For the longest time, I used the GeForce Experience app to update my GPU drivers, even though it was far from perfect. The main reason for that was convenience and familiarity. I'd see an update notification in the system tray, click Download, proceed with express installation, and move on with my day. I didn't think much about what new features Nvidia was adding and whether I actually needed any of them. But ever since Nvidia replaced GeForce Experience with the Nvidia app, I felt like I needed a cleaner way to update my drivers.

While GeForce Experience was just as bad when it came to bundling features I never used, the new app made it harder to ignore what was actually getting installed on my PC. I stayed with GeForce Experience for its familiar interface, but once that was out of the picture, it made more sense than ever to try a third-party tool like NVCleanstall. And as the name suggests, NVCleanstall lets me install drivers without additional bloatware. That level of control alone is enough for me to never want to use the Nvidia app again.

The Nvidia app does a lot more than it needs to

A driver update for your GPU shouldn't come with this many extras

Updating your GPU drivers should feel like nothing more than a quick maintenance task. But the Nvidia app goes above and beyond with everything it includes with each driver update. From telemetry services that always run in the background to overlay features that you may never use, a driver update now brings along an entire software stack. Sure, you could argue that many people like to record and share in-game footage, and I'll agree, but having the option to skip those features should be part of the process.

When those extras are bundled with drivers, you're no longer updating a single component, but accepting multiple services and features at once. This not only makes it harder to understand what really changed after an update but also harder to troubleshoot when something feels off while you're gaming. When you barely have any control over what's installed along with your drivers, the convenience the Nvidia app offers becomes hard to justify. NVCleanstall, on the other hand, focuses on giving you that control back.

NVCleanstall lets me install exactly what I want

Clean installs removed a lot of guesswork when something went wrong

When you install GPU drivers without any additional software, background processes, or features, you quickly realize how simple the process is supposed to be. With NVCleanstall, I know exactly what has changed after an update because I chose the components that were installed. There's no second-guessing whether an overlay, a recording feature, or a background service is influencing in-game performance. If something changes after an update, I can quickly figure out what the problem is.

That clarity makes a real difference when something goes wrong. If I notice stuttering, inconsistent frametimes, or odd GPU behavior, troubleshooting becomes far less frustrating because there are fewer variables to consider. If a newer driver is the culprit, I can simply install an older version from the manual dropdown within a minute or two instead of waiting on Nvidia for a hotfix. That alone makes driver updates feel like something I control, not something I have to deal with. And the best part? I don't even have to install NVCleanstall. I can just run the portable EXE and install the drivers without any bloatware.

The Nvidia app is feature-packed for convenience

Most gamers enjoy those features, but they come at the cost of control

For the vast majority of gamers out there, the Nvidia app makes perfect sense. Whether you want to update drivers, record your gameplay, monitor performance with overlays, or optimize your favorite games at the press of a button, the Nvidia app is really all you need. You don’t have to think about which components matter or what's running in the background. It just works, and for people who don't like to tinker with their PCs every day, that level of convenience is worth every process that runs in the background.

But the problem with the Nvidia app is that it doesn't really give users a choice. It's all or nothing. You either accept the entire bundle as Nvidia ships it, or you walk away from the official tool entirely. For me, that trade-off doesn’t make sense. I don’t want convenience at the expense of control, especially for something as fundamental as a GPU driver. Plus, it's not like the Nvidia app is the best way to record your gameplay. Once you care about performance like I do, having that control matters more than bundled features ever will.

NVCleanstall made me stop worrying about driver updates

With the Nvidia app, every time I encountered problems with a GPU driver, I'd have to use DDU to wipe everything and manually install an older driver, which always felt like a hassle. NVCleanstall, on the other hand, lets me replace a problematic newer driver with an older one within a couple of minutes, all without forcing me to install additional bloatware or background processes. That ease of rollback removes the anxiety that used to come with every update, and it's one of the main reasons why I don't see myself reinstalling the Nvidia app anytime soon.