# Aurora Reader vs SMSGuard

The clearest difference is rating: SMSGuard at 5.0 against Aurora Reader's 4.3. Aurora Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (12 vs 1). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SMSGuard sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Aurora Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

SMSGuard holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Aurora Reader has 12 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 62% of Aurora Reader's written reviews are positive against 60% of SMSGuard's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Aurora Reader ships an update every 6 weeks, SMSGuard monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Aurora Reader | SMSGuard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aurora-reader/id1268667713/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smsguard-spam-blocker/id1531181789/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **12** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **61.5% of reviews** | 60.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 27 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Junyu Kuang](https://appshunter.io/developer/961945907) | [富海 肖](https://appshunter.io/developer/1529732494) |

## What reviewers say

### Aurora Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aurora-reader/id1268667713)

Save, read, and organize articles from the web with a clutter-free reading experience. Look up word definitions, add notes, and listen to articles hands-free. Syncs across devices via iCloud.

**Highlights:** Save articles from web, Clutter-free reading view, Offline article access, Word definition lookup, Highlighting and note-taking, Article-to-speech functionality, iCloud sync across devices

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### SMSGuard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smsguard-spam-blocker/id1531181789)

This app intelligently filters incoming SMS messages, automatically categorizing them into folders like Normal, Junk, Promotion, and Transaction. It offers custom rules for blocking numbers and matching keywords, with an optional premium cloud service for enhanced spam detection. Designed for privacy, it respects your contacts and supports multiple languages.

**Highlights:** Smart auto-classification of messages, Customizable blacklists and whitelists, Advanced keyword and Regex matching, Optional cloud-based spam filtering, Privacy-focused message handling, Multi-language support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SMSGuard Pro Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| SMSGuard Pro Annual | $6.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Aurora Reader free?

Aurora Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SMSGuard free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Aurora Reader or SMSGuard?

SMSGuard is rated higher. Aurora Reader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while SMSGuard averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Aurora Reader or SMSGuard have ads?

Neither Aurora Reader nor SMSGuard shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Aurora Reader or SMSGuard?

Aurora Reader ships an update every 6 weeks, and SMSGuard monthly. Most recently, Aurora Reader was updated on October 24, 2026 and SMSGuard on October 11, 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.*