r/windowsapps — Free open-source CCleaner alternative I built - would love feedback, testers, suggestions by u/feenikz
Earliest author promotion found - 2 days after repo creation (per arctic author-post listing).
Kudu
Also known as: usekudu
Active · Website · Source repository
MIT cross-platform (Windows/macOS/Linux) system maintenance suite in TypeScript/Electron: system/browser/app/game cache cleaning, registry and startup management, disk analyzer, malware scanner, privacy controls, software updater, performance monitor, scheduled scans, scriptable CLI. Cleaning rules are plain JSON files ('no code required to add support for a new app') - the same user-extensible rule model as BleachBit's CleanerML. 3.9k stars; one of the earliest entries in the catalog (March 2026).
- Platforms
- Interface
- Tech stack
- TypeScript, Electron (per CSV and repo language)
- Features
- Dev-junk cleaning
- Not a focus
- Development
- Unknown · leadership unknown
- License
- MITOpen source, MIT (GitHub API)
- Price
- Free'Free open-source'; 'without ads, bundled software, or upsells'
- Launched
- earliest announcement post_date (r/windowsapps 2026-03-16)
- Repo created
- GitHub stars
- 4,125 (as of 2026-10-31)
- First release
- Domain registered
- (usekudu.com)
- Last seen alive
Checks
Mechanical checks derived from the fields above. Each row is one fact; "not yet checked" means exactly that, not a failure. There is no composite score; read them together.
| Track record | 232 days ago |
|---|---|
| Source published | Not yet checked |
| Release signing | Not yet checked |
| Security contact | Not yet checked |
| Reproducible builds | Not yet checked |
| Telemetry | Not yet checked |
| Runs elevated | Not yet checked |
| Auto-update channel | Not yet checked |
| Recent activity | Last seen 16 days ago |
Research notes
- BleachBit-shaped: user-extensible plain-JSON cleaning rules plus a per-app 'cleaner directory' on the site - closest architectural cousin to BleachBit's CleanerML in the catalog.
- Trust problem at install: multiple commenters report Windows flagging the installer as a virus (unsigned exe); author responds 'virustotal has it at 100% clean' - several comments then deleted.
- Pitches itself head-on as a 'Free open-source CCleaner alternative I built'.
- Domain registered 11 minutes before repo creation; first release/launch 2 days later - the compressed timeline of the genre despite a polished result.
- GitHub org 'AdventDevInc' (created 2021, 3 repos) is separate from the author's personal identity; poster account feenikz is South African (r/johannesburg, r/southafrica history) while the org claims US.
- Still shipping weekly releases (v3.9.0 the day of collection, 2026-10-18).
Announcements
2 recorded
r/SideProject — I built Kudu - a free open-source PC cleaner & system health scanner by u/feenikz
Canonical CSV entry; link post (no selftext). Comment thread includes the unsigned-installer virus-flag exchange, partially removed since.
a free open-source PC cleaner & system health scanner — Virtue
Sources
| URL | Role | Status | Checked | Archive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| usekudu.com/ | homepage | 200 | ||
| github.com/adventdevinc/kudu | repo | 200 |
Established alternatives
Related tools
Wrong, stale, or missing something? Flag this listing: corrections reach the site operator, not Kudu's developer. Last reviewed .