CCleaner used to be the default way to keep a Windows machine fast.

Then it got bought, stuffed with ads and bundled crapware, and in 2017 one release was compromised and shipped malware to over 2 million people. Millions still install it every month because nothing else has really replaced it.

So, a team called AdventDev just built a free, open-source replacement.

It’s called Kudu. Open the app and you get one dashboard for the whole machine.

System cleaner for temp files, logs, caches, and crash dumps. Browser cleaner across every major browser. Gaming cleaner for launcher and shader caches. Registry cleaner for broken and orphaned entries. Startup manager that shows the actual boot impact of each program. Disk analyzer with an interactive treemap, so you can see where 40GB quietly disappeared to. Debloater that rips Windows bloatware out. Program uninstaller that also removes the leftovers other uninstallers leave behind.

Then it does the parts CCleaner never did.

A malware scanner with signature matching, heuristic analysis, and Windows Defender integration. A privacy shield that lets you flip 30+ Windows privacy settings from one screen: telemetry, ad ID, Cortana, tracking. Secure delete that overwrites files with random data before removing them, so nothing can recover them later.

There’s a real-time performance monitor with per-core CPU, memory, disk, network, and S.M.A.R.T. drive health. A one-click restore point before every clean, so you can roll back. Scheduled scans. A CLI mode for people who don’t want a GUI. Support for 30 languages.

Native app for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Intel and Apple Silicon builds. No ads, no upsells, no telemetry, no account.

The cleaning rules are plain JSON files, so if your favorite app isn’t covered yet, you can add support for it without writing a line of code.

MIT license. 100% Open Source.

Repo: https://github.com/AdventDevInc/kudu…

AdventDevInc/kudu

Source: https://github.com/AdventDevInc/kudu

Kudu

Free, open-source system cleaner & security scanner for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Reclaim disk space. Remove malware. Take back your privacy. All in one app.

Download  ·  Website  ·  Cleaners  ·  CLI Docs

Download

Get the latest installer for your platform from GitHub Releases:

Why Kudu?

Most system cleaners are closed-source, ad-filled, and want your money. Some are barely disguised malware themselves.

Kudu is 100% free, open-source, and transparent. No ads, no upsells, no telemetry. You can read every line of code, audit every scan, and verify every delete. Built by developers who were tired of recommending CCleaner with a straight face.

What It Does

Languages

Kudu is available in 30 languages:

English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Russian, Arabic, Hindi, Turkish, Dutch, Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Czech, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Malay, Ukrainian, Romanian, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian

Disclaimer

Kudu by design removes files from your system. You are responsible for reviewing items before removal. We accept no liability for data loss or system instability. This software is provided “as is” without warranty.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to open issues, submit PRs, or suggest features.

Want to add a cleaner for your favorite app? Kudu’s cleaning rules are simple JSON files — no code required. See the Cleaner Rules Guide to get started, or browse the full cleaner directory to see what’s already covered.

If you find Kudu useful, consider giving it a star — it helps others discover the project.

License

MIT