Alternatives / CCleaner
Looking for an open source CCleaner alternative? We compared 3 open source system cleaners and uninstallers by license, platforms, privacy features, and pricing. One covers Windows and Linux, and two are for macOS.
Written by Maxime DERAME
Last updated:
| Alternative | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| Mole | Mac cleanup, uninstalling, and monitoring | GPL-3.0 (CLI) |
| Pearcleaner | Thorough Mac app removal (source available) | Apache-2.0 + Commons Clause |
| BleachBit | Privacy cleaning on Windows and Linux | GPL-3.0+ |
We looked for open-source tools that overlap with CCleaner's core: removing junk files, caches, and browser data, uninstalling applications, and protecting privacy. We verified each project's license, recent activity, stars, and supported platforms in its repository. CCleaner is mainly a Windows tool, so only BleachBit covers Windows directly, and the other two are macOS tools. See our methodology for the full criteria.
BleachBit runs on Linux and Windows. Mole and Pearcleaner are macOS only. Windows users get BleachBit, which cleans files and privacy data but does not focus on registry repair or startup management like CCleaner does.
The Mole repository is the free, open-source command-line tool, licensed under GPL-3.0, that cleans caches, uninstalls apps with their leftovers, analyzes disk usage, and optimizes the system. A separate native Mole for Mac app adds a graphical interface and live status monitoring for a one-time $19 license that covers two Macs. The app itself is not what the repository contains.
Pearcleaner is licensed under Apache 2.0 with the Commons Clause, which prohibits any form of monetization of the software or modified versions. You can read, modify, and contribute to the code, but it is not an open-source license by the OSI definition. It removes apps with their associated files, finds orphaned data, and manages Homebrew.
BleachBit is licensed under GPL-3.0 or later and cleans caches, cookies, history, logs, and temporary files for thousands of applications, shreds files, and wipes free space. Be careful with advanced options, since deleting the wrong data can break applications.
Mole and BleachBit were updated within days of this update. Pearcleaner's last commit was in June 2026, and it is a personal hobby project whose maintainer does not accept opinion-based feature requests.
CCleaner is a proprietary system cleaner for Windows and macOS, with a free tier, paid Professional plans, and bundled promotions. Open-source alternatives are transparent about what they delete, avoid telemetry and upsells, and let you audit the code, at the cost of fewer extras such as driver updaters and scheduled cleaning.
| Alternative | Type | License | Platforms | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mole | Mac cleaner and monitor | GPL-3.0 (CLI) | macOS | Free CLI; native app $19 |
| Pearcleaner | Mac app uninstaller | Apache-2.0 + Commons Clause | macOS | Free |
| BleachBit | System cleaner | GPL-3.0+ | Linux, Windows | Free |
Want one open-source tool to clean and monitor a Mac
Mole combines cache cleanup, app uninstalling, disk analysis, and system optimization, free as a CLI or as a paid native app.
Want to fully remove Mac apps and leftovers
Pearcleaner removes apps with associated files, finds orphaned data, prunes languages, and manages Homebrew, but its license is source available.
Want to clean junk and protect privacy on Windows or Linux
BleachBit deletes caches, cookies, history, and logs for thousands of applications, shreds files, and wipes free space.