Cleanfox
join.cleanfox.io
What it is
Cleanfox is a free service for removing unwanted email and unsubscribing from newsletters. It identifies recurring senders and lets users decide what to keep before cleaning. For a newsletter, users can remove all its messages, delete received emails while staying subscribed, or keep it. Mail support includes Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, iCloud Mail, and most other providers. Card and list views help sort newsletters, with bulk actions in list view; users can add multiple mailboxes and sort them together. Automatic cleanup rules are available. An initial mailbox scan takes an average of 30 minutes to 3 hours. Deleted messages move to the mailbox trash and remain recoverable until the email provider empties it, typically after 5 to 30 days. Cleanfox says it uses end-to-end encryption, does not read or sell emails, and anonymizes newsletter and commercial-transaction data for market statistics. It says users are not targeted by advertising. Attachment downloading and deletion is marked “Soon.” Cleanfox is available on Android, iOS, and the web.
Spec sheet
- What it does
- Cleanfox scans connected mailboxes to identify newsletters and order-confirmation messages for cleanup.Read 14 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Purpose
- Cleanfox deletes unwanted emails, unsubscribes from newsletters and clears old emails.Read 1 Oct 2026 · join.cleanfox.io
- Support
- Technical support is offered by email in English or French, with a stated usual response time of 24 to 48 business hours.Read 14 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Headquarters
- Bezons, FranceRead 28 Sep 2026 · join.cleanfox.io
- Account deletion
- Deleting a mailbox from settings deletes the Cleanfox account and associated data, but can cancel a cleanup that has not yet completed.Read 14 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Android reach
- Google Play lists more than 10 million downloads.Read 14 Oct 2026 · play.google.com
- Attachment feature
- The how-it-works page describes downloading and deleting attachments as a feature marked “Soon.”Read 1 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Bulk deletion
- The service can delete thousands of old messages in one action and move them to the mailbox trash folder.Read 14 Oct 2026 · play.google.com
- Business model
- Foxintelligence/NielsenIQ says it funds the free service by selling anonymized and aggregated statistics derived from transactional emails.Read 14 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Cleaning actions
- Users can delete all emails from a newsletter, delete received emails while remaining subscribed, or keep the newsletter.Read 1 Oct 2026 · join.cleanfox.io
- Company profile
- LinkedIn lists Cleanfox App as a privately held consumer-services company founded in 2016 with 11–50 employees and headquarters in Paris.Read 14 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
- Connection method
- Cleanfox uses IMAP plus provider-generated application passwords, and OAuth2 where supported.Read 14 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Data processing
- Cleanfox says newsletter and commercial-transaction data is anonymised to produce market statistics and that users are not targeted by advertising.Read 1 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Data retention
- The privacy notice says email content is generally retained only for the account lifetime plus a system-improvement period, while logs are kept no longer than six months to one year.Read 14 Oct 2026 · web.cleanfox.io
- Deletion recovery
- Deleted emails are moved to the mailbox trash and can be restored until the provider empties it, typically after 5 to 30 days.Read 1 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Free provider limitation
- Free.fr mailboxes are currently unavailable because Free blocks third-party access.Read 14 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Funding
- Crunchbase lists Cleanfox as a private seed-stage Paris company funded by IronCapital.Read 14 Oct 2026 · crunchbase.com
- Initial scan time
- The first mailbox scan can take about 30 minutes to three hours.Read 14 Oct 2026 · prod.cleanfox.io
- iOS requirement
- The App Store listing requires iOS 15.6 or later and iPadOS 15.6 or later.Read 14 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com
- Limit: delayed or incomplete cleanup
- An Apple reviewer said a planned cleanup of tens of thousands of messages had not changed the inbox after several days and criticized canned support replies.Read 14 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com
- Limit: email retention workflow
- An Apple reviewer wanted the ability to unsubscribe while preserving existing messages, because current delete choices could remove important receipts.Read 14 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com
- Limit: missing selection controls
- An Apple reviewer reported that the newsletter list lacked a select-all control, making bulk selection slower.Read 14 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com
- Limit: reliability
- Trustpilot summaries mention cases where messages remained in the mailbox or no deletions appeared after refreshing.Read 14 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
- Multiple mailboxes
- Users can add multiple mailboxes and process them in a combined list.Read 14 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Newsletter actions
- For each detected newsletter, users can keep it, delete old messages while staying subscribed, or unsubscribe and delete old messages.Read 14 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Notable launch
- A company press release dated September 13, 2016 announced Cleanfox as a free web platform for one-click newsletter deletion and unsubscribing.Read 14 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Owner and developer
- The current service and app pages identify NielsenIQ as developer or publisher, while older legal material names Foxintelligence.Read 14 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Praise: ease of cleanup
- Trustpilot reviewers repeatedly praise fast bulk removal, a simple interface and effortless subscription management.Read 14 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
- Praise: usability
- A G2 reviewer praised the efficient unsubscribe workflow, smart suggestions, user-friendly interface and privacy focus.Read 14 Oct 2026 · g2.com
- Privacy claims
- The landing page says Cleanfox does not read or sell emails, uses end-to-end encryption, is GDPR compliant and allows one-tap disconnection.Read 1 Oct 2026 · join.cleanfox.io
- Privacy notice
- The privacy notice says Cleanfox may process commercial emails and produce deidentified or aggregated reports, and does not allow humans to read the data except under stated conditions.Read 1 Oct 2026 · web.cleanfox.io
- Privacy promise
- The GDPR document says directly identifiable user data is not transferred to customers or suppliers.Read 14 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Rating on Apple App Store
- 4.8 out of 5 from 27K ratingsRead 14 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com
- Rating on G2
- 4.5 out of 5 from 1 review; G2 says there are not enough reviews for buying insight.Read 14 Oct 2026 · g2.com
- Rating on Google Play
- 4.7 out of 5 from 330K reviewsRead 14 Oct 2026 · play.google.com
- Rating on Trustpilot
- 4.9 out of 5 from 8,912 reviewsRead 14 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
- Scale
- The landing page reports a 4.7 average rating, more than 10 million downloads and usage in more than 120 countries.Read 1 Oct 2026 · join.cleanfox.io
- Scan time
- The initial mailbox scan takes an average of 30 minutes to 3 hours.Read 1 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Security audits
- The GDPR document says Cleanfox computing systems are regularly audited by specialist external auditors.Read 14 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Security statement
- The terms promise industry-standard security efforts and acknowledge that no internet service is infallible.Read 14 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Sender discovery
- It detects newsletters, shows recurring senders and lets users review what stays before cleaning.Read 1 Oct 2026 · join.cleanfox.io
- Spam blocking
- Cleanfox can automatically place future messages from unwanted senders in the trash.Read 14 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Subscription ranking
- The app lists subscriptions using how frequently the user opens their messages.Read 14 Oct 2026 · play.google.com
- Supported mail
- The service lists Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail and iCloud Mail, plus most other email providers.Read 1 Oct 2026 · join.cleanfox.io
- Supported providers
- Listed providers include Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, Hotmail, Orange, SFR, La Poste, GMX, Apple and iCloud, while the app listing also names AOL, Exchange and IMAP accounts.Read 14 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Undo and recovery
- An undo control can recover deleted emails, while the web service places deletions in trash before automatic emptying after several days.Read 14 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com
- Unsupported addresses
- Personalized domain addresses and some email providers are not processed.Read 14 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
- Views
- Cleanfox provides card and list views for sorting newsletters, including bulk actions in list view.Read 1 Oct 2026 · cleanfox.io
Plans and prices
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Free plan with email cleaning and newsletter unsubscribe
- Supports multiple mailboxes and bulk actions
- Automatic cleanup rules are available
- Deleted messages can be restored from mailbox trash before it is emptied
Limits
- Initial scan averages 30 minutes to 3 hours
- Attachment downloading and deletion is marked “Soon”
Who it suits
Cleanfox suits people who want to sort newsletters, unsubscribe, or clear messages across supported mailboxes. Its multi-mailbox controls and automatic cleanup rules may help users managing several inboxes.
Cleanfox in depth
Read the full write-up
Cleanfox is a free email-cleanup service for people who want more control over newsletters and old messages across multiple inboxes. Its flexible sender-by-sender choices are useful for ongoing housekeeping, but the initial scan can take hours.
Overview
Cleanfox finds recurring senders so you can decide whether to unsubscribe, clear their messages while staying subscribed, or keep the newsletter. That middle option is valuable when an inbox needs pruning but a subscription still matters. The trade-off is the wait for the first scan, which averages 30 minutes to 3 hours.
Key features
Card and list views accommodate different cleanup habits: cards support reviewing senders individually, while list view adds bulk actions for faster sorting. You can add another mailbox in settings and work across several mailboxes at once, a useful combination for people who manage more than one inbox.
Cleanfox supports Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Microsoft mail including Hotmail and Outlook, Orange, SFR, Free, La Poste, Noos, Numericable, GMX, BBOX, Bouygtel, Apple and iCloud, as well as most other providers. Automatic cleanup rules can reduce repeat sorting. Attachment downloading and deletion are described as coming soon, so users who need to manage large attachments will need another tool for that job.
Deleted messages go to the mailbox trash and remain recoverable until the provider empties it, typically after 5 to 30 days. This offers a recovery window, but it depends on the mail provider rather than Cleanfox. Technical problems and feature suggestions can be sent to [email protected].
Cleanfox says it does not read or sell emails, uses end-to-end encryption, is GDPR compliant and lets users disconnect in one tap. It also says newsletter and commercial-transaction data is anonymised for market statistics and that users are not targeted by advertising. Its privacy notice allows processing of commercial emails and the production of deidentified or aggregated reports, while limiting human access to stated conditions. The service is therefore not a no-data-processing option for readers who prefer to keep commercial email data out of analytics.
Pricing
Free: free (billed 100% Free; No credit card · email inbox cleaning · newsletter unsubscribe). The plan covers inbox cleaning and unsubscribing without a subscription charge or card requirement, making it the straightforward choice for individuals who want to clear clutter without committing to a paid tier. No separate paid Cleanfox plan is described.
Platforms
Cleanfox runs on Android, iOS and the web, so it suits people who want to manage mail from a phone or browser. It does not cover desktop platforms as a separate native option.
Who it's for
Choose Cleanfox if you want a free way to review newsletters, choose between three cleanup actions, and handle several mailboxes together. Look elsewhere if you need a fast first-pass cleanup, attachment management now, or a service that does not process commercial-email data for aggregated statistics.
Pros and cons
Pros: Three choices per sender let you clear mail without automatically giving up subscriptions.
Pros: Multiple mailboxes, list-view bulk actions and automatic rules support repeat cleanup across inboxes.
Pros: The free plan needs no credit card and includes inbox cleaning and newsletter unsubscribing.
Cons: The initial scan takes an average of 30 minutes to 3 hours, making it a poor fit for urgent cleanup.
Cons: Attachment downloading and deletion are not ready, leaving attachment-heavy inboxes less fully served.
Cons: Commercial-email data may be processed for deidentified or aggregated reports, which may not suit privacy-first users.
Alternatives
Email Cleanup Software is the broader category for comparing inbox-cleanup options.
Choose Clean Email if you want a free account capped at 1,000 messages and prefer to consider its separate premium plan; its free account excludes Screener, Sender and Mailing List Settings, and Auto Clean.
Gmail Bulk Unsubscribe & Cleanup Tool is another free option, with an MIT-licensed plan and a separate one-time setup service.
GoodByEmail offers a paid Lite plan at $9.99 a month for unlimited inboxes, unsubscribes, inbox size and email history on one device; consider it if those stated limits and terms fit your needs.
InboxSweeper is a free and open-source option that requires no account or subscription.
Paperweight is an alternative for readers who want software published under the MIT license, with code they can inspect or build.
Unroll.Me is free on Android, iOS and the web, but requires access to commercial emails and uses commercial-email data for measurement products.
Leave Me Alone offers a free yearly Casual Emailer plan with four email accounts and unlimited unsubscribes, alongside Private Emails, Screener, Spam Blocker and Do-not-disturb.
Trimbox is another freemium option, with its first 10 unsubscribes free.
Verdict
Cleanfox is a sensible choice for people who want free, multi-mailbox newsletter cleanup with the option to delete messages without unsubscribing. Its sender-level flexibility is the main reason to choose it; the long initial scan and lack of attachment handling are the clearest reasons to look elsewhere.
Verdict
Cleanfox offers several ways to clear newsletters and messages, including multi-mailbox sorting and automatic rules. Allow time for the initial scan, and note that attachment handling is not yet available.
Where Specifiction places it
- Email Cleanup Software#4 of 318.8