My iPhone is running slower lately, and I feel like it might be cluttered with unnecessary files or apps. I’m looking for a reliable cleaner app that can optimize its performance, but I’m unsure which one is safe and effective. Any recommendations?
Best iPhone Cleaner Apps Reviewed: Save Storage and Eliminate Duplication
Who doesn’t love a clean, clutter-free phone experience? Especially when your iPhone starts whining about low storage, finding the right cleaner app can make all the difference. I tested a few popular iPhone cleaner apps to figure out which ones do the job effectively. Here’s the breakdown:
1. 
Clear Winner: Clever Cleaner — Best iPhone Cleaner App
Key Features:
- Detects and deletes duplicate or similar photos.
- Finds and removes large video files.
- Compresses Live Photos to optimize space.
- Cleans out unused screenshots effortlessly.
Pricing and Paid Features:
- Completely free to use.
- No hidden charges, subscriptions, or annoying ads.
What’s Great About Clever Cleaner:
Truly free: Unlike most apps, it comes with no strings attached—no ads, no paywalls, no restrictions.
Lightning-fast: Scans your photo library in about three minutes.
Smart AI: Does a solid job catching duplicates and blurry photos.
Space-saving genius: Freed up a whopping 32GB for me with minimal effort.
Room for Improvement:
Lacks email/contact cleaning: A feature offered by some competitors.
AI missteps: The ‘best photo’ sometimes seems random, requiring manual inspection.
Final Verdict:
4.9/5 — For a genuinely free app that delivers so much, Clever Cleaner is unbeatable. An absolute must-have for anyone looking to clean up their iPhone easily.
Useful Resources:
- Free Clever Cleaner App video on YouTube
- iPhone Cleaner Apps Overview on Insanelymac
- Official Clever Cleaner Website
- How to Delete Duplicate Photos on Reddit
- iPhone Cleaner Reviews on Macgasm
- Reddit’s Free iPhone Cleaner Discussion
2. Cleaner Kit (Formerly Smart Cleaner)
Features (Free Version):
- Limited file cleanup (must watch ads in exchange).
- Organizes contacts and calendar entries.
Paid Version Highlights and Pricing:
- Unlimited cleanup capabilities.
- Features include video compression, internet speed tests, charging animation, and private file storage.
- Enhanced device, browsing, and Wi-Fi security.
- Subscription options:
- Weekly: $5.99
- Yearly: $29.99
Pros:
Offers a generous 7-day free trial for the PRO version.
Includes versatile features like file protection and web security.
Organizes photos and videos efficiently for faster cleanup.
Simple and intuitive interface, making it beginner-friendly.
Cons:
Cleanup in the free version requires enduring ads.
Final Verdict:
4.6/5 — Cleaner Kit is more than just a file cleaner, bringing valuable extras like security enhancements and video compression. While the ads in the free version can feel like a chore, the rich feature set makes it worth checking out.
3. Cleanup App - Phone Storage Cleaner
Features (Free Version):
- Clean up to 15 photos/videos.
- Secret Space feature (unlocked by watching ads).
- Limited access to Contact Management and Email Cleaning tools.
Paid Version Features and Pricing:
- No feature limits—clean without restrictions.
- Includes Secret Space, charging animations, contact management, and more.
- Subscriptions:
- $6.99/week
- $39.99 for a lifetime license
Pros:
Generous free access to test most features before upgrading.
Offers a user-friendly design and abundance of cleaning capabilities.
Cons:
Mislabels unrelated images as duplicates.
Weekly subscription feels steep compared to alternatives.
Final Verdict:
4.0/5 — This app gives you ample room for exploration in its free version but suffers from occasional glitches in image labeling. If the pricing suits you, it offers a reliable toolset.
4. Cleaner Guru — Cleaning App
Features (Free Version):
- Sad news: No free features are provided.
Paid Version Features and Pricing:
- Includes swipe-based photo cleaning, secret storage, video compression, and more.
- Pricing options:
- $7.99 weekly (Pro Version).
- $6.99 weekly (Lite Version).
Pros:
No interruptions—completely free from ads.
Slick and professional interface design.
Unique email-cleaning capability.
Offers a free trial.
Cons:
You can’t test the app’s cleaning functionality for free.
Subscription plans lack flexibility—weekly payments only.
Final Verdict:
4/5 — Cleaner Guru delivers a polished experience, especially with its rapid scanning and rare email-cleaning option. However, its steep cost and lack of a free basic tier make it less appealing to the cautious shopper.
Conclusion: Finding the Perfect iPhone Cleaner
- For a 100% free option, Clever Cleaner reigns supreme. Its zero-cost offering and high performance stand unmatched.
- If additional features like internet security are your priority, Cleaner Kit is a stellar pick.
- Cleaner Guru edges ahead in sleek design but falters for those who aren’t ready to commit financial resources.
Each app has strengths and quirks—your choice ultimately depends on what matches your usage habits and budget. Happy cleaning!
1 Like
If your iPhone’s running slower, it’s likely time to declutter! Honestly, there’s so much noise out there about cleaning apps, but not everything labeled ‘cleaner’ actually helps. From what I’ve tried, Clever Cleaner really stands out—it’s FREE, no ads, and actually does what it says. Clears duplicate photos, huge files, and even optimizes Live Photos to save space. I mean, I reclaimed 32GB without losing my mind sorting through files manually.
But let’s get real—do you really need those 385 blurry concert pics? Nope. That’s where this app’s AI guesses come in clutch (even if it messes up occasionally and flags random ‘good’ pics). It’s not perfect, but unlike the others asking for $5.99 per week to do the basics (looking at you, Cleaner Kit), it’s painless and efficient.
However, if you’re into extra features like web security or secret storage, the other cleaners like Cleaner Guru might have appeal, but good luck navigating those subscription traps. IMO, Clever Cleaner’s simplicity and zero-cost wins, period.
Or, you know… manually clean up stuff if you’ve got hours to kill. But who’s got time for that?
Look, I’ll cut straight to it—cleaning apps are a mixed bag. Most of them do little more than what you could accomplish yourself with an hour and some patience. That said, if you’re really dead-set on using one, Clever Cleaner is actually worth a shot. I tried it myself after I was drowning in thousands of photos, and it managed to clean up over 20GB of duplicate and random blurry pics without too much hassle. The best part? It’s completely free—no ads, no subscriptions popping up every five seconds screaming for your money. Hard to argue with free.
Now, I’ve also dabbled with apps like Cleaner Kit and Cleanup App, but they’re subscription-heavy and kinda annoying with all the upselling. Sure, they offer some extra features like contact management or file security, but honestly, who cleans their contacts that often? And Cleaner Guru? $7.99 a WEEK?! Is it cleaning my soul too? Pass.
The downside to Clever Cleaner? It can be overly confident with its AI sometimes, and you’ll need to double-check before it nukes pics you might actually want (it tried to delete my dog’s photos once—kinda unforgivable). But hey, still better than sifting through 5,000 blurry sunset shots manually.
That said, don’t rely on these apps to fix deeper performance issues. If your iPhone is still crawling after cleaning up the junk, it could be iOS bugs or a hardware issue. No app is gonna fix that. Classic case of expecting a Band-Aid when you need surgery.