dupeGuru vs Glary Utilities (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, dupeGuru grades higher than Glary Utilities: 3.0 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
dupeGuru grades higher on the free plan and platforms. Glary Utilities grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
dupeGuru
Free open-source tool that finds duplicate files by name or content
Glary Utilities
Windows maintenance suite with registry, junk-file and startup tools
Which one is for you
Pick dupeGuru if
- Fits if you want a free duplicate finder on Mac, Windows or Linux
- Works for sorting duplicate music and pictures
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want an actively updated site: the copyright line reads 2018 and recent downloads are on GitHub
- Not for you if you have an Apple silicon Mac and want a native build, as none is listed
- Watch out: fuzzy scans at a low threshold return false duplicates you must check yourself
- Watch out: the site's own text disagrees about which platforms it runs on
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
| 3.0GPAdupeGuruVery good | 2.8GPAGlary UtilitiesGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree under GPL-3.0, with no paid edition. | 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 | AThe whole program is free to download on every platform listed. | BFree with one-click maintenance and core cleanup, privacy and optimization tools. Scheduling and the deeper registry scan are Pro. |
| Features | BFilename and content scans, music and picture modes, and delete, move or copy. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. | 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 | CScan modes and a fuzzy threshold to tune, and results to review by hand. No store rating is on record. | BOne-click maintenance, though it has many tools to find your way around. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | CMac, Windows and Linux, computers only. No phone or web version, and no ARM Mac build is listed. | DWindows only. Version 6.50 is listed, with no Mac or phone edition. |
| Best for | finding duplicate files for free | 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: dupeGuru and Glary Utilities. How we grade
Price against what you get
dupeGuru has no paid plan and scores 2.3 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.
They score the same, and dupeGuru starts $3.33 a month lower. Of the other desktop utilities on the chart, none scores higher than dupeGuru 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
- dupeGuru is open source, according to its own site.
At a glance
| dupeGuru | Glary Utilities | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $39.95 per year, for up to 3 PCs |
| Free plan | The vendor's site lists downloads for each platform and no price or paid edition; the source is under GPL-3.0. | The free edition of Glary Utilities, with the one-click maintenance and core cleanup, privacy and optimization tools. |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial of Pro offered on the Pro page; its length is not stated |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | dupeGuru open-source project | Glarysoft |
| Price read from | dupeguru.voltaicideas.net | glarysoft.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
dupeGuru
- The vendor's site is sparse and its copyright line reads 2018; recent downloads are on GitHub releases.
- The Mac download is listed for macOS 10.12 or later, and the page lists no ARM-specific build.
- Fuzzy scans at a low threshold can return false duplicates that you have to review by hand.
- The site's own text is inconsistent about platforms: one paragraph also says it runs only on Mac OS X and Linux.
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
dupeGuru
- Filename and content scans
- Scans either filenames or file contents. The filename scan uses fuzzy matching, so similar names are found as well as identical ones.
- Music mode
- Scans music tags and shows music-specific information in the duplicate results window.
- Picture mode
- Scans pictures fuzzily to find images that are similar but not exactly the same.
- Safety features
- A reference directory system and grouping system are meant to stop you deleting files you did not mean to.
- Delete, move or copy
- Duplicates can be deleted, moved or copied elsewhere, and results can be filtered and sorted to weed out false matches.
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
dupeGuru
dupeGuru$0
Free download for Windows, macOS and Ubuntu, with source code on GitHub.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, dupeGuru or Glary Utilities?
As of Nov 13, 2026, dupeGuru is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $3.33 a month when paid by the year for Glary Utilities. dupeGuru is free, and Glary Utilities starts at $39.95 per year, for up to 3 PCs.
Which has a free plan, dupeGuru or Glary Utilities?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both dupeGuru and Glary Utilities have a free plan.
Which platforms do dupeGuru and Glary Utilities run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only dupeGuru lists macOS and Linux 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.