The regular uninstaller of an application often leaves behind useless files and registry entries. This is one of the primary causes behind loss in performance of Windows over time. Not only that, the default Add/Remove applet is slow and as bare-bones as it gets. Here are five alternatives you should consider.

MyUninstaller from Nirsoft is a no-frills add/remove replacement whose main objective is to give you a light weight replacement to the default interface with a few extra features thrown in. You can delete invalid entries, save list of installed programs, sort the installed programs according to various parameters etc. Its certainly not feature rich but hey its only a 43 KB download and is still better than the default add remove interface.

Download MyUninstaller (42.42 KB)
Platforms Supported : All versions of Windows
Version Reviewed : 1.40

Free Uninstaller is another simplistic Add/Remove programs alternative.

It provides a vastly improved interface which highlights system entries in blue and invalid entries in red. You can lookup more information about any software or its manufacturer from the web (Google, Yahoo and Live Search are supported). Other features include the ability to uninstall multiple programs together, to delete invalid entries, to backup registry, to export list of installed, to sort installed softwares according to various parameters.

Download Free Uninstaller (311 KB)
Platforms Supported : All versions of Windows
Version Reviewed : 1.1

MyUninstaller and Free Uninstaller are better than the default Add/Remove programs. But they simply provide a new UI and doesn’t improve the uninstall process as such. Now, I shall move on to more serious options.

The first thing I noticed with Zsoft Uninstaller is it’s speed. Zsoft has all the basic features like ability to automatically find and delete an invalid entry and ability to save list of installed programs as txt file. It can also detect crapware automatically and delete temporary files. But, its main feature is the ability to analyze an installation so that the program can later on be completely uninstalled.

Download ZSoft Uninstaller (896.43 KB)
Platforms Supported : Windows XP
Version Reviewed : 2.4.1

Absolute Uninstaller from Glarysoft is another extremely competent uninstaller. It’s interface is similar to Add/Remove programs (only it is much faster). But it is superior to the default Add/Remove programs in more ways than one. It includes standard features like the ability to save installed applications list and batch uninstall programs. While other programs simply allow you to delete invalid entries, absolute uninstaller can attempt to automatically fix invalid entries. It also detects unused files left by uninstaller and deletes them. A premium version is also available for $39.95.

Download Absolute Uninstaller (1.17 MB)
Platforms Supported : Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2003 and Vista
Version Reviewed : 2.5

Revo Uninstaller is a fairly new software but has attracted a fair amount of attention since it’s release. It scans before and after uninstallation of an application and removes unnecessary files, folders and registry keys left over in your computer. Even if you have a broken installation Revo Uninstaller scans for application’s data on your hard disk drives, Windows registry and shows all found files, folders and registry items so you can delete them. Revo Uninstaller also includes a host of other utilities like Junk Files Cleaner, Autorun Manager, Browsers Cleaner, MS Office Cleaner, Windows Cleaner and Unrecoverable Delete. It features a special Hunter Mode which allows you to uninstall, stop or delete a program, prevent it from loading at startup, or get information about the program with a single click. To activate this you can either drag and drop the program icon on the hunter or point at it with the hunter cross-hair. The impressive feature list along with it’s light weight and speed makes Revo one of the best uninstaller in the market. Highly Recomended!

Download Revo Uninstaller (1.52 MB)
Platforms Supported : Windows 2K/XP/2003/Vista (32bit only)
Version Reviewed : 1.71

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