Cleanup in a nutshell
Cleanup is one of the most downloaded cleaner apps on the App Store: it's rated 4.7 from more than 730,000 ratings in the US. It's made by Deep Flow Software Services. It's an all-in-one cleaner: it groups duplicate and similar photos and suggests the best one, lets you swipe to delete or keep, compresses videos, cleans up contacts and email, and has a PIN-protected "secret space".
What its App Store listing says
- Weekly subscriptions. Its in-app purchases in the US include plans from $5.95 to $11.99 a week. At $11.99 a week, a year costs more than $620.
- Data used to track you. Its privacy label says purchases, identifiers and usage data "may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies". That stands out, because its own description promises "No tracking or data misuse".
- No ads declared. The listing doesn't say it contains ads.
- Review before deleting. At the end of each session it shows a screen to double-check your selection before anything is deleted.
Cleanup vs Criba
| Cleanup | Criba | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | All-in-one cleaner: photos, videos, contacts and email | Photos and videos, deciding one at a time in full screen |
| Swiping | Left to delete, right to keep | Right to keep, left to delete, up for favorite |
| Before deleting | Review screen at the end of the session | A trash to review what you discarded; deleted only when you confirm |
| Similar photos | Groups them and suggests the best | Groups them so you see them one after another and keep the one you want |
| Ads | None declared | No |
| Data used to track you | Yes | No |
| Price (US) | Weekly from $5.95 to $11.99 | Free for 100 photos a day; Pro $12.99$9.99/year or $24.99$19.99 once |
What Cleanup does better
Cleanup does a lot more than Criba: it compresses videos, cleans up duplicate contacts and email, keeps photos in a private PIN-protected space and picks the best photo in each group of similar ones for you, which saves time if you have thousands. And hundreds of thousands of ratings say it works. If you want one app to tidy up your whole iPhone and don't mind paying by the week, it makes sense.
When Criba is the better fit
- You don't want a weekly subscription. With Criba you pay $24.99$19.99 once, or $12.99$9.99 a year. And with 100 free photos a day you can keep cleaning without paying anything.
- Privacy matters to you. Criba has no accounts and no servers of its own, doesn't track you, and documents, blurry shots and similar photos are found on your iPhone.
- You want to decide yourself. Instead of bulk-deleting whatever an algorithm flags, you see each photo in full screen and decide with a swipe. It's slower than a "delete all" button, but you won't lose one you wanted.
- You want to start somewhere specific. Explore your library by month, in a calendar or on a map, or tap a photo's date or place to review just that day or that spot; you can also go by albums, screenshots, documents or blurry photos.
How to switch from Cleanup to Criba without losing anything
- Cancel your Cleanup subscription: Settings → your name → Subscriptions → Cleanup → Cancel Subscription. Do it at least 24 hours before it renews, which comes around fast on a weekly plan. Deleting the app doesn't cancel it.
- Move anything out of its secret space. Photos you stored inside Cleanup aren't in your photo library; save them to Photos before deleting the app, because what lives inside an app is usually deleted with it.
- Check Recently Deleted in the Photos app. Anything you deleted with Cleanup stays there for 30 days.
- Install Criba and give it access to Photos. It works on the same iOS photo library: there's nothing to export or import.
Looking at more options? There's our comparison of swipe-to-delete photo apps and the Swipewipe alternative. And if repeated photos are what's taking up your space, see how to delete duplicate photos with the Photos app, free and with nothing to install.
FAQ
Is Cleanup free?
It's free to download, but its Pro features need a subscription: in the US, weekly plans from $5.95 to $11.99. Criba has a free plan of 100 photos a day, with every feature and no ads.
How do I cancel my Cleanup subscription?
Go to Settings → your name → Subscriptions → Cleanup → Cancel Subscription, at least 24 hours before it renews. Deleting the app doesn't cancel the subscription; if you were charged by mistake, you can ask Apple for a refund at reportaproblem.apple.com.
Is Cleanup safe?
It deletes through the iOS photo library, so anything you delete spends 30 days in Recently Deleted in Photos, and it shows you a review screen before deleting. What's worth knowing is that its privacy label declares data used to track you.
Does Criba clean up contacts or email too?
No. Criba focuses on the photos and videos in your library. For duplicate contacts, the iOS Contacts app already has its own option to merge duplicates.