# SMI Chat vs QR Shield

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SMI Chat at none against QR Shield's 3. SMI Chat also leads on ads (none vs shown) and device support (3 vs 1). QR Shield's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. QR Shield sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. SMI Chat asks for nothing beyond the download.

SMI Chat ships an update every 3 weeks, QR Shield every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SMI Chat | QR Shield |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smi-chat/id1234258844/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 79 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Siliconmotion](https://appshunter.io/developer/1050091822) | [Sports Stats Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1481193925) |

## What reviewers say

### SMI Chat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smi-chat/id1234258844)

This communication platform facilitates group and individual messaging, file sharing, and voice/video calls within a secure, encrypted environment. It allows seamless interaction with other apps in its ecosystem and offers features like read receipts and searchable history across devices.

**Highlights:** Group chat rooms, Message, image, video, file sharing, 1-on-1 and conference voice/video calls, End-to-end encryption, Read receipts, Matrix.org ecosystem integration, Searchable chat history

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration

**In-app purchases:** none


### QR Shield

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qr-shield-qr-code-checker/id6736943203)

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 25 Credits | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| 100 Credits | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SMI Chat free?

SMI Chat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is QR Shield free?

QR Shield is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do SMI Chat or QR Shield have ads?

QR Shield shows ads; SMI Chat does not.

### Which is updated more often, SMI Chat or QR Shield?

SMI Chat ships an update every 3 weeks, and QR Shield every 5 days. Most recently, SMI Chat was updated on October 6, 2026 and QR Shield on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*