Short answer: if you want what Cleanup: Phone Storage Cleaner does without its weekly plan ($5.95–$11.99 a week or $29.99 a year, as listed on the US App Store on November 14, 2026), the closest one-time option is Spaceclear at $8.99 once: duplicates, similar photos, screenshots, big videos, video compression, contacts and a private vault, with more tools on top. If you only need exact duplicates, the free Photos › Collections › Utilities › Duplicates album may be enough.
The alternatives at a glance
Prices and privacy labels as listed on the US App Store on November 14, 2026, in US dollars before tax.
| App | How you pay | Lowest way to own it | Data Used to Track You |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleanup (for reference) | Weekly $5.95–$11.99, Yearly $29.99 | none listed | Purchases, Identifiers, Usage Data |
| Spaceclear | one-time purchase | $8.99 | none (Data Not Collected) |
| iOS built-in tools | free | free | — |
| CleanMy®Phone | Monthly $7.99, Yearly $36.99, "Unlimited access" $34.99 | $34.99 (length not stated) | Identifiers, Usage Data |
| Clever Cleaner | Weekly $6.99 with trial, Lifetime $39.99 | $39.99 | Identifiers |
| Cleaner Neat | Weekly $1.99–$6.99, Monthly $9.99, Yearly $29.99, Lifetime $59.99 | $59.99 | Location, Browsing History, Identifiers, Usage Data |
| Swipewipe | Weekly $3.99–$9.99, Yearly $29.99 | none listed | Identifiers, Usage Data, Other Data |
Prices change and apps test different prices; the links show the current listing. Privacy labels are the developers' own answers to Apple.
Spaceclear: the one-time alternative
Spaceclear covers Cleanup's core tools and adds several it doesn't list. The full feature table is in Spaceclear vs Cleanup.
- Same core job: duplicate and similar photos with the best shot marked, screenshots, big and lookalike videos, video compression, contact merging, a PIN vault, charging animations and widgets.
- Extra: burst frames, blurry photos, documents and receipts, screen recordings, photo and RAW compression, Live Photo → still, free up iCloud space, calendar and reminders cleanup, contact backups, and a vault with Face ID, a decoy PIN and a break-in photo.
- Not yet: Cleanup has an email cleaner; Spaceclear's is coming in an update.
- Price: free to scan with 30 free deletions a day; Pro is $8.99 once, with no subscription and no trial that bills. Family Sharing is included.
- Privacy: everything runs on the iPhone, with no account and no server; the privacy label is Data Not Collected.
The free alternative: what iOS already does
iOS can do part of the job for free:
| Task | Where in iOS | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Exact duplicate photos | Photos › Collections › Utilities › Duplicates › Merge | exact or near-exact copies only |
| Screenshots and screen recordings | Photos › Collections › Media Types | you select them by hand |
| Big videos | no size sort in Photos | see sorting videos by size |
| Duplicate contacts | Contacts › Duplicates Found › View Duplicates › Merge All | same name only |
| Unused apps | Settings › General › iPhone Storage › Offload Unused Apps | apps only |
If that covers what you need, you don't need any cleaner app. See Spaceclear vs the free iOS tools for the full comparison.
Switching from Cleanup
- Open Settings › [your name] › Subscriptions, tap Cleanup and tap Cancel Subscription. Deleting the app does not cancel it (detailed steps).
- If you were charged after a trial you meant to cancel, request a refund at reportaproblem.apple.com.
- Install the alternative and scan. Nothing needs to move: cleaner apps read your photo library and contacts in place.
- Delete Cleanup when you're done. Anything it hid in its vault should be exported first.
FAQ
Is there a free alternative to Cleanup?
Yes, partly: iOS's Duplicates album, Media Types albums and Offload Unused Apps are free. They don't find similar shots, bursts or blurry photos, or compress videos. Spaceclear's free plan scans everything and includes 30 deletions a day.
What is the cheapest alternative to Cleanup that doesn't need a subscription?
Of the apps above, Spaceclear Pro at $8.99 once is the lowest one-time price on the US App Store as of November 14, 2026. CleanMy®Phone, Clever Cleaner and Cleaner Neat list one-time items from $34.99 to $59.99.
Will I lose my photos if I delete Cleanup?
No. Your photos live in the Photos app, not in Cleanup. Only items you moved into Cleanup's own vault are stored inside the app, so export those before deleting it.
Who makes Cleanup?
Its App Store listing names the seller as DEEP FLOW SOFTWARE SERVICES - FZCO.
Updated 2026-11-14