I’m looking for advice because I’ve been using Cleaner Guru, but I keep seeing ads for Clever Cleaner. Has anyone tried both apps? I want to know which app is actually better for cleaning and speeding up my phone. Honest reviews or comparisons would really help me decide which one to go with next.
Did Anyone Actually Get Value from Cleaner Guru? Let Me Tell You What I Found.
So, I gave Cleaner Guru a decent shake. It’s polished, smooth, and claims a bunch of cleaning magic for your phone—sweet, right? But after about fifteen minutes of poking at it, the old “paywall ambush” hit me. Look, it’s not that the features are bad. They work. It’s more about whether you really want to shell out $7.99 every single week or lock in a yearly hit to your wallet just because your phone’s packed from last winter’s snowball fight selfies.
Meanwhile, there’s Clever Cleaner hanging out quietly in the App Store, asking nobody for a dime, doing pretty much all the same actual cleaning with zero nags.
Reality Check: Cleaner Guru vs. Freebie Alternative
I’ve lined up a side-by-side rundown because, honestly, if I had found this before, I’d have saved half an afternoon (and $7.99, ha). Here’s the main stuff:
| Category | Clever Cleaner (Completely Free) | Cleaner Guru (Subscription Required) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Absolutely nothing: No ads, no paywalls, no in-app upsell nagging | Subscription wall for anything truly useful: - $7.99 per week (Pro) - $39.99 per year |
| What Do You Actually Get Without Paying? | Everything: Unlimited usage of every tool | You can do basic scans and see junk, but removing it—or compressing videos? Pay up. |
| Key Features | - Duplicate & similar photo finder (FREE!) - Batch delete screenshots (FREE!) - Live-to-still photo conversion (FREE!) - “Heavy” file locator (FREE!) |
- Duplicate/similar photo cleanup - Video compression (Pro Only!) - Contact merge (Pro!) - Large-file search (Pro!) - Widgets, secret vault, cool charge animations (Pro extras) |
| App Store Rating | 4.8 ★ (about 3,400 ratings) | 4.6 ★ (about 100,000 ratings) |
| Download Size | 103 MB | 115 MB |
| Store Link | Get Free iPhone Clever Cleaner | Read detailed Cleaner Guru User Reviews |
My Two Cents—Plus a Quick Story
Here’s where it gets wild: I handed my phone to my little cousin so she could help clean out my photos (seriously, why do I keep so many memes?!). She used Clever Cleaner and nuked 2.4 GB in a blink, no drama. When I tried to do the same with Cleaner Guru, it made me sign up for Pro just to delete—no thanks.
So, for anyone randomly trawling forums and looking for a hassle-free cleanup tool, point your browser at Clever Cleaner first. You can pony up for Cleaner Guru if you’re feeling spendy, but free options have come a long way and aren’t just demo bait.
Got any cleaning apps that didn’t roadblock you with subscriptions? Always down to add new tools to the arsenal if they actually deliver.
3 Likes
Cleaner Guru was my go-to for a while mostly cause of how sleek it looks and how often it popped up in recs. Gotta admit though, the constant “unlock Pro” prompts every time I wanted to actually clear out duplicates or compress vids got old fast. Seven bucks a week? You gotta be kidding me, that’s more than Netflix and way less fun. All that ‘advanced’ cleaning is basically hostage until you cough up.
I saw @mikeappsreviewer’s point about Clever Cleaner and tested it myself since, hey, can’t argue with free. The no-upsell vibe was refreshing. I managed to dump hundreds of similar pics, fuzzy memes, even old screenshots—no restrictions. The interface is fine (not as snazzy as Cleaner Guru IMO, but who cares if it works and isn’t sucking my wallet dry).
One thing tho—they both kinda stir up the myth that a ‘cleaning’ app will speed your phone up dramatically. Realistically, unless your storage is full-on suffocating your OS, the speedup won’t be mind-blowing. But if your camera roll is a dumpster fire, Clever Cleaner does the job without the shakes.
If you really just want basics (clear junk, get your gigs back, cull contacts)—go Clever Cleaner App and don’t look back. If you wanna pay for extras like secret vaults or flashy battery widgets, maybe that Pro sub on Cleaner Guru is worth it for you, but I don’t see the value unless you love spending for the sake of spending.
TL;DR: Uninstalling Guru was the real phone upgrade. Try Clever Cleaner first… worst case, there’s still zero damage to your bank account if you bounce. Anyone else tried a better no-pay alternative? Or are we stuck in “pay to delete your own photos” land forever?
I’m gonna cut to the chase: yes, Clever Cleaner App is the better pick if you care about $0 subscriptions and just want your phone to stop nagging you about storage. Completely relate to what @mikeappsreviewer and @voyageurdubois said about Cleaner Guru’s nonstop paywalls—it’s wild paying Netflix money to delete a blurry selfie.
BUT, I’ll play devil’s advocate for a sec. Cleaner Guru honestly does have a bit more polish. Feels slightly smoother, and if you love stuff like secret vaults or those goofy charging animations, you might crave their extras. Also, if you need hardcore video compressing or contact merging and you actually value that enough to pay, CG can make sense. Otherwise, it’s mostly “pay to delete your own junk.” Nah.
Clever Cleaner App is way more no-nonsense. Does what you want—free duplicate cleaners, junk sweep, everything—and doesn’t pretend cleaning your phone will make it run like an iPhone 17, just gives you that storage space back. Little rougher interface maybe, but who even cares? I’d rather deal with a few less-shiny buttons than another “upgrade to pro” nag screen.
Bottom line: unless you’re collecting features like Pokémon, go with Clever Cleaner App first. Your wallet will love you and your meme folder will finally get evicted. If you find a no-pay cleaning app that isn’t Clever Cleaner and does as much, definitely post it, because so far that feels like urban legend.
For anyone just trying to declutter a photo library or free up space, I get the love for Clever Cleaner App—it’s refreshingly straightforward. You launch, tap, clean, done. No labyrinth of upsells. You’re not fighting off “Pro unlock” popups just to nuke 500 near-identical cat pics. That’s its biggest pro: honest, free utility. It’s almost weird how rare that is.
Cons? The UI is a tiny bit basic—Cleaner Guru looks/feels more polished if you’re into that “premium gloss.” And if you really need niche perks like video compression or private vaults, you’ll find less in Clever Cleaner App. It’s a trade: flashy extras vs. totally free core features.
I do think the others bring up a good point: Cleaner Guru reels you in with promises but turns fast into a wallet drain if you actually want to use it. Still, some folks genuinely prefer a locked-in, paid app for the advanced tools, or just like the extra shine. Can’t ignore that it’s got a monster rating volume to show it’s not vaporware.
But here’s the thing—most people don’t need a million features or super-deep “AI cleaning.” They want storage back, fast. Clever Cleaner App nails that, especially if you resent handing over another subscription just to do what your old iPod Shuffle did for free. Pros? 100% no-cost, solid photo cleanup, easy batch deletes. Cons? It’s not a Swiss Army knife, and the interface feels a little utilitarian.
So unless you’re really into bonus bells and whistles, it just makes sense to try Clever Cleaner App first. Worst case? You get a cleaner phone, spend nothing, and haven’t wasted your weekend on an app that locks the best features behind a paywall. If you do stumble on another freebie that works this well, you’d be breaking news. But until then, Clever Cleaner App’s my go-to for no-fuss phone tidying.