Neatly — Reclaim storage safely

Neatly : Home Screen
App Icon
Photo Organizer Screen
Organize Contacts
Image to PDF
Large Video Screen
Photo Quality Screen
Clean Screen with tools like Duplicate items, Screenshots, Large items, Swipe to Clean, etc.
Create Screen with Tools like Image to PDF and QR Scanner
Home Screen to access all the tools
Storage Health - Showing current what is taking space on your device

Inspiration

Phone storage becomes stressful long before it becomes understandable. People see a “Storage Full” warning, then face thousands of photos, large videos, duplicate files, documents, and downloads—with no safe way to decide what can go.

We wanted to build a utility that does more than list files. Neatly helps people understand what is using their storage, find meaningful cleanup opportunities, and stay in control before anything is removed. What it does

Neatly is a privacy-first mobile utility toolkit for reclaiming storage safely.

It helps users:

Review duplicate and visually similar photos before deleting anything
Find and sort large videos by storage impact
Compress videos while keeping the original by default
Understand device storage through Storage Health recommendations
Scan documents into PDFs and create PDFs from multiple images
Scan QR codes and keep a useful history of results
Track cleanup and utility activity in one place

Neatly’s core principle is simple: show the user what is happening, explain the value, and require deliberate review before destructive actions.

Utility+ adds premium access to higher-value workflows and is managed through RevenueCat.

How we built it

We built Neatly with Flutter for iOS and Android, while using platform-native capabilities where performance and privacy matter most.

For media cleanup, Neatly uses native platform workflows:

PhotoKit and Swift on iOS
MediaStore and Kotlin on Android
Incremental duplicate analysis using file fingerprints and perceptual comparison
Local SQLite caching so unchanged media does not need to be analyzed from scratch every time
AVFoundation on iOS and Media3 on Android for video compression

We integrated RevenueCat to manage the Utility+ entitlement, monthly and annual offerings, purchases, and restore-purchase flows.

The app is designed around permission-aware, user-controlled workflows. Neatly does not treat cleanup as an automatic deletion problem; it presents candidates, context, and review tools so users make the final decision.

Challenges we ran into

The hardest part was making cleanup feel trustworthy.

A duplicate detector must be useful without treating similar photos as disposable. We had to balance scan speed, accuracy, battery use, and the need to explain why files were grouped together. Platform differences also required careful work. iOS and Android expose media libraries, permissions, storage information, and video encoding differently. We built native paths for the tasks where a generic cross-platform implementation would not be reliable enough.

Other challenges included:

Handling large media libraries without freezing the interface
Preserving the original video by default during compression
Making permission requests appear only when they are relevant
Building a premium experience that follows visible user value instead of interrupting users immediately

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud that Neatly is becoming a real utility product rather than a collection of disconnected tools.

In particular, we are proud of:

A safe duplicate-photo review flow that keeps the user in control
Incremental native media analysis and caching for faster repeat scans
A practical Storage Health view that turns storage data into actionable next steps
Video compression that prioritizes preserving originals
A unified experience for cleanup, PDF creation, document scanning, and QR tools
A RevenueCat-powered Utility+ foundation with purchase and restore flows
A product direction centered on trust, clarity, and useful results—not fear-based storage warnings

What we learned

We learned that the most valuable part of a cleanup app is not deletion—it is confidence. Users need to understand what an app found, why it found it, and what will happen next. A faster scan is helpful, but it does not matter if the user is afraid to act on the results.

We also learned that monetization works best after users experience a real outcome. The Utility+ paywall is therefore designed to follow visible value, such as finding storage pressure or completing a useful scan, rather than blocking the product before users understand why Neatly matters.

Building in public is helping us turn feedback into product decisions. Questions about privacy, safety, duplicate accuracy, and pricing are directly shaping the release experience.

What's next for Neatly — Reclaim storage safely

Next, we are focused on launching Neatly to real users, measuring where people find the most value, and improving the workflows that help them reclaim storage safely.

Our immediate priorities are:

Test Utility+ pricing, trial, purchase, and restore flows with real users
Improve activation from the first scan to the first cleanup action
Refine duplicate-review confidence and explanations
Learn which tools users need most: photo cleanup, large-video management, compression, or document utilities
Ship feedback-driven improvements during Shipaton
Build a sustainable utility product that users can trust whenever their phone starts running out of space