I’ve been a CCleaner user for years, and I’m writing this as someone who actually paid for a annual license. Unfortunately, CCleaner 7 has completely destroyed any remaining trust I had in this product.
First of all: why is CCleaner now a background service?
This was always marketed as a simple cleanup tool, not an always-running daemon eating resources and sitting in memory 24/7. I don’t need a junk cleaner watching my system like antivirus software. If I want to clean my PC, I’ll launch the app myself. Period. The fact that I have to dig through settings (or Windows services) to stop it is ridiculous and unacceptable.
Second, and honestly worse: ads — even for paying customers.
Yes, I paid. Yes, I still get ads. And not just “suggestions” — shady, deceptive advertising. I literally had an Avast ad pop up in the footer, and clicking the orange banner (not even the install button!) immediately started installing Avast without any confirmation prompt. That crosses the line from annoying into outright hostile behavior.
If I wanted Avast, I’d install it myself. Don’t hijack my clicks and don’t disrespect paying users like this.
And it doesn’t stop there. Based on what many other users are saying on the CCleaner forums, the problems keep piling up:
-
Aggressive nagging to upgrade, even when you already have a valid license
-
Telemetry and “data collection” enabled by default, with vague explanations
-
Forced auto-updates that re-enable features you previously disabled
-
Settings that mysteriously reset themselves after updates
-
Constant “health score” fear tactics designed to push you into clicking buttons
-
Features being locked behind paywalls that used to be free
-
Increasing overlap with antivirus/monitoring behavior nobody asked for
What’s especially frustrating is that CCleaner used to be loved because it was simple, lightweight, and transparent. Now it feels like nagware wrapped around a brand name that’s surviving purely on reputation.
At this point, my annual license is basically useless. I paid for a cleaner, not:
-
a background service
-
an ad platform
-
a third party antivirus installer
-
or a system babysitter that won’t leave me alone
CCleaner 7 feels like another classic case of a good tool being slowly ruined by corporate decisions and monetization obsession. If this is the future direction, then congratulations — you’ve successfully pushed long-time, paying users away.
I won’t be renewing, and I can’t recommend CCleaner to anyone anymore.
What a waste of what used to be a genuinely great utility.
