5 Best Alternatives to True Caller in India

5 Best Alternatives to True Caller in India 

One of the most widely known caller ID apps to block unwanted calls and messages in India is True Caller. The size of its database has been a major region for it to be preferred amongst others. However, with the move to go local becoming increasingly common all across the country, it pays to be able to trust an Indian company with this duty, which True Caller is not. Additionally, TrueCaller has also been banned by the Indian Army due to security reasons. Since the ban, TrueCaller has tried hard to disguise itself as an Indian app by adding "Made in Sweden and India" on their app, but facts remain the same i.e. over 50% of TrueCaller's employees are Non-Indian.

Here we are listing some of the alternatives of TrueCaller, please go through the details the pick the one that suits your need.

1. Bharatcaller

Country of Origin: India (The only Indian app on the list)

For those in the country looking for something 100% local, this is it. BharatCaller is an app made by Kickhead Softwares Pvt Ltd., comprising a team of engineers from elite colleges like IIM Bangalore (India's No.1 MBA College), BITS Pilani (India's Top Engineering College). This particular team has to their credit the National Startup Awards 2020 by the Government of India and also made BharatScanner on Camscanner being banned here. 

Some of the ways in which BharatCaller is better than True Caller are as follows:

1. It never uploads user contacts or call-logs to its own servers
2. Even the company’s own employees cannot access the database of phone numbers
3. Data is always stored in encrypted formats, which makes it easy to update the database
4. Unlike TrueCaller, BharatCaller is completely free of cost.
5. The company’s servers are all present in India

As mentioned before, this app was born out of a need to stay away from non-Indian apps which can threaten Indian security. All customers can be assured that their data will never be sold here.

Works on: Android, iOS version coming soon.

Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bharatcallerapp.callerid 

2. Whoscall

Country of Origin: Taiwan

Originally made in Taiwan by Gogolook Co. Ltd., it is able to block malicious calls and unnecessary text messages. A Premium version of this is available as well, but it has received feedback of not being able to send notifications. Users may find themselves repeatedly asking for permission. In other words, while thinking about the safety aspect of a Taiwanese app, your guess is just as good as ours. While Whoscall is not from India per se, it does have an Indian arm called Whoscall India.

Works on: Android, iOS

3. Hiya: 

Country of Origin: Seattle, USA

Hiya is able to identify the calls users want and block the numbers they wish to avoid through features such as reverse phone lookup and autoblocking. Once again, Hiya is also not from India but from Seattle in the US. Some users have also claimed on Google Play Store that even its basic spam call alerts do not work anymore. 

Works on: Android, iOS

4. Showcaller:

Country of Origin: Taiwan

An interesting feature of Showcaller is that when the app is first launched, it shows the spam numbers from which calls have been received before. Smart dialing features ensure that numbers are suggested as they are dialed. Showcaller is yet another app made by the Taiwan-based Gogollok Co. Ltd, which means threat to security is the same. Additionally, users have mentioned on Google Play Store that the app does not work well after updates.

Works on: Android, iOS

5. Mr. Number

Country of Origin: Seattle, USA

Spam blocking is available on this app with some of the best here. A good thing here is that users can predefine conditions to block calls from specific area codes, users, and even entire countries. The limitations here are that it offers a very limited number of lookups and its ads are very pushy. This app comes under the Hiya group, which means it is also from Seattle, US. 

Works on: Android, iOS

Verdict:

India truly has a lot of potential in terms of making high quality apps. Considering that it is already an IT superpower in the world, it makes a lot of sense for customers to trust their valuable data with a completely Indian caller ID app like Bharat Caller.