Comparison

McAfee vs PhantomGram

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

Head to head
About

McAfee

This app offers comprehensive protection against online threats, including scam detection for texts and emails, VPN for secure browsing, and identity monitoring. It helps safeguard your personal information and devices from various cyber risks.

Highlights
  • Scam Detector for texts and emails
  • Secure VPN for public Wi-Fi
  • Identity monitoring and alerts
  • Transaction and credit monitoring
  • Safe browsing with malicious site blocking
  • Personal data cleanup from brokers
Features
Read full description

McAfee Security protects smartphones, tablets, Macs, and PCs with robust data protection features, bank-grade VPN encryption, and breach monitoring for your personal info. Stay safer than safe with McAfee, a trusted name in online and mobile security. THREAT DETECTION: SCAM DETECTOR ▪ Flags risky messages and blocks harmful sites for you, even if you accidentally click. ▪ Identifies suspicious emails before you open them and guides you on what to do next. We’ll even explain the danger, so you know what to watch out for. SECURE CONNECTION: SECURE VPN ▪ Keeps personal data and locations private with bank-grade Wi-Fi VPN encryption. ▪ Defends your mobile devices against unsecured public Wi-Fi hotspots. ▪ Connects to different countries and change your location & IP address*. SMART SCAN ▪ Scan your device and your personal information for issues. Get guidance to fix problems, quickly and easily. WI-FI SCAN ▪ Wi-Fi scan analyzes networks for security risks and ensures a safer online connection. SAFE BROWSING ▪ Blocks malicious websites automatically so you can browse safely. DATA PROTECTION: IDENTITY MONITORING ▪ Scans and monitors online personal data for security breaches. ▪ Receive alerts and secure your info quickly with our protection tips. ▪ Monitors up to 10 email addresses, ID numbers, passport numbers, bank cards*. TRANSACTION & CREDIT MONITORING ▪ Protect yourself from financial fraud and stay on top of your bank and credit card transactions. ▪ Monitor your credit to keep track of changes to your credit score and catch unauthorized activity. SOCIAL PRIVACY MANAGER ▪ Adjusts 100+ privacy settings across your social media accounts in just a few clicks. PERSONAL DATA CLEANUP ▪ We'll tell you if sites are selling your information, guide you on what to do next, and can even handle it for you. ONLINE ACCOUNT CLEANUP ▪ McAfee reduces your exposure to data breaches by finding old or unused online accounts and guiding through next steps. We can even delete them for you. IDENTITY THEFT COVERAGE AND RESTORATION ▪ You’re backed by $1M identity theft coverage and restoration support from a licensed professional, just in case. PLANS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS McAfee Security - Free ▪ Single device protection ▪ Wi-Fi Scan ▪ Identity Scan ▪ System Scan McAfee Basic Protection ▪ Single device protection ▪ Secure VPN ▪ Basic Identity Monitoring* ▪ Wi-Fi Scan ▪ Safe Browsing ▪ System Scan ▪ Text Scam Detector* McAfee+ Advanced: ▪ Unlimited device protection ▪ Secure VPN ▪ Identity Monitoring* ▪ Wi-Fi Scan ▪ Safe Browsing ▪ Social Privacy Manager ▪ System Scan ▪ Scam Detector ▪ Online Account Cleanup ▪ Personal Data Cleanup ▪ Transaction Monitoring ▪ Credit Score, Report, and Monitoring ▪ Identity Restoration ▪ Security Freeze & Credit Lock ▪ 24/7 online security experts* Not all features are available for all devices, locations or subscriptions not listed in the description. See System Requirements for additional information. *Privacy Policy: You can view our privacy policy and terms at https://www.mcafee.com/consumer/en-us/policy/global/legal.html* License Agreement: You can view our end user license agreement at: https://www.mcafee.com/en-us/consumer-support/policy/legal.html?culture=%3Clocale%3E#eula To provide you with the best possible experience, McAfee Security requires iOS 16 and above. You are encouraged to update your device to the latest version to receive timely security updates, maximum protection, and enhanced performance. COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARK McAfee and the McAfee logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of McAfee LLC or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Copyright © 2026 McAfee LLC

About

PhantomGram

Features
Read full description

PhantomGram — Paint the Airwaves Spectrum painting for amateur radio. Encode any image as audio and transmit it through your radio — the picture appears directly on the receiver's SDR waterfall display. No special decoder needed at the other end. The image IS the spectrum. HOW IT WORKS Spectrum painting exploits the way SDR waterfall displays work. A waterfall shows radio frequency on one axis and time on the other, with colour representing signal strength. PhantomGram converts each row of your image into a carefully crafted audio signal where pixel brightness maps to tone amplitude and pixel position maps to frequency. When transmitted via SSB radio, the receiver's waterfall reassembles the picture automatically. TRANSMIT Select an image from your photo library or camera, or use the built-in test patterns (bars, gradient, checkerboard, concentric circles). Choose a resolution preset — from QUICK (80×64, under 4 seconds) to SLOW (640×256, maximum detail). Adjust the frequency range with the dual-knob slider. The image is encoded automatically, a TX preview shows the picture as the receiver's waterfall will draw it, and the status line shows the send time. Tap SEND to transmit, and watch the cursor and timer follow the image down. RECEIVE Tap START and point your iPhone's microphone at a radio speaker or connect via audio cable. The live FFT spectrum shows incoming signal energy across the frequency band. Below it, a continuous waterfall display reconstructs the image in real time as it arrives. When the sender's header tone is heard, the status line says so. Adjust gain to brighten weak signals. Save decoded images to the built-in log for later viewing and sharing. FEATURES • Encode images as spectrum painting audio via inverse FFT with random phase • Adjustable frequency range (0–10,000 Hz) with sensible defaults for SSB radio (200–2,800 Hz) • Four resolution presets: QUICK, STANDARD, DETAIL, SLOW • Real-time receive decode with live FFT spectrum display • SDR-style waterfall colourmap (black → blue → cyan → green → yellow → orange → red) • Optional header tone, sent before the image and detected on receive • Status lines for encoding, sending and receiving • Received image log with save and share • Phosphor CRT aesthetic — green or amber display themes • Zero external dependencies — pure Swift and Accelerate framework DSP • iPhone speaker and microphone — no additional hardware required TYPICAL USE Connect your iPhone's headphone output to your radio's microphone input (or simply hold the phone near the mic). Tune your radio to an appropriate frequency, key the transmitter, and tap SEND. Anyone monitoring that frequency with an SDR receiver will see your image appear on their waterfall display. For receiving, tune your radio to the transmission frequency, connect the radio's speaker output to your iPhone (or use acoustic coupling), and tap START. FREQUENCY GUIDANCE • STANDARD (200–2,800 Hz) — fits within normal SSB audio passband • NARROW (500–2,500 Hz) — safe for most radio mic inputs • WIDE (200–3,500 Hz) — only if your radio passes full audio bandwidth • SSTV-FIT (1,500–2,300 Hz) — coexists with SSTV activity Part of the Phosphor suite, sister app to PhosphorRTTY and PhosphorCW, amongst others. REMEMBER: TRANSMIT ON LICENSED FREQUENCIES ONLY.

Screenshots

McAfee4 screens
PhantomGram4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: McAfee at Free against PhantomGram's $0.99. McAfee also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and chart position (#15 vs unranked). PhantomGram's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

McAfee is free to download; PhantomGram costs $0.99 up front. McAfee sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. PhantomGram asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

McAfee ships an update every 3 weeks, PhantomGram every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
McAfee versus PhantomGram: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMcAfeePhantomGram
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.7 (240K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews51.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings240K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
Best chart rank#15 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size436 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMcAfee, LLC.Stuart Woolley

Bugs and requests

McAfee

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App keeps logging users out
  • VPN not working as expected
  • Compatibility issues with iOS updates

Requested features

3 requests
  • More customization options
  • Improved scanning and detection capabilities
  • Better integration with other devices

PhantomGram

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

McAfee

Subscriptions9
  • Monthly Standard Subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Monthly Plus Subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Advanced Subscription1 Month trial$9.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Total Protection Monthly1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • McAfee+ Advanced Monthly1 Month trial2 variants$19.991 Month
  • Yearly Standard Subscription7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Yearly Plus Subscription7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Total Protection Yearly1 Year trial$99.991 Year
  • McAfee+ Advanced Yearly1 Year trial$199.991 Year
None

PhantomGram

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is McAfee free?
McAfee is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PhantomGram free?
PhantomGram costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do McAfee or PhantomGram have ads?
Neither McAfee nor PhantomGram shows ads.
Which is updated more often, McAfee or PhantomGram?
McAfee ships an update every 3 weeks, and PhantomGram every 4 months. Most recently, McAfee was updated on November 4, 2026 and PhantomGram on November 2, 2026.

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