Tom vs Shadow Security
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tom
Convert audio and video files to text securely and privately on your device. This app handles long recordings, identifies speakers, and supports multiple languages, all without needing an internet connection.
- 100% local processing
- Handles long audio files (2-3 hours)
- Speaker identification
- Multilingual support
- Search and manage transcriptions
- Copy or export text
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Transcribe audio & video with the engine that fits the job — three options, all 100% on-device. Tom turns sound into clean, editable text right on your iPhone. Lectures, WhatsApp voice notes, screen recordings, interviews, podcasts, long meetings — pick your engine, drop in the file, read the transcript. No account, no upload. Built originally for a friend who is deaf, Tom is for anyone who needs to read what was said. TRY IT, THEN DECIDE Five transcriptions are on the house — from files or recorded live, with any engine, no time limit and no minute counter. Enough to put your own audio through it and see what comes out. Tom Pro — a single payment, no subscription, no ads — removes the limit on new transcriptions, and adds subtitle export in SubRip and WebVTT plus re-transcribing a file with a different engine, keeping every version. Whatever you've already transcribed stays yours either way: read it, edit it, search it, play it back and export it as text, with or without Pro. Bought Tom back when it was a paid app? You already have Tom Pro, free, forever. Nothing to do. CHOOSE YOUR ENGINE • Apple Speech — fast, low memory, built into iOS. Great default for live recording and short files. 25 languages. • Whisper — OpenAI's recognizer, running locally. Six sizes from Tiny (80 MB) to Large v3 (3.1 GB), including Turbo for the best speed/quality balance. Up to 99 languages. • Parakeet v3 — high-accuracy European transcription from FluidAudio, on-device. 25 European languages. KEY FEATURES • Live recording — tap once and watch the transcript appear as you speak. • File import — any video from your library, or audio from the Files app (WhatsApp voice notes included). • Multiple engines + re-transcribe — pick Apple Speech, Whisper, Parakeet or Nemotron per file, and (with Tom Pro) re-run the same audio through a different engine without losing the previous transcript. • Editable segments — long-press a segment to fix a word the recognizer got wrong. Your edit stays on the device. • Subtitle export — save any transcript as plain text, or as SubRip (.srt) and WebVTT (.vtt) with Tom Pro. • Player with smart controls — tap-to-seek, follow the highlighted segment, skip ±10s, switch speed to 1.5x or 2x. • Honest hallucination flag — when Whisper invents text on silence or music, suspect segments are clearly marked. We never silently strip your transcript. • Long files — chunked processing for meetings, lectures and full episodes. • Model management — downloaded models live in Documents, visible in the Files app. Delete one from Settings or Files to reclaim space anytime. • Wi-Fi only downloads — on by default, so large models never eat your cellular data. • Smart storage — custom titles, search by title or content, activity log on every step. WHO IS IT FOR • Students extracting notes from lectures, videos, or screen recordings. • Professionals transcribing interviews, meetings, or long audio files. • WhatsApp users who want to read voice messages instead of listening. • Content creators turning audio or video into text or subtitles for TikTok, Reels, Shorts, or blogs. • Podcasters making episodes accessible with .srt subtitles. • Anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing and needs private, reliable transcription. WHY CHOOSE TOM Most transcription apps upload your audio to a server. Tom does the opposite: every engine — Apple Speech, Whisper, Parakeet, Nemotron — runs entirely on your iPhone. No account, no upload, no subscription: Tom Pro is a one-time purchase. With multiple engines, re-transcribe-and-compare, segment editing, subtitle export and an honest hallucination flag, Tom covers the whole flow from "I said this" to "here's a clean text I can share" — without ever sending a byte off your device. Note: the app needs permission for the microphone (live recording), the photo library (video import), and Apple's speech recognition. Your audio stays on your device. Offline models are downloaded once on first use.
Shadow Security
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PROTECT YOUR DOCUMENTS FROM AI ATTACKS Shadow Security is the first PDF security app with AI-powered threat detection. Scan documents for prompt injection, data exfiltration, malware, and 160+ other sophisticated attacks. ENTERPRISE-GRADE SECURITY FOR EVERYONE • 160+ Threat Detection Patterns across 30 categories • AI Attack Protection (prompt injection, jailbreaks) • Malware & Virus Detection • Hidden Text Detection (steganography) • Data Exfiltration Prevention • SQL Injection & XSS Detection • Command Injection Protection • And much more... PROFESSIONAL PDF TOOLS INCLUDED • Full-featured PDF viewer with smooth scrolling • Annotations: highlights, notes, drawings, signatures • Form filling and editing • OCR text extraction • Page management and organization • Export to multiple formats • Print with advanced options 100% PRIVATE & SECURE • All scanning happens on YOUR device • No cloud uploads or data collection • No internet connection required • Your documents never leave your device • AES-256 encryption for sensitive data • GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA compliant CLEAN FILE EXPORT • Remove all detected threats automatically • Scrub metadata and EXIF data • Export sanitized versions of documents • Verify clean files with re-scanning • Batch cleaning for multiple files COMPLIANCE TRACKING • GDPR compliance monitoring • HIPAA compliance features • SOC2 compliance tracking • PCI-DSS compliance support • Audit logging and reporting • Enterprise-ready compliance tools ADVANCED FEATURES • Batch scanning for multiple files • Scheduled automatic scans • Folder watching and monitoring • Detailed threat reports (PDF, JSON, CSV) • Threat severity classification • Real-time security dashboard • AI-powered threat intelligence MULTI-PLATFORM • Native macOS app (Apple Silicon + Intel) • Native iOS app (iPhone + iPad) • iCloud sync across devices • Handoff support • Universal purchase PERFECT FOR • Business professionals handling sensitive documents • Healthcare providers (HIPAA compliance) • Legal professionals • Financial services • Government agencies • Privacy-conscious individuals • Anyone who values document security WHY SHADOW SECURITY? In an era of AI-powered attacks, traditional security tools aren't enough. Shadow Security uses advanced algorithms to detect sophisticated threats that other apps miss: • Prompt injection attacks that manipulate AI systems • Jailbreak techniques that bypass security controls • Hidden malicious code in seemingly innocent documents • Data exfiltration attempts • Social engineering attacks • And 155+ other threat patterns TRUSTED BY PROFESSIONALS Shadow Security is built by security experts and trusted by professionals worldwide. Our threat detection algorithms are constantly updated to protect against the latest attacks. EASY TO USE Despite its advanced capabilities, Shadow Security is incredibly easy to use: 1. Open any PDF, Word doc, or image 2. Tap "Scan for Threats" 3. Review detailed results 4. Export clean version if needed TERMS OF USE https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tom at none against Shadow Security's 1. Tom also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Shadow Security sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. Tom asks for nothing beyond the download.
Tom ships an update every 2 months, Shadow Security every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tom | Shadow Security |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Marco Tini | Stephen Luadzers |
In-app purchases
Tom
No in-app purchases
Shadow Security
- Shadow Security Monthly3 Days trial$0.991 Month









