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.