Comparison

deviceOwl vs based takes

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

Head to head
About

deviceOwl

This app uses AI to identify household and covert spy devices by simply pointing your smartphone at them. It reveals device capabilities, privacy implications, and manufacturer details to help you protect your privacy.

Highlights
  • AI device identification
  • Privacy implications revealed
  • Device capabilities details
  • Manufacturer information
  • Offline device checking
  • Basic and Advanced Editions
Read full description

Discover Device Potential deviceOwl is an AI point-and-shoot hardware device checker that helps you identify the make and model of devices, and reveal their privacy implications. Covert spy devices are cameras and microphones that are either miniaturized, or disguised as other trusted household objects. They have serious implications, because they can be well disguised, highly reliable, and are widely available for purchase. Household smart devices can enhance the convenience and peace of mind we have at home, but sometimes at a cost of privacy and security. With an eye towards privacy, deviceOwl helps you quickly identify these devices, providing both simple, and in-depth details about their capabilities. Simply point your smartphone at a device, and let deviceOwl intelligently check it, based on its knowledge of thousands of devices. If a device is recognized, deviceOwl provides details about the device's capabilities, helping you to make the right decisions about how to protect your privacy, and the privacy of the people you care about. Information includes make, model, privacy and safety considerations, sensors, network, storage, power, remote control, AI capabilities, and manufacturer information, including origin, parent companies, privacy policy, and the current government blacklist status of the manufacturer. FEATURES —————-- - Basic Edition helps identify popular consumer household smart devices. - Advanced Edition helps identify covert consumer spy devices, and provides in-depth device capabilities with a focus on privacy. - Regular device knowledge updates keep deviceOwl aware of new devices. - Heads up display and interactive guidance to make it easier to check devices. - Designed for traveling. Once installed and updated, check devices without a cloud or network connection. IMPORTANT NOTES & LIMITATIONS —————————————————---- - Checks visible devices that are roughly up to the size of a shoebox. - Please follow the guidance provided on safely and correctly checking devices. - Some devices may look similar to each other, especially under different lighting conditions, and from different angles. Please confirm all device detections using the reported make and model. - DeviceOwl is not a network device scanner, or camera lens reflection checker. Instead, it uses AI to visually recognize devices by their shape and form. - Does not identify individual components of dismantled devices, such as their circuit boards and other components. - Does not identify certain device types whose surface is dominated by an LCD screen, including TV's, tablets, and smartphones. Refer to the device type selection screen for the most current list of supported device types. - Due to the volume of sample submissions, Entropic Labs responses to device sample submissions may be limited. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS ———————————- deviceOwl “Basic Edition” - Check popular consumer household smart devices using AI computer vision. - Reveal basic information, and in-depth device capabilities with a focus on privacy. deviceOwl “Advanced Edition” (Subscription) - Boosts deviceOwl with knowledge of covert consumer spy devices. - Reveal important privacy and safety considerations for select devices. - Cognition Boost feature helps to help identify partially damaged or marked devices. - Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. - Subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. - Manage your subscriptions, and turn off automatic renewal by going to your Account Settings after purchase. - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription.

About

based takes

Vote on trending memes, music, fashion, and celebrity moments. Discover what's popular in pop culture with daily fresh content. Share your honest opinions without followers or clout chasing.

Highlights
  • Rate viral content (memes, music, fashion, celebrity news)
  • Daily fresh content drops
  • See real-time culture trends
  • No followers or influencers
  • Discover trending moments
  • Share honest opinions
Read full description

Based Takes: Vote on Viral Trends & Memes Vote on today's hottest trends, memes, music drops, fashion, and celebrity moments. Fresh content dropped daily. Discover what's actually hitting in pop culture right now. Key Features: Rate viral content: memes, music, fashion, celebrity news Fresh content dropped daily See real-time culture trends and what's popping vs flopping No followers or influencers - just authentic takes Discover trending moments before they blow up Share your honest opinions on pop culture Perfect for trendsetters who want to vibe check the culture and see what's really resonating. Skip the clout chasing - just drop your take on what's fire or mid.ibe check the culture. Drop your take on what's actually hitting right now — viral memes, music drops, fits, celebrity moments. Fire if it hits. Fade if it's mid. No influencers. No followers. No chasing clout. Just pure takes on what's popping vs. what's flopping in the culture. The culture's waiting on your take Terms of Use: https://basedtakes.app/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://basedtakes.app/privacy.html

Screenshots

deviceOwl4 screens
based takes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: based takes at 5.0 against deviceOwl's 4.3. based takes also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). deviceOwl's advantage is ratings volume (539 vs 1). On price, 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

Both are free to download. deviceOwl sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. based takes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

based takes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: deviceOwl has 539 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

deviceOwl ships an update every 2 months, based takes every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
deviceOwl versus based takes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterdeviceOwlbased takes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (539 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews49.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings539 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS14.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB32 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperEntropic, LLCGolden Dawn

Customer experience

deviceOwl

All ratings522 ratings
Positive81.0%
Neutral5.9%
Negative13.0%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive49.1%
Neutral7.5%
Negative43.4%

based takes

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

deviceOwl

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Unreliable device detection
  • Subscription management problems
  • Unresponsive customer support

Requested features

4 requests
  • Free trial period for premium features
  • Expanded device database
  • Improved user interface
  • Seamless integration with other security apps

based takes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

deviceOwl

Subscriptions1
  • Annual Advanced Subscription$9.991 Year
None

based takes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is deviceOwl free?
deviceOwl is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is based takes free?
based takes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, deviceOwl or based takes?
based takes is rated higher. deviceOwl averages 4.3 out of 5 from 539 ratings, while based takes averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do deviceOwl or based takes have ads?
Neither deviceOwl nor based takes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, deviceOwl or based takes?
deviceOwl ships an update every 2 months, and based takes every 5 days. Most recently, deviceOwl was updated on November 3, 2026 and based takes on October 30, 2026.

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