DustFox or Clever Cleaner?
Clever Cleaner, from the makers of Disk Drill, is the closest app to DustFox in approach. Both analyse photos on the phone and both can be bought once. Here is where they differ.
Short answer: Clever Cleaner and DustFox are the two cleaners closest in spirit: both analyse photos on the phone, both keep a free tier and both sell a lifetime purchase. On the US App Store, Clever Cleaner’s lifetime costs more, it also sells a weekly plan, and its privacy label lists identifiers used to track you. DustFox’s label lists nothing used to track you or linked to you, and it has more ways to free space without deleting.
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.
| Clever Cleaner: AI CleanUp App | DustFox | |
|---|---|---|
| Price model | Weekly with trial $6.99; Lifetime $39.99 | Free download; Pro $19.99 once, or $9.99 a year |
| Free version | Daily limits; Swipe unlimited | 30 items for deletion methods, 5 for conversions; screenshots unlimited |
| Data used to track you | Identifiers | None |
| Data linked to you | Identifiers, Usage Data | None |
| Where photos are analysed | On the device | On the device |
| Duplicates and similar photos | Yes | Yes, with the keeper chosen by sharpness, exposure, resolution and size |
| Live Photo to still | Yes | Yes, still copied byte for byte |
| Media compression | Yes | Shrink Videos (HEVC) and Compressible Photos (JPEG to HEIC) |
| Images from WhatsApp and other chats | Not in the listing | Sent to You, by app and by month |
| Goal plan (“I need 5 GB”) | Not in the listing | Yes |
| Ads | None | None |
| Languages | 20 | 17 |
Two similar ideas
Both apps reject the idea that your photos need a server, and both treat a one-time purchase as normal. That is the most important thing they share, and it sets them apart from most of the category.
Where they differ
- Privacy label: Clever Cleaner’s developer reports identifiers used to track you and usage data linked to you. DustFox reports neither, only anonymous usage and purchase data not linked to you.
- Price: on the US App Store, the lifetime purchase is $39.99 for Clever Cleaner and $19.99 for DustFox. Clever Cleaner also offers a weekly plan; DustFox has a yearly plan instead of a weekly one.
- Planning: DustFox builds a plan for a target, such as 5 GB, and orders it with the least regret: exact copies and burst extras first, lossless conversions last.
- Honesty about space: DustFox lists only items whose original is on the device and reminds you that space comes back after Recently Deleted is emptied.
Where Clever Cleaner is a good choice
It supports more languages, its swipe mode is unlimited for free, and it has a one-tap cleanup for quick sessions. If those matter more to you than a clean privacy label, it is a solid app.
Questions
Is Clever Cleaner free?
It started as a free app and now has paid plans. On the US App Store it lists a weekly plan with a trial and a lifetime purchase, alongside free daily limits.
Which one is cheaper for life?
On the US App Store, Clever Cleaner Lifetime is $39.99 and DustFox Pro Lifetime is {price}. Both are one-time purchases. Prices differ by country, so compare them in your own App Store.
Do both work offline?
Both say photos are processed on the device. DustFox needs the network only to buy or restore Pro; its anonymous usage statistics wait on the device until a connection is back.
