Comparison

SMS Shield vs Bouncer

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

Head to head
About

SMS Shield

This app uses machine learning to automatically filter unwanted SMS messages, including promotions, phishing attempts, and scam texts. It offers features like a frequent traveler mode to block international carrier messages and a custom block list for specific numbers or keywords. All filtering is done offline, ensuring 100% privacy.

Highlights
  • Automatic spam filtering
  • Frequent traveler mode
  • Custom block list
  • Offline filtering
  • Multi-lingual spam detection
Features
Read full description

SMS Shield is a Machine Learning-based SMS spam filter for iPhone. We trained it on what spam SMS looks like by showing it tens of thousands of spam SMSs beforehand. SMS Shield then learns and, to a high degree of confidence, can identify spam even it haven't seen it before. Besides spam blocking, SMS Shield includes innovative features like Frequent Traveler Mode. Features: + Automatic Spam Filtering SMS Shield will automatically block SMS spam like promotions, ads, phishing and scam attempts at stealing your sensitive information (e.g. SMSs claiming to be from your bank). + Frequent Traveler Mode Enable this innovative feature during your business travels to block the often-annoying SMSs sent by mobile operators when visiting other countries (e.g. "Welcome to country X..."). + Custom Block List With custom block list, you can block SMSes from specific phone numbers or that include specific keywords. Remember that annoying Ex who keeps SMSing you years later? Blocked! + 100% privacy guarenteed SMS Shield is an offline SMS filter. Meaning it does the filtering offline, on your device. All your texts are 100% private. + Multi-lingual spam detection SMS Shield detects spam (and is localized) in English, Portuguese (Brazil), Italian, Swedish, and Arabic. If you would like us to add a specific language email us with spam texts you receive (as many as possible). ------------------------------ Available Subscriptions: GOLD: 1 year spam filtering subscription SILVER: ½ year spam filtering subscription CLASSIC: 1 month spam filtering subscription Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. To manage subscriptions or turn off auto-renewal go to your iTunes account settings after the purchase. Any unused portion of the free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://www.taphive.com/smsshield/privacypolicy.html Terms: https://www.taphive.com/smsshield/tou.html

About

Bouncer

This app acts as a powerful spam blocker and text filter, allowing users to regain control over unwanted SMS messages. It effectively blocks scam texts, political messages, phishing attempts, and junk SMS, keeping your inbox clean and private.

Highlights
  • Advanced text message filtering
  • Complete privacy protection
  • Smart message blocking with custom filters
  • Automatic notification control
  • Seamless integration with Messages app
  • Advanced filtering rules (PCRE)
  • 100% transparent and open source
Currently charting
Read full description

Stop unwanted SMS and text messages with Bouncer, the powerful spam blocker and text filter that puts you back in control. Block scam texts, political messages, phishing attempts, and junk SMS instantly. A perfect and private alternative to expensive SMS blockers like Robokiller. Features: - Advanced Text Message Filter: Block unwanted SMS, stop spam texts, and filter junk messages automatically. Bouncer detects and stops promotional texts, political SMS spam, scam messages, and phishing attempts. Keep your inbox clean from unwanted text notifications. - Complete Privacy Protection: Your text messages never leave your phone. No servers involved - all SMS filtering happens on your device. - Smart Message Blocking: Create custom filters to block specific SMS keywords, stop unwanted texts from specific numbers, and filter out any type of junk messages. Perfect for stopping political texts, blocking scam SMS, and filtering promotional messages. - Automatic Notification Control Stop notifications from spam texts and junk SMS automatically. Only get alerted for messages that matter. - Easy SMS Management: Works seamlessly with your Messages app to block unwanted texts. No complicated setup - just install and start blocking spam messages instantly - Advanced Filtering Rules (PCRE): Use powerful regular expressions to create custom text filters and stop any type of unwanted SMS. - 100% transparent and open source: Check out the code on GitHub: https://github.com/afterxleep/Bouncer Stop spam texts today with Bouncer - your personal SMS spam blocker and text message filter!

Screenshots

SMS Shield4 screens
Bouncer3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bouncer at 67% against SMS Shield's 17%. Bouncer also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.2) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). SMS Shield's advantage is price (Free vs $9.99) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

SMS Shield is free to download; Bouncer costs $9.99 up front. SMS Shield sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Bouncer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bouncer holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 138 and 514 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of SMS Shield's written reviews are positive against 67% of Bouncer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SMS Shield ships an update fortnightly, Bouncer every 5 months. Both last shipped on November 2, 2026.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
SMS Shield versus Bouncer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSMS ShieldBouncer
PriceFree — better$9.99
Rating3.2 (138 ratings)4.5 (514 ratings) — better
Positive reviews16.7% of reviews67.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings138514 — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
Best chart rank—#61 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS11.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTaphive GmbHDaniel Bernal

Customer experience

SMS Shield

All ratings138 ratings
Positive49.3%
Neutral8.0%
Negative42.8%
Written reviews84 reviews
Positive16.7%
Neutral3.6%
Negative79.8%

Bouncer

All ratings494 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative10.7%
Written reviews122 reviews
Positive67.2%
Neutral5.7%
Negative27.0%

User reviews

SMS Shield

From 138 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Works well for some users
  • 👍 Filters spam effectively for some
  • 👍 Good for blocking specific keywords for some
  • 👍 Worth the price for some users
  • 👍 Privacy-focused (messages stay on device)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Doesn't work for many users
  • 🐛 Fails to filter obvious scams
  • 🐛 Still receives spam texts
  • 🐛 Sends legitimate texts to junk
  • 🐛 Requires manual spam addition

Bouncer

From 514 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Works as advertised
  • 🚀 Effective at filtering spam
  • 🔒 Privacy-focused, open-source
  • 💰 Affordable one-time purchase

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and stability issues
  • 🤯 Deleted user's filter lists
  • 🤔 Inconsistent performance
  • 📱 Doesn't work across devices

Bugs and requests

SMS Shield

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • Filters out legitimate texts
  • Doesn't block known spam
  • Requires manual input for blocking
  • No response from support
  • Doesn't block SMS from email
Show 9 more
  • Machine learning is ineffective
  • App still filtering after cancellation
  • App doesn't work after iOS update
  • Keywords not being blocked
  • False positives (blocking important messages)
  • Cannot cancel subscription in-app
  • App asks for sensitive permissions
  • Free trial doesn't work as advertised
  • Fails to modify records when classifying SMS

Requested features

6 requests
  • More blocking of SMS scams
  • Option to mark SMS as spam or not spam
  • Ability to whitelist keywords
  • Better machine learning/training
  • Improved support responsiveness
Show 1 more
  • One-time purchase option

Bouncer

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Welcome screen buttons not working
  • Filters not working as expected
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Automatic deletion of junk messages
  • Ability to block entire area codes
  • Integration with Apple Watch
  • Customizable filter categories
  • Regex support for advanced filtering

In-app purchases

3 purchases

SMS Shield

Subscriptions3
  • Classic7 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Silver7 Days trial$3.996 Months
  • Gold7 Days trial$8.491 Year
None

Bouncer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SMS Shield free?
SMS Shield is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bouncer free?
Bouncer costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SMS Shield or Bouncer?
Bouncer is rated higher. SMS Shield averages 3.2 out of 5 from 138 ratings, while Bouncer averages 4.5 from 514 ratings.
Do SMS Shield or Bouncer have ads?
Neither SMS Shield nor Bouncer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SMS Shield or Bouncer?
SMS Shield ships an update fortnightly, and Bouncer every 5 months. Most recently, SMS Shield was updated on November 2, 2026 and Bouncer on November 2, 2026.

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