Broomie vs Files by Google: Which Android Cleaner Do You Need?

Files by Google is the cleaner most Android owners already have, whether they know it or not. It comes preinstalled on many phones and has more than 5 billion downloads on Google Play. Broomie is our cleaner, built for people who want to see exactly what is being removed and why. This comparison is as of October 2026 and uses Google's own Play listing and help pages for its facts.

Broomie vs Files by Google at a glance

What does Files by Google do well?

Quite a lot, and for free. Its listing describes a file manager first: search, browsing by type, offline sharing with Quick Share, a media player, backup to Google Drive or an SD card, and a folder you can lock with a PIN or pattern that differs from your screen lock. Cleaning is one part of it. The Clean tab shows how much space is left and suggests what to remove, including junk files, duplicate files and old photos from chat apps. The listing says the app uses less than 20 MB and has no ads.

If you mostly need to find a download, share a video with a friend nearby or clear a little junk now and then, Files by Google does that well, and it may already be on your phone.

What does Broomie add?

Broomie is only a cleaner, so it goes deeper on cleaning. One scan collects junk, large files, chat media and photos into a single list, and every item has a line saying why it was found. You untick what you want to keep, then clean.

A few differences matter in practice:

• Similar photos, not only exact copies. Broomie groups similar shots, such as a burst of the same moment, and keeps the sharpest one by default. One copy is always kept. Finding them is free, removing them is Pro.
• Swipe review. You can go through your photos month by month, left to remove and right to keep, with undo. It is 50 photos a day free and unlimited with Pro.
• A storage analyzer that goes all the way down. Every folder sorted by size, as deep as you want, plus your largest files in one list.
• Power mode. Part of Pro. After a one-time setup through Wireless debugging, with no computer, or with root, Broomie clears every app's cache in one tap, reaches hidden caches in Android/data and removes leftovers of uninstalled apps.

Our guide on how to clear cache on Android explains why clearing every app's cache needs that extra access at all.

Which one is safer if I tap the wrong thing?

This is where the two differ most. Google's help page for Files by Google says that clearing junk files deletes that data permanently. Duplicate files you remove go to Trash first, and the original copy is marked with an "Original" badge.

Broomie splits deletion in two. Caches and junk, which apps and Android rebuild, are deleted directly, just as in Files by Google. Your own files, photos included, go to Recently deleted first, for 3 days free or up to 30 days with Pro. You can protect any file, folder or app so it is never offered for cleaning, and every clean is written to a history, so you can see what went and how much space came back.

Do I need Broomie if I already have Files by Google?

Not always. Here is an honest way to decide:

• If the Clean tab already frees enough space, keep using it. It costs nothing.
• If your storage is still full and you cannot tell why, Broomie's storage analyzer and per-item reasons answer that.
• If photos are the problem, Broomie's similar photo grouping and swipe review go further than exact duplicates.
• If app caches are the problem, Broomie Pro clears all of them at once.

You can also keep both. Files by Google is a good file manager, and Broomie does not try to replace it. For a full walk-through of where space goes, see how to free up storage on Android.

If you use Files by Google's locked folder to keep private photos out of your gallery, our guide on how to hide photos on Android compares the options, including Velum, our encrypted vault that is coming soon.

How do they compare on price?

Files by Google is free, with no ads and no paid tier on its listing. That is hard to beat.

Broomie is free with no ads for junk cleaning, installer and bug report files, large files, chat media, finding duplicate and similar photos, the storage analyzer, the phone checkup and 50 swipe reviews a day. Pro is a monthly or yearly subscription with a 7-day free trial, or a one-time lifetime purchase. It adds Power mode, the optimizer, duplicate removal, unlimited swipe review, scheduled cleaning and 30 days of Recently deleted. Broomie reminds you before the trial ends.

Neither app promises a faster phone, which is a good sign. Cleaning frees space you can measure. Broomie says plainly that it cannot promise speed.

Which should you choose?

Choose Files by Google if:

• It is already on your phone and its Clean tab frees enough space.
• You want a file manager, offline sharing and a locked folder in one free app.
• You back up files to Google Drive.

Choose Broomie if:

• You want a reason next to every item before you delete it.
• You want similar photos grouped, with the sharpest one kept.
• You want your own files to be undoable after a clean.
• You want every app's cache cleared at once, without a computer.

If you are weighing other cleaners too, see Broomie vs SD Maid SE and Broomie vs CCleaner.

Sources

• Files by Google on Google Play
• Files by Google Help: Clear your junk files
• Files by Google Help: Delete duplicate files