Unfiltered Take on Two ‘Phone Cleanup’ Apps
So… I Downloaded Both Cleaner Guru and Clever Cleaner – Here’s the Messy Truth
I was about to delete 5,000 random screenshots and blurry dog pics from my phone (again) when I decided to try some of those ‘cleaner’ apps that always pop up in sponsored TikToks. Before you grab your wallet, here’s exactly how it went for me.
1. Pricing Shenanigans
I almost spat out my coffee.
- Clever Cleaner: No charges. No sneaky ads. I tapped around—nothing asked me for money, not even a “unlock now” pop-up. Shocking.
- Cleaner Guru: The basic scan is “free”, but if you actually want it to do anything (like delete duplicates or merge contacts), they want $7.99 a week or $39.99 a year. I blinked. Checked again. Not a typo.
2. What Can You Really Do For Free?
Clever Cleaner
- Every feature, as much as you need.
- No waiting, no limits, no reminders to pony up.
Cleaner Guru
- Scans will show you duplicate photos, videos, and all—but if you actually want to delete anything? “Subscribe now!” block in your face.
3. Feature Smackdown (Here’s What You Get)
| Category | Clever Cleaner (100% Free) | Cleaner Guru (Paid Subscription) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Totally free — no ads, paywalls, or in-app purchases | $7.99/week or $39.99/year |
| Free Version | Full feature set, unlimited use | Only scanning is free; deleting/compressing = paywall |
| Cleanup Tools | - Find & remove duplicates - Clean up screenshots - Convert Live Photos - Find “heavy” (large) files (ALL FREE) |
- Remove duplicates - Video compression (paid) - Contact merging (paid) - Large file finder (paid) - Extras like battery widgets, vault, charge animations (paid) |
| App Store Rating | 4.8 ★ (approx 3.4k reviews) | 4.6 ★ (approx 100k reviews) |
| Download Size | 103 MB | 115 MB |
| App Store | Get Free iPhone Clever Cleaner | Read detailed Cleaner Guru User Reviews |
4. Picking One? Here’s What I’d Tell My Mom
If your first instinct is to skip right past seven different “Try Pro,” “Go VIP,” or “Unlock Now” spams, you want Clever Cleaner. Did my phone feel much lighter and faster after? Meh, maybe a little, but at least I didn’t pay. If you’re the type who likes dropping $8 a week out of FOMO, hey, your wallet, not mine.
I’m just baffled that one app pretends to be free and holds features hostage, and the other’s been quietly doing it all for nothing. If that ever changes, someone ping me.
5. TLDR
- Want an actually free iPhone junk cleaner? Clever Cleaner is your move.
- Want to pay the cost of Netflix every month just to delete screenshots? Cleaner Guru awaits.
If someone’s got a hidden gem app that isn’t paywalled, I’m all ears. Until then, Clever Cleaner’s the only one staying on my phone.