Spam calls or suspicious messages? What each app checks, what it costs, and which fits you.
Truecaller and Shieldr both try to protect you from scammers, but they work on different things. Truecaller is built around phone calls: who's calling and whether to block them. Shieldr is built around messages: you share a suspicious text, email, voicemail or link and it tells you what it thinks.
Got a message like this? Check it in seconds.
Check it with ShieldrShieldr is our app, so we've tried to be fair. Truecaller is much bigger and does things Shieldr doesn't, and for a lot of people it's the right tool. Everything we say about Truecaller comes from its App Store listing, linked at the bottom, as of October 21, 2026.
| Shieldr | Truecaller | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Judges a message you share: safe, suspicious or scam | Caller ID and spam-call blocking, plus number lookup |
| What you can check | Texts, screenshots, emails, voicemails, links, photos of letters | Phone numbers and incoming calls; the listing doesn't describe checking a text or email you share |
| How you use it | iPhone share sheet | Turn on in Settings > Apps > Phone > Call Blocking & Identification; search any number in the app |
| Platforms | iPhone only | iPhone (iOS 17 or later) and Apple Vision, per the App Store listing |
| Price | Paid, no free tier. Solo $9.99/mo or $39.99/yr; Family $14.99/mo or $59.99/yr | Free to download with in-app purchases; Premium Monthly $9.99, Premium Yearly $74.99; free trial for new users, per the listing |
| Family plan | Yes: see that a relative checked something and the verdict, not the message | Yes: Premium for up to 4 family members |
| After the answer | Report to 7726, block sender, or draft a reply | Block unwanted callers |
| Voicemails | Transcribed, then judged | Not listed on the App Store page |
| Extras | None | Travel eSIM in selected markets, ad removal, unlimited lookups |
Truecaller says it identifies spam, fraud, scam and robocalls before you pick up, lets you view and search previously identified calls in the Phone app, and lets you block unwanted callers. You can also search any local or international number, and the listing mentions a share extension for numbers in your call history. (App Store) The listing says a paid subscription is required for the caller ID and spam-blocking feature. (App Store)
Shieldr doesn't touch your calls. You share a text, screenshot, email, voicemail, link or a photo of a paper letter, and it answers safe, suspicious or scam with a one-sentence reason. Voicemails are transcribed before they're judged, and links are checked against Google's list of known malicious sites. If there isn't enough to go on, it says so rather than guessing.
If the scam reaches you as a call from an unknown number, Truecaller is aimed at exactly that. If it reaches you as a text, email or voicemail and you want a second opinion on whether to tap the link or call back, that's the job Shieldr is built for, and Truecaller's listing doesn't describe it. Plenty of scams use both, so some people reasonably use one of each.
Truecaller is free to download, but the listing says caller ID and spam blocking need a paid subscription. It lists Premium Monthly at $9.99 and Premium Yearly at $74.99, and says new users get a free trial. (App Store) Shieldr is paid with no free tier: Solo is $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year, and Family is $14.99 a month or $59.99 a year. If you only want to look up a number now and then, check what Truecaller lets you do before paying.
Truecaller's privacy label on the App Store is self-reported by the developer and not verified by Apple. It lists data that may be linked to you, including purchases, coarse location, contact info, search history, identifiers and usage data, and says identifiers and usage data may be used to track you across other companies' apps and websites. (App Store) The listing also says "Your phonebook is never made searchable or public." (App Store) Read the full label before you install.
Shieldr needs an account (email, or Sign in with Apple, including Hide My Email). Its privacy policy says it does not store the content of the messages you check — the text, images and audio are sent for analysis and then discarded — and keeps only the verdict, the explanation and the sender's number or email where one can be extracted.
Share the text, email or voicemail to Shieldr and get a plain-English verdict — safe, suspicious or scam — with the reasons it spotted. It's one more check before you tap anything, not a guarantee.
Get Shieldr on the App StoreUse Truecaller if your problem is unknown or spam calls, you want to look up who a number belongs to, or you want a free trial before you pay. It's the better fit for call screening, and it does things Shieldr doesn't.
Use Shieldr if your problem is suspicious texts, emails, voicemails or letters, you're on iPhone and prefer the share sheet, or you're looking out for a parent and want the Family plan. It costs money, so it makes most sense if you check messages often or for someone else.
Neither tool catches everything. If a message or call involves money, a password or a one-time code, contact the company directly using a number or website you looked up yourself. To compare more options, see our roundup of scam checker apps, Shieldr vs Norton Genie, or Shieldr vs Malwarebytes Scam Guard.
Truecaller's App Store listing describes caller ID, spam-call blocking and number lookup. It doesn't describe checking a text or email you share, so we haven't claimed it does.
It's free to download, but the listing says the caller ID and spam-blocking feature requires a paid subscription, listed at $9.99 a month or $74.99 a year, with a free trial for new users. Shieldr is paid with no free tier.
Yes. They cover different things: Truecaller is aimed at calls and Shieldr at messages, so some people use one of each.
Truecaller details come from its App Store listing, checked on October 21, 2026. Features and prices may change.
Shieldr isn't affiliated with Truecaller or True Software Scandinavia AB. Truecaller is a trademark of its owner. Product details are based on public information at the time of writing and may change.