If you are using a Windows PC, you are almost certainly familiar with the Avast brand. Avast started out as the creator of a truly excellent free antivirus solution, one that should be on every PC, yours included. Avast’s antivirus suite is available in free and premium versions, with the paid version providing some functionality; the free version is sufficient for most users. Avast also creates VPN software, anti-tracking tools, cloud tools, and other programs for home and business. There is no doubt that the brand is strong and that they manufacture quality products.
See also our article Does my iPhone need an antivirus? Everything you need to know about your iPhone security
With that said, how about your PC tune-up bundle, Avast Cleanup Premium?
is a system tuning package that says it can speed up your PC, free up disk space, and fix small problems with your computer. Inside the Antivirus app and Performance tab, it says Avast Cleanup Premium can fix junk files, redundant apps, ineffective system settings, and outdated registry entries.
Registry cleaners and tune-up utilities deservedly have a bit of a bad rap. We’ve all seen adware and phishing emails trying to get us to download these apps and everyone (hopefully) has avoided them like the plague. However, Avast is the real deal. This is not about adware or malware and aside from persuading you to buy the product, Avast has no nefarious intentions that we know of.
Avast Cleanup Premium
Avast Cleanup Premium is exactly what it says on the tin. A premium application to clean your PC. It costs $ 49.99 per user per year, $ 89.99 for two years, or $ 129.99 for three. That’s not cheap, although you can download a free trial to give it a try.
For your money, you get a full-featured PC maintenance program that works well, integrates with any other Avast product you may use, and keeps your PC running efficiently. Features include
Junk File Remover – The application removes old files, empties the recycle bin, orphaned files left by uninstalled programs, and any other files that are not referenced by an installed program or that are no longer used.
Registry Cleaner – The Windows registry is a database of system settings used by Windows and any installed programs. As you use and install and uninstall programs, the registry expands. Uninstalling doesn’t always remove all registry entries, which can cause a lot of bloats. In theory, this can slow down your computer.
Browser Cleaner – Avast Cleanup Premium also offers to clean your browser and remove old plugins, delete cookies, and some other tricks.
Put applications to sleep – The program puts open applications to sleep to help speed up your computer and prioritize the programs you are using.
Disk Cleaner – This cleans your hard drive and frees up drive space if you’re running low.
Shortcut Cleaner – Removes outdated shortcuts from desktops and applications to optimize the user experience.
That sums it up for the Avast Cleanup Premium features. In short, you have a set of tools that could help speed up your team.
Is Avast Cleanup Premium worth it?
The jury has yet to decide whether registry cleaners really offer any performance benefits or not. If you haven’t maintained your PC in years, and you’ve been consistently installing and uninstalling apps during that time, you may get an initial performance boost. Otherwise, if you use Windows 10 and have average decent computer hygiene habits, you may not see any increases.
Cleaning old files, cleaning hard drives, removing old shortcuts, cleaning old applications from your browser, and removing junk is definitely beneficial. Avast Cleanup Premium will do all of those things for you. However, they are also all things you can do yourself in Windows, and for free.
- Right-click a hard drive, select Properties, and then Disk Cleanup to clean up the junk.
- Right-click on the Windows taskbar, select Task Manager, select the start tab to prioritize programs that start with Windows.
- Use the Services tab of the Task Manager to open services and put programs on hold.
- Select Add-ons in your browser to disable add/or remove outdated browser extensions.
- Drag and drop a desktop shortcut that you no longer need to the recycle bin to delete.
Additionally, you can use PowerShell or other scripting tools to easily automate these tasks.
The main benefit of Avast Cleanup Premium is the psychological advantage: your computer is being taken care of (without you having to do anything) and its performance is being improved by a well-known company with an excellent reputation. The actual physical performance benefits will be negligible at best if you maintain your system properly, but the psychological benefits could be significant, depending on how you look at your computer.
So is it worth $ 50 a year? For experienced users, frankly, no. It can perform most functions from within Windows, and the performance benefit of registry cleaning has yet to be tested in all but the worst cases. There are also free alternatives in case you want to use them, such as CCleaner. Ironically, CCleaner is owned by Avast. The free version has everything you need and the premium version is only $ 14.99.
Avast is an excellent company that offers superior security products, but I can’t recommend paying so much for a program that duplicates what is already possible from within Windows.
Agree? Would not you agree? Share your opinion with us in the comments below!
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