Comparison

beacons vs EMF Detector

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

Head to head
About

beacons

Detects and maps surveillance devices broadcasting over WiFi and Bluetooth. It identifies cameras, trackers, and drones, offering a live view of nearby recording gear. Explore its features with sample data even without hardware.

Highlights
  • Detects WiFi and Bluetooth broadcasting devices
  • Live map display of detected gear
  • Identifies license-plate readers, cameras, and trackers
  • Open-source and privacy-focused design
  • Optional drive mode with lock screen counter
  • Community layer for known fixed sites
Features
Read full description

beacons is a free open-source companion app for the soyboi beacon detector. it finds the cameras, trackers, and other recording gear broadcasting around you and puts them on a live map on your phone. A lot of modern surveillance gear announces itself over WiFi and Bluetooth. beacons listens for those signals so you can see what's nearby. beacons pairs the pocket receiver that pairs with your phone over Bluetooth. No detector yet? Open the app and tap "See how it works" on the first screen to explore the whole app on sample data, with no hardware and no permissions required. WHAT IT FINDS - Automated license-plate readers: known fixed sites shown on a map, plus a live flag when nearby gear actually broadcasts over WiFi or Bluetooth (a bonus, not a guarantee, since many report home over cellular and stay silent) - Networked and WiFi cameras from known camera brands, professional and consumer (optional, off by default) - Bluetooth trackers like AirTags (optional, off by default, so everyday tags don't bury the rest) - Drones broadcasting Remote ID overhead - Body-worn and wearable cameras in range - Recording glasses, by the vendor IDs in their Bluetooth broadcasts - Anything you star: teach it your own category and it calls that device out every time it's near PRIVATE BY DESIGN - The detection side only listens. It never jams or spoofs, and can't track or affect any other device. The only thing the detector transmits is the Bluetooth link to your own phone. - No account, no cloud, no telemetry. Every detection stays on your device unless you explicitly export or send it. - The app and the firmware are fully open source, so you can read exactly what it does. HOW IT WORKS - Every detection lands on a live map with signal detail and history. - An optional Drive mode keeps a live counter on your lock screen while you travel. - An opt-in community layer also maps known fixed plate-reader sites near you, drawn from the DeFlock project and OpenStreetMap contributors, as a reference on top of live detection. - Free firmware updates install over Bluetooth, so it keeps recognizing new gear. - Spotted a device it mislabeled or missed? Share that capture from the app to help improve detection. It is manual and optional, and nothing leaves your phone unless you send it. HONEST ABOUT LIMITS It hears what announces itself over WiFi and Bluetooth, not what stays silent. Wired and purely optical systems won't show up, and neither will gear that reports home over its own cellular link, which some fixed plate readers do. A quiet screen means nothing spoke up, not that you're unwatched. beacons needs the beacons hardware for live detection. Learn more at soyboi.tech.

About

EMF Detector

Read full description

Four new tools join the meter in 1.1: Radar, Metal Finder, Presence Meter and SLS-Style Camera. Every number on screen comes from your iPhone's own sensors. The magnetometer reading is real. What it means is up to you. THE METER: EMF Detector reads your iPhone's magnetometer and shows the live magnetic field in µT or mG. Each start calibrates a baseline for the room and tells you how steady it was. Readings are classed Calm, Weak, Potential, High or Extreme. - Meter | Graph switch; live 30-second graph with X, Y and Z toggles - Sensitivity presets, haptic and beep feedback - Record Mode: a clean full-screen view for filming - Siri and Spotlight shortcut into the meter THE TOOLS TAB (all four free to open): - Radar: a live compass radar driven by the magnetometer. When the field reaches Potential or above, a blip appears in the direction your iPhone faces. - Metal Finder: shows how far the field moves from its baseline, with a threshold, beep and vibration. It responds to magnets and magnetic metals such as iron and steel, not to gold or aluminium. - Presence Meter: shows how much your iPhone itself moves, from its accelerometer. Set it down and it reacts to bumps and vibration. - SLS-Style Camera: a live rear-camera view. Apple's Vision framework looks for human body shapes on your iPhone and draws a stick figure only where it finds one. People, mannequins, photos and TVs can show figures; an empty room shows none. Your live EMF reading stays on screen. RECORDING: Tap Record and walk the space; each spike is marked as it happens. Tap Stop for the timeline, spikes, baseline and peaks. Compare any two sessions side by side. FREE AND PRO: Free: the meter, graph, Record Mode, recording (3 most recent sessions kept), session detail, compare and all four tools. Pro adds: no ads; unlimited history; CSV export; radar skins (colour themes: Thermal, Night Vision, Vintage); Presence Meter recording, sensitivity and sound alert; SLS-Style Camera extras: Depth (LiDAR) on iPhones with LiDAR, a night-vision-style filter and photo capture. Without Pro, a rewarded ad unlocks one session's export while its screen stays open, or a time-limited trial of the Pro tool extras. The trial does not remove ads or unlock history or export. SUBSCRIPTIONS: EMF Detector Pro: Weekly $2.99 (3-day free trial), Monthly $4.99 (3-day free trial), or Lifetime $24.99, a one-time purchase. Prices are in US dollars; the App Store shows your local price. Free trials are for eligible new subscribers. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. Subscriptions renew automatically until cancelled. To cancel: Settings > your name > Subscriptions > EMF Detector Pro > Cancel Subscription. To avoid renewal after a free trial, cancel at least 24 hours before it ends. ADS: Free users see Google AdMob ads: a native card labelled "Ad" on the meter and tool screens, and occasional full-screen ads after you stop a recording, when you leave a tool, and when you go back from a saved session, a comparison or the instructions. No ads appear on their own in Record Mode or while recording. ENTERTAINMENT NOTICE: The magnetometer reading is real. What it means is up to you. Magnetic fields change near wiring, appliances, magnets, metal and other phones, and this app cannot tell those apart from anything else. It is made for paranormal-style entertainment and does not claim that a change in the field means a ghost is present. PRIVACY: No account. The camera works only in the SLS-Style Camera tool; images are processed on your iPhone and nothing is stored or sent unless you share or save a photo. Sharing usage data (Google Analytics for Firebase) is your choice, changeable in Settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://ashaquavision.com/privacy-policy/emf-detector-ios/ iPhone only. Requires a device with a magnetometer.

Screenshots

beacons4 screens
EMF Detector4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: beacons at none against EMF Detector's 1. beacons also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. EMF Detector sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. beacons asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

beacons ships an update weekly, EMF Detector every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
beacons versus EMF Detector: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterbeaconsEMF Detector
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB25 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperSoyboi LLCAshir Mehmood

In-app purchases

None

beacons

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

EMF Detector

One-time1
  • EMF Detector Pro$4.99

Questions

Is beacons free?
beacons is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is EMF Detector free?
EMF Detector is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do beacons or EMF Detector have ads?
EMF Detector shows ads; beacons does not.
Which is updated more often, beacons or EMF Detector?
beacons ships an update weekly, and EMF Detector every 3 weeks. Most recently, beacons was updated on October 31, 2026 and EMF Detector on October 26, 2026.

Other comparisons