Comparison

Argus vs Argus

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

Head to head
About

Argus

Features
Read full description

Argus is a counter-surveillance field instrument for iPhone. It turns your phone into a six-tool sweep kit for travelers, hosts, parents and privacy-minded users β€” built to check any room for hidden cameras, listening devices, BLE trackers and rogue WiFi nodes in roughly three minutes. Most "spy detector" apps do one trick (a magnetometer dial in a fake radar UI) and call it a day. Argus rejects that model. It chains real iPhone sensors into a structured sweep protocol that mirrors how counter-surveillance teams actually inspect a room. β€” WHAT MAKES ARGUS DIFFERENT β€” β—‰ A real protocol, not a single trick Six independent detection methods, each surfacing a different class of threat. Every reading folds into a structured dossier. β—‰ Six instruments, one workflow Optical lens reflection, infrared light source, WiFi network audit, Bluetooth Low Energy scan, magnetic field meter, maximum-brightness flashlight beacon. All driven by real iPhone telemetry. β—‰ Guided room presets Six location presets β€” Hotel, Airbnb / Vrbo, Office, Bathroom, Changing Room, General β€” each walks you step by step through where to point, what to listen for and what to flag. β—‰ Threat Map (unique to Argus) Every sweep is geotagged and pinned on a MapKit view, color-coded by threat level. Browse every hotel, rental and venue you've checked. Useful for frequent travelers and hosts auditing their own units. β—‰ Sweep Dossier reports Each sweep produces a shareable PDF report (safety score, flagged devices, timestamps, findings). Records live on-device. β—‰ Field Manual built in Real counter-surveillance tradecraft β€” how spy cameras hide, how to spot them, your legal rights, what to do if you find one. Researched content, not filler. β—‰ Privacy by design No account. No cloud sync. No telemetry. The app works fully offline. Useful in hotel WiFi situations where you don't want to broadcast what you're doing. β€” INSTRUMENT REFERENCE β€” β—‰ Optical Lens Scan β€” flags reflective glints from camera lenses hidden in mirrors, smoke detectors, vents and dΓ©cor. β—‰ Infrared Detector β€” surfaces invisible IR light sources from night-vision spy cameras via the front sensor. β—‰ WiFi Network Audit β€” enumerates every device on the local network and flags unknown vendors and rogue cameras. β—‰ Bluetooth RF Sweep β€” discovers BLE transmitters in the 2.4 GHz band, including Bluetooth item trackers and BLE bugs. β—‰ EMF Magnetic Meter β€” baseline + peak detection of magnetic anomalies from electronics hidden behind walls and furniture. β—‰ Flashlight Beacon β€” maximum-brightness mode for manual lens-glint inspection. β€” QUICK SCAN PRESETS β€” Hotel Room Β· Airbnb / Vrbo Β· Office Β· Bathroom Β· Changing Room Β· General. Each preset chains the relevant instruments into one dossier. β€” WHO ARGUS IS FOR β€” β€’ Travelers checking hotel rooms before unpacking β€’ Airbnb / Vrbo guests auditing short-term rentals β€’ Hosts inspecting their own properties β€’ Parents checking rooms, dorms or daycares β€’ Anyone in shared housing, gyms or rentals β€’ Privacy-conscious professionals on the road β€” IMPORTANT β€” No consumer app can guarantee 100% detection of every hidden camera or covert device. Argus is a supplementary tool that helps a careful user inspect a room more thoroughly than they could unaided. Use Argus to sharpen awareness, structure the sweep, and create a record β€” not to replace common sense. β€” PRO ACCESS β€” Unlimited sweeps, all six room presets, PDF dossier export, ad-free. Weekly, yearly or lifetime. β€” LEGAL β€” Terms of Use: https://pnkl26.web.app/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://pnkl26.web.app/privacy-policy β€” SUPPORT β€” pnkhanhlinh0206@gmail.com

About

Argus

Features
Read full description

Argus checks an unfamiliar room for hidden cameras with four scans that all run on your iPhone: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a lens-reflection camera finder and a magnetometer. The camera finder is free, with no scan limit and no account. Hotel rooms, Airbnbs and holiday rentals, changing rooms, gym lockers, bathrooms, rental cars. No single method finds every camera: one in a smoke detector might sit on the room's Wi-Fi, or record to a memory card and touch no network at all. WI-FI SCANNER Finds the devices on the network you joined that answer a scan. Argus Pro lists each one with how fast it answered, which known camera and DVR ports are open and, when a port answers, what the service says about itself β€” often the firmware. Blind spot: hotel guest Wi-Fi often isolates devices from each other, so an empty result there does not mean the room is clean. BLUETOOTH SCANNER Finds nearby Bluetooth LE devices that are advertising β€” trackers and battery-powered gadgets β€” and needs no network. Argus Pro lists each one with its signal strength. Blind spot: a device that is paired and silent does not advertise. CAMERA FINDER β€” LENS REFLECTION Turns the camera into a lens finder: it watches for the tight bright glint a lens returns when light hits it. Lights off, torch on, then sweep smoke detectors, clocks, chargers, vents, the TV and mirrors slowly and close. This is the scan most people mean by a hidden camera detector. Blind spot: it needs a dark room by design, and any shiny point can glint β€” a flag means look closer. MAGNET SCANNER Reads the magnetometer for the change in magnetic field that electronics and magnets hidden inside everyday objects cause β€” the check for something with no radio at all. Blind spot: plumbing, screws and structural metal move the needle too β€” a reading means look closer. A FIVE-MINUTE SWEEP Join the room's Wi-Fi and scan it. Run Bluetooth from the bed, then the bathroom. Lights off, torch on, sweep everything facing the bed with the camera finder. Pass the magnet scanner over whatever stood out. One signal is a question; if two checks point at the same object, inspect it closely. HONEST ABOUT THE LIMITS No app can guarantee every hidden device is found. A phone has no thermal camera and no RF detector, so a camera that is off, records locally or uses its own SIM is the hard case β€” which is exactly why Argus runs four scans instead of one. PRIVACY No account, no ads. What a scan finds β€” device names, addresses, readings β€” stays on your iPhone. Camera frames and magnetometer readings are never recorded; only Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scans are saved, on your phone, where you can delete them. Apple and RevenueCat handle subscriptions; crash reports and usage analytics (screens, scans, purchases) are not linked to you. No advertising identifier, no tracking across apps. FREE, AND ARGUS PRO Free, in full: the Camera Finder, with no scan limit. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth also run free and report how many devices answered and how many of them are unidentified. Argus Pro adds: the full device list with addresses and names where a device sends one; for Bluetooth, signal and safety score; for Wi-Fi, response time, open ports and the service reply; and the Magnet Scanner. Requires iOS 16 or later. Scanner-by-scanner limits and a step-by-step hotel sweep: https://tatrom.github.io/ Argus Pro is a weekly or yearly auto-renewable subscription. The price is shown in the app before you subscribe. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. It renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. You can manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Terms of Use: https://tatrom.github.io/privacy-terms/terms-of-use.html Privacy Policy: https://tatrom.github.io/privacy-terms/privacy-policy.html Questions or feedback? Write to us, we read every message.

Screenshots

Argus3 screens
Argus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Argus at none against Argus's 2. On price, ads, 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. Argus sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Argus asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Argus versus Argus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArgusArgus
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyβ€”Fortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.016.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size7 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLinh Phan Nhat KhanhRoman Hadiiev

In-app purchases

None

Argus

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Argus

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly$7.997 Days
  • Yearly3 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Argus free?
Argus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Argus free?
Argus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Argus or Argus have ads?
Neither Argus nor Argus shows ads.

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