Comparison

SMS Filter vs TextShield

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

Head to head
About

SMS Filter

Features
Read full description

Take control of unwanted texts without giving up your privacy. SMS Filter – Smart Filter organizes incoming SMS using custom rules based on message content or the sender’s phone number. Filtering happens locally on your iPhone. Your SMS content and contacts are never uploaded to our servers or collected by us. If you enable iCloud sync, only your filter rules are stored in your private iCloud accountβ€”not your messages or contacts. The app evaluates only messages from senders who are not in your Contacts, helping keep personal conversations untouched. Features: - Create custom rules using message content or phone numbers - Create unlimited filter rules - Organize matching messages into Transaction, Promotion, or Junk - Activate or deactivate any rule whenever you want - Filter only messages from senders outside your Contacts - Sync filter rules across your devices with iCloud - Works locally and offline - Supports Dark Mode

About

TextShield

Features
Read full description

Tired of spam texts? TextShield quietly sorts them out β€” the decision is made on your device, and your messages never leave your phone. HOW IT WORKS Texts from unknown senders pass through three checkpoints: 1. Your allow list (always wins, important texts are never lost) 2. Your block list (keywords, regex, sender prefixes) 3. Built-in rule packs for Chinese (170 rules) and Japanese (101 rules) spam patterns (loan scams, fake invoices, gambling, delivery & bank phishing) Anything unmatched is delivered normally β€” when in doubt, let it through. EVERYTHING IS FREE Unlimited rules, regex and sender-prefix rules, both built-in rule packs and the filter test bench are open to everyone. No paywall, no subscription. ABOUT THE ADS A single banner sits at the bottom of the home screen, served by Google AdMob. Fetching it is the app's only network activity. On first launch iOS asks for tracking permission; if you decline, only non-personalized ads are requested. The banner never reads your messages or your rules. A one-time purchase removes the banner for good β€” it removes the banner only, nothing gets unlocked. NO ADS IN THE FILTER EXTENSION The extension that actually classifies your texts contains no ad code and no networking code at all. NOTE iOS only routes texts from unknown senders to filters. Messages from your contacts and iMessage are never filtered β€” that's a system privacy guarantee, not a limitation of this app.

Screenshots

SMS Filter4 screens
TextShield4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: SMS Filter at none against TextShield's shown. On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. SMS Filter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and TextShield sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
SMS Filter versus TextShield: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSMS FilterTextShield
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksβ€”
AdsNo β€” betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.016.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size20 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerζ˜₯ζ™– ηŽ‹δΈ½δ½³ ζ–½

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SMS Filter

One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$0.99
1 purchases

TextShield

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99

Questions

Is SMS Filter free?
SMS Filter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TextShield free?
TextShield is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SMS Filter or TextShield have ads?
TextShield shows ads; SMS Filter does not.

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