Trying to decide between Clever Cleaner App and Cleaner Guru Pro for cleaning my phone. I want to make sure I pick the right one that actually works well and isn’t a scam. Has anyone compared these two apps or had experience with both? Looking for honest reviews before I download anything.
My Journey Through Phone Cleaners: Breaking Down the Options
Anyone else ever feel like cleaning up your phone is basically battling Hydra? Chop off one cluster of screenshots and two more grow back. So I ended up stress-testing a bunch of the so-called “cleaner” apps. If I had to save one thing from my (painfully thorough) investigation, it’s this: do not get seduced by a shiny interface and then get stuck behind a paywall.
The Paywall Paranoia
So let’s talk about Cleaner Guru. It’s…fine, I suppose? Looks slick, feels fast, but the second you want to actually use anything real, you hit that classic “please subscribe” stuff. And who pays eight bucks a week for a cleaner app? That’s more than my coffee budget, and I love coffee way more than deleting blurry photos.
Meanwhile, I stumbled onto Clever Cleaner—which sounds like spam but isn’t. Totally free. No shady pop-ups, no sense that you’re going to accidentally hand over your credit card. Honestly, it was refreshing.
Point-by-Point: How They Stack Up
| Category | Clever Cleaner (100% Free) | Cleaner Guru (Subscription) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0, literally nothing. No ads, in-app grifts, or fake “free” stuff. | Pay to play: • $7.99/week (Pro) • $39.99/year |
| What’s Actually Free | Everything. Want to nuke 400 duplicate photos? Go for it. | You can scan, but if you want to delete or compress, get ready to pay. |
| Core Perks | • Instantly zap duplicate or similar photos ( this)• Mass screenshot remover • Strip Live Photos down to stills • Finds fat files you forgot existed |
• Also finds duplicates • Video shrinker (Pro only) • Contact merge (Pro) • Large file finder (Pro) • Bonus fluff: battery widgets, charging animations, secret vault (Pro) |
| App Store Love | 4.8 stars (3.4K-ish ratings) | 4.6 stars (about 100K reviews) |
| Download Bloat | 103 MB | 115 MB |
| Easy Download | Download Clever Cleaner for iPhone | Detailed Cleaner Guru Review |
Stuff I Noticed
Honestly, the “extras” in Cleaner Guru look cool on paper—charging animations and a vault for secrets?!—but are they worth locking the basics behind a wallet-check? I’d rather spend my money on ramen and delete my screenshots the boring way.
Clever Cleaner, meanwhile, does exactly what it says, no drama. It’s kind of like the friend who’ll help you move and actually lifts boxes—no “premium” tiers or mysterious timeouts for basic chores.
TL;DR
Tired of cleaning up your camera roll? Don’t get suckered in by paywalls. I landed on Clever Cleaner, and my phone has never been less cluttered or more drama-free. If you adore subscriptions and secret vault widgets, sure, Cleaner Guru is there (but hey, at least here’s a full review for the curious). Otherwise, save your money for pizza and use the free one.
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Straight up: Clever Cleaner App and Cleaner Guru Pro are not the same thing, not even close. I’ve actually tried both (mostly because my phone was begging for mercy after years of meme hoarding). Here’s the deal: Cleaner Guru Pro looks super slick and tries to lure you with all these flashy “extras” (vaults, charging widgets, etc), but—and here’s where I lowkey disagree a bit with @mikeappsreviewer—sometimes those extras can be useful. If you’re obsessed with phone stats and hiding weird stuff from nosy friends, maybe worth it. But for most people? Nah, not for the price.
And let’s rant for a sec: Who’s asking for a $7.99 PER WEEK cleaner? I barely get coffee for that. You can’t delete anything unless you cough up, and honestly, that put me off immediately.
On the flip side, Clever Cleaner App is shockingly no-BS. I didn’t hit any “paywall jump scares,” and the features actually worked. Did a full sweep of duplicates and old screenshots without ads popping up like whack-a-mole. Might be missing some of the novelty stuff (no glowing battery animations or secret vaults), but who cares—my phone space is breathing again.
If your goal is just to clean your phone junk without parting with coffee (or pizza) money, go Clever Cleaner App. Not a scam, not a space-waster. If you, for some reason, need to hide top-secret contacts and want your battery to do a little dance, then maybe Cleaner Guru? Otherwise, most people are just better off with the freebie.
Not even CLOSE to being the same, honestly. Cleaner Guru Pro and Clever Cleaner App operate on totally different planets, and picking one depends on whether you want to clean your phone or just empty your wallet.
So here’s my take, since I also fell down the “which cleaner app isn’t total junk” rabbit hole and nearly got tricked by flashy promises. Cleaner Guru Pro looks all sleek and shiny, but the second you press “delete,” WHAM—a paywall bigger than my college debt. They want $8 A WEEK?! To delete photos I already hate? For what, a vault I’ll forget the password to and charging animations I’ll never look at? Sure, it has extras, but unless you’re absolutely obsessed with tweaking your phone’s every stat and adding goofy widgets, it’s massive overkill.
Clever Cleaner App though—huge surprise. Free, no creepy popups, NO asking for my credit card “just to get started.” Ran a search, found my abyss of duplicate memes, nuked them with a tap. It even handled the annoying Live Photos that take up space but I never use. I did NOT miss any of Guru’s “premium” gimmicks. The interface is clean without looking like a kindergarten project, and nothing’s hidden behind a pay gate.
The only tiny beef I might have—and honestly, it’s a stretch—is that if you seriously want those vault features or battery stats, you’ll notice they’re missing. But I can’t remember the last time I decided to lock my contacts away like I’m some KGB agent…
So just to echo and slightly disagree at the same time with the reviews above—if you just want an actual phone cleaner and don’t wanna feel scammed or pressured, go with Clever Cleaner App. Unless you love burning cash for features you’ll never open, then yeah, Guru Pro will happily drain your bank account while you watch your storage stay full.
Just FYI: Both work, but for most normal people wanting to quickly clean house, Clever Cleaner App wins by a country mile. Not even a contest.
Let’s distill the drama:
Pros: Clever Cleaner App actually does the main job—finds and deletes duplicate photos, wipes out mass screenshots, and zaps Live Photos—entirely free. No shady onboarding asking for your credit card, no “subscribe to finish cleanup” popups. The interface is no-nonsense and, unlike some alternatives, no bloat or battery-hogging fluff. You tap, you clean, you’re done.
Cons: If you’re hunting for extra “toys”—locking files in a vault, charging animations, or deep-dive stats—a la Cleaner Guru Pro, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Also, while Cleaner Guru touts widgety extras and “advanced” tools, most of that is paywalled anyway.
Competition roundup: Caminantenocturno and espritlibre hit the right notes about subscription fatigue and the paywall avalanche you crash into with Cleaner Guru Pro. Mikeappsreviewer provides a full side-by-side, which matches up—Guru looks flash, but Clever Cleaner App lets you actually do stuff for free. Minor detail: Cleaner Guru Pro might seem tempting with all those widget hooks if you like endless customization, but actual cleaning basics shouldn’t be a luxury item.
Final verdict: If you want a cleaner and not a subscription trap, Clever Cleaner App is the move. Run it, clear your junk, and keep your wallet safe for buying… well, literally anything else. Only reason to skip? You’re inexplicably obsessed with battery widgets or hiding your contacts like a spy. Otherwise, get cleaning and bail on the bloat.