AirGuard - AirTag protection vs Rethink: DNS + Firewall + VPN
Side-by-side comparison of two open source alternatives
AirGuard - AirTag protection
With AirGuard, you get the anti-stalking protection you deserve! The app scans your surroundings in the background to detect trackers like AirTags, Samsung SmartTags, or Google Find My Device trackers. If a tracker is following you, you will receive an instant notification. These trackers are often no larger than a coin and are unfortunately misused to secretly track people. Since each tracker works differently, you would typically need multiple apps to detect unwanted tracking. AirGuard combines the detection of various trackers into a single app – keeping you protected with ease. Once a tracker is detected, you can make it play a sound (for supported models) or perform a manual scan to locate it. If you find a tracker, we recommend disabling it to prevent further tracking of your location. The app stores location data exclusively on your device, allowing you to review where a tracker has followed you. Your personal data is never shared. If no trackers are found, the app runs silently in the background and won’t bother you. How does the app work? AirGuard uses Bluetooth to detect AirTags, Samsung SmartTags, and other trackers. All data is processed and stored locally on your device. If a tracker is detected in at least three different locations, you will receive a warning. You can adjust the security level in the settings to receive even faster alerts. Who are we? We are part of the Technical University of Darmstadt. This project is part of the scientific research conducted by the Secure Mobile Networking Lab. Our goal is to protect people’s privacy and investigate how widespread the issue of tracker-based stalking is. You can voluntarily participate in an anonymous study to help us gain more insights into the usage and spread of these trackers. This app will never be monetized – there are no ads and no paid features. You will never be charged for using it. Our privacy policy can be found here: https://tpe.seemoo.tu-darmstadt.de/privacy-policy.html Legal Notice AirTag, Find My, and iOS are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. This project is not affiliated with Apple Inc.
Rethink: DNS + Firewall + VPN
Say hello to a safer, transparent, and secure Android. VPN: Connects to multiple WireGuard VPNs of your choice. Safe: Reveals network activity of installed apps and lets you disable, uninstall, or firewall them. Secure: First line of defense against spyware, ransomware, and malware that steal personal information and takeover accounts. Protects from DNS manipulation typically employed to censor websites, social media, and messaging apps. Fast: DNS Servers deployed to 300+ locations world-wide to ensure your internet is as fast and highly available as it can be. Open: Open source and free of any trackers. ***Features*** Firewall: Prevent apps from connecting to the Internet. Block spyware, malware, ransomware and more. A firewall blocks any app connecting to the Internet over WiFi or Mobile data. Since most forms of surveillance require the data to be sent the network to a server, firewalling them effectively mitigates the threat (File Managers, Alarm Clock, Calculator are few such examples of apps that do not require any Internet access to function). The firewall feature uses Accessibility Service to detect and firewall background applications. Monitoring: Keep tabs on incoming and outgoing Internet traffic. If enabled, the connectivity logs are collected and analyzed. Automated reports flag previously unknown or suspicious connections, and reveal the extent of attempt to steal data by spyware networks. In our tests, around 60% of the traffic is flagged and reported as being initiated by known spyware. Logs generated are made available in near-real time to the user for their own analysis. WireGuard: Secure outgoing Internet traffic. The app uses fast, modern, light-weight, and secure WireGuard protocol to encrypt outgoing connections to any compatible VPN provider of your choice. Anti-censorship: The app encrypts your internet connection to Domain Name System (DNS) server run by Rethink with presence in our 300+ locations world-wide. DNS servers are the address book of the internet: A DNS server provides the exact addresses you need to visit a website or open an app. Data Monitor: Track per-app and per-connection Mobile or WiFi data usage.
| Feature | AirGuard - AirTag protection | Rethink: DNS + Firewall + VPN |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Install sources | F-DroidGitHub | F-DroidGitHub |
| Categories | Password ManagerMessaging | Password ManagerVPNFirewallDev ToolsMessagingBrowser |
| Features | Ad-FreeOpen SourceNo Tracking | Ad-FreeOpen SourceNo Tracking |
| Platforms | Android | Android |
| Website | ||
| Source code |