DustFox or Cleanup?
Cleanup is the most rated storage cleaner in the App Store in most countries. Here is how the two compare on price, privacy and what they actually clean, from their App Store listings.
Short answer: Cleanup and DustFox both find duplicates, similar shots, screenshots and big videos. The difference is the deal around it. On the US App Store, Cleanup sells Pro by the week, starting with a 7-day free trial, and its App Privacy label lists data used to track you. DustFox can be bought once and never renews, or taken by the year, and its label lists nothing used to track you.
Side by side
Prices and labels as shown on the US App Store on 30 September 2026. Prices differ by country and change often. Privacy labels are reported by each developer and are not verified by Apple.
| Cleanup: Phone Storage Cleaner | DustFox | |
|---|---|---|
| Price model | Weekly Pro, $5.95 to $11.99 a week depending on the offer; also 1 Year for $29.99 | Free download; Pro $19.99 once, or $9.99 a year |
| Free trial | 7 days, then a paid plan | 3 days on the yearly plan; free allowance to try every method |
| Data used to track you | Purchases, Identifiers, Usage Data | None |
| Data linked to you | Contact Info, Identifiers, Usage Data | None |
| Account | Not required | Not required |
| Where photos are analysed | On the device, according to the listing | On the device |
| Duplicates and similar photos | Yes | Yes, with the keeper chosen by sharpness, exposure, resolution and size |
| Video compression | Yes | Yes, HEVC at the same resolution and frame rate |
| Live Photo motion removal | Not in the listing | Yes |
| Images from WhatsApp and other chats | Not in the listing | Sent to You, by app and by month |
| Contacts, email, locked vault | Yes | No |
| Languages | 18 | 17 |
What a weekly price adds up to
A storage cleaner is used in bursts: when the phone is full, then not for months. A weekly plan keeps charging in those months. At the lowest weekly price in the list above, four weeks already cost more than DustFox’s yearly plan, and a year of weekly billing costs many times a one-time purchase. If you like Cleanup, its 1 Year plan is the cheaper way to keep it.
What the privacy labels say
Both apps say photos are analysed on the phone. The difference is everything around the photos. Cleanup’s label lists identifiers and usage data used to track you across other companies’ apps and websites, and contact info linked to you. DustFox has no advertising SDK and no account; apart from Pro purchases, which Apple processes and RevenueCat verifies, it sends only anonymous usage statistics, which can be turned off.
Where Cleanup does more
Cleanup is broader. It merges duplicate contacts, has an email cleaner, a PIN-locked Secret Space and widgets. DustFox does none of that; it stays with photos and videos. If those extras matter to you, that is a fair reason to choose Cleanup.
Where DustFox does more with photos
DustFox frees space without deleting: Shrink Videos, Compressible Photos (JPEG to HEIC) and Live Photos, which keeps the still and drops the motion. Tell it how much space you need and it builds the plan with the least regret. It lists only items whose original is on the device, and it says clearly that space comes back only after Recently Deleted is emptied.
Questions
Is Cleanup safe to use?
Cleanup is a legitimate App Store app. Before you start a trial, read its App Privacy label and its price list. The label its developer reports includes data used to track you, such as identifiers and usage data. DustFox's label lists nothing used to track you and nothing linked to you.
How do I cancel a Cleanup subscription?
Like any App Store subscription, in Settings › [your name] › Subscriptions. Cancel at least 24 hours before the trial or period ends to avoid the next charge. Deleting the app does not cancel it.
Does DustFox clean contacts or email like Cleanup?
No. DustFox works only on your photo and video library. If you need contact merging, an email cleaner or a locked vault, Cleanup does things DustFox does not.
Can I move from Cleanup to DustFox without losing photos?
Yes. Both apps work on the same Photos library, and neither keeps a copy of it. Cancel the subscription first, then use whichever app you prefer.
