System Mechanic Reviews
Pros
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Intuitive and aesthetically attractive client
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 Suitable for beginners and advanced users
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 Smooth and quick scans
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 Editable scans and repairs
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 Wide Feature Set
Cons
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Occasional jams while scanning
System Mechanic was developed by iolo, a U.S. company creating computer optimization tools since 1998. Customers can purchase these separately or opt for the company’s suite to enjoy the full package, which includes the registry cleaner. System Mechanic Ultimate Defense runs remarkably well and is an outstandingly complete and user-friendly suite. This makes it suitable for all kinds of customers, as both beginners and experts will feel comfortable and secure using the program to clean their registry and boost computer performance. However, it’s also possible to stick with the basic version and enjoy a fast registry cleaner with customizable scanning and repairing options for an attractive price.
70% exclusive discount for Best Reviews readers
The various System Mechanic products are top-notch choices for registry cleaning, privacy enhancements, and general computer optimization. While the price for these is already attractive on its own, it gets even better with Best Reviews' exclusive 70% discount.
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Features
Features
| Registry scan | |
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| Registry repair | |
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| Registry defragmentation | |
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| Scan scheduler | |
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| Registry backup | |
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| Registry restore | |
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| Run on startup | |
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| Undo | |
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| Error reports | |
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Customers looking for just a registry cleaner can opt for the basic System Mechanic pack. This comes with customizable scanning and repairing, such as the ability to choose which components the program should avoid and which it can analyze in more detail. However, note that System Mechanic Ultimate Defense may be a better option overall since it comes with many more features, making it the go-to option for those customers looking for the most comprehensive suite.
System mechanic ultimate defense
There’s nothing better than a complete suite when it comes to computer optimization. Therefore, the vast range of features of System Mechanic Ultimate Defense makes this a true jackpot as this suite is packed with the most important and requested functions. Moreover, many of these can be configured to work automatically, eliminating the need for constant user interaction to actively protect and improve device performance. The registry cleaner of System Mechanic and System Mechanic Professional is included, but with Ultimate Defense customers can also enjoy plenty of other tools. Privacy Guardian, Malware Killer, ByePass and even an antivirus can all be bought separately from iolo, but are all conveniently integrated in Ultimate Defense.
Scanning
System Mechanic performs complete scans by default, meaning that if the user doesn’t change any settings, every item in the computer will be comprehensively analyzed. While this seems a huge task, it actually takes much less processing power than expected as System Mechanic scans are fast and CPU impact is minimal. This varies depending on the computer, but users can also customize their scan to make it faster and more specific.
However, we noted in our tests that scans sometimes jam. It doesn’t happen often, and it shouldn’t impact the overall experience of the program, but we were still forced to restart a frozen app more than once. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution: uncheck the box where the program keeps getting stuck and then run a separate scan on it.
Despite this, we still recommend performing a complete system scan every once in a while.
Repairing
Repairing
| Invalid DLLS | |
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| Invalid help files | |
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| Invalid class keys | |
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| Invalid fonts | |
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| Invalid application paths | |
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| Corrupt files | |
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| Duplicate files | |
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| Spyware removal | |
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| Void registry keys | |
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| Hidden objects | |
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The customization options provided by the program are most useful when it comes to repairs. Users can give System Mechanic permission to sweep everything found in the registry, hard drive, or other locations, and that may seem like the obvious choice for many. However, the registry is one of the most delicate components of a computer, and it’s easy to make a mistake. Therefore, to ensure that no program becomes corrupted by the accidental deletion of vital files, it’s always advisable to access the log and go over the files manually, selecting what can be fixed or deleted.
Fortunately, System Mechanic also provides a brief explanation of each problem (empty registry key, corrupted DLL, invalid shortcut, etc.) along with a recommendation of an action to take, which is handy for the less tech-savvy. The useful Search and Recover should be mentioned here too, as it allows the undoing of some actions to fix accidental deletions, for instance. However, you cannot recover anything that’s been deleted by the incinerator.
Pricing
This is one of the biggest surprises of System Mechanic: the more features a customer adds, the better the bargain. The standard price of the default registry cleaner is $39.95 per year, which translates to a monthly cost of $3.33. But on top of this, there are the Professional and Ultimate Defense versions, which are both well worth the extra investment.
System Mechanic
$39.95/yr
Billed annually
Active Care
Real-Time Boost
PC Cleanup
Registry Tuner
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System Mechanic Ultimate Defense
$31.98/yr
Billed annually
Active Care
Real-Time Boost
PC Cleanup
Registry Tuner
System Shield
DriveScrubber
Search and Recover
ByePass (Password Manager)
Malware Killer
Every option includes an automatically applied 20% discount, which in the case of the basic System Mechanic, cuts $10 from the original price and just over $16 on Ultimate Defense. Without any discounts, the total price for this suite is $79.95 per year. Best Reviews readers can get an additional discount coupon to enjoy an exclusive 70% off.
These discounts come in very handy, but System Mechanic also has its >freemium version for those who want to test it out first. While there’s no time limit to use the program, the range of features is reduced to the minimum. All purchases include a 30-day money-back guarantee, and payment methods include credit cards and PayPal.
Customer service
Usually, the bigger the company, the better the customer support, and iolo definitely provides a wide range of resources. The forums, knowledge base, and FAQ pages are worth visiting to access the quick install guides and get answers to the most basic questions and problems. There are also glossaries and other reading materials, but for a more direct contact users can resort to a handful of options available 24/7, such as a live chat, email address and toll-free U.S. phone number. The company is also present on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, the latter being particularly useful for watching the many tutorials about the company’s different programs.
Bottom line
System Mechanic is a prime example of a fantastic PC optimization service. Truth be told, there isn’t much to criticize iolo for other than some occasional program jams when scanning. As a whole, though, the program itself works flawlessly as the scans run fast and are easy on resources while still being comprehensive and requiring only as much manual interaction as dictated by each user. A first glance at the price may scare some customers away but considering all the tools included and after applying the discounts, it becomes very competitive and definitively worth the investment.
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