Cleanup vs Clever Cleaner: Which iPhone Cleaner Should You Use?

Cleanup: Phone Storage Cleaner at a Glance

Cleanup has a 4.7 rating from more than 750,000 ratings on the US App Store and requires iOS 15 or later. Its listing describes deleting duplicate and similar photos and videos, removing similar screenshots and lookalike videos, compressing videos, cleaning spam and promotional emails, and merging or removing contacts. It also includes charging animations, a PIN-protected Secret Space for hiding personal content, and Home and Lock Screen widgets, and it says nothing is removed without your approval.

Cleanup is free to download; its Pro plan is listed on the US store with weekly options between $5.95 and $11.99 and a yearly option at $29.99 as of November 2, 2026.

Clever Cleaner: AI CleanUp App at a Glance

Clever Cleaner comes from CleverFiles, the company behind Disk Drill. It has a 4.8 rating from more than 84,000 ratings on the US App Store and requires iOS 16 or later. Its listing describes finding duplicate and similar photos with a marked Best Shot, sorting videos by size, gathering screenshots, converting Live Photos to still images, and compressing media.

Its main selling point is the free tier: the listing promises generous free daily limits, no ads and no mandatory subscription. Paid options on the US store are a weekly plan with a trial at $6.99 and a lifetime purchase at $39.99 as of November 2, 2026.

Side-by-Side Comparison (as of November 2, 2026)

Based on each app's US App Store listing on that date. Check the current listings before you decide.

• Duplicate and similar photos: both apps.
• Large videos and video compression: both apps.
• Screenshots cleanup: both apps.
• Live Photos to still images: Clever Cleaner lists it; Cleanup's listing does not mention it.
• Email cleanup: Cleanup only.
• Contacts cleanup: Cleanup lists merging and removing contacts; Clever Cleaner's listing does not mention contacts.
• Private vault and charging animations: Cleanup only.
• Free use: Clever Cleaner advertises free daily limits with no ads; Cleanup's paid features are sold as a weekly or yearly Pro plan.
• One-time purchase: Clever Cleaner lists a $39.99 lifetime option; Cleanup's US listing shows weekly and yearly plans.
• Minimum iOS: Cleanup lists iOS 15, Clever Cleaner iOS 16.
• Privacy labels: both list Data Used to Track You, Data Linked to You and Data Not Linked to You.

Who Should Choose Which

Choose Clever Cleaner if you want to clean regularly without paying, or prefer a one-time purchase over a subscription. Its free daily limits are unusually generous for this category.

Choose Cleanup if you want one app for photos, contacts and email clutter, or want the Secret Space vault. It has the largest number of ratings of the two, but its Pro plan is sold weekly or yearly, so compare the total cost before subscribing.

A Third Option: Photos Cleaner - Cleanup Phone

Photos Cleaner - Cleanup Phone is our iPhone app. It reviews duplicate and similar photos, similar videos, blurry photos, screenshots and screen recordings, burst series and images saved from messaging apps from one screen, and always keeps one photo from each group. Favorites are never included. It can compress videos while keeping the original until the copy is saved, convert Live Photos to still images, and merge duplicate contacts by copying missing details into one card while keeping your original cards. It requires iOS 17 or later.

Your photos, videos and contacts are processed on your iPhone and never uploaded, and the app shows no ads. Like the other two, its App Store label lists Data Used to Track You: Firebase Analytics and Google Ads and Meta measurement run only if you allow tracking in the App Tracking Transparency prompt, while Firebase Crashlytics handles crash reports. On the US store, Premium is $4.99 per week, $8.99 per month, $19.99 per year or $49.99 lifetime as of November 2, 2026.

Choose Photos Cleaner if blurry shots, burst series and saved chat images are a big part of your clutter, or if you want favorites protected automatically. Choose Clever Cleaner for the most free use, and Cleanup for email and vault features.