Best Photo Cleaner Apps Compared
Last updated: June 10, 2026
Photo cleaner apps solve the same problem in different ways and at very different prices. This page compares Picmori (our app), CleanMy®Phone by MacPaw, Swipewipe, Slidebox, and the built-in iOS Photos duplicate finder. We make Picmori, so read the table and decide for yourself — every competitor here is a solid app, and for some users one of them is the better pick. We say which below.
Side-by-side comparison
| App | Price | Platforms | Photos processed on-device | Duplicates | Blur / screenshots | Swipe review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picmori | Free (daily deletion limit); optional Premium removes limits & ads | iOS 16+, Android 7+ | Yes — photos never leave the device | Yes — exact + near-duplicates (perceptual hashing) | Yes — blurry photos, screenshots, large videos | Yes — core of the app, with streaks & stats |
| CleanMy®Phone (MacPaw) | Subscription from ~$3.75/month; free trial, no permanent free tier | iOS 16+ only | Yes — vendor states processing is local | Yes — duplicates and similar photos | Yes — blurry photos, screenshots, large videos | Limited — grid-based review, not swipe-first |
| Swipewipe | Free with ads and swipe limits; subscription removes them | iOS, Android | Yes — on-device review | No automatic duplicate scan | No automatic detection | Yes — month-by-month swipe review |
| Slidebox | Free with limits; ~$4.99/month, ~$49.99/year, or one-time unlock | iOS, Android | Yes — on-device sorting | No automatic duplicate scan | No automatic detection | Yes — swipe up to trash, plus album sorting |
| iOS Photos (built-in) | Free, preinstalled | iOS 16+ | Yes — Apple's on-device analysis | Exact / nearly identical copies only | Screenshots album exists; no blur detection | No |
Picmori — free swipe cleaner with duplicate & blur detection
Picmori combines the two main approaches: automatic scanning (duplicates via perceptual hashing, blurry photos, screenshots, large videos) and a fast swipe review with streaks and stats. Everything runs on-device and no account is needed. The free tier has a daily deletion limit; Premium removes it and the ads.
- Best for: anyone who wants automatic duplicate and blur detection without paying a subscription.
- Weak spot: newer app with a smaller user base than the established players.
CleanMy®Phone — polished, but subscription-only
MacPaw's cleaner is the most polished app in this list, with strong AI categorization (duplicates, similar shots, blurry, screenshots) and local processing. It is iOS-only and has no permanent free tier — after the trial you pay a subscription (from roughly $3.75/month billed annually).
- Best for: iPhone users who clean large libraries regularly and don't mind paying for the smoothest experience.
- Weak spot: no Android version, no free tier.
Swipewipe — pure swipe review, month by month
Swipewipe popularized the month-by-month swipe review: it walks you through your library chronologically and you keep or delete each shot. It has no automatic duplicate or blur scanning — it's a manual triage tool. The free version shows ads and limits how many photos you can swipe before waiting or subscribing.
- Best for: people who enjoy reliving their library chronologically while cleaning.
- Weak spot: no automatic detection; free tier limits are tight.
Slidebox — triage plus album organizing
Slidebox is as much an organizer as a cleaner: swipe up to trash, tap to sort photos into albums as you go. It's the strongest pick if your real goal is an organized library, not just freed space. There is no automatic duplicate or blur detection. Free with limits; full version via subscription or a one-time purchase — the only app here with a permanent-license option.
- Best for: people who want to sort photos into albums while cleaning.
- Weak spot: no automatic detection of duplicates or clutter.
iOS Photos — the free baseline
Before installing anything, try what's already on your iPhone: Albums → Utilities → Duplicates merges exact copies, and Media Types → Screenshots lets you bulk-delete screenshots. It can't find near-duplicates (bursts, retakes) or blurry photos, and there's no fast review flow — but it's free and built in.
- Best for: a quick first pass with zero installs.
- Weak spot: exact duplicates only; no blur detection; tedious for big cleanups.
Which one should you pick?
- Want automatic detection for free: Picmori — duplicate, blur, and screenshot scanning at no cost, on iOS and Android.
- Happy to pay for maximum polish on iPhone: CleanMy®Phone.
- Want chronological memory-lane cleaning: Swipewipe.
- Want to organize into albums while cleaning: Slidebox.
- Just need exact duplicates gone, right now: built-in iOS Photos — start there, it's already installed.
Whichever you choose, check that photos are processed on-device (all apps in this table state they do) and remember that deletions sit in Recently Deleted / Trash for about 30 days — see our step-by-step cleaning guide.