The storage app that shrinks what you keep.
Most storage apps only help you delete. But the photos and videos you'd never delete are what fill your iPhone. HEVCut makes them about 70% smaller on average without changing how they look, and it clears out the duplicates and junk too.
Deleting only gets you so far.
Duplicates and screenshots are worth clearing, but they’re rarely what fills your phone. Most of the space goes to the trips, birthdays and everyday moments you want to keep. Cleaner and swipe apps can only offer to delete them. HEVCut makes them smaller.
Delete what you don’t want.
Duplicates, screenshots and blurry shots go. Everything you keep stays exactly as big as it was.
Delete what you don’t want. Shrink what you keep.
Same cleanup, then every photo and video you keep is re-encoded on your device to a modern format, at a fraction of the size.
Example: a 10-minute 4K H.264 video, compressed to HEVC with the Standard preset (1080p).
Whatever you’re weighing it against.
Apple Photos
Duplicates album, Optimize iPhone Storage
Where it stopsMerges exact duplicates and keeps smaller copies on your iPhone. The full-size originals stay in iCloud, so your iCloud plan doesn't shrink, and similar shots and bursts are left to you.
With HEVCutMakes the files themselves smaller, so you get space back on your iPhone and in iCloud. Finds similar shots and bursts too.
Cleaner apps
Cleanup, CleanMyPhone, Boost Cleaner, Smart Cleaner
Where it stopsDelete duplicates, screenshots and blurry photos. Once the junk is gone, everything you keep stays full size. Most sell weekly plans.
With HEVCutDoes the same cleanup, catches photos saved from WhatsApp, Instagram and other apps, then shrinks everything you keep. Pro is a subscription or a one-time purchase.
Swipe apps
Slidebox, Swipewipe
Where it stopsShow you one photo at a time to keep or delete. Whatever you keep stays full size, and twenty shots of the same sunset take twenty swipes.
With HEVCutSwipe starts with your biggest files, look-alike shots are grouped so you clear them in one go, and what you keep gets compressed.
Video compressors
Video Compress, Compress Videos & Resize, and others
Where it stopsMake a smaller copy of a video. Deleting the original is up to you, the copy can lose its date and location, photos usually aren't covered, and most show ads.
With HEVCutReplaces the original once you've compared the two, keeps the date, location and albums, compresses photos too, and never shows ads.
Only HEVCut does all of it.
| Feature | HEVCut | Apple Photos | Cleaner apps | Swipe apps | Video compressors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shrinks the videos you already have | Yes | NoNew recordings only | PartlySome apps | No | YesAs a separate copy |
| Shrinks the photos you already have | Yes | NoNew photos only | PartlyRarely | No | PartlySome apps |
| Finds duplicates, similar shots and bursts | Yes | PartlyExact copies only | YesBursts in some | PartlySimilar shots in some | PartlyRarely |
| Clears screenshots, blurry photos and app downloads | Yes | NoBy hand | PartlyNo app downloads | PartlySome apps | PartlyRarely |
| Works on external drives and SD cards | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Other apps as described in their US App Store listings and Apple Support, checked 19 October 2026. “Partly” means some apps in the group do it, or only in part. Swipe the table sideways to see every app.
Built for photos you can’t replace.
Every compressed photo and video sits next to its original. Compare them with a slider or side-by-side player, then keep the smaller one or revert. A result that comes out bigger is thrown away.
The date, location, favorites, albums and filename carry over, and HDR stays HDR. Originals you replace wait in Recently Deleted for 30 days.
Every photo and video is processed on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. Nothing is uploaded, and there are no ads.
Before you switch.
- Is HEVCut a cleaner app or a compressor?
- Both. It finds duplicates, bursts, screenshots, blurry photos and saves from messaging apps so you can delete them, and it compresses the photos and videos you keep. Most apps only do one of the two.
- Will my photos and videos look worse?
- At the default settings the difference is very hard to see, and you don't have to take our word for it: you compare each result with the original before you keep it. Videos default to 1080p; turn on Keep original resolution to keep 4K.
- How much space will I get back?
- It depends on your library, mostly on how much video you have. Compressed files come out about 70% smaller on average, and HEVCut shows how much it expects to save before you start.
- Can I try it before paying?
- Yes. HEVCut is free to download, with free compressions and swipes to try, and finding duplicates is free. Pro comes as a subscription or a one-time purchase.
- What do I need to run it?
- An iPhone or iPad on iOS or iPadOS 26, or a Mac on macOS 26. On Mac it's a native app, not the iPhone version.
Free up space. Keep your memories.
HEVCut runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Everything stays on-device, offline. Try a few compressions before committing to Pro.
Try it on the App Store