Need to free up some space on your laptop or PC and speed things up while you’re at it? Ashampoo’s WinOptimizer 19 is one of many tune-up utilities and we’ve taken it for a spin to see if it’s worth your cash.
Features & Performance
WinOptimizer 19 runs on all versions of Windows since 7 (though you really shouldn’t be on Windows 7 anymore) and it’s simple to download and install the application, taking up 88.9MB of space.
There is a separate free version (based on WinOptimizer 17) which you can use with no time limits. However, it is missing key features like the start page, 1-Click Optimizer and Boot Center. In total, a comparison states it doesn’t have 39 items/improvements you will find in the full paid version so you might struggle to get what you need to do done.
Alternatively, you can try WinOptimizer 19 for 30 days by providing your email address and agreeing to receive news and product information.
On the surface, the interface is simple, modern and you get the option of light or dark themes. The overview tab is a one-stop-shop for the main features and within seconds can analyse various aspects of your machine.
Large, easy-to-understand squares show you what’s been found and for certain things, how much space you can free up. It found just over 1GB of things to get rid of on our test laptop, however, after clicking on the dedicated Clean tab which automatically scans, WinOptimizer 19 found a lot more under browsing traces taking the total to 1.8GB.
The result sits between MacPaw CleanMyPC (1.68GB) and CCleaner Professional (3.09GB) while matching IObit Advanced System Care 14.
Either here or on the Overview tab, you can choose what you want to delete, although this section of the application looks plainer, doesn’t match the main dark theme and isn’t quite as intuitive to use. Bear in mind that deleting cached browser files can free a lot of space but can slow down browsing.
The analysis will also flag up other elements like invalid shortcuts, unnecessary services that are running and optimisable settings. Most of that was given a green light for me with no issues found. If you want to go ahead with all the suggested changes then you can just hit the Optimize button.
Once you’ve decided what changes to make you can turn some automatic features on in the next tab. There’s Auto-Clean, Live-Tuner and Game-Booster available here, which all aim to do work in the background for you like delete temporary files and close background services.
If you really want to deep dive the ‘All modules’ section has a wide range of specific tools, depending on what you want to achieve. From managing system fonts to creating maintenance schedules. It can be a bit overwhelming so beginners should probably stick to the main tab.
While the Clean section is just three of the tools from the Overview tab, the Optimize section has some additional tools that could be useful.
For example, the Autorun part of ‘Boot process’ provides useful information about what applications are having an impact on your boot time and you can disable any directly from WinOptimizer 19. Here you can also defrag any hard drives (do not defrag an SSD) and also delve into various privacy elements.
Finally, the Inform section isn’t as beneficial but here you can do things like benchmark your system, check your hard disk health and manage your installed applications – although, like others, this doesn’t give you any more information than Windows like pointing out which haven’t been used much.
Price
The pricing for WinOptimizer 19 is much simpler than rivals as you buy it for £44.99/US$49.99 and can use it on up to 10 PCs in your home. At the time of writing, the software is on offer for £26.99/US$29.99.
This is a one-time payment so there’s no annual subscription or any ongoing costs. It’s very good value, especially at that discounted price and at checkout you’ll be offered Backup Pro 15 for a discounted price – currently £8.99/US$9.99.
You can also choose to upgrade if you own any previous version of WinOptimizer. While the upgrade has the same RRP as the full version, the offer is currently £13.49/US$14.99.
If you want to add two years of premium support or the software on DVD, they cost £3.95/US$4.95 and £8.95/US$12.95 respectively.
As mentioned earlier, you can use a free version with limited features or make use of a 30-day free trial period of full WinOptimizer 19 before committing to a purchase.
Verdict
WinOptimizer 19 is a solid piece of software on the whole with a user-friendly interface and reasonable pricing if Ashampoo has it on offer. The fact you can use it on 10 machines for life is very good value, although a single license option would be nice.
Performance is good, cleaning up a decent amount of space on our test laptop, although it took a second scan to find a reasonable chunk of it which is not ideal.
There are plenty of tools here for more savvy users to delve into, but beginners can use the simple 1-Click Optimizer to get the main job done.
Tags:
Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence. Learn more.
