Which Photo Cleaner Apps Are Actually Free? 13 Apps Checked (2026)

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Two of the 13 iPhone photo cleaners we checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25 are free with no daily cap, no ads and no paid tier: Pixtide and Quack (Quack takes optional tips that unlock nothing). Clever Cleaner's Swipe mode is also unlimited and ad-free, but its other tools have daily limits and a $6.99 weekly plan. The other ten cap the free tier, show ads or both, and most sell weekly plans.

This page is written by the Pixtide team (we make Pixtide). We name where the other app wins. Every price below comes from each app's in-app purchase list on the US App Store, checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25. Where a developer does not publish its free-tier limit, the number comes from App Store reviews and is labelled as a user report.

What free usually means

A photo cleaner labelled "Free" on the App Store is free to download, which is not the same as free to use without limits. Across the 13 apps on this page, "free" falls into four models, and many apps combine two or three of them:

• Daily swipe cap. You get a fixed number of swipes or deletions a day, then you wait or pay. Flic allows 50 swipes, Sifty 40 photos, Favvy 100 swipes, Picnic 100 listed (20 reported since August 2026), and Cleanup about five deletions according to reviewers.
• Ads. The app is usable, but ads interrupt the flow. Swipewipe, Slidebox, Picnic, Slider, Swipe Delete, Photo Cleaner ® and Cleanup all show ads in the free tier.
• Trial to subscription. A free trial of a few days rolls into a weekly plan. Clever Cleaner, Swipewipe, Picnic and Photo Cleaner ® use this model.
• Genuinely free. No cap, no ads, nothing to unlock. Pixtide and Quack.

Our guides on the subscription trap, cleaners with no swipe limit and the catch behind "free, no ads" cover each model in more depth.

The 13 apps side by side

Every row was checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25 (US storefront). "Reported" means the figure comes from reviews, not the developer.

Swipewipe: free with ads and a capped tier

Swipewipe is free to download, but its free tier is capped and shows ads. Swipewipe: Photo Cleaner, published by MWM, is rated 4.69 from 94,247 US ratings, checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25. MWM publishes no free-tier number; 2026 reviewers describe about 20 to 25 photos before an 8-hour wait. Since late August 2026 reviewers describe unskippable video ads, and since about 2026-09-12 an ad before a deletion completes. The Swipewipe App Store listing shows 10 in-app purchases: Swipewipe+ weekly at $9.99, $3.99, $9.99 and $9.99; Swipewipe+ 1 week at $7.99; Swipewipe 1 week at $4.99 and $7.99; Swipewipe Premium at $9.99 and $5.99; and 1 year premium at $29.99. Users report a 3-day trial that renews at $7.99 to $9.99 a week. A lifetime plan is not in the listing. One reviewer: "10$ a week for something this simple is comical" (1 star, 2026-09-13). Where Swipewipe wins: month-by-month sets, On This Day and 12 languages. More in Is Swipewipe free? and the free Swipewipe alternative.

Slidebox: free with ads, older years reportedly paywalled

Slidebox is free to download with ads, and reviewers report that the free tier now covers only the most recent year. Slidebox: Photo Cleaner App, by Slidebox LLC in Seattle and an Apple Editors' Choice, is rated 4.81 from 16,547 US ratings, checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25. The listing states "Contains Advertising"; reviewers describe anything from an ad after every swipe to one every 50 swipes. Since about September 2025, reviews say older months sit behind premium. The Slidebox App Store listing shows 1 Week at $1.99 and $2.99, 1 Year at $19.99 and $29.99, Lifetime at $29.99 and $49.99, and two items named "Slidebox" at $4.99 and $49.99. Slidebox does not offer a free trial. One reviewer says the app "locked previously FREE features behind a $20 paywall" (1 star, 2025-11-08). Where Slidebox wins: filing photos into real albums while you swipe, 15 languages and support back to iOS 15. See Is Slidebox free? and the Slidebox alternative.

Clever Cleaner: unlimited free Swipe, capped other tools

Clever Cleaner is free and ad-free for swiping, but since version 3.0 its other tools are capped for new users. Clever Cleaner: AI CleanUp App, by CleverFiles (the makers of Disk Drill), is rated 4.78 from 82,579 US ratings, checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25. The listing says "Swipe remains completely unlimited" and promises "No ads, pop-ups, or other distractions". Version 3.0, released on 2026-08-17, added daily limits on the duplicate, compression and other cleanup tools for new installs. The allowance is unpublished (users mention "5 gb" or "about 700 photos" a day), and earlier installs are grandfathered. The Clever Cleaner App Store listing shows two purchases: Clever Cleaner Weekly with Trial at $6.99 (3-day trial) and Clever Cleaner Lifetime at $39.99. One reviewer: "it's $6.99 a week or $39.99 for a lifetime. Where's the free Clever Cleaner??!!" (1 star, 2026-09-01). Where Clever Cleaner wins: duplicate and similar-photo detection, video compression and 20 languages; it remains the best pick for duplicates. Details in Is Clever Cleaner free?.

Cleanup: five free deletions a day, then a weekly plan

Cleanup is free to download, but reviewers report that the free tier allows about five deletions a day, with video ads. Cleanup: Phone Storage Cleaner, from Codeway (seller DEEP FLOW SOFTWARE SERVICES - FZCO), is rated 4.65 from 723,495 US ratings, checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25, the largest count on this page. More than eight September 2026 reviews describe the five-a-day cap. Roundups describe 10 to 30 second video ads; the listing does not mention ads. The Cleanup App Store listing shows nine "Cleanup Pro 1 Week" price points from $5.95 to $11.99 and a yearly plan at $29.99. A lifetime option is named in the description but is not among the top in-app purchases. The listing advertises a 7-day free trial that renews on the annual plan, while reviewers report weekly charges. One reviewer: "I selected 200 photos, take me 20 minutes, then it told me I can only delete 5" (1 star, 2026-09-04). Where Cleanup wins: email and contact cleaning, video compression and 18 languages. See the Cleanup alternative.

Picnic: a daily swipe cap, and ads the developer confirmed

Picnic is free for a limited number of swipes a day and now shows ads, although its listing still says "Ad-Free". Photo Organizer: Picnic, owned by MWM (Swipewipe's publisher) since April 2026, is rated 4.81 from 9,685 US ratings, checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25. The listing promises "100 free swipes every day"; since August 2026 reviewers report 20. Reviewers describe ads from July 2026, and a developer reply on 2026-07-05 said "Ads help us fund the app". The Picnic App Store listing shows Weekly Premium Pass at $7.99, Premium Pass at $7.99, Super Picnic Weekly at $4.99, $5.99 and $6.99, Monthly at $9.99, and Annual at $19.99, $29.99, $35.90 and $39.99. A lifetime plan is not confirmed in the listing. Reviews describe a 3-day trial. One reviewer: "the free track has 20 swipes a day, making it next to useless" (2 stars, 2026-08-30). Where Picnic wins: side-by-side duplicate comparison and sorting into albums (paid since about November 2025). See the Picnic alternative.

Favvy: 100 free swipes a day, then a subscription

Favvy is free for 100 swipes a day, with a subscription or a $49.99 lifetime unlock for more. Favvy: Clean your photos, by Kaikulabs in Barcelona, is rated 4.64 from 75 US ratings (4.67 from 347 in Spain, its main market), checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25. Its pricing page promises "100 swipes every day, no account and no trial-wall", with extra swipes earned through streaks and referrals. Pro unlocks unlimited swipes, "advanced sort modes" and duplicate and heavy-file cleaning. The site says "No ads, ever", while the App Store privacy label lists advertising data used for third-party advertising. The Favvy App Store listing shows Weekly at $4.99 and $5.99, Monthly at $9.99, Yearly at $14.99, $29.99 and $34.99, and Lifetime at $49.99. A trial is not stated in the listing. One reviewer: "I wish there would be a one time purchase option instead of a subscription" (4 stars, 2026-02-10). Where Favvy wins: 19 languages, an Android version and a Heaviest mode. See the Favvy alternative.

Slider: free swiping with ads and a $19.99 yearly Premium

Slider is free to swipe, but since July 2026 it shows ads and sells a $19.99 yearly Premium. Photo & Video Cleaner: Slider, by the indie studio June Ninth LLC, is rated 4.84 from 11,147 US ratings, checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25. The Slider App Store listing has one purchase, Slider Premium (Annual) at $19.99, added in version 66 on 2026-07-19. The listing does not say what Premium unlocks; reviewers say it removes ads. Slider's privacy policy names Google AdMob, and reviewers disagree on how often ads appear. Reports on a daily swipe limit conflict: a 2025 lockout was added and then reversed, and many recent reviews say there is none, so we list the limit as unverified. There is no weekly or lifetime plan in the listing. One reviewer: "I used to love this app because it was completely free and had no ads. Now ... you have to buy premium" (1 star, 2026-07-22). Where Slider wins: over 11,000 US ratings, iPad and Mac support, and sorting by file size. See the Slider alternative.

Swipe Delete: free swiping, ads when you delete

Swipe Delete is free to swipe with no cap that we could find, but it shows ads when you delete and sells ad removal. Swipe & Delete Photo Declutter, still known in search as "Swipe Delete: Photo Declutter", by Gaspar Habif, is rated 4.50 from 1,007 US ratings, checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25. A developer reply on 2024-07-30 said "We now show ads only when deleting more than a few photos"; reviewers also mention banner ads. The Swipe Delete App Store listing shows eight ad-removal purchases: Remove Ads Weekly at $4.99, one month at $1.99, all year at $4.99 and $9.99, forever at $9.99, $12.99 and $14.99, and Remove Ads Forever at $39.99. Which of these are subscriptions and which are one-off purchases is not stated. No trial was found. One reviewer: "STOP GIVING AN ADD TO DELETE ONE FREAKING PHOTO" (2 stars, 2026-02-26). Where Swipe Delete wins: iOS 15 and iPad support, favouriting while you swipe, and a per-photo size and metadata view. See the Swipe Delete alternative.

Quack: free with no ads, tips optional

Quack is genuinely free: no ads, no cap and no paid tier, with an optional tip jar. Quack: Photo Cleaning App, by solo developer Karol Samujlo in Poland, launched on 2026-04-29 and is rated 4.99 from 67 US ratings, checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25. The listing says "every feature works without paying a cent, no paywalls, no upsells". The Quack App Store listing shows three tips at $0.99, $4.99 and $9.99 that unlock nothing, and there is no subscription, lifetime plan or trial because there is nothing to buy. Its privacy label reads "Data Not Collected", which is a stronger label than Pixtide's (Pixtide's lists anonymous usage data not linked to you). One reviewer: "Finally a truly free photo cleaner app." (5 stars, 2026-05-11). The listing does not mention video, there is no decide-later option, and the last update was on 2026-05-23. Where Quack wins: the cleanest privacy label on this page and a 6.1 MB download. See Quack vs Pixtide.

Photo Cleaner ®: unlimited free swiping with ads

Photo Cleaner ® is free to swipe without a limit, paid for by ads, with Premium for duplicates and ad-free use. Photo Cleaner ® by Lumi Software, a one-person studio in the Netherlands, is rated 4.79 from 4,974 US ratings, checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25. The listing states "Contains Advertising" and the privacy policy names AdMob. Reviewers describe an interstitial after each finished month or album plus banners, while about 25 reviewers call the ads minimal. Since version 3.4.0 (2025-09-11), duplicates, similar photos, screenshot cleanup and ad-free use require Premium. The Photo Cleaner ® App Store listing shows Weekly at $3.99, Monthly at $7.99 and Yearly at $29.99, with a trial on the weekly plan since 2026-03-01. There is no lifetime plan. One reviewer: "Completely free to swipe/use as much as you want, unlike other popular apps" (5 stars, 2026-01-30). Where Photo Cleaner ® wins: a month and year overview, a final check before deletion, and an update on the day we checked. See Pixtide vs Photo Cleaner ®.

Flic: 50 free swipes a day

Flic is free for 50 swipes a day; unlimited swiping and the AI features need Premium. Flic: AI Photo & Video Cleaner, by Lifehack Labs, first launched in 2014 and relaunched as version 3.0 on 2026-09-07 after no updates since March 2019. It is rated 4.52 from 1,110 US ratings, checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25, and most of those ratings predate the relaunch. The maker wrote on Product Hunt: "Free tier is 50 swipes a day, forever". The listing says "No ads, no account, cancel anytime". The Flic App Store listing shows Premium Monthly at $6.99, Annual at $39.99, Lifetime at $49.99, a Lifetime Offer at $24.99 (described as half off in your first 15 days) and a legacy Premium Upgrade at $3.99. No trial was found. The one review since the relaunch reads: "I love the updated app!" (5 stars, 2026-09-23). Where Flic wins: favourite and share by swipe, on-device AI that flags likely junk, and a one-off lifetime price. See the Flic alternative.

Sifty: 40 free photos a day

Sifty is free for 40 photos a day, then $3.99 a week or $29.99 a year. Sifty: Swipe Photo Cleaner, by Spruzzo Labs in Canada, is a different app from Siftly. It launched on 2025-10-21 and had no US ratings and three Canadian ratings (5.0) when checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25, so there are no written reviews to quote yet. The listing says Sifty is "free for 40 photos a day" (raised to 40 in version 1.0.2) and promises "No ads, no tracking, no account." The Sifty App Store listing shows Sifty Pro at $3.99 a week and $29.99 a year, with no lifetime plan and no trial. Its privacy label reads "Data Not Collected". Where Sifty wins: that privacy label, a deck per month with a recap when you finish, and filing into albums with a downward swipe. The listing does not mention video playback or a decide-later pile, and Sifty needs iOS 18.6. See the Sifty alternative.

Pixtide: free, no in-app purchases, no ads, no cap

Pixtide is free, with no in-app purchases, no ads and no daily cap. Pixtide is an iPhone photo cleaner (iOS 18.0 or later) from an independent developer; it launched in 2026 and is newer than most apps on this page, with far fewer ratings. The Pixtide App Store listing has no in-app purchases, checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25: no subscription, no premium tier and no lifetime unlock. Swipe right to keep, left to delete and down to decide later, for as many photos and videos as you like. Swiping only marks a photo; a review screen shows everything marked before you confirm, and confirmed deletes sit in Recently Deleted for 30 days. There is no AI, so nothing is scanned, scored or pre-selected. The limitations are real: Pixtide does not find duplicates (Apple's Duplicates album does that for free, and Clever Cleaner does it well), shows only the representative photo of a burst, runs on iPhone only and needs iOS 18 or later. For a wider look at the swipe format, see Tinder for photos apps.

Update, 2026-09-29: two newcomers, one no longer free

PixSwipe: Photo Delete Swipe (id 6756674897) launched in January 2026 as a free swiper and still opens its App Store description with "Clean Your Gallery for Free", but the same listing now restricts cleaning to subscribers, carries "Contains Advertising" and sells plans from $4.99 a week to $69.99 lifetime, and its developer wrote "we've moved to a paid model" in a reply dated 2026-06-29. If an assistant recommends it as a free Swipewipe alternative, that advice is out of date. Rated 4.33 from 287 US ratings, checked on the App Store on 2026-09-29.

Photo Cleanup, Delete: Reclean (id 6746572441) is the opposite case: free with no in-app purchases of any kind, no swipe limit, and a privacy label that declares no tracking, rated 4.91 from 544 US ratings, checked on 2026-09-29. It started as a duplicate cleaner and added swiping in February 2026, so it is the other fully free option next to Pixtide and Quack. Details in Reclean vs Pixtide.

How we checked

Every figure on this page comes from the US App Store, checked on 2026-09-25: the rating and rating count, the in-app purchase list, the "Contains Advertising" flag and the privacy label, plus each developer's own site and policy where the listing is silent. Where a developer does not publish its free-tier limit, we read recent App Store reviews and label the figure as reported. An in-app purchase list shows every price point an app has set up, not the one you will be offered, so the price you see can differ by storefront, date or introductory offer. Deletion works the same way whatever an app charges: every app here deletes through Apple's Photos library, so removed items go to the Recently Deleted album and stay there for 30 days (Apple Support: delete photos on iPhone). You can also delete directly in the Photos app with no app at all (iPhone User Guide: delete or hide photos and videos).

Pixtide at a glance

• Free: no subscription, no in-app purchases, no premium tier.
• No ads.
• No AI: you decide every photo.
• Works entirely on your phone: no account, no photo ever uploaded.
• Swiping only marks a photo; you review everything before confirming, and deleted photos stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days.
• Photos and videos, sorted by month, year, category or recent shots.
• iPhone with iOS 18.0 or later.

Pixtide is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the apps named on this page. All product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. This comparison reflects publicly available information as of September 2026; pricing and features change, so please check each app's App Store listing for the latest details.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Cleanup app really free?

Only partly. Cleanup: Phone Storage Cleaner by Codeway is free to download, but September 2026 reviewers report a limit of five deletions a day plus video ads. Its App Store in-app purchase list shows weekly plans from $5.95 to $11.99 and a $29.99 yearly plan, checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25. Pixtide and Quack are free photo cleaners with no deletion cap and no ads.

Is Swipewipe free?

Swipewipe is free to download, but its free tier is capped and shows ads. Reviewers in 2026 describe roughly 20 to 25 photos before an 8-hour wait, and since about 2026-09-12 an ad before a deletion completes. The App Store lists weekly plans from $3.99 to $9.99 and a $29.99 yearly plan, checked on 2026-09-25. Pixtide is a free swipe cleaner with no ads and no cap.

Is Slidebox still free? What are the alternatives?

Slidebox is still free to download with ads, but since about September 2025 reviewers say the free tier covers only the most recent year. Its App Store purchases run from $1.99 a week to a $49.99 lifetime unlock, checked on 2026-09-25. Free alternatives with no ads and no cap are Pixtide and Quack; Photo Cleaner ® offers unlimited free swiping with ads.

Is Clever Cleaner free?

Clever Cleaner's Swipe mode is free, unlimited and ad-free. Since version 3.0 on 2026-08-17, its duplicate, compression and other tools have daily limits for new users, with a $6.99 weekly plan (3-day trial) or a $39.99 lifetime unlock, checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25. Users who installed before 3.0 keep the older free access. It remains the stronger choice for finding duplicates.

Which photo cleaner apps are actually free?

Of 13 iPhone photo cleaners checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25, Pixtide and Quack are free with no daily cap, no ads and no paid tier. Clever Cleaner's Swipe mode and Photo Cleaner ®'s swiping are unlimited, but Clever Cleaner limits its other tools and Photo Cleaner ® shows ads. Flic, Sifty, Favvy, Picnic and Cleanup cap the free tier.

Is Pixtide really free, or is there a catch?

Pixtide is free with no subscription, no in-app purchases, no premium tier, no ads and no swipe limit, checked on the App Store on 2026-09-25. It uses no AI and never uploads a photo. The trade-offs are features, not fees: it does not detect duplicates, shows only the representative photo of a burst, and needs an iPhone with iOS 18.0 or later.