Visit System Mechanic30-Day Free Trial
| Editor's Rating | |
|---|---|
| Overall | |
| Features | |
| Price | |
| Customer Service | |
Features
Although System Mechanic works well as a whole, the vast range of features available in the Pro version makes the latter a true jackpot. The client, which only misses the scan scheduler, is more than meets the eye, proven by such things as the option to run another program, Antivirus and Antispyware, from this software. However, this is just the beginning: PC reliability is also worth mentioning as it gives you a complete report of all crashed programs over the last few days. There is the super control panel where you can access components like Windows privacy management, its firewall and even an internet speed test. System Mechanic allows you to perform individual tasks manually but you can also use the All-in-One tools and let the program do the dirty work for you. You also have the options menus with which you can manage the undo sections and tune the client even further. And we haven’t even mentioned such well-known features as the scans, repairs, registry and disk defragmentation, the file shredder (jokingly called incinerator) and startup optimizer…
System Mechanic’s Dashboard
System Mechanic Startup Optimizer
System Mechanic Disk Analizer
System Mechanic PC Reliability
Some of System Mechanic’s Options
Scanning
When scanning your computer you can opt for two methods: quick system analysis usually takes 1 or 2 minutes, while a deep system analysis can be performed within 5 and 7 minutes. Despite our expectations, the quick scan found 17,846 issues in 2 minutes and 56 seconds. The time required to come up with the aforementioned result is far from ideal, and the high number of errors can be terrifying for those not familiar with registry cleaning in general (although the vast majority of errors turned out to be less than serious.) Quite surprisingly, the deep system analysis took less time (2 minutes and 40 seconds) and found fewer issues than the previous test (as most of them were removed beforehand).
In conclusion, both scans behave pretty much the same way, which includes a fairly high CPU usage. But before you hit the panic button, neither scans slow down your computer to such extent it becomes virtually unusable while performing the scan.
Repairing
Just like in the case of scanning, there are multiple actions you can take to get rid of issues. You can opt for giving System Mechanic permission to sweep everything found in the registry, hard drive etc., or you can access the log and go over all the files manually, ticking only those that you deem fit to be fixed/deleted. However, you can also use one of the All-in-One tools to fix different areas. No matter which repair option you choose, the program gives you a brief explanation of what the problem is (empty registry key, corrupted DLL, invalid shortcut etc.) and it also recommends an action to take. This is not just extremely generous of System Mechanic, but useful as well: you get a deeper insight of what problems may be affecting your PC and it helps you learn to recognize issues and how to deal with them in the future.
Last but not least, there’s a file recovery section, and an automatic registry backup (made every 14 days), both of which can be edited from the options menus. And to top it all, every action you perform with System Mechanic is undoable, thus you are prevented from deleting any important files.
Pricing
If we consider the “bonuses” coming with the regular version, including System Shield Antivirus and Antispyware (that you can choose to install altogether), the DriveScrubber and many other improved tools, the price of $55.96 per year (approximately $4.66 per month) for System Mechanic Pro is definitely a more than generous offer from iolo. Furthermore, since the original price of this package is $69.95, the above price means a significant 20% discount.
The company doesn’t have a money back guarantee, but to compensate for that, you can use the free 30-day trial to test all features of System Mechanic. As for the payment methods, iolo accepts standard credit cards and the always-useful PayPal.
Customer Service
Usually, the bigger the company, the better its customer support is. And iolo Technologies, the company behind System Mechanic, has a wide range of ways you can get help indeed. You can read several articles dealing with various subjects, visit the FAQ page and go through a detailed glossary. However, if you want to contact the company in a more direct way, you can choose between email, a 24/7 toll-free phone number or visit the frequently updated Facebook and Twitter pages. There’s also a very complete YouTube channel with plenty of videos to guide you through the different programs.
Bottom Line
There is no doubt that System Mechanic Professional is the prime example of a fantastic PC optimization service. Truth be told, there is nothing much to say regarding its cons, other than being limited to Windows computers (XP and above) and not being able to perform quick scans within the promised amount of time. However, all these issues are easily forgotten by its vast list of features which can make you feel like you’re in a system optimizer playground. Everything runs smoothly, especially deep system scanning which takes a relatively short amount of time. All repairs are editable and if you performed a task by accident, you can undo it in a jiffy. System Mechanic’s client tells you about the issues and what to do with them, thus being suitable for both tech-savvy customers and those who are just familiarizing themselves with registry cleaning. And there is also a clever startup optimizer that not only tells users how frequently a program is enabled or disabled, but it also gives you a brief explanation on how that software works and how it impacts your device when turned on.
In a nutshell, if you’re looking for a registry cleaner that’s not limited to the well-known functions, but is also capable of becoming an advanced defense system for your computer, then System Mechanic is definitely an optimal choice for you.