By: I Matthews RegistryRepairCenter.com Editor
After reading many of the other Registry cleaner comparisons online I realized none of these were comparing actual performance and results of the programs.
Instead they compared the basic features that are already listed on the companies websites and provided each program with a fictional rating of 4 out of 5 stars or 9.4 out of 10.
This type of registry cleaner comparison didn’t make much sense to me. I didn’t understand how they were coming up with the ratings, and I didn’t see how they were helping you, the consumer, make an informed purchase decision.
So I’ve decided to do it a little differently. I compared each registry cleaner in a series of 5 different tests and comparisons to determine the top registry cleaner based on performance not just features. You can still read my independent Regcure review, Registry Easy review and Registry Mechanic review but this page will give you an overview of how each performed.
1.) Speed of the Scan: I timed how long it took each registry cleaner to complete a full scan of my entire test system.
2.) Total Number of Errors Found: I compared the total number of errors each registry cleaner found after the complete scan. I also ran each registry cleaner twice to ensure the number of errors found was consistent.
3.) Number of Actual Changes Made: While each program found a set number of errors on my test computer I wanted to know how many changes were actually made to the registry after the repair was done. I used a piece of software called RegShot that was able to measure this for me.
4.) Boot-time/Start-up time: For each registry cleaner I ran the additional system optimization or start-up manager options that are available with each program, along with the registry cleaning function. My goal was to find which program improved start-up time the greatest.
5.) Extra Features: For this I compared the additional features included in the software beyond repairing the Windows registry (i.e. system optimization, memory optimization).
Here is a look at the over all results after comparing registry cleaners in each of these fives tests.
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Registry Easy |
Registry Mechanic |
RegCure |
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| Download Free Scan | Download Free Scan | Download Free Scan | Download Free Scan |
| Visit Official Site | Visit Official Website | Visit Official Website | Visit Official Website |
| Scan Time |
2nd |
1st | 3rd |
| Total Errors Found |
2nd |
3rd | 1st |
| Changes Made to Registry |
1st |
3rd | 2nd |
| Boot Time Improvement |
1st |
Tie for 3rd | Tie for 3rd |
| Extra Features Comparison |
1st |
2nd | 3rd |
The first test I ran was a Scan speed test. There was quite a variation in how long it took each program to complete a full scan of my test PC. You can see the results below.
| Registry Cleaner | Scan Time |
| Regisry Mechanic | 48 seconds |
| Registry Easy | 2 min 11 seconds |
| RegCure | 6 min 15 seconds |
You’ll see that from the data, Registry Mechanic by PCTools.com performed the full scan the fastest.
A couple of points to note about the speed of scan test. It is nice to have a computer registry cleaner that scans your PC quickly (saves you time) it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will improve the performance of your computer. The speed with which a program scans your computer mainly has to do with how many areas of the your computer the program searches, scans, and compares.
The second test I ran was a comparison of total number of errors found. There appeared to be a direct relationship between the time it took for the registry cleaner to scan my test PC and the total number of errors found.
For example, from the previous test you saw that Registry Mechanic had the fastest full scan time. From below you can see that Registry Mechanic also found the fewest number of errors.
To ensure consistency I ran a complete scan with each program twice prior to repairing any of the registry errors found. All three programs found the same number of errors on the second scan. This data implies that each registry cleaner was consitent and reliable.

RegCure was the winner here finding the highest number of errors at 1316.
With such a large data spread in the number of errors found by Registry Mechanic, Registry Easy, and RegCure it was important to know how many items were actually getting repaired on my test PC.
I used a piece of software named RegShot that was able to take a snapshot of the test computers registry before the scan, after the scan & repair, and provide a comparison of the two.
Below is a screen shot of RegShot.

The graph below illustrates the percentage of changes that were made to my test computers registry in terms of total number of errors found.
NOTE: Higher bars suggest better performance

None of the registry cleaners actually made as many changes to my test system as errors found.
The results imply that each of these programs shows the total number of errors found whether they’re critical errors or not, suggesting that the errors actually repaired may be limited to those that reduce the over all performance of your PC. Also some errors may be detected more then once in different areas on your computer.
Registry Easy Repaired the Highest percentage of Errors found at 63%.
If you get frustrated with how long it takes your PC to start-up or restart then pay attention to the results of this test. I measured how long it took my test machine to start-up prior to making any changes.
The Boot-up time before running any registry cleaners was: 150.906 seconds.
To reduce the chance of error in this test I used a freeware application called BootTimer to measure the boot-up time of windows after each registry cleaner completed it’s processes. Below is a screen shot of the result using BootTimer to measure how long it took windows to start up before running any of the registry cleaners.

Below are the results of all three registry cleaners for the boot-up test.
Note: The lower bars demonstrate less time for windows to start up.

Registry easy had the biggest impact on boot time improvement? Why? Registry Easy appaers to have the best suite of extra tools included.
For this test I ran not only the registry cleaner function on all three programs but also any additional optimization features that were included with the software.
While each registry cleaner had the ability to manage start-up programs (those programs that start up automatically each time you turn on windows) Registry Easy also had an additional system optimization feature. This may be why Registry Easy produced the biggest improvement in Boot up time.
Registry Easy Improved Boot-up Time the Greatest by almost 17%
While each of these programs is called a "registry cleaner" each product also offers some additional features beyond just scanning and cleaning the windows registry. It was worth doing a comparison of these features since I found some of them to be very useful in improving the over all performance of my test PC.
| Registry Easy | Registry Mechanic | RegCure |
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Registry Easy offered far more extra features then both Registry Mechanic and RegCure. After using the System Optimizer and Startup Manager in Registry Easy, I was able to improve the boot-time of my test PC by 17%. Something I was unable to achieve with Registry Mechanic or RegCure. For this reason I’ve ranked Registry Easy on top for the extra features comparison.
If you visit the Registry Easy website and click the "features" tab at the top you can see just how many extra features this Registry Cleaner offers.
Registry Easy is the Best Registry Cleaner based on my data findings. With top place in 3 out of 5 tests, and 2nd place in the remaining 2 tests.
You can run a free system scan by downloading Registry Easy now, or to learn more about the software visit the official Registry Easy website.
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My Top Pick: Registry EasyAfter completeing 5 tests and comparisons, Registry Easy is my top choice. It finished #1 in 3 of 5 tests, and #2 in the other 2 tests. Registry Easy is a user friendly and effective registry cleaner that can improve the performance and speed of your PC. |
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For a more detailed look at the runners up you can read our Regcure review. It is complete with videos on using the program and how easy it is to install and work with. Also our Registry Mechanic review as well.