The table that says it all
| What matters to you | Egidio | ScamShield |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 forever (calls + texts)Premium for 183+ apps | ✓completely free, government-run |
| Blocklist built from police-reported numbers | ✗ | ✓120,000+ entities since 2022, SPF data |
| Detects a scam from a never-reported number | ✓on-device behavioral analysis | ✗relies on prior police reports |
| Continuous, automatic scanning inside WhatsApp/Telegram | ✓ | ✗manual forward-to-check bots only |
| 24/7 human-backed helpline | ✗ | ✓1799, plus website & live chat |
| Connects calls + texts + messaging apps as one story | ✓the only one that does this | ✗ |
| 100% on-device analysis | ✓ | —not the relevant comparison |
| Family mode — protect up to 4 people | ✓ | ✗ |
Egidio calls: free forever. Full protection (183+ messaging apps) in Premium.
What ScamShield does well — and we mean it
ScamShield is a rare example of a government anti-scam tool that's actually good. It's built by GovTech with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Singapore Police Force, its blocklist is fed by real police reports (not crowdsourced guesses), and it's completely free. If a scam number has already victimized someone in Singapore and that case was reported, there's a real chance ScamShield already has it flagged. Its helpline (1799) puts a human on the line, which no app-only product can replace.
What a police-report blocklist can't see yet
- A number used for the very first time in a new scam campaign hasn't been reported to anyone — so it isn't on any list yet, ScamShield's included.
- A fake "bank security" call from an ordinary, never-before-used mobile number.
- ScamShield's WhatsApp/Telegram bots check a message when you choose to forward it — they don't watch every incoming message automatically the way Egidio's on-device analysis does.
The honest way to think about it
Singapore's 2025 official scam statistics (Singapore Police Force) recorded 37,308 cases and S$913.1 million in losses — a real and serious problem that ScamShield genuinely helps address. Egidio isn't positioned as "better" than a free, well-run government tool with direct police data. It's positioned as covering a different gap: real-time, on-device detection of manipulation patterns — even from a number or message nobody has reported yet — across every channel at once, not just calls.
Use both, if you want
ScamShield's helpline, website, and WhatsApp/Telegram checking bots work independently of which app filters your calls — keep using them. Android only lets one app at a time handle call/SMS filtering, so that specific choice is exclusive.
Try Egidio free Calls free forever · Messaging apps in PremiumFrequently asked questions
Can I use ScamShield and Egidio at the same time?
Android only lets one app filter calls at a time. But ScamShield's helpline, website and WhatsApp/Telegram bots remain usable alongside Egidio regardless.
Is ScamShield free?
Yes, entirely — it's a Singapore government initiative with no premium tier.
Does ScamShield protect WhatsApp or Telegram content?
It offers bots you can forward suspicious messages to manually, but not continuous automatic on-device scanning.
Will ScamShield catch a never-reported scam number?
Its blocklist comes from police reports — a brand-new number hasn't been reported yet, so it isn't listed.
Is Egidio free?
Calls: free forever, no ads. Messaging apps: Premium.