# Mole CLI for Windows vs Mole for Windows: What Each One Does

Two programs called Mole run on Windows. Mole CLI for Windows is a free, open-source PowerShell tool licensed under GPL-3.0, and you start it by typing `mo`. Mole for Windows is a paid native desktop app with five tabs and a tray icon. They are not a trial and a full version of one product. They are separate programs, written separately, and neither needs the other installed. This guide explains how they differ, where each one comes from, and what to expect if you keep both.

## Quick comparison

| | Mole CLI for Windows (`mo`) | Mole for Windows |
| --- | --- | --- |
| License | Free, open source, GPL-3.0 | Paid app with its own license |
| Price | Free | [One-time purchase](/windows#pricing) for two Windows PCs |
| Install | `scoop install mole`, or the script in the [GitHub windows branch](https://github.com/tw93/Mole/tree/windows) | Installer from [mole.fit/windows](/windows) only |
| Runs on | Windows 10 and 11, Windows PowerShell 5.1 | Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 11, x64 and Arm64 |
| Before removal | `--dry-run` prints the plan | A review list where each row can be ticked or left |
| Removal | `clean` and `purge` delete permanently; uninstall leftovers go to the Recycle Bin | Uninstall leftovers go to the Recycle Bin and registry entries are backed up; cache removal follows Settings |
| Protected paths | `mo clean --whitelist`, kept in `%USERPROFILE%\.config\mole` | Exclusions kept in `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Mole` |
| Terminal only | `mo purge`, `--dry-run`, `mo history --json`, scripts | - |
| App only | - | App updates through winget, startup list, disk map, live Status, tray tools |

## Where each one comes from

The CLI is published in the `windows` branch of the [tw93/Mole repository](https://github.com/tw93/Mole/tree/windows) and in Scoop. `scoop install mole` installs the CLI, not the desktop app. The repository also has a script install, and cloning the branch lets you read the code before running `install.ps1`.

The desktop app is downloaded only from [mole.fit/windows](/windows). When SmartScreen asks, the publisher should read Faberon Technology Limited. If it is missing or different, delete the file and download it again.

The repository states that Mole is distributed only through GitHub, Scoop and mole.fit. A site offering a "Mole-based" app, or asking you to paste an encoded command into a terminal, is not Mole. Similar names do not help here, because a few unrelated projects also use "mole" in their names.

## What the two do not share

On a Mac, the Mole CLI and Mole for Mac share a protection list and an operations log on disk. Windows is different. The CLI keeps its whitelist and `operations.log` under `%USERPROFILE%\.config\mole`, while the app keeps its exclusions, statistics and registry backups under `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Mole`. Protecting a folder in one does not protect it in the other.

The license is separate too. A Mac license does not activate Mole for Windows, and the free CLI does not unlock anything in the app. If you use both on one PC, set your protected paths in each, and do not start a cleanup in both at the same time, because they do not coordinate while running.

## What only the terminal does

`mo purge` scans your project folders for build artifacts and removes them permanently. `mo purge --paths` sets which folders it scans. The desktop app has no counterpart; its Clean list covers package-manager caches, not project build folders.

The CLI is also the one to script. `mo clean`, `mo uninstall`, `mo optimize` and `mo purge` accept `--dry-run`, which prints the plan without changing anything. `mo history --json` turns the operations log into data, `mo analyze D:\` maps another drive, and `mo clean --system` adds system-level cleanup when PowerShell runs as administrator. Without administrator rights, those system steps are skipped.

Read the dry run before the real run. `clean` and `purge` do not use the Recycle Bin, so once the run finishes, the only way back is a backup.

## What only the app does

The app is built for people who would rather read a list than a command's output. Clean shows each row before anything changes: caches that regenerate are ticked, and folders holding offline downloads, settings or personal data wait for your choice. Caches in use are skipped.

Uninstalling starts with the app's own uninstaller. Mole handles the leftovers you selected only after it succeeds. Leftover files go to the Recycle Bin, and registry entries are saved as `.reg` files in `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Mole\backups` before removal, so you can restore what you need. Browser profiles, mail profiles and chat history start unticked and are removed only when you tick them or choose Select all or Also remove user data.

The Apps tab also checks and updates other apps through winget, and lists the programs that start at sign-in. Security, device-management, VPN and proxy entries stay locked. Analyze draws a map of a drive or folder you can open level by level. Status shows CPU, memory, disk and network with the process behind them, and the tray keeps Keep Screen On and Clean Screen one click away. When something goes wrong, Run Doctor collects a report you can read before sending it.

## Choosing

Install the CLI if you work in PowerShell, want to read a `--dry-run` first, need JSON for a script, want the project artifact sweep, or simply do not want to pay. Start with `mo clean --dry-run`; it deletes nothing, and its output tells you whether the PC has a problem worth fixing.

Buy the app if you want the review list, uninstalling with Recycle Bin and registry backups, app updates, the startup list, or if you are setting it up for someone who will never open a terminal. Each paid tool can be tried twice before purchase, and purchases can be refunded within 14 days. [Windows help](/windows/help) covers download, activation and recovery steps.

If you are comparing Mole with other cleaners rather than with itself, see the [CCleaner alternatives guide](/windows/blog/ccleaner-alternatives-windows).


Canonical: https://mole.fit/windows/blog/mole-cli-vs-windows-app