Battle Which Free Uninstaller: IObit vs Geek vs Revo?

Tiamati

Level 12
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Nov 8, 2016
574
Just did a testing of 6 free uninstallers to see their cleanup capabilities after un-installation. I used Rollback-RX to take the machine back to it's original state after each test.

HiBit Uninstaller, Revo Uninstaller, IOBit Uninstaller, Geek Uninstaller, Wise Program Uninstaller & Glarysoft Absolute Uninstaller were used for the tests. The software that was used to do the testing on (install & uninstall) is Google Chrome. Here are the results and my rankings in order. It may not be conclusive as I haven't tested many programs for the test.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FINAL VERDICT

1. HiBit uninstaller
2. Revo uninstaller free
3. Wise program uninstaller free
4. Geek uninstaller free
5. IObit uninstaller free
6. Glarysoft absolute uninstaller free
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DETAILED TESTS

1. HiBit uninstaller

Leftovers found
163 files and folders
71 registry entries
1 service driver

Deleted folders (includes all sub-folders)
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Google\*
C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\*

Deleted registry entries (includes all sub-keys)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Google\*
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Google\*
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Google\*

Service driver
Google Chrome elevation service

Net Leftovers after uni-nstallation: None

2. Revo uninstaller


Leftovers found
149 files and folders (217 in total, not sure how)
46 registry entries
1 service driver

Deleted folders:
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Google\*

Deleted registry entries
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Google\Chrome\*

Net Leftovers after un-installation:
Folders:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\*
Registry entries:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Google\
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Google\*
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Google\*

3. Wise Program Uninstaller Free

Leftovers found
158 files and folders
3 registry entries (was surprised at this, but it was showing only parent values)

Deleted folders:
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Google\*

Deleted registry entries
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Google\Chrome\*
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Google\Update\*
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Google\Chrome\*

Net Leftovers after un-installation:
Folders:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\*
Registry entries:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Google\
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Google\
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Google\

4. Geek Uninstaller Free

Leftovers found
151 files and folders
41 registry entries

Deleted folders:
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\*

Deleted registry entries
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Google\*

Net Leftovers after un-installation:
Folders:
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Google\
C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\*
Registry entries:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Google\
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Google\*

5. IOBit Uninstaller Free (not recommended)

Leftovers found
0 Files and Folders
0 Registry entries
1 service driver

Deleted folders: None

Deleted registry entries: None

Net Leftovers after un-installation:
Folders:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\*
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Google\*
Registry entries:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Google\*
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Google\*
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Google\*

6. Glarysoft Absolute Uninstaller Free (not recommended)

Leftovers found
0 Files and Folders
0 Registry entries

Deleted folders: None

Deleted registry entries: None

Net Leftovers after un-installation:
Folders:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\*
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Google\*
Registry entries:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Google\*
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Google\*
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Google\*

👏👏👏 Good initiative. However, one software uninstall is not enough to make a final verdict.
Maybe if you could increase the sample pool.

Some easy and common software to test could be:
1) Firefox
2) Any Commom AV (kaspesky, bitdefender, avast, eset, etc)
3) Google Backup and Sync or One drive
4) 7zip
5) any pdf editor
6) Any game
7) Codec packs

I'm just giving some examples... in case you wanna expand your test (what would be awesome)
 

CyberTech

Level 44
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Nov 10, 2017
3,247
👏👏👏 Good initiative. However, one software uninstall is not enough to make a final verdict.
Maybe if you could increase the sample pool.

Some easy and common software to test could be:
1) Firefox
2) Any Commom AV (kaspesky, bitdefender, avast, eset, etc)
3) Google Backup and Sync or One drive
4) 7zip
5) any pdf editor
6) Any game
7) Codec packs

I'm just giving some examples... in case you wanna expand your test (what would be awesome)

That would be fun if he test them in VM :unsure:
 

roger_m

Level 41
Verified
Top Poster
Content Creator
Dec 4, 2014
3,012
Can anyone test Total Uninstaller vs Total Uninstall?
Total Uninstaller is not very good and has been around for years under various names. It is also published as Max Uninstaller, Special Uninstaller, Bloatware Uninstaller and possibly other names as well.

Unlike Total Uninstall, it does not use snapshots, so it just scans for leftovers after uninstalling a program. Usually HiBit/Revo/IObit/Geek will do a much better job of finding leftovers.

Also it's worth nothing that it does not receive updates very often. It was last updated in March of 2018. I'd give it a miss, considering that there are far better alternatives available for free.
 

roger_m

Level 41
Verified
Top Poster
Content Creator
Dec 4, 2014
3,012
I've just been testing HiBit Uninstaller and comparing it to IObit. I uninstalled a few programs and was extremely impressed with HiBit. Every time, it found significantly more leftovers than IObit did, with what appeared to be zero false positives. After rebooting some of the USB ports on my computer were not working. I opened Device Manager and there an error with one of the USB drivers. I uninstalled the device in Device Manager and then did a scan for hardware changes, to make Windows install a driver for it again. Afterwards it was working fine. I presume the device error happened as a result of uninstalling a universal Android ADB driver and some phone management software (Wondershare's dr.fone), rather than anything deleted by HiBit, as there appeared to be no false positives in its scan results. But I thought I should mention it.

Based on my (fairly limited) testing, it would seem that most likely, HiBit will always find more leftovers. However, I presume that unlike IObit it can not continue where it left off from, after a reboot. But I've just emailed the developer to see if he can add such a feature.

Having said that, I still believe that using snapshots is the best option, so I'll keep using Total Uninstall on my main computer.

IOBit Uninstaller v9.5.0 was released a few days ago and the Install Monitor is now included in the free version.
  • + Install Monitor is free to all users to automatically log all changes made to your system during the program installation
  • + Improved leftover scanning algorithms to scan for more leftovers after the program uninstallation
  • + Fixed the occasional failure of uninstalling Steam games
  • + New language added: Indonesian
  • + Fixed known bugs
If you don't want to spend money on an uninstaller which uses snapshots, I'd recommending using both IObit Uninstaller and HiBit. IObit will automatically monitor the install of a lot of software and keep a record of the changes made, so it can be used to cleanly uninstall the software. If IObit monitors a program's installation, use it to uninstall the software, as it will have a record of any files and registry keys created when the software was installed. For programs that IObit fails to monitor, uninstall then with HiBit, as it will find more leftovers.
 
Last edited:

roger_m

Level 41
Verified
Top Poster
Content Creator
Dec 4, 2014
3,012
I'm trying to keep up... lol. What feature was requested?
For it to be able to continue where it left off after rebooting. If an uninstaller wants to reboot the system, once Windows starts again, HiBit would launch again and scan for leftovers. If there were multiple programs selected to be uninstalled, after rebooting it would continue to uninstall any remaining programs.

Currently, IObit is the only uninstaller which can do this.
 

Tutman

Level 12
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Apr 17, 2020
542
Good idea! I do know that on some programs hibit itself will tell you that certain files will be removed after restart. It cleans them up after restart but doesn't bring the program back up to the front. I personally when I am uninstalling something and it says you must restart, just close out of it and do the rest manual scan with hibit and it usually will find the leftovers and tell you if it is needed to restart afterwards.
 

SeriousHoax

Level 47
Well-known
Mar 16, 2019
3,630
For it to be able to continue where it left off after rebooting. If an uninstaller wants to reboot the system, once Windows starts again, HiBit would launch again and scan for leftovers. If there were multiple programs selected to be uninstalled, after rebooting it would continue to uninstall any remaining programs.

Currently, IObit is the only uninstaller which can do this.
Revo can do it too. Revo Pro can at least but the free version probably do this too.
 

roger_m

Level 41
Verified
Top Poster
Content Creator
Dec 4, 2014
3,012
Revo can do it too. Revo Pro can at least but the free version probably do this too.
It's only in the Pro version. They added it in version 4, but I was unaware they had done so.
Added - Possibility to continue the uninstall of a program if it had been interrupted by a computer restart
IObit added the feature first (after I suggested it to them) and Revo added it three years later.
 

plat

Level 29
Top Poster
Sep 13, 2018
1,793
Revo Pro. HiBit is still missing some features that makes Revo Pro a little bit better.

HiBit: the dev can't accept any payments for his work due to the constraints of his county (Iran, I think). He says he has a day job and HiBit is a hobby. No direct income = no additional frills. It would be bizarre to me if HiBit was to suddenly acquire real-time file monitoring like Revo Pro and remain gratis. lol.

I'm pretty grateful for HiBit--it's a capable, no-frills product. What you see is what you get.
 

upnorth

Moderator
Verified
Staff Member
Malware Hunter
Well-known
Jul 27, 2015
5,454
remain gratis. lol.
Winter Olympics Pride GIF by International Paralympic Committee
 

rain2reign

Level 8
Verified
Well-known
Jun 21, 2020
363
I have been using GeekUninstaller as a portable application in "USB toolbox" for a couple of years now. A 6 MB, single file, great for a quick look if I need to open my usb toolbox on a PC, laptop from a friend or relative. Though I may switch that out for HiBit portable, given the good reactions I have read about it and the fact that Geek hasn't been touched or reacted by the main developer for over two years. But if it works, it works right. ;)

On my personal computer I use BCUninstaller myself, though I never gave Hibit a real go... Anyone have any experience with the two, personally?
 

About us

  • MalwareTips is a community-driven platform providing the latest information and resources on malware and cyber threats. Our team of experienced professionals and passionate volunteers work to keep the internet safe and secure. We provide accurate, up-to-date information and strive to build a strong and supportive community dedicated to cybersecurity.

User Menu

Follow us

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to know first about the latest cybersecurity incidents and malware threats.

Top