CCleaner vs WinDirStat
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
Where they differ
- CCleaner starts at $44.95 per year for 1 PC (CCleaner Pro). WinDirStat is free.
- Only CCleaner lists macOS, Android and iOS apps.
- WinDirStat is open source, according to its own site.
- CCleaner also covers system monitor.
At a glance
| CCleaner | WinDirStat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $44.95 per year for 1 PC (CCleaner Pro) | Free |
| Free plan | CCleaner Free: standard cleaning, standard privacy protection and a basic Health Check. Performance Optimizer, Driver Updater and automatic cleaning are paid. | The whole app is free software under the GNU GPL v3 or later. The site says it can be used free of charge in personal or commercial settings. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of CCleaner Professional, with no personal or card details needed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Gen Digital Inc. | WinDirStat Team |
| Price read from | web.archive.org (not the vendor's own page) | windirstat.net |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
CCleaner
- Windows users who want junk cleaning, browser cleanup and startup control in one app
- People who want driver and software updates handled by the same utility
- Households covering several PCs, Macs and Android devices with one plan
WinDirStat
- Finding out what is filling a Windows drive at no cost
- Companies that want a free tool: commercial use is allowed
- Administrators exporting CSV or JSON reports from automated scans
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.
WinDirStat
- Windows only; the site points Mac and Linux users to other open-source tools such as GrandPerspective and QDirStat.
- It is developed and tested for Windows 7 through 11 and Windows Server 2008 R2 through 2025; other versions are not supported.
- The accelerated NTFS scan needs the app to be run elevated.
- File recovery is described as an attempt and covers only local NTFS, exFAT and FAT drives.
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.
WinDirStat
- Scanning
- Scans multiple folders, drives, network shares or MTP devices in one pass. Running elevated speeds up scans of local NTFS drives.
- Disk usage views
- Shows the largest files and file types alongside treemaps, sunbursts and flame graphs, and compares logical with physical sizes.
- Search and duplicates
- Searches by name, size, type or owner. Duplicates are found by comparing content hashes, with optional sparse hashing for probable matches.
- Reports and monitoring
- Scan snapshots can be saved and reopened, reports exported as CSV or JSON, scans automated, and file-system changes watched.
- Cleanup and recovery
- Runs cleanup tools on selected items and can attempt to recover deleted files from local NTFS, exFAT and FAT drives.
- Permissions and storage analytics
- Inspects permission entries and estimates storage tier costs from file sizes and modification ages.
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.
WinDirStat
WinDirStat$0
The complete app as x64, x86 and ARM64 installers, portable archives, a Microsoft Store package, or through winget, Chocolatey or Scoop.
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.
WinDirStat
No public discounts listed.
