Firewall vs Textkiller
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Firewall
This app blocks unwanted calls and texts by only allowing approved contacts to reach you. It also offers visual voicemail, privacy protection for your number, and the ability to make anonymous outbound calls. Enjoy a cleaner, more productive phone experience.
- Block 100% of spam calls
- Whitelisting for approved callers
- SMS spam blocker
- Visual voicemail
- Anonymous outbound calls
- Local contact storage
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Firewall is the only app that can handle the state of spam calls today. BLOCK 100% OF SPAM CALLS Most robocall blocker apps try to determine which numbers spammers use, but spam callers and robocallers switch numbers and use fake Caller IDs to get around those blockers. Firewall works the opposite way. You create a list of people from your contacts who you want to hear from, and only those approved callers can ring through. All other callers get blocked or sent to voicemail. PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY AND PRODUCTIVITY Firewall is guaranteed to block spam calls, fraud calls, and robocalls, but it does a lot more to help keep your number private and keep you productive: - Avoid unwanted text messages, with our SMS spam blocker - Eliminate disruptions from legal but annoying calls (car dealers, salespeople, etc) - Screen messages with visual voicemail - Pause the blocker when expecting an important call from an unknown number - Protect your personal number by making anonymous outbound calls to unknown numbers - Keep your privacy intact - your contacts are stored locally unlike other robocall blocker apps - Get support from our U.S. based customer service team 7 days a week Some of our favorite features include: BEST-IN-CLASS VISUAL VOICEMAIL Quickly see who called and what they wanted, so you can determine if you want to call them back, block them, or add them to your allowed contacts list. OPTIONAL SMS FILTER SMS spam is on the rise. Flip on Firewall’s SMS filter to keep scammers and marketers from polluting your messages with unwanted texts. PRIVACY FOR ALL Firewall is built by Ad Hoc Labs, the same company that makes Burner, the award-winning 2nd phone number app. We build privacy-first communications tools, and unlike many other companies, we value privacy above all else. We would never sell your data or compromise your privacy. 14-DAY FREE TRIAL Firewall is free to try for 14 days - we know you’ll love it! If not, you can opt-out of the subscription during your free trial and won’t be charged. Once your free trial ends, your subscription will automatically renew at $3.99/mo with no commitments. Cancel at any time. Firewall is only available for Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint customers. Firewall robocall blocker lets you block unwanted calls and puts you back in control of your phone. Here’s a little about why people love us: “Kryptonite for unwanted calls” - Macworld “My phone hasn't rung once. I couldn't be happier” - CNET “A radical option to crack down on robocalls” - Axios Terms of Service: https://www.adhoclabs.co/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://www.adhoclabs.co/privacy-policy
Textkiller
This app automatically blocks unwanted spam text messages, protecting you from scams and telemarketing. It offers customizable filtering options, a constantly updated global block list, and a privacy-first approach to keep your inbox clean and your personal information secure.
- Automatic spam text elimination
- Global block list updated constantly
- Predictive SMS blocking algorithm
- Customizable blocking (keywords, email, number ranges)
- Block and Allow lists
- Report spam to train algorithm
- Privacy-first algorithm
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Eliminate 99% of spam text messages with Textkiller, and live spam-text free®! Textkiller is the new spam text blocking app that's creating a world without spam texts. With Textkiller, you're instantly protected from more than 100,000,000 known phone scams, and counting! Textkiller's intuitive and easy-to-use features ensure you get all the texts you want, and none that you don't. Textkiller's innovative text blocking technology has already been featured by The New York Times, NBC, Wired, Engadget, Vice, and many other publications. Here are some of Textkiller's highly-reviewed features: Eliminate 99% of spam texts automatically With Textkiller, you're instantly protected from more than 100,000,000 known phone scams - and our global block list is updated every minute. Textkiller's predictive SMS blocking algorithm is also able to determine if an incoming text is spam in less than 0.01 second, keeping you safe from emerging spam texts too! Control who can text you Get good texts only. Textkiller's Block and Allow lists ensure the text messages you want are never blocked, removing all distractions from unwanted and dangerous spam text messages. Customize your text blocking Only Textkiller gives you fully customizable text blocking to ensure you block spam texts on your terms. Other apps only let you block individual phone numbers or text messages, but with Textkiller's keyword-based filtering, email address blocking, and phone number range blocking options, you can fully control how we block your spam texts. Train Textkiller To Get Smarter Report spam texts to Textkiller to help our algorithm get more precise at blocking your spam texts, and ensuring you always get the texts you want. Reporting spam texts also helps to protect other Textkiller users from receiving the same scam! Turn on the Extreme Blocking function, and Textkiller will filter all messages coming from senders outside of your contact list. Keep your money safe from losses to fraud Textkiller prevented 800 USD per year in losses to text scams, according to data reported by the Federal Trade Commission. Privacy-first text blocking Textkiller's patented text blocking algorithm immediately removes any identifying information before making a decision on blocking a text. Your privacy, and personal text messages are always safe with us. Relax and live life spam-text-free® In our busy lives, spam texts are an unnecessary and annoying distraction. Textkiller cleans up your iMessage inbox from annoying spam or telemarketing texts so you can have a bit of peace back in your day. That's what it means to live life spam-text-free. Here's what your spam-text-free life looks like: - No distractions: You can trust when a text notification goes off, it's a message that's meant for you. - Total control: Has your number fallen into the hands of annoying telemarketers or marketing lists? With Textkiller, you decide who can or can't text you - without having to deal with the hassle of trying to unsubscribe. - Zen: While Textkiller can't eliminate all of your daily distractions, we do our best to give you one slice of distraction-free paradise by ridding your phone of annoying spam. Built by people who hate robocalls, spam texts, and respect your privacy, Textkiller will help you take control of who can and can’t text you. We're empowering everyone with a smartphone to create a spam-text-free world. But, we can't do it without you. Try Textkiller free today! Textkiller is free to download. A subscription is required to use the product. Once your trial ends, your subscription will automatically renew. You can cancel at any time. Live life spam-text-free®! Terms of Service: https://www.teltech.co/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://www.teltech.co/privacy.html California Privacy Notice: https://teltech.co/privacy.html#section-8 *** According to the FTC.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Textkiller at free with in-app purchases against Firewall's subscription. Textkiller also leads on ratings volume (13K vs 1.6K). Firewall's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Firewall sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Textkiller sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Firewall against 4.3 for Textkiller. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Textkiller has 13K ratings behind it against 1.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 39% of Firewall's written reviews are positive against 37% of Textkiller's.
Firewall ships an update every 10 days, Textkiller every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Firewall | Textkiller |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (1.6K ratings) | 4.3 (13K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 39.4% of reviews — better | 36.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.6K | 13K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 108 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ad Hoc Labs, Inc | Mosaic S.r.l. |
Customer experience
Firewall
Textkiller
User reviews
Firewall
From 1.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent at blocking robocalls
- 👍 Useful call screening and voicemail features
- 🤖 Helpful AI assistant with witty responses
- 💯 Effective at stopping unwanted calls
Room to improve
- 🔇 Poor call quality and dropped calls
- 🤖 Overly aggressive blocking of whitelisted contacts
- 🕰️ Sluggish app performance and UI
- 🔌 Issues with call forwarding and uninstallation
Textkiller
From 13K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Stops spam texts
- 👍 Filters messages effectively
- 💡 Keyword blocking
- 🚀 Works well when functioning
- 👍 Useful for reducing spam
Room to improve
- 🐛 App not working after updates
- 🐛 Issues with premium features
- 🔍 Concerns about privacy and data access
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance
- 💰 Expensive subscription
Bugs and requests
Firewall
Reported bugs
3 issues- Missed calls from whitelisted contacts
- Persistent call forwarding issues after uninstall
- Inconsistent behavior with unknown numbers
Requested features
4 requests- Customizable blacklist/whitelist options
- Scheduling/automation for call blocking
- Improved integration with Apple Watch
- Better voicemail management and call log
Textkiller
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes during setup
- Keyword blocking not working as expected
- Junk messages still getting through
- Issues contacting support
Requested features
4 requests- Sync blocked list across devices
- Automatically delete junk messages
- Better integration with Apple Watch
- More transparency on how filtering works
In-app purchases
Firewall
- Firewall Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Firewall Subscription14 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Firewall Subscription7 Days trial$3.991 Month
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Firewall Annual Subscription14 Days trial$34.991 Year
Textkiller
- Textkiller Pro$4.997 Days
- TextKiller Pro with Free Trial7 Days trial$4.997 Days
- Monthly Premium Protection7 Days trial$5.991 Month
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Monthly Premium Protection$5.991 Month
- Monthly Premium Protection7 Days trial2 variants$7.991 Month
- Yearly Premium Protection7 Days trial$69.991 Year
- Textkiller Pro$69.991 Year
- Textkiller Pro with Free Trial7 Days trial$69.991 Year
- Yearly Premium Protection7 Days trial$79.991 Year
Questions
Is Firewall free?
Is Textkiller free?
Which has better reviews, Firewall or Textkiller?
Do Firewall or Textkiller have ads?
Which is updated more often, Firewall or Textkiller?
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