# Turtle vs WideProtect SMS Blocker

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Turtle at none against WideProtect SMS Blocker's 4. Turtle also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). WideProtect SMS Blocker's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. WideProtect SMS Blocker sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $13.99 per year. Turtle asks for nothing beyond the download.

Turtle ships an update every 3 months, WideProtect SMS Blocker monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Turtle | WideProtect SMS Blocker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.5 (147 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wideprotect-sms-blocker/id1589132654/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **147** |
| Positive reviews | — | 72.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 25 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [CHENGWEN WU](https://appshunter.io/developer/1558080152) | [Valerii Andrusyk](https://appshunter.io/developer/787326004) |

## What reviewers say

### Turtle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/turtle/id1558080150)

**In-app purchases:** none


### 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 Turtle free?

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

### Is WideProtect SMS Blocker free?

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

### Do Turtle or WideProtect SMS Blocker have ads?

Neither Turtle nor WideProtect SMS Blocker shows ads.

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

Turtle ships an update every 3 months, and WideProtect SMS Blocker monthly. Most recently, Turtle was updated on October 7, 2026 and WideProtect SMS Blocker on October 17, 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.*