Rufus
Open Sourceby Pete Batard
Create bootable USB drives quickly and reliably.
- Creates bootable Windows and Linux USB media
- Notably faster than most alternatives
- Portable — no installation needed
Free alternatives to CCleaner Free
5 system utilities programs worth considering instead of — or alongside — CCleaner Free.
Alternatives to CCleaner Free
Everything
Freeby voidtools
Instant filename search across your entire drive.
- Near-instant filename search
- Indexes an entire drive in seconds
- Very low resource usage
CPU-Z
Freeby CPUID
Identify exactly what hardware is inside your PC.
- Detailed processor identification
- Memory module and timing information
- Motherboard and BIOS details
HWMonitor
Freeby CPUID
Monitor temperatures, voltages and fan speeds.
- CPU, GPU and drive temperature monitoring
- Fan speed and voltage readings
- Records minimum and maximum values
AutoHotkey
Open Sourceby AutoHotkey Foundation
Automate anything on Windows with custom scripts and hotkeys.
- Custom hotkeys and key remapping
- Text expansion and auto-correction
- GUI automation scripting
About CCleaner Free
CCleaner removes temporary files, browser caches and other accumulated junk to free disk space, and includes a registry cleaner and startup program manager. Long the best-known cleanup utility on Windows.
It is free tier and runs on Windows, macOS. Below are 5 system utilities programs that cover the same ground — some open-source, some cross-platform, each free to use.
CCleaner Free alternatives compared
| Program | Licence | Platforms | Best known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rufus | Open Source | Windows | Creates bootable Windows and Linux USB media |
| Everything | Free | Windows | Near-instant filename search |
| CPU-Z | Free | Windows, Android | Detailed processor identification |
| HWMonitor | Free | Windows | CPU, GPU and drive temperature monitoring |
| AutoHotkey | Open Source | Windows | Custom hotkeys and key remapping |
The alternatives in detail
Rufus Open Source
Rufus writes ISO images to USB drives to create bootable installation media for Windows, Linux and diagnostic tools. Notable for creates bootable windows and linux usb media and notably faster than most alternatives. Runs on Windows.
Everything Free
Everything indexes filenames on NTFS volumes almost instantly and returns matches as you type, making Windows Search feel unusable by comparison. Notable for near-instant filename search and indexes an entire drive in seconds. Runs on Windows.
CPU-Z Free
CPU-Z reports precise details on your processor, motherboard, memory modules and graphics — the fastest way to find out what a machine actually contains before buying an upgrade or diagnosing a fault. Notable for detailed processor identification and memory module and timing information. Runs on Windows, Android.
HWMonitor Free
HWMonitor reads hardware sensors to report CPU and GPU temperatures, fan speeds, voltages and drive health. Notable for cpu, gpu and drive temperature monitoring and fan speed and voltage readings. Runs on Windows.
AutoHotkey Open Source
AutoHotkey is a scripting language for Windows automation: remap keys, expand text shortcuts, automate repetitive GUI tasks and build small custom tools. Notable for custom hotkeys and key remapping and text expansion and auto-correction. Runs on Windows.
How to choose
2 are fully open source (Rufus, AutoHotkey) — pick one of these if you value auditable code you can self-host.
All 5 are free to download from the publisher's own website, so installing two or three and testing them on your own files is the fastest way to decide — it costs nothing but a few minutes.