Updated August 2026
Updated August 2026 · rebuilt around what Android actually permits, with an advertising column added and six claims corrected against their sources
Most people need no cleaner app at all, because Android already reclaims the space one would target: its own documentation says that when the device is low on internal storage, Android may delete cached files to recover space, and since Android 11 no third party app can reach another app's cache directory anyway.
Files by Google is our pick if you want one installed because it is the only one of the ten listings here that carries no advertising label and sells nothing at all, and it shows you what it proposes to delete before deleting it.
SD Maid 2/SE is our pick for app leftovers because its developer's own FAQ says every tool scans for free before you decide to upgrade, and its code is open source under GPL v3, with the upgrade sold as either a one-time purchase or a subscription.
Data checked: 18 August 2026.
Ten Android storage cleaners, weighed against what the platform still lets an app do. Every listing was read today, and the limits below come from Google rather than from us.
runs on the premise that free memory is wasted memoryand that
the system keeps apps in memory after they have been closed so the user can quickly switch back to them. A booster throws that away and the system reloads the apps anyway.
Most people
4.5 stars, 8,996,902 reviews · 5,000,000,000+ installs · free to install · no in-app purchases · by Google LLC · Contains ads: No · checked 18 August 2026
Google Play listing · 4.5 (8,996,902) · read 18 August 2026
Files by Google is the cleaner to install if you install only one. It is the only listing of the ten here that carries no advertising label and sells nothing at all, it deletes nothing you have not confirmed, and it doubles as a full file manager. The blunt con: it is shallow by design, and it will not find folders left behind by apps you uninstalled.
It is also the entry that makes the honest case for this whole category. Most of what it suggests you delete, Android would reclaim on its own: Android's app storage documentation states that When the device is low on internal storage space, Android may delete these cache files to recover space.
What Files adds is a review step and a list of duplicates and large files, which is a different and more useful job than cache clearing.
For: no advertising label and nothing to buy, unique among the ten here; review first: it shows you what it proposes to delete before anything goes; the largest install base of any app on this page, and a full file manager besides. Against: no hunting for folders left by uninstalled apps; few settings to tune, by design; the automatic Smart Storage clean-up remains a Pixel feature rather than a universal one.
Skip it if you want deep cleaning under the hood. Choose Files by Google over SD Maid 2/SE for zero setup and zero surprises.
↑ Back to the comparisonPower users
4.1 stars, 8,849 reviews · 1,000,000+ installs · free to install · in-app purchases $3.99 to $7.99 per item · by darken · Contains ads: No · checked 18 August 2026
Google Play listing · 4.1 (8,849) · read 18 August 2026
SD Maid 2/SE is the power user pick: it digs out folders left behind by apps uninstalled months ago and explains every item before it deletes anything. Its developer is direct on the project site: SD Maid has no ads and doesn't sell your data.
The blunt con: setup is fiddly, and at 4.1 across fewer than nine thousand reviews it has by far the smallest evidence base on this page.
Corrected on this update. Two things this page had wrong about the price. It said the Pro unlock is one time with no subscription. The developer's own FAQ says otherwise, in as many words: the upgrade is available as a one-time purchase or a subscription on Google Play. And it printed a price range no source publishes. The listing shows in-app purchases per item, which is a floor and a ceiling across everything sold in the app rather than the price of the unlock, and the developer publishes no price at all on its own site.
What is genuinely unusual here is the scanning model: the FAQ states that all tools scan for free, so you can see exactly what would be cleaned before deciding to upgrade. On the licence, be precise: the code is open source under GPL v3, and the project excludes its icons, logos, mascots and marketing assets from that licence, which is why F-Droid flags the package for non-free assets.
For: every tool scans for free, so you see what would be deleted before paying anything; it finds remnants of uninstalled apps, which the store-bought cleaners here do not; the code is open source under GPL v3, and the listing carries no advertising label. Against: the upgrade is sold as a one-time purchase or a subscription, not a one-time unlock only; the smallest review base on this page by an order of magnitude; permission setup is fiddly, and scheduling needs the paid tier.
Skip it if you want one tap and no questions. Choose SD Maid 2/SE over Files by Google when you want the leftovers Files never shows.
↑ Back to the comparisonBrand loyalists
Installed on our own Android emulator on 18 August 2026, it opens on a setup page that tells you what it can and cannot do before it does anything: it searches all accessible data areas, what counts as accessible depends on the device, the Android version and the permissions granted, and using it starts by setting up that access. No account, no consent dialog and nothing for sale stood in front of that screen. The screenshots below are ours, taken on 18 August 2026.
4.5 stars, 3,071,411 reviews · 100,000,000+ installs · free to install · in-app purchases $1.39 to $39.99 per item · by Piriform · Contains ads: Yes · checked 18 August 2026
Google Play listing · 4.5 (3,071,411) · read 18 August 2026
CCleaner earns its slot on familiarity, and its storage analyser is genuinely useful for seeing where the space went. The blunt con is the advertising label on its listing, plus the Pro upsell. The larger caveat applies to this app and five others here: on current Android it cannot reach another app's cache itself.
It is one of five apps on this page owned by Gen Digital, alongside Avast Cleanup, AVG Cleaner, Avira and Norton Cleaner.
For: a storage analyser that shows where space actually went; a familiar interface for anyone who used it on a desktop; a large install base and a solid rating. Against: the listing carries the Contains ads label; it cannot clear other apps' caches itself on Android 11 or newer; the Pro upsell is persistent.
Skip it if upsell screens wear you down. Choose CCleaner over Avast Cleanup for the desktop style sweep; both belong to Gen Digital.
↑ Back to the comparisonNon-techies
4.6 stars, 1,516,181 reviews · 50,000,000+ installs · free to install · in-app purchases $0.99 to $59.99 per item · by Avast Software · Contains ads: Yes · checked 18 August 2026
Google Play listing · 4.6 (1,516,181) · read 18 August 2026
Avast Cleanup is the hand holding option: the clearest visual map here of what is eating your storage, aimed at someone who does not want jargon. The blunt con is that its listing carries the advertising label, which the table on this page previously did not show, and the automation sits behind a paid plan.
Also one of the five Gen Digital entries here, and its engine overlaps almost entirely with AVG Cleaner.
For: the clearest storage breakdown on this page; a photo optimiser that shrinks large images rather than deleting them; a guided flow with no jargon. Against: the listing carries the Contains ads label; automation and the deep scan are paywalled; it cannot clear other apps' caches itself on Android 11 or newer.
Skip it if you refuse subscriptions. Choose Avast Cleanup over AVG Cleaner for the interface; the engine is near identical.
↑ Back to the comparisonSimple, no ads
4.6 stars, 260,199 reviews · 5,000,000+ installs · free to install · in-app purchases $2.99 to $69.99 per item · by NortonMobile · Contains ads: No · checked 18 August 2026
Google Play listing · 4.6 (260,199) · read 18 August 2026
Norton Cleaner, listed on Google Play as Norton Cleaner and formerly Norton Clean, is the quiet big brand pick: no advertising label, and a feature list that has grown well past the app this page used to describe. The blunt con is what the free install actually is: its own listing opens by calling it the mobile version of Norton Utilities Ultimate
, and the in-app purchases run into three figures.
Corrected on this update. This page previously called it the thinnest big brand entry here, said it had nothing for duplicate photos, and gave it a price cell reading free with no ads. Norton's own support page lists Quick Clean, Media Overview, Apps Overview, Deep Clean, Auto Cleaning, Browser Cleaner, Sleep Mode, Photo Optimizer and Cloud Transfers for Android, and the listing advertises finding duplicate and similar photos. The old description is withdrawn.
One thing to weigh that this page held against another entry and not against this one: Norton's own listing says the app uses the Accessibility permission to stop background apps in one tap. That is the same dependency flagged under Zero Cleaner below, and it belongs in both places or neither.
For: no advertising label on the listing; a documented feature set the vendor still publishes and updates; if you already subscribe to Norton Utilities Ultimate, signing in unlocks it at no extra cost. Against: the free install is the front end of a paid product, with purchases into three figures; it uses the Accessibility service, by its own listing; it cannot clear other apps' caches itself on Android 11 or newer.
Skip it if you want a small tool rather than the mobile client of a desktop suite. Choose Norton Cleaner over CCleaner when the absence of adverts matters more than familiarity.
↑ Back to the comparisonMinimalists
4.6 stars, 197,539 reviews · 10,000,000+ installs · free to install · one in-app purchase priced at $3.99 · by AZSoft Technology Inc. · Contains ads: Yes · checked 18 August 2026
Google Play listing · 4.6 (197,539) · read 18 August 2026
1Tap Cleaner does what its name promises and little else: cache, call logs and browser history from a home screen shortcut, with a cheap one time unlock. The blunt con: the interface looks its age, the listing carries the advertising label, and the cache clearing it is named for is the part current Android no longer lets any app do by itself.
For: the cheapest unlock on this page; tiny and focused, with a home screen shortcut; clears call logs and browser history, which is real work no platform change has taken away. Against: the listing carries the Contains ads label; it cannot clear other apps' caches itself on Android 11 or newer; a dated interface and no storage analysis.
Skip it if you want guidance on what is safe to delete. Choose 1Tap Cleaner over Zero Cleaner for broader clearing and a far stronger rating.
↑ Back to the comparisonSecurity users
4.7 stars, 733,206 reviews · 10,000,000+ installs · free to install · in-app purchases $0.99 to $104.99 per item · by AVIRA · Contains ads: No · checked 18 August 2026
Google Play listing · 4.7 (733,206) · read 18 August 2026
Avira Security, listed on Google Play as Avira Security Antivirus and VPN, is a security suite with a junk cleaner attached, and it holds the highest rating on this page. The blunt con: the cleaning tools are basic, and the paid plans stretch far past what a cleaner is worth on its own.
If you are weighing it for the protection rather than the cleaning, our antivirus guide has the evidence this page does not: Avira is certified 6 of 6 for protection in AV-TEST's Android round of May 2026, and has no current AV-Comparatives Android result. It is also one of the five Gen Digital brands on this page.
For: antivirus and cleanup in one app, with a current independent protection result; the highest rating on this page; no advertising label on the listing. Against: the storage tools are basic next to a dedicated cleaner; paid plans stretch well past cleaner money; it cannot clear other apps' caches itself on Android 11 or newer.
Skip it if you only want storage work. Choose Avira over Norton Cleaner if you want a scanner and a cleaner in one app; Norton Cleaner does storage only.
↑ Back to the comparisonAVG users
4.6 stars, 1,966,418 reviews · 100,000,000+ installs · free to install · in-app purchases $1.49 to $39.99 per item · by AVG Mobile · Contains ads: Yes · checked 18 August 2026
Google Play listing · 4.6 (1,966,418) · read 18 August 2026
AVG Cleaner is Avast Cleanup in different clothes, and its duplicate and blurry photo finder clears more real clutter than any cache tool on this page ever will. That is the useful half. The blunt con: the photo features and the automation need the paid tier, and the listing carries the advertising label.
Photos are where the space actually is on most full phones, so a duplicate finder is doing more valuable work than a cache cleaner. Check yours under Settings, Storage, where Android breaks usage down by type. Also one of the five Gen Digital entries here, sharing an engine with Avast Cleanup.
For: duplicate and blurry photo detection, which addresses the category that usually fills a phone; a very large install base; the same engine as Avast Cleanup, in a different interface. Against: the listing carries the Contains ads label; the photo tools and automation are paywalled; redundant if you already run Avast Cleanup.
Skip it if you already use its Avast twin. Choose AVG Cleaner over Avast Cleanup if you already live in the AVG ecosystem.
↑ Back to the comparisonFull control
4.4 stars, 157,663 reviews · 10,000,000+ installs · free to install · in-app purchases $0.99 to $22.99 per item · by NeatBytes · Contains ads: Yes · checked 18 August 2026
Google Play listing · 4.4 (157,663) · read 18 August 2026
Solid Explorer is not a cleaner at all but a dual pane file manager, and on a platform where no app may clear another app's cache, seeing every folder and deciding yourself is a more honest answer than most of this list. The blunt con: no junk detection whatsoever, and the listing carries both the advertising label and in-app purchases.
Two things to know before installing. This page used to describe a free trial that expires; the developer documents no trial anywhere, not on its site, not in its FAQ and not on the listing, so budget for the unlock rather than a free period. And its Data Safety section declares that data may be shared with third parties, that app activity and device identifiers may be collected, and that collected data cannot be deleted.
For: full manual control, with a dual pane design built for moving files; cloud storage connections built in; it does the one thing current Android still lets an app do: show you your own files. Against: no junk detection and no suggestions at all; the listing carries the Contains ads label and sells an unlock the developer never prices; its Data Safety section declares that collected data cannot be deleted.
Skip it if you want an app to find junk for you. Choose Solid Explorer over Files by Google to hunt big folders by hand.
↑ Back to the comparisonApp cache only
3.8 stars, 6,439 reviews · 1,000,000+ installs · free to install · one in-app purchase priced at $4.49 · by Red Soft · Contains ads: Yes · checked 18 August 2026
Google Play listing · 3.8 (6,439) · read 18 August 2026
Zero Cleaner is honestly narrow: its own listing feature list is cache and nothing else, with an optional automatic routine and no dashboard theatre. It is also the lowest rated entry here. The blunt con is what its listing declares about data, which this page previously did not mention at all.
Corrected on this update. Its Data Safety section declares that location, app activity and two other data types may be both collected and shared with third parties, and that collected data cannot be deleted. Red Soft's own privacy policy attributes the advertising data to Google AdMob, which it says may collect advertising identifiers, device information and approximate location to serve ads. The developer discloses all of this, which is more than several better known entries here do, but a reader choosing a minimalist tool deserves to see it.
On the accessibility question, be precise: the listing says the service is used to automate the clear cache function, and offers manual clearing as well, so it is not strictly required.
For: single purpose, with a feature list that is entirely cache scoped; an optional automatic routine, and a feature list free of the dashboard theatre this category is known for; the developer completed Data Safety and publishes a policy naming its ad provider. Against: its Data Safety declares data may be shared with third parties and cannot be deleted; the lowest rating on this page, across the second smallest review base; the listing carries the Contains ads label, in a tool whose selling point is minimalism.
Skip it if you are not comfortable with the data declarations above. Choose Zero Cleaner over 1Tap Cleaner only when cache is literally all you want cleared.
↑ Back to the comparisonThe single most useful thing on this page is a limit Google published and most cleaner listings have not caught up with. Android's own storage documentation states that On Android 11, apps can no longer access files in any other app's dedicated, app-specific directory within external storage
, and that even All files access, the broadest storage permission Android has, still cannot reach the app-specific directories that belong to other apps
. App caches live in exactly those directories.
So when a cleaner offers to clear every app's cache, what it can actually do is ask the system to, through an intent that shows you a confirmation dialog. Google attaches its own warning to that route, saying the bulk clear action can substantially affect device battery life and might remove a large number of files from the device
. That is the opposite of the promise on most of these listings.
Meanwhile the system does the job unprompted. Android's app storage documentation says that When the device is low on internal storage space, Android may delete these cache files to recover space
, and the platform even counts reclaimable cache as space it can hand back on request. Clearing a single app's cache by hand is still worth doing when that one app misbehaves. Doing it on a schedule, across every app, is work the platform already does better.
What genuinely frees space is duller and larger: uninstall what you never open, deal with photos and videos, and empty your downloads. Open Settings, then Storage, and Android will break your own usage down by type, which is a more reliable answer than any percentage a roundup could quote you.
Usually not. Android's own developer documentation says that when the device is low on internal storage space, Android may delete cached files to recover space, so the main job a cleaner advertises is one the platform already does. Since Android 11 a third party app cannot even reach another app's cache directory; the most it can do is show you a system dialog. What still helps is uninstalling apps you never open and dealing with photos and videos. Checked 18 August 2026.
Not by itself, not on Android 11 or newer. Google's storage documentation says apps can no longer access files in any other app's app-specific directory, and that even All files access, the broadest storage permission Android offers, still cannot reach those directories. An app can invoke a system action that asks you to confirm clearing caches across the device, and Google warns that this can substantially affect battery life. Checked 18 August 2026.
No, and Google explains why. Android's memory documentation states that the platform runs on the premise that free memory is wasted memory, and that the system keeps apps in memory after they are closed so you can switch back quickly. A booster discards that cache, the system reloads the apps, and you are back where you started with less to show for it. Checked 18 August 2026.
Files by Google, and it is the only one of the ten here. Five of the ten carry Google Play's Contains ads label: CCleaner, Avast Cleanup, 1Tap Cleaner, AVG Cleaner and Solid Explorer. Of the remaining four, SD Maid 2/SE, Norton Cleaner, Avira Security and Files by Google, only Files sells nothing inside the app at all. Checked 18 August 2026.
Five of the ten are not. CCleaner, Avast Cleanup, AVG Cleaner, Avira and Norton Cleaner all belong to Gen Digital, which lists Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG and CCleaner among its brands. If you already pay for one of them, use the cleaner you already own rather than installing a second. Checked 18 August 2026.
Checked 18 August 2026: the page was rebuilt around what Android actually permits, and six claims did not survive the check. The largest addition is a limit Google published and this page argued around rather than citing: since Android 11 no third party app can reach another app's cache directory, even with All files access, so most of the apps here can only ask the system to clear caches through a dialog you confirm. Android also deletes cached files itself when storage runs low. Both are now quoted from Google's own documentation, and the table has a column saying which apps can do what. Retracted: that SD Maid 2/SE offers a one-time unlock, no subscription. Its developer's own FAQ says the upgrade is sold as a one-time purchase or a subscription. Retracted: the SD Maid price range printed on this page, which no source publishes; the listing gives a per item floor and ceiling across everything the app sells, which is not the same as the unlock's price. Retracted: the description of Norton as the app with the fewest features in this group and no duplicate photo tools, and the claim that it does the least of any big-brand pick here. Norton's own support page lists nine Android features including Auto Cleaning, Photo Optimizer and Deep Clean. Its price cell also read free with no ads while its listing sells into three figures, and its own listing calls it the mobile version of Norton Utilities Ultimate. Retracted: that photos and videos usually take 60-80% of used storage, a figure no Google or Android source publishes, replaced by pointing you at your own Settings, Storage breakdown. Retracted: that one button in Google Photos routinely recovers more gigabytes than every cleaner on this list combined, which nothing measures. Retracted from Solid Explorer: the free trial with ads and the line about what happens after the trial it wants an unlock. The developer documents no trial anywhere. Retracted from the safety checklist: A storage tool needs storage access and nothing else, which is now stated more usefully, since even the broadest storage permission Android offers cannot reach another app cache directory. Retracted from Zero Cleaner: no scare screens, which no source can establish. Added in its place, from its own listing, that its Data Safety declares data may be shared with third parties and cannot be deleted. Added: an advertising column, since five of the ten listings carry the label and the table showed it for four; the Accessibility service dependency on Norton, which this page held against Zero Cleaner while omitting it there; Solid Explorer's own declaration that collected data cannot be deleted; and Avira's current independent protection result, cross referenced to our antivirus guide rather than asserted here. App names brought back to what the listings say: Norton Cleaner, formerly Norton Clean, and Avira Security.
How to Recover Deleted Photos on AndroidPhoto & Video