Side by side
Autoruns vs e4defrag
Both stand on disk defragmentation software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Windows
Choose Autoruns if you need a free Windows tool to inspect startup items across many system locations and manage their configurations. Its Autorunsc companion adds command-line output and offline scanning. Look elsewhere if you need a non-Windows platform or official Microsoft support.
Visit Autoruns Free plan Linux
e4defrag provides targeted defragmentation and a check-only option for ext4 files. Its unsupported file types and dependence on available free space are important limits to consider.
Visit e4defragThe facts
| Autoruns | e4defrag | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Windows | Linux |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | learn.microsoft.com | github.com |
| On disk defragmentation software | #3 of 20 | #7 of 20 |
Autoruns: what it does well
- Reports startup entries across folders, Registry keys, services, tasks, and more.
- Can hide signed Microsoft entries to focus on third-party items.
- Supports disabling or deleting startup configuration entries.
- Autorunsc can export CSV or tab-delimited data and scan offline systems.
- Free to use on devices owned or supported, with no use limit.
What to know first
- Runs on Windows only.
- VirusTotal features require accepting VirusTotal's terms.
- Microsoft provides no official support for Sysinternals tools.
- Redistribution requires a license.
e4defrag: what it does well
- Targets files, directories, or ext4 devices
- Checks fragmentation without defragmenting
- Verbose mode shows counts before and after
- Can run while another application uses a file
What to know first
- Works only with ext4 filesystems
- Does not support swap files or lost+found files
- Indirect-block files are unsupported
- Fragmented or limited free space can prevent improvement
Alternatives to Autoruns Alternatives to e4defrag The whole list