If you’re a Windows user, you know the struggle of finding good apps is real. Most of them are either bloated with ads or annoying prompts to upgrade to the premium version. But every now and then there are really useful apps that help make our lives easier WinDirStat is one of them.
You can Download WinDirStat instead of CCleaner. Because windirstat is one of the best cleaning utilities you can use.
You see, there are multiple variants of WinDirStat out there (both official and unofficial). The one that we’ll discuss here is the original cleaning utility from others.
It has more than 110 million downloads on Google Play alone! There are several reasons why so many people use it. In fact, it's one of the most used system optimizers available right now. However, there are some serious security concerns related to this app.
And today we will Discuss what you should use instead of CCleaner
What You Should Use Instead of CCleaner?
If you’re looking for a better way to clean your system, use these apps instead of CCleaner. - WinDirStat is an open-source alternative to CCleaner. It is also free of cost and works on Windows systems.
It is also a system optimizer, and you can use it to clean caches, delete unnecessary files, and perform other maintenance tasks. - It has a smaller user base than CCleaner, but it is still the most popular alternative.
It is a cross-platform app with a smaller user base than BleachBit. - Alternatively, you can use WinDirStat Portable. WinDirStat Portable is also a cross-platform app, and it is more feature-rich and powerful than BleachBit
What’s the Problem with CCleaner?
As we said, there are several concerns with CCleaner. Let’s go over some of them.
CCleaner collects data from your system: As per the Privacy Policy of CCleaner, the app collects data from your system, including your IP address, operating system version, and a list of installed software.
CCleaner has a dubious developer: The company behind CCleaner is Piriform. While most people know the name, very few would mistake the company for a top-notch developer.
CCleaner is a resource hog: It is not just data-hungry but also a memory and CPU hog. Simply put, it will slow down your computer while running.
CCleaner is an outdated app: The last update to the app was back in 2017. Simply put, it is an outdated app with a questionable developer behind it.
Alternative to CCleaner
There are many alternatives to CCleaner. If you’re looking for a better system cleaning tool, here are a few suggestions.
WinDirStat is one of the best alternatives to CCleaner. You can use it free of cost. It is open-source software.
These apps clean both the operating system and the browser. Browser cleaning is especially useful for people who are into online marketing and run their businesses primarily from their browsers.
Unlike CCleaner, these apps don’t come with any security concerns. And, you don’t have to uninstall them from your system just because you’re done cleaning your computer. You can keep them installed and use them on a regular basis.
The best part is that while most of these apps are completely free, they are more powerful and feature-rich than CCleaner. So, you can get more value for your money without compromising your online privacy and security.
What is WinDirStat?
WinDirStat is a free disk utilization statistics and cleansing device for Windows computers. The software program is effortless to use and approves to scan the challenging force to show utilization results in a variety of formats.
In addition, this tool additionally allows you to remove undesirable files immediately from the interface. With the assistance of WinDirStat, you can discover the documents and folders that take up the most space on your hard drive and delete these files or folders that you no longer need.
When scanning a device, the WinDirStat software program shows usage statistics in 3 codecs – treemap, listing, and extension list. All three of these pieces of information provide records that can assist you to recognize the magnitude of the statistics available.
WindirStat selections like SpaceMonger, SpaceSniffer, TreeSize, and Spyglass also provide comparable features.
What does WinDirStat do?
Windirstat is free open-source software that helps clean up your hard drive. Not only that, but it also allows you to view and analyze your disk usage as well. You can use it as a free alternative to CCleaner.
The cleanup feature in windirstat is a bit more advanced than CCleaner’s cleaning feature. It allows you to specify which files you want to delete and which ones you want to keep. The disk usage feature in windirstat helps you to view your disk usage at a glance and analyze it.
You can easily identify the large files that are consuming a lot of space on your hard drive and delete them. The program also allows you to view the Windows Explorer properties and information about your hard drive. You can use this feature to view the serial number of your hard drive.
Why WinDirStat is better than CCleaner?
Windirstat is free software available for Windows and Mac. CCleaner, on the other hand, is a paid software. You can use windirstat as a free alternative to CCleaner for basic cleaning tasks. Windirstat is safe software that does not collect any data from your computer.
There are no ads and no annoying prompts asking you to upgrade to the premium version. Windirstat is lightweight software, so it does not slow down your computer as the Piriform CCleaner app does.
Windirstat is completely open source and available on the official website. So, you can check the code of the software and make sure there are no malicious activities being performed behind the scenes.
Is WinDirStat safe to use?
Yes, WinDirStat is completely safe to use. It is completely free software available on the official website. You can check the code of the software and make sure there are no malicious activities being performed behind the scenes.
Even though the original Piriform CCleaner app is a risky choice, the official CCleaner app is completely safe to use.
The company has ensured that the privacy of its users is protected by encrypting the data before sending it to its servers.
The company also has a detailed privacy policy that outlines the type of data it collects and how it uses it. You can view the privacy policy here. You can download the official CCleaner app from the company’s website here.
The app is completely free and does not collect any data from your computer. It is lightweight and does not slow down your computer like the Piriform CCleaner app does.
Advantages and disadvantages of WInDirStat?
There are many things that you’ll love about WinDirStat. But as with most software programs, it also has some downsides. We’ve listed them below:
Advantages
- It installs quickly.
- It can support multiple file types of varying sizes.
- You can freely choose what specific hard drive to scan. This is very useful if you have multiple drives on your PC.
- It allows you to scan a single folder instead of the entire drive.
- It allows you to easily delete files from a certain application folder.
Dis-advantages
- It only works on Windows.
- Scans often take time to complete.
Issues with the Piriform CCleaner app
First and foremost, the Piriform CCleaner app collects data from your computer. Yup, you read that right. The app has been collecting data from users for quite a while now, which is a major security concern.
In fact, it recently faced a lot of backlash from users who accused it of violating their privacy. The app was found to be sending information, including computer serial numbers, IP addresses, and details about installed software and running processes, to a server in Germany without encryption.
This means your private data is at a higher risk of getting stolen. If you’re using this app right now, you need to uninstall it right away. There are also reports that the app might be a bit of a battery hog.
It has been reported that the app can significantly slow down a computer due to the high resource usage. All in all, the Piriform CCleaner app is a risky choice if you’re looking for a system optimizer.
Conclusion
In this day and age, privacy is a basic human right. No one can guarantee you that CCleaner or any other app for that matter will never misuse your data. However, what you can do is use a safer alternative to CCleaner.
If you’re looking for a better system cleaning tool, use one of the apps we’ve suggested above. You don’t have to use them just when you’re cleaning your computer either. You can keep them installed and use them on a regular basis.
These apps have smaller user bases than CCleaner, but they are also free of cost and don’t come with any security concerns. You don’t have to uninstall them from your system just because you’re done cleaning your computer.