Below are the typical type of wheel cleaners you may find and a quick description of their uses.
Strong Acid based - These are extremely strong cleaners generally consisting of hydrofluoric acid or ammonium bifluoride. They smell terrible and are very dangerous to your vehicle and person. These should only be used by professionals on particular wheel types and need to be neutralized.
Mild Acid based - These are often found OTC. They contain phosphoric or oxalic acid. They are much safer for wheel finishes and slightly safer for humans. They will generally require some agitation and may take multiple applications.
Alkaline based - These are similar to most all purposes cleaners. They often contain potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide or sodium metasilicate. These are also very strong and can be very dangerous to wheels and humans. Look for products containing sodium metasilicate rather than the hydroxides; it is just as effective and much less dangerous.
Surfactant/detergent based - These are often similar to car wash soap and are very mild, safe for all wheel types and humans. They are not very strong and will require agitation. This is often the best choice when dealing with aftermarket wheels and specialty brake systems like carbon ceramics. These tend to be pH neutral or close to and contain things like ethoxylated alcohol or sodium laurel sulfate. These are the safest wheel cleaners.
Iron targeting cleaners - There are a number of these on the market now. They are based on mercaptoacetates and have a charactaristicly bad smell. They are also color changing, as they react with iron particles they change to a dark purple color. These are pH neutral and are generally considered the safest wheel cleaners along with detergents.