Emptie vs Cleanup
Updated 23 October 2026 · By Dimitar Zurnov, who makes Emptie. Facts about Cleanup are from its App Store listing; we haven’t tested it.
Cleanup is a storage cleaner that does many things, video compression among them, on a subscription. Emptie only does video: it compresses the videos in your library on your iPhone and replaces the originals, keeping their dates, places, favorites and albums, for free. Pick Cleanup for an all-in-one tool; pick Emptie if video is what fills your phone.
At a glance
| Emptie | Cleanup | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A video compressor that replaces originals in your Photos library | Storage cleaner: Finds duplicate and similar photos and videos, helps with contacts and email, and lists video compression among its tools. |
| Price | Free. Optional $2.99 one-time Founding Supporter purchase | Free download. Cleanup Pro is listed at $5.95–$11.99 a week or $29.99 a year. |
| A year of use | $0 | $29.99 a year (yearly plan), or $309–$623 a year if kept on a weekly plan |
| App Store privacy label | Data Not Collected | Data Used to Track You · Data Linked to You · Data Not Linked to You |
| Replaces the original for you | Yes, after a side-by-side review and one iOS confirmation | Not stated in the listing |
| Keeps date, location, favorites and albums | Yes, and checks each copy before deleting an original | Not stated in the listing |
| Sorted by space you would free | Yes | Not stated in the listing |
| Runs with the phone locked | Yes, with progress in the Dynamic Island | Not stated in the listing |
| Requires | iOS 26 or later (iPhone 11 and newer) | iOS 15.0 or later |
| US ratings | Not released yet | 4.65 from 743,828 ratings |
“Not stated in the listing” means we didn’t find it in the App Store description, not that the app can’t do it.
What Cleanup does well
- Covers photos, contacts and more, not only video
- The most-rated app in the category on the US App Store
- Updated often
Best for: People who want one app for duplicates, contacts and photos as well as video, and are happy to subscribe.
Where Emptie is different
- Emptie does one thing: it compresses videos and replaces the originals in your library
- Emptie is free, with no weekly or yearly plan (an optional $2.99 one-time purchase supports the founder)
- Emptie’s privacy label is “Data Not Collected”; Cleanup’s listing declares data used to track you
- Emptie sorts your videos by how much space compressing each one would free
What it costs over time
Cleanup: Free download. Cleanup Pro is listed at $5.95–$11.99 a week or $29.99 a year. Kept for a year, that comes to $29.99 a year (yearly plan), or $309–$623 a year if kept on a weekly plan.
Emptie is free. If it helps you, an optional one-time $2.99 Founding Supporter purchase supports the founder. Compressing a library is mostly a one-time job, so we don’t think it should cost you every week.
What happens to your original videos
This is where video apps differ most. Many save a smaller copy as a new item and leave you to find and delete the original yourself. Unless the app carries the details over, the copy can show up under today’s date and outside the albums the original was in.
Emptie keeps every original untouched until its compressed copy is saved to your library and checked: it plays, it’s the same length, and its date (with time zone), location, Favorite and Hidden status and albums arrived. You review each pair side by side, and one iOS confirmation replaces the batch. The originals stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days. Why the space comes back after you empty it.
Privacy
Cleanup’s App Store privacy label lists Data Used to Track You · Data Linked to You · Data Not Linked to You. Emptie’s says Data Not Collected: no account, no upload, no ads and no analytics, and the app makes no network calls.
Which should you choose?
- Choose Cleanup: it’s best for people who want one app for duplicates, contacts and photos as well as video, and are happy to subscribe.
- Choose Emptie: if videos are what fill your iPhone, you want them smaller without losing their dates and albums, and you’d rather not pay a subscription.
Frequently asked questions
Is Emptie a Cleanup alternative?
For video, yes. Emptie only handles video: it compresses the videos in your library and replaces the originals, keeping their details. If you also want duplicate photos or contacts sorted, Cleanup covers more ground.
How much does Cleanup cost compared with Emptie?
Free download. Cleanup Pro is listed at $5.95–$11.99 a week or $29.99 a year. Emptie is free, with no subscription; an optional one-time $2.99 purchase supports the founder. Prices are from the US App Store listing as of 23 October 2026.
Does Cleanup collect data?
Its App Store privacy label lists: Data Used to Track You · Data Linked to You · Data Not Linked to You. Emptie’s label is “Data Not Collected”: it has no account, no analytics and makes no network calls.
How we compared
We read Cleanup: Phone Storage Cleaner’s US App Store listing, in-app purchase list and privacy label on 23 October 2026, as part of a review of 888 storage and video-compression apps. We didn’t install or test it. Prices change, so check the listing before you buy. If something here is wrong, email [email protected] and we’ll fix it.