You can easily clean your system with CCleaner. Many of the junk files that go through the digital shredder come in through the internet. A browser with CCleaner built-in therefore sounds like a logical next step. Yet...
The CCleaner Browser has genuinely useful functions, but before we go further, it is also important to point out what the browser is not. Namely brand new software. In fact, it's basically the Avast Secure Browser with the CCleaner name attached to it.
How is that possible? CCleaner is designed by Piriform. This developer was acquired by Avast in 2017. The Avast Secure Browser has been around for years, including as part of Avast's antivirus package. But CCleaner has a greater brand awareness, many people already rely on it. And so a clone was born.
The similarities don't stop there though. Both browsers are built on Chromium and are therefore largely identical to Chrome. The hobbyhorse is the option to delete cookies, cache, history and other 'leftovers' after browsing so that they don't stick to your system. However, this feature is the same as the one already in Chrome. Watch:
That said, what is the added value of the CCleaner Browser? We're getting to that now.
CCleaner Browser Features
After starting the installation file, you can immediately click Accept and Install click. Favorites are then transferred from Chrome by default. Are you switching from another browser? First click on Options, and choose under Import data from for Firefox, Edge or Internet Explorer. After installation, the CCleaner Browser opens immediately.
Two extra icons stand out next to the address bar. One is the default adblocker, so ads are automatically blocked by this browser. The other is an extension for downloading online videos for offline use, which works with YouTube videos, among other things.
The rest of the extras can be found in the Security & Privacy Center. You can get through that in the address bar secure://security-privacy-center/ enter and press Enter to push. Or click on the CCleaner icon at the top right. Now you can see what else the browser does to ensure your privacy, including protection against trackers, phishing, fingerprinting and unsecured (http) connections.
With some options, some additional settings can be adjusted. For example, you can add websites to a 'white list' in the advanced settings of the adblock option. So you still see advertising there, which is often one of the largest sources of income on free sites. If you already have CCleaner on your system, the software can also be started from this center.
If we look a little further, we discover that many functions such as extensions have been added to the browser by default. The CCleaner Browser is therefore especially suitable for users who like to have these kinds of options in a well-arranged place and do not want to look for extra security functions themselves.
And there is nothing wrong with that, even if the added value of a separate browser compared to Chrome with extensions of your choice is more limited than it seems at first glance.
