# Number Shield vs WideProtect SMS Blocker

The clearest difference is price: WideProtect SMS Blocker at Free against Number Shield's $2.99. WideProtect SMS Blocker also leads on review sentiment (73% vs 50%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Number Shield's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (1.9K vs 150). On rating, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

WideProtect SMS Blocker is free to download; Number Shield costs $2.99 up front. WideProtect SMS Blocker sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $13.99 per year. Number Shield asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Number Shield against 4.5 for WideProtect SMS Blocker. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Number Shield has 1.9K ratings behind it against 150, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Number Shield's written reviews are positive against 73% of WideProtect SMS Blocker's.

Number Shield ships an update every 2 months, WideProtect SMS Blocker every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Number Shield | WideProtect SMS Blocker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/number-shield/id1319082167/reviews)** | [4.5 (150 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wideprotect-sms-blocker/id1589132654/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.9K** | 150 |
| Positive reviews | 50.1% of reviews | **73.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 9 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kinnaman Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/679806187) | [Valerii Andrusyk](https://appshunter.io/developer/787326004) |

## What reviewers say

### Number Shield

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/number-shield/id1319082167)

Block unwanted calls and texts from scammers who use fake phone numbers. Easily block entire groups of similar numbers using wildcards. Your contacts are always safe, and blocked calls go to voicemail.

**Highlights:** Block similar numbers with wildcards, Block international numbers, Contacts automatically allowed, Block from missed calls screen, Send blocked calls to voicemail, Send blocked texts to Junk filter

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Blocks calls effectively
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🔒 Protects from spam calls
- 💡 Allows blocking entire area codes
- ⭐ Works as expected

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes or freezes
- 🔍 Limited number of numbers that can be blocked
- 🤔 Doesn't always block all spam calls
- 🤷‍♀️ Doesn't block text messages
- ⚠️ Lacks customer support

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes when adding new numbers
- Blocked numbers still receive calls
- Database errors cause app to malfunction
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add ability to block text messages
- Increase number of numbers that can be blocked
- Improve stability and reduce crashes
- Add option to block entire country codes
- Provide better customer support


### WideProtect SMS Blocker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wideprotect-sms-blocker/id1589132654)

Effortlessly block unwanted SMS messages from promotions, scams, and political campaigns. Create custom filters using keywords or phone number patterns, or utilize smart rules to block entire regions. Protect your privacy with offline functionality and easy setup.

**Highlights:** Block SMS by keywords, numbers, short codes, or email, Smart rules for links, emails, and country blocking, Block SMS with images, Pre-configured patterns for multiple countries, Whitelisting for trusted numbers, Offline functionality and privacy-focused, Family sharing options

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full version for 1 year | $13.99 | per year |
| Full family version for 1 year | $34.99 | per year |
| Lifetime license | $34.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime family license | $69.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Effective spam blocking
- 👍 Filters unwanted texts
- 👍 Blocks area codes
- 👍 Blocks political texts
- 👍 Easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Doesn't block texts from email addresses
- 🐛 New icon is disliked
- 🐛 Lifetime license confusion/controversy
- 🐛 Does not work for some users
- 🐛 Spam texts still get through

**Reported bugs**

- Texts from email addresses are not blocked
- New icon is considered ugly
- Lifetime license terms are unclear and have led to user dissatisfaction
- App does not work for some users
- Spam texts with specific keywords are not blocked

**Requested features**

- Clarification on lifetime license terms
- Ability to edit or remove phrases
- Improve blocking of texts from email addresses
- Address Apple Watch notification issues
- Improve accuracy in flagging legitimate messages


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Number Shield free?

Number Shield costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is WideProtect SMS Blocker free?

WideProtect SMS Blocker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Number Shield or WideProtect SMS Blocker?

Number Shield is rated higher. Number Shield averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.9K ratings, while WideProtect SMS Blocker averages 4.5 from 150 ratings.

### Do Number Shield or WideProtect SMS Blocker have ads?

Neither Number Shield nor WideProtect SMS Blocker shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Number Shield or WideProtect SMS Blocker?

Number Shield ships an update every 2 months, and WideProtect SMS Blocker every 3 weeks. Most recently, Number Shield was updated on October 26, 2026 and WideProtect SMS Blocker on October 25, 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.*