Argus vs SpyGuard
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Argus
This app transforms your iPhone into a comprehensive counter-surveillance tool. It helps users detect hidden cameras, listening devices, and trackers in various locations with a structured sweep protocol and multiple detection methods.
- Six independent detection methods
- Optical lens reflection scan
- Infrared light source detection
- WiFi network audit
- Bluetooth Low Energy scan
- Magnetic field meter
- Guided room presets
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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 — 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. — WHAT MAKES ARGUS DIFFERENT — ◉ 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. ◉ 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. ◉ Guided room presets Six location presets — Hotel, Airbnb / Vrbo, Office, Bathroom, Changing Room, General — each walks you step by step through where to point, what to listen for and what to flag. ◉ 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. ◉ Sweep Dossier reports Each sweep produces a shareable PDF report (safety score, flagged devices, timestamps, findings). Records live on-device. ◉ Field Manual built in Real counter-surveillance tradecraft — how spy cameras hide, how to spot them, your legal rights, what to do if you find one. Researched content, not filler. ◉ 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. — INSTRUMENT REFERENCE — ◉ Optical Lens Scan — flags reflective glints from camera lenses hidden in mirrors, smoke detectors, vents and décor. ◉ Infrared Detector — surfaces invisible IR light sources from night-vision spy cameras via the front sensor. ◉ WiFi Network Audit — enumerates every device on the local network and flags unknown vendors and rogue cameras. ◉ Bluetooth RF Sweep — discovers BLE transmitters in the 2.4 GHz band, including Bluetooth item trackers and BLE bugs. ◉ EMF Magnetic Meter — baseline + peak detection of magnetic anomalies from electronics hidden behind walls and furniture. ◉ Flashlight Beacon — maximum-brightness mode for manual lens-glint inspection. — QUICK SCAN PRESETS — Hotel Room · Airbnb / Vrbo · Office · Bathroom · Changing Room · General. Each preset chains the relevant instruments into one dossier. — WHO ARGUS IS FOR — • Travelers checking hotel rooms before unpacking • Airbnb / Vrbo guests auditing short-term rentals • Hosts inspecting their own properties • Parents checking rooms, dorms or daycares • Anyone in shared housing, gyms or rentals • Privacy-conscious professionals on the road — IMPORTANT — 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 — not to replace common sense. — PRO ACCESS — Unlimited sweeps, all six room presets, PDF dossier export, ad-free. Weekly, yearly or lifetime. — LEGAL — Terms of Use: https://pnkl26.web.app/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://pnkl26.web.app/privacy-policy — SUPPORT — pnkhanhlinh0206@gmail.com
SpyGuard
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Hidden camera detector for hotels, Airbnbs and rentals. Somebody hid a camera in the room you paid for. It happens — and you can check for it in two minutes, with the sensors already in your phone. SpyGuard is a hidden camera detector and spy cam finder that gives you four independent ways to sweep a space: lens detection, infrared, Wi-Fi and magnetic. No app can prove a room is clean, and SpyGuard doesn't claim to. No account. No ads. Nothing leaves your phone. FOUR TOOLS • Camera Finder — the flash blinks while the camera watches. A lens sends light straight back where it came from, so a real lens lights up with every flash and vanishes in between. A screen, a lamp or a window reflection doesn't. That difference is what SpyGuard measures — and it's why this finds lenses that a steady flashlight misses. • Infrared Finder — night-vision cameras light a room with infrared you can't see, but your front camera can. Turn the lights off and sweep the room. • Network Scanner — lists every device on the Wi-Fi you're connected to, asks each one whether it speaks ONVIF (the protocol security cameras use), and flags what identifies itself as a camera. A device answering that query isn't a guess — it's the device's own statement. • Magnetic Sensor — measures your phone's magnetometer against a baseline taken in that room, so it reacts to what's behind the wall instead of to the Earth's own field. WHAT IT CANNOT DO No app can prove a room is clean, and SpyGuard doesn't claim to. It makes your search far better than looking with your eyes alone — and it tells you where each method stops: • Lens detection needs a dark room and a direct line of sight. Glass, screw heads and shiny plastic reflect too, which is why a hit reads "possible", not "found". • Infrared detection finds 850 nm emitters. The 940 nm "no-glow" kind is invisible to most phone cameras. • Network scanning only sees the network you're on. Guest networks often isolate devices from each other, and a hidden camera may run its own Wi-Fi. • Magnetic readings react to ordinary electronics too. Use them together, and finish with your own eyes. YOUR PRIVACY • No account. No email, no name, no password. • Camera frames are analysed on your device and discarded. Nothing is recorded, nothing is uploaded. • Scan reports, IP and MAC addresses and magnetic readings stay on your phone. • SpyGuard never asks for location, contacts, photos or the microphone. A MANUAL GUIDE, TOO Smoke detectors, alarm clocks, wall outlets, mirrors, vents, air purifiers — where cameras actually get hidden, what to look for, and the two-way mirror fingernail test. Plus what to do if you find one: don't unplug it, cover the lens, photograph it in place, contact the platform and the police. FREE AND PAID The Network Scanner, Infrared Finder, Magnetic Sensor and Quick Scan are free, with no daily limit. Camera Finder — the flash-modulated lens detection — is the paid feature, unlocked with a weekly subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. WHERE TO CHECK Hotel rooms and hostels. Airbnb and short-term rentals. Changing rooms and fitting rooms. Locker rooms and public bathrooms. Meeting rooms and offices. Rental cars. Anywhere you undress, sleep or speak freely — a two-minute sweep costs you nothing. Cameras get hidden in smoke detectors, alarm clocks, USB chargers, power outlets, air purifiers, TV boxes, picture frames, mirrors and air vents. SpyGuard tells you where to look and what a real lens looks like when the flash hits it. Available in 14 languages. Privacy Policy: https://hdklabs.app/spyguard/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://hdklabs.app/spyguard/terms.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Argus at none against SpyGuard's 2. SpyGuard's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). 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
Both are free to download. SpyGuard sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Argus asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Argus | SpyGuard |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | — | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 49 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Linh Phan Nhat Khanh | Harun Demirkaya |
In-app purchases
Argus
No in-app purchases
SpyGuard
- Camera Finder Weekly$4.997 Days
- Camera Finder Lifetime$19.99









