Comparison

Clean Links vs Clockwork

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Clean Links

This app scans QR codes and URLs to reveal hidden destinations and remove tracking parameters. It protects users from phishing and advertiser tracking, offering a private and free way to control digital privacy.

Highlights
  • QR code scanning
  • URL link cleaning
  • Phishing protection
  • QR code generation
  • iOS integration
  • Cross-device link sharing
Features
Read full description

That link a friend just sent you probably has a dozen tracking parameters glued to the end of it. Clean Links strips them off. It also opens up QR codes so you can read where they actually go before you commit to tapping. The app does a handful of things, and does them without an account, a subscription, or an ad: QR reader that shows you the destination URL first. Quishing scams work because nobody can read a QR code with their eyes, so you scan and hope. This one puts the real address on screen and waits. Link cleaner. Paste anything, get back the same link minus the utm tags, click IDs, and referral junk. Works on links from hundreds of shopping sites, social networks and search engines. Send to Mac. Push a cleaned link from your iPhone straight into the browser on your Mac. If the Mac is asleep or offline the link waits for it. Unshorten. Feed it a bit.ly or t.co address and it follows the chain to whatever sits at the end. Useful when a shortened link turns up from someone you don't know, which is how most phishing starts. Tracker blocker covering 71+ services, running as a parameter remover across everything you paste. QR generator for making your own codes out of links you trust. Safari extension that cleans every link on a page in one tap. Shortcuts, a Control Center widget, and a share sheet action, if you want the whole thing automated. Nothing leaves your device. There's no analytics SDK in here, no crash reporter phoning home, no account to create. Privacy isn't a feature we bolted on; there was never any data to collect. ■ Send Links to Your Mac Share a cleaned link from your iPhone or iPad and it lands in your Mac's browser. Links queue up if the Mac is offline. You can also fire Shortcuts on your Macs from an iOS device. You'll need Clean Links on both machines, iCloud turned on, and the same Apple account. ■ Coming from Hyperduck? Clean Links does the same handoff, adds tracker stripping on the way out, handles more than one Mac, and costs nothing. ■ Link Sharing FAQ ‣ Why not AirDrop? AirDrop needs both devices awake and nearby. This doesn't, and it drops the link straight into a background tab. ‣ Why not iCloud Tabs? Because iCloud Tabs only works in Safari, and the tabs are easy to lose. These open in whatever browser you actually use. ‣ Why not Reading List? Reading List is where links go to be forgotten. Yours open immediately. ‣ Why not Handoff? Handoff wants the devices in the same room. Clean Links supports Handoff anyway, for when they are. ‣ More than one Mac? Send to all of them. Any Mac signed into the same Apple account with the app installed will get it. ‣ Want to skip a particular Mac? Turn off receiving in that Mac's settings. ■ Spotted a tracker we don't catch yet? There's a link in Settings to tell us. We'll add them.

About

Clockwork

Features
Read full description

Clockwork is a powerful yet simple time tracker for everything you do—whether it's work, hobbies, fitness, study, or downtime. Log hours with ease, gain insight into how you spend your day, and build better habits over time. Designed for freelancers, professionals, students, creatives, and anyone who wants to be more mindful of their time. FEATURES: Track Anything Create unlimited activities for whatever matters to you—projects, workouts, chores, hobbies, or rest. Smart Session Logging Start and stop sessions anytime. Take breaks without losing track—Clockwork logs them for you. Customize with Color & Icons Personalize each activity to match your workflow and make tracking feel effortless. Unlimited Timers Switch between tasks on the fly. No limits, no fuss. Daily & Weekly Stats Visualize how your time adds up with clean bar charts that show patterns and progress. Whether you’re logging hours for work, tracking screen time, or building a new routine, Clockwork makes time tracking feel seamless and rewarding.

Screenshots

Clean Links4 screens
Clockwork4 screens

Verdict

The call

Clean Links and Clockwork are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Clean Links versus Clockwork: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClean LinksClockwork
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (68 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews94.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings68 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size72 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNumen Technologies LimitedEric Haslag

In-app purchases

None

Clean Links

No in-app purchases

None

Clockwork

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Clean Links free?
Clean Links is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Clockwork free?
Clockwork is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Clean Links or Clockwork have ads?
Neither Clean Links nor Clockwork shows ads.

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