Is it a scam? · CCleaner
Is CCleaner a scam? What 2,641 reviews say
Short answer
CCleaner is a real app sold through the official app stores. A noticeable minority of reviewers complain about how CCleaner charges: 1.1% of 2,641 reviews use the words scam, fraud or rip-off, and billing is 33.7% of 1–2★ complaints. That reflects reviewers' experience, not a legal finding.
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How often do reviewers call CCleaner a scam?
In 2,641 US and UK reviews, 1.1% use "scam", "fraud" or "rip-off". The average across the 17 cleaner apps we analysed is 1.9%, and CCleaner ranks 10th of 17, where 1st is the most accused. A broader match that also counts words such as "cheat" and "stealing money" flags 3.1% of its 1,051 1–2★ reviews.
Is CCleaner's pricing the problem?
| Signal in 1–2★ reviews | CCleaner | All 17 apps |
|---|---|---|
| Billing, trials and cancelling | 33.7% | 35.1% |
| "Free" is not free (paywall first) | 6.9% | 9.6% |
| Ad or listing promised something else | 1.1% | 3.3% |
| Support doesn't answer | 3% | 2.1% |
CCleaner's listing shows Google Play (US) $1.39 to $39.99 per item, with ads.
Does CCleaner do what it says?
22.2% of unhappy reviewers say it does not work or does little, 12.3% report crashes or slowness, 2.3% say it deleted something they wanted and 0.3% say space never came back. 3.7% mention exaggerated scan results or booster claims. On the positive side, 29.9% of its 1,420 4–5★ reviews say it works.
What exactly do CCleaner billing complaints say?
| Billing complaint | Share of billing reviews |
|---|---|
| Can't cancel or still charged after uninstalling | 14.1% |
| Refunds and bank disputes | 12.1% |
| The weekly price | 5.9% |
| Charged when the free trial ended | 3.7% |
Across all 2,641 CCleaner reviews, including the happy ones, 9.9% mention a price, a charge, a refund or a subscription. Trouble cancelling is the most frequent story, which usually means people looked for a cancel button inside the app instead of in the store.
How does CCleaner compare with similar apps?
- AVG Cleaner: 1% of 2,743 reviews use scam words, billing is 33.6% of 1–2★ reviews, average 3.72 stars.
- Cleaner – Clean Phone: 0.4% of 2,788 reviews use scam words, billing is 9.2% of 1–2★ reviews, average 4.47 stars.
- Files by Google: 0.1% of 2,937 reviews use scam words, billing is 3.5% of 1–2★ reviews, average 3.86 stars.
CCleaner itself sits at 1.1%, 33.7% and 3.3 stars. It draws fewer of these accusations than the typical cleaner in our data.
What reviewers say about CCleaner
- "this is disgusting charging people for something that should be free y9u pay and still watch ads THIS IS A SCAM" (1★, Google Play, US, Aug 2026)
- "very costly paid version rest app is working fine to remove caches easily" (3★, Google Play, US, Apr 2026)
- "very quick and effective the best download I have done in years." (5★, Google Play, US, May 2026)
Verbatim; names removed; the last quote is from a 5★ review of CCleaner.
What do satisfied CCleaner users say?
53.8% of CCleaner's 2,641 reviews give 4 or 5 stars. 29.9% of those say it works, 7.5% of those say it is easy to use and 7.1% of those say it is fast. That outweighs the 39.8% who leave 1–2★, so the accusations come from a minority of reviewers.
Frequently asked questions
Is CCleaner safe to use?
6.9% of its 1–2★ reviewers raise privacy worries, against 33.7% who raise billing.
How do I stop CCleaner charging me?
Cancel in your store subscriptions: how to cancel CCleaner.
Sources
- CCleaner – Phone Cleaner, Google Play (checked 31 October 2026)
- Connor Tumbleson: Predatory iOS Cleanup Applications (Jan 2025) (checked 25 October 2026)
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