Why swiping beats selecting
In the Photos app, deleting is a selection job: tap Select, tick thumbnails and hope a good one doesn't slip in. With a swipe app you see each photo full screen and make one decision at a time. That has two advantages: you go much faster, and you find photos you'd never have looked at in a grid (old screenshots, receipts, the tenth shot of the same sunset).
All of these apps delete through the iOS photo library, so whatever you delete ends up in Recently Deleted in Photos for 30 days in case you change your mind. The differences are in everything else: whether you can review what you're deleting, what they cost, how many ads they show and what they do with your data.
What to look for
- Its own trash before deleting. Being able to review what you discarded (and bring a photo back in one tap) avoids nasty surprises, especially when you're going fast.
- The real price. Many cleaner apps charge weekly: $5–10 a week adds up to hundreds a year. Look for a reasonable yearly plan or a one-time purchase.
- Ads. In an app you use in short bursts, an ad every few photos kills the flow. The App Store listing says whether an app contains ads.
- Privacy. Your photo library is about as personal as it gets. Check the App Privacy section of the listing: “Data Used to Track You” means the app shares data with third parties for advertising.
- Where to start. With 10,000 photos, starting from the oldest is discouraging. It helps to go by month, by album, by a specific day or place, or by type (screenshots, blurry, similar).
Quick comparison
| App | Trash before deleting | Price (US) | Ads | Tracking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criba | Yes, to review and restore | Free for 100 photos a day; Pro $12.99$9.99/year or $24.99$19.99 once | No | No |
| Swipewipe | Undo the last one | Weekly or $29.99/yearIn-app purchases from $1.99 to $39.99 | Yes | Yes |
| Slider | Yes, with undo | $19.99/year | Not declared | Yes |
| Flic | No: straight to Recently Deleted | 50 swipes a day free; $39.99/year or $49.99 once | No | No |
| Clever Cleaner | No: straight to Recently Deleted | Weekly or $39.99 once | No | Yes |
The apps, one by one
Criba
Swipe right to keep, left to delete and up to mark a favorite. Discarded photos wait in a trash where you can review them; only when you confirm do they go to Recently Deleted in Photos. Instead of starting from your oldest photo, you can explore your library by month, in a calendar or on a map, relive On This Day, tap a photo's date or location to review just that day or place, pick an album (shared albums too) or go straight to what Criba finds on your iPhone: documents and receipts, blurry photos and groups of similar shots. No accounts, no ads and no servers: the analysis runs on the device.
Swipewipe
One of the most popular. It serves your photos month by month and adds extras like “On This Day”, streaks and AI photo enhancement. It's funded by weekly or yearly subscriptions plus ads, and its privacy label declares data used to track you. We compare it with Criba in detail in Swipewipe alternative.
Slider
Simple and focused on the basics: left to the trash, right to keep, and a review before emptying. It has a single yearly plan. Its listing doesn't declare ads, but its privacy label does include data used to track you.
Flic
The original “Tinder for photos”, rebuilt from scratch. It uses the same gestures as Criba (up for favorite) and adds down to share. No account, no ads and no tracking, with 50 free swipes a day. It has no trash of its own: what you delete goes straight to Recently Deleted in Photos.
Clever Cleaner
More than a swipe app, it's a full cleaner (duplicates, large videos, screenshots, compression) with a swipe mode that has no daily limit. No ads; you pay weekly or with a one-time purchase.
What about without installing anything?
The Photos app has no swipe mode, but it does have tools worth knowing: the Duplicates album, the Screenshots collection and multi-select by sliding your finger. We cover them in how to delete photos on iPhone fast and how to delete duplicate photos. If you use Android, see the swipe-to-delete photo apps for Android.
FAQ
Is it safe to delete photos with a third-party app?
Yes, as long as the app asks you to confirm. iOS shows its own prompt before deleting, and deleted items spend 30 days in Recently Deleted in Photos, so you can recover them. What's worth checking is privacy: a cleanup app has no need to upload your photos to a server.
Is there a free app to delete photos by swiping?
Almost all of them have a limited free tier: Criba gives you 100 photos a day with every feature and no ads, and Flic 50 swipes a day. Others are free in exchange for ads.
Are deleted photos removed from iCloud too?
If you use iCloud Photos, yes: deleting on your iPhone deletes on all your devices, whether you use the Photos app or any other. We explain it in how to delete photos on iPhone.