CCleaner vs Patch My PC (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CCleaner grades higher than Patch My PC: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
CCleaner grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. Patch My PC grades higher on value for money and the free plan.
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
Patch My PC
Third-party app patching for Windows and macOS via Intune or ConfigMgr
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 Patch My PC if
- Fits if you want one free tool to install and update apps on your own Windows PC
- Works for IT teams that already run Intune or Configuration Manager
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you are a small company: the quote form rejects personal email domains
- Pricey if you are a business: Enterprise Plus starts at $3,500 a year
- Skip it if you use a Mac at home, as Home Updater is Windows software
- Watch out: a separate MSP edition has its own pricing that is not listed
How we grade them
| 2.8GPACCleanerGood | 2.6GPAPatch My PCGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BHome Updater is free. Enterprise Plus is $3.5 per device a year, from $3,500 a year for up to 1,000 devices, so one person pays nothing but a business pays a floor of $3,500. |
| 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. | AHome Updater is free with no stated cap, and the enterprise product has a 30-day full trial. |
| 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. | CA catalog of 4,002 products, packaging, macOS deployment and custom apps. The gaps: it needs Configuration Manager or Intune, and the free Home Updater is Windows only. |
| 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. | CNo store rating is on record. The home tool is simple, but the enterprise product needs existing management software and a quote. |
| 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. | CWindows and Mac targets, with WSUS, Intune and Configuration Manager listed. It is a computer program with no phone or web side. |
| Best for | clearing junk off a Windows PC | keeping Windows apps updated, free at home and paid for IT |
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 Patch My PC. 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. Patch My PC starts at $0.29 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0.
CCleaner scores higher, and starts $3.46 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 23 score higher than Patch My PC 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 and disk cleanup.
- Patch My PC also covers workflow automation and reports.
At a glance
| CCleaner | Patch My PC | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $44.95 per year for 1 PC (CCleaner Pro) | $3.5 per device / year, starting at $3,500 per year |
| Free plan | CCleaner Free: standard cleaning, standard privacy protection and a basic Health Check. Performance Optimizer, Driver Updater and automatic cleaning are paid. | Home Updater: free tool for home PCs that installs and updates more than 500 applications. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of CCleaner Professional, with no personal or card details needed | 30-day full trial of the enterprise product. |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Gen Digital Inc. | Patch My PC |
| Price read from | web.archive.org (not the vendor's own page) | patchmypc.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.
Patch My PC
- The enterprise product is for business email addresses only; the quote form rejects personal domains.
- The Enterprise Plus price shown is a starting point of $3,500 per year for up to 1,000 devices, and the purchase goes through a quote.
- A separate MSP edition with its own pricing exists and is not listed here.
- Home Updater is Windows software.
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.
Patch My PC
- Curated app catalog
- A tested catalog of 4002 supported products for Windows and macOS.
- ConfigMgr and Intune
- Automates third-party updates in WSUS, ConfigMgr and Intune.
- App packaging
- Automates Windows app packaging for x86, x64 and ARM64.
- macOS deployment
- Automates macOS app deployment and updates in Intune.
- Custom apps
- Create and publish your own custom apps from Patch My PC Cloud.
- Home Updater
- Free app that updates more than 500 applications on a home PC.
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.
Patch My PC
Home Updater$0
Free app for one home PC; installs, updates and bulk-uninstalls apps, with scheduled updates.
Enterprise Plus$3.5
per device / year, from $3,500 per year for up to 1,000 devices
Third-party patching for Windows and macOS across ConfigMgr and Intune, with a catalog of 4002 products and basic reporting; quote requested through a form.
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.
Patch My PC
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CCleaner or Patch My PC?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Patch My PC is cheaper to start with: $0.29 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 Patch My PC starts at $3.5 per device / year, starting at $3,500 per year.
Which has a free plan, CCleaner or Patch My PC?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both CCleaner and Patch My PC have a free plan.
Which platforms do CCleaner and Patch My PC run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only CCleaner lists iOS and Android apps. Both list macOS and Windows apps. 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.