subscription. RJL System Cleaner is free with full junk file cleaning, or $19.99 once (not a subscription) to register for premium features including duplicate file cleaning.
Telemetry: CCleaner collects anonymized usage data. RJL System Cleaner collects nothing -- the app never contacts the internet.
Bundled software: CCleaner includes driver updaters, software updaters, and a "Performance Optimizer" that has been criticized for showing fake red warnings to pressure users into paying. RJL System Cleaner includes none of these -- it cleans junk files and that is it.
Registry cleaner: CCleaner prominently features a registry cleaner that has been known to cause system instability. RJL System Cleaner intentionally excludes registry cleaning because it does more harm than good.
Duplicate finder: CCleaner limits duplicate file finding to the Pro tier ($29.95/year). RJL System Cleaner scans for duplicates free -- registration ($19.99 once) unlocks cleaning.
Safety: CCleaner shows a basic file list. RJL System Cleaner shows safety ratings (Safe, Caution, Review) on every file, creates a System Restore point before cleaning, and has a Review gate that requires separate confirmation for potentially impactful items.
Size: CCleaner installs at approximately 112 MB and runs background services. RJL System Cleaner is a single .exe under 5 MB with no installation and no background processes.
Trust: CCleaner was compromised with malware in 2017, affecting 2.27 million users. RJL System Cleaner is built by an independent developer with a 30-year track record and zero security incidents.
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