CCleaner vs Glary Utilities (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CCleaner and Glary Utilities share a 2.8 GPA, both have a free plan, and Glary Utilities starts cheaper, at $3.33 a month when paid by the year against $3.75 a month when paid by the year.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
CCleaner grades higher on platforms. Glary Utilities grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
CCleaner
Junk cleaner and PC optimizer for Windows, Mac and mobile
Glary Utilities
Windows maintenance suite with registry, junk-file and startup tools
Which one is for you
Pick CCleaner if
- Fits if you want junk cleaning, browser cleanup and startup control in one Windows app
- Works for households covering several PCs, Macs and Android devices on one plan
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to pay once, as Professional is sold as an annual subscription
- Pricey if you have more than one computer, since Pro at $44.95 a year covers a single PC and 3 devices cost $64.95
- Tight if you're staying free and want scheduled cleaning, the Driver Updater or the full Health Check, as all are paid
- Watch out: the Premium Bundle shows $64.95 for the first year, then renews at $89.95
- Watch out: prices change by your location, and the PC app needs Windows 8 or later, not S mode or RT
Pick Glary Utilities if
- Fits if you want one free Windows program for cleanup, startup and privacy jobs
- Works for people with up to 3 PCs who would take Pro yearly
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use a Mac, as only Windows is listed
- Tight if you want automatic scheduled maintenance, because that is Pro
- Pricey if you'd rather not subscribe: Pro is $39.95 a year, and Technician is $169 a year
- Watch out: the vendor calls its registry cleaner safer, and the site gives no independent test of that
- Watch out: the Pro trial length isn't stated
How we grade them
| 2.8GPACCleanerGood | 2.8GPAGlary UtilitiesGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $44.95 a year for one PC, about $3.75 a month against a middle of $2.99 in this category, and it renews where most utilities here are bought once. Three devices means Pro Plus at $64.95. Middling, in other words, with Recuva Pro and Speccy Pro included in the bigger plan. | AThe free edition covers the core tools. Pro is $39.95 a year for up to 3 PCs, which is a subscription rather than a one-time licence. |
| Free plan and trial | BCCleaner Free costs nothing on one device: standard cleaning, standard privacy protection and a basic Health Check. The complete Health Check, automatic cleaning, the Driver Updater and cloud drive cleaning are all paid, and the Pro trial runs 14 days with no card. | BFree with one-click maintenance and core cleanup, privacy and optimization tools. Scheduling and the deeper registry scan are Pro. |
| Features | BThis covers the whole clean-up job: junk and browser cleaning, a registry cleaner, startup control, a Health Check, driver and software updates, and a Cloud Drive Cleaner that hunts duplicates in OneDrive and Google Drive. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core work. | BDisk cleanup, registry repair, startup control, a duplicate finder, file recovery and shredding. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. |
| Ease of use | BIts iPhone app sits at 4.6 from 3,097 App Store ratings, short of the 4.7 an A asks for. On a PC, Health Check analyzes the machine and suggests fixes, so you aren't left guessing which boxes to tick. | BOne-click maintenance, though it has many tools to find your way around. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, Android and iOS, plus cleaning inside Google Drive and OneDrive. No web app and no API on record, which is what keeps it off the top mark. The PC app needs Windows 8 or later and won't run on S mode or RT editions. | DWindows only. Version 6.50 is listed, with no Mac or phone edition. |
| Best for | clearing junk off a Windows PC | a Windows cleanup suite with a free edition |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: CCleaner and Glary Utilities. How we grade
Price against what you get
CCleaner starts at $3.75 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Glary Utilities starts at $3.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
CCleaner scores higher, and starts $0.42 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other desktop utilities on the chart, none scores higher than CCleaner for less, and 9 score higher than Glary Utilities for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- CCleaner also covers system monitor.
- Glary Utilities also covers file management.
At a glance
| CCleaner | Glary Utilities | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $44.95 per year for 1 PC (CCleaner Pro) | $39.95 per year, for up to 3 PCs |
| Free plan | CCleaner Free: standard cleaning, standard privacy protection and a basic Health Check. Performance Optimizer, Driver Updater and automatic cleaning are paid. | The free edition of Glary Utilities, with the one-click maintenance and core cleanup, privacy and optimization tools. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of CCleaner Professional, with no personal or card details needed | Free trial of Pro offered on the Pro page; its length is not stated |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Gen Digital Inc. | Glarysoft |
| Price read from | web.archive.org (not the vendor's own page) | glarysoft.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
CCleaner
- Performance Optimizer, Driver Updater, software updates, automatic cleaning and the complete Health Check all need a paid plan.
- CCleaner Professional is sold as an annual subscription, not a one-time license, and the Pro plan covers a single PC.
- The site prices by visitor location. The US dollar prices here come from a copy of the plans page archived on May 11, 2026.
- The PC app needs Windows 8 or later and excludes S mode and RT editions.
Glary Utilities
- Windows only; the vendor's page lists version 6.50 for Windows and no Mac or mobile edition.
- Pro is a 1-year subscription covering up to 3 PCs, not a one-time license.
- Automatic scheduled maintenance and the deeper registry scan are Pro features.
- The vendor's own pages describe the registry cleaner as safer; the site gives no independent test of that.
Key features
CCleaner
- Junk and browser cleaning
- Removes unused files and deletes browsing data, cookies and trackers from the major browsers. Standard cleaning and privacy protection are in the free version.
- Health Check
- Analyzes the PC, recommends quick fixes and then tries to tune and update it. The free version has a basic Health Check and paid plans the complete one.
- Performance Optimizer
- A paid feature aimed at a PC's speed and battery life. The vendor's pages describe temporarily freezing apps while you are not using them.
- Driver Updater and Software Updater
- Paid plans update out-of-date hardware drivers and installed apps, the latter to close security holes in old software.
- Registry Cleaner and startup control
- Clears errors and broken settings from the Windows registry and lets you disable programs that run when the computer starts.
- Cloud Drive Cleaner
- Scans Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive for duplicates and large or old files, shows how much space can be freed and lets you choose what to delete. Paid plans only.
Glary Utilities
- One-click maintenance
- Runs junk-file cleanup, error fixing, privacy-record clearing and performance optimization together from one button.
- Disk cleanup and space analysis
- Finds temporary files, logs, caches and error reports to delete, and a disk space analyzer shows which folders take the most room.
- Registry repair and startup control
- Cleans Windows registry errors and lets you disable startup programs. Pro adds a deeper registry scan.
- Duplicate finder and file recovery
- Locates duplicate files for deletion and tries to restore deleted files, including after the Recycle Bin is emptied.
- Privacy tools and file shredding
- Removes browsing history and recent-file traces, and deletes files so that they cannot be recovered.
- Automated maintenance
- Pro runs cleanup on a schedule and clears usage traces such as browsing history after shutdown.
Plans
CCleaner
Free$0
Standard cleaning and privacy protection with a basic Health Check, for one device.
Pro$44.95
per year for 1 PC, annual subscription
Complete Health Check, Performance Optimizer, Driver Updater, software updates, cloud drive cleaning, automatic cleaning and priority support.
Pro Plus$64.95
per year for up to 3 devices
Everything in Pro for up to 3 devices, plus Recuva Pro and Speccy Pro and the Pro versions of CCleaner for Mac and Android.
Premium Bundle$89.95
per year for up to 5 devices
Everything in Pro Plus for up to 5 devices, plus Kamo and 24/7 premium technical support. Shown discounted to $64.95 for the first year.
Glary Utilities
Free$0
Free download with the main cleanup, privacy, startup and disk tools.
Pro$39.95
per year, for up to 3 PCs
Adds deeper registry scanning and automatic scheduled maintenance. A 1-year subscription.
Technician$169
per year
Edition for service providers who maintain other people's PCs.
Ways to pay less
CCleaner
- Other savings
Premium Bundle at $64.95 instead of $89.95
The plans page showed the Premium Bundle at $64.95 against a crossed-out $89.95, with no end date. The vendor's checkout lists $89.95 as the yearly fee after the first 12 months.
Glary Utilities
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CCleaner or Glary Utilities?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Glary Utilities is cheaper to start with: $3.33 a month when paid by the year, against $3.75 a month when paid by the year for CCleaner. CCleaner starts at $44.95 per year for 1 PC (CCleaner Pro), and Glary Utilities starts at $39.95 per year, for up to 3 PCs.
Which has a free plan, CCleaner or Glary Utilities?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both CCleaner and Glary Utilities have a free plan.
Which platforms do CCleaner and Glary Utilities run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only CCleaner lists macOS, iOS and Android apps. Both list a Windows app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.