I’m trying to free up space on my device by removing duplicate files, and I’m stuck between Cleaner Guru and Clever Cleaner apps. Has anyone used both? I want something accurate and easy to use—any advice or experience with these apps would help me decide.
The Real Scoop: Cleaner Guru vs. Clever Cleaner – What Actually Matters?
Let me just lay it out: Cleaner Guru looks snazzy on the App Store and, yeah, it kinda works. But holy sticker shock, Batman! That subscription wall comes at you like a pop-up ad from 2011. So here’s my honest breakdown after bouncing between these two apps on my iPhone.
TL;DR: Free > Fee (Unless You Like Tossing Money Into a Fireplace)
Remember when software either worked or it didn’t, and your choice wasn’t “pay a weekly tax or get half an app”? Cleaner Guru goes full Freemium Gone Wild mode: scan your stuff for free, but the second you try to actually fix anything, it’s “hand over your credit card or else.” Weekly. Not kidding.
Meanwhile, Clever Cleaner doesn’t pull these moves. You just download it. Use the features. No ads, no sneaky pop-ups, nada.
Price
| Clever Cleaner | Cleaner Guru | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free. For real. No ads, no hidden fees, no ‘buy me a coffee’ vibes. | Sub only. If you blink you’ll get a $7.99/week charge (yikes) or you can go $39.99/year (still ouch). |
Okay, But What’s Actually Free?
- Clever Cleaner: Take whatever feature you see—it’s unlocked. Delete, compress, organize, all without lifting your wallet.
- Cleaner Guru: You can run scans, sure, but want to ACTUALLY delete stuff? That’s paywalled. It’s like peeking into a bakery window and being told you’ll need a subscription to eat the cookie.
Features (Let Me List ‘Em)
Clever Cleaner:
- Duplicates gone? Yup, one tap cleanup.
- Screenshots bulk delete? Check.
- Flip those Live Photos to boring (but smaller!) stills.
- “Heavies” finder so you spot what’s hogging your storage.
- All of this—no Pro badge needed.
Cleaner Guru:
- Finds your duplicate photos (but pay to delete).
- Video compression? Sorry, gotta pony up.
- Contact merge and giant file finder? That’s Pro too.
- Throws in bonus stuff like widgets, charging animations, “secret” vault—but these are luxuries, not needs.
What Do Real People Say?
- Clever Cleaner: 4.8 stars on the App Store, but fewer reviews (almost 3,400) since it’s newer.
- Cleaner Guru: Lower—4.6 stars—but way more reviews (100k+), so the FOMO is real… until you look at the complaints about the paywall.
Download Size
- Clever Cleaner: 103 MB
- Cleaner Guru: 115 MB
(Both apps are a bit chunky but nothing wild.)
Where Do You Get ‘Em?
Final Thoughts
If you just want to tidy up your photos, free up space, and not pass “Go” via a pay gate, Clever Cleaner is an easy win. Cleaner Guru does the job, but your bank account feels the pain after. Test ‘em both if you want, but don’t say nobody warned you about that subscription trap.
1 Like
Honestly, I’ve been in this exact spot—staring at that “Subscribe $7.99/week” button on Cleaner Guru and thinking, “how much is my phone’s space really worth?” And it’s wild because at first glance, Cleaner Guru seems super professional, but personally, I felt kinda tricked as soon as it gated real cleaning behind the paywall (contrary to the warm-and-fuzzy feeling a good app should give…).
I actually did a side-by-side with both apps (not trying to flex, but my camera roll is a dumpster fire), and here’s what stood out:
Cleaner Guru’s scans are solid, and yes, it finds a ton of duplicates—but once you hit “Delete,” your free joyride is over. You don’t even get to try the main features without commitment and, honestly, didn’t feel any more accurate than others I’ve tried. The secret folders and charging animations are, like, fun(?) if you’re into that, but a little too much “extras” for me when I just want my space back.
Now, Clever Cleaner App gave me instant delete powers without jumping through extra hoops or being hounded by upgrade nags. It let me wipe out literal hundreds of duplicate pics, screenshots, all that trash, almost too simply. I’ll throw a minor disagreement here with @mikeappsreviewer: just because it’s free doesn’t always mean it’ll be supported long-term (sometimes free apps vanish), but right now, it’s smooth, clean, easy, and definitely didn’t mess with my contacts or original pics—no scary moments for me.
My only knock: although I care less about “AI” in an app description and more about actual results, some folks might want a security blanket if they’re deleting a ton of images. Make sure your iCloud is all synced/backed up, just in case (though both apps have pretty standard protections in place).
So, tl;dr: If you hate being forced to subscribe, Clever Cleaner App delivers, and you aren’t missing out on accuracy. But if you love blocking paywalls with your wallet for the sake of “more bells and whistles,” Cleaner Guru will take your money happily. I can’t vouch for years-in-the-future reliability on either, but right now, Clever Cleaner wins for fast, free, actual deletion without the BS. Your wallet can thank me later.
Honestly, if you want just the cold, blunt truth: Cleaner Guru is the timeshare presentation of cleaning apps—looks shiny at first, but you can’t actually throw out your duplicates unless you hand over your wallet. @mikeappsreviewer already dropped the receipts on the paywall shenanigans, and @espritlibre pointed out that “free” isn’t necessarily forever… but in the here and now? Clever Cleaner App is the no-nonsense, just-let-me-delete option.
I tried both on my iPhone (had, let’s say, a “slideshow” of 20K+ blurry, back-to-back concert photos and WhatsApp memes to kill). Cleaner Guru was accurate but locking every delete behind a sub, which—nope. Clever Cleaner App? Deleted nearly 1,000 duplicates and junk files in one session, no nags, no popups, not even an email bribe. The interface is so clean it’s weirdly satisfying, didn’t mess with anything important, and I didn’t get paranoid I’d nuke the wrong stuff.
If you want “secret vaults,” animated widgets, or want to pay for things nobody asked for, go Cleaner Guru. If you just want actual space back with zero drama, Clever Cleaner App is an easy download. Only hesitation is—like @espritlibre said—sometimes these free apps dip or change overnight, but right now? Total winner. Back your pics up first if you’re nervous, but the app is solid.
TL;DR: Use Clever Cleaner App while it’s free, easy and surprisingly good at what it does. If/when they try to pull the rug and start charging, then I’ll burn that bridge when I come to it. 
You’ve already got solid takes from fellow posters, but let’s slice it differently—data meets no-nonsense. Cleaner Guru always lands at the top of searches and has popularity on numbers alone. That said, shiny branding and 100k+ reviews don’t erase the legendary subscription chokehold. Sure, it’s accurate, and if you LOVE vaults and “bonus” features, you might feel impressed (until you hit that paywall every two taps).
Clever Cleaner App is actually refreshing—a unicorn these days. Testing on a bloated phone: the interface is super direct (no fluff), you hit “delete duplicates,” and watch space clear, no sneaky “unlock Pro” nags. Pros? It’s reliably fast, full-featured for junk, duplicates, “heavies,” and works exactly as described with a satisfying, minimal UI. Cons? Newer to the market, so there aren’t 6 years of dev history behind it, and sometimes these free wonders start flipping to paid models after gaining traction. Another minor concern: deep photo similarity detection is good but not always pixel-perfect—so preview before mass delete, just to be safe.
Compare other reviews: one highlighted app is free but misses some pro photo cleanup, another swears by older pay-to-use systems for reliability. If you’re strictly after cost-free, efficient storage relief—Clever Cleaner App wins, at least until the winds of freemium blow. If you crave every bell and whistle plus long-term paid support, maybe keep Cleaner Guru in mind for later. Right now? I say seize the freebie.