Short answer: most iPhone cleaner apps sell weekly or yearly plans, but a few also list a one-time purchase. On the US App Store on November 14, 2026: Spaceclear Pro is $8.99 once, Clever Cleaner lists a $39.99 lifetime item, CleanMy®Phone lists "Unlimited access" at $34.99, and Cleaner Neat lists a $59.99 lifetime item next to its weekly plans. Cleanup, AI Cleaner and Swipewipe list no lifetime item. The free tools built into iOS cost nothing but only catch exact duplicates.
One-time prices, side by side
As listed on the US App Store on November 14, 2026, in US dollars before tax. Each name links to the listing, where the current price is.
| App | One-time item as listed | Also sells | Data Used to Track You (privacy label) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spaceclear | Spaceclear Pro: $8.99 | nothing else | none (Data Not Collected) |
| Clever Cleaner | "Clever Cleaner Lifetime": $39.99 | "Clever Cleaner Weekly with Trial": $6.99 | Identifiers |
| CleanMy®Phone | "Unlimited access": $34.99 (length not stated) | Monthly $7.99, Yearly $36.99, Gemini Photos plans | Identifiers, Usage Data |
| Cleaner Neat | "Lifetime-Cleaner Purchase": $59.99 | Weekly $1.99–$6.99, Monthly $9.99, Yearly $29.99 | Location, Browsing History, Identifiers, Usage Data |
| Cleanup | none listed (the description mentions a lifetime option) | Weekly $5.95–$11.99, Yearly $29.99 | Purchases, Identifiers, Usage Data |
| AI Cleaner | none listed | Weekly $6.99–$11.99, Yearly $34.99 | Identifiers |
| Swipewipe | none listed | Weekly $3.99–$9.99, Yearly $29.99 | Identifiers, Usage Data, Other Data |
| iOS (built in) | free | — | — |
An App Store page shows at most ten in-app items, so an app may sell more than listed, and the price offered inside an app can differ. Privacy labels are each developer's own answers to Apple. Every listed item, trial and privacy label is in our November 2026 price report.
What a weekly plan adds up to
Simple arithmetic for a weekly plan that keeps renewing, before tax:
| Weekly price | 4 weeks | 1 year (52 weeks) |
|---|---|---|
| $3.99 | $15.96 | $207.48 |
| $6.99 | $27.96 | $363.48 |
| $7.99 | $31.96 | $415.48 |
| $9.99 | $39.96 | $519.48 |
| $11.99 | $47.96 | $623.48 |
Against a yearly plan ($29.99–$36.99), a one-time item at $34.99–$39.99 breaks even in under two years. Spaceclear Pro's $8.99 is less than a third of one year of any yearly plan above, and about one week of most weekly ones.
How to find out if a cleaner app is a subscription
- Open the app's App Store page and scroll to In-App Purchases. Item names usually say "Week", "Year", "Lifetime" or "Unlimited".
- Read the end of the description: subscription apps must state the renewal terms there.
- Scroll to App Privacy and read the "Data Used to Track You" section.
- If you start a trial, open Settings › [your name] › Subscriptions right away: you can cancel immediately and keep the trial until it ends.
- To check what you're already paying, open the same Subscriptions screen. Deleting an app does not cancel its subscription (how to cancel).
What Spaceclear's $8.99 covers
One purchase unlocks everything, with no trial and no renewal, and Family Sharing is included. Without paying, scanning is always free and you get daily free cleanups (30 deletions, 1 video compression, 10 conversions and 10 contact fixes a day).
| Feature | Free | Pro ($8.99 once) |
|---|---|---|
| Scan everything | ✓ | ✓ |
| Delete photos and videos | 30 a day | unlimited |
| Compress videos (HDR kept) | 1 a day | unlimited |
| Live Photo, photo and RAW conversions | 10 a day | unlimited |
| Contact merges and fixes | 10 a day | unlimited |
| Secret Space, all charging animations | — | ✓ |
Everything runs on the iPhone: no account, no server, and the privacy label is Data Not Collected. See pricing for details.
FAQ
Is there an iPhone cleaner app with no subscription?
Yes. Spaceclear is sold only as a one-time purchase ($8.99, no subscription at all). Clever Cleaner, CleanMy®Phone and Cleaner Neat list one-time items ($34.99–$59.99) alongside their subscriptions, so check which item you are buying.
Are free cleaner apps really free?
Most are free to download and charge for cleaning. Look at the In-App Purchases list on the App Store page: if it shows weekly items, the free part is usually scanning or a trial. iOS's own Duplicates album is free with no catch, but it only finds exact copies (how to use it).
Why do so many cleaner apps charge weekly?
Weekly plans are the norm in this category: six of the eight most-rated cleaners we checked list weekly items. A cleaner does its main job in the first few sessions, so a weekly plan you forget to cancel ends up costing far more than the work it did.
Can I get a refund for a cleaner subscription?
Apple handles refunds for App Store purchases. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com, choose the charge and give the reason. Cancel the subscription first so it doesn't renew (steps).
Updated 2026-11-14