Whoscall is the default caller ID and spam blocker for tens of millions of Android users in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Hong Kong. The 1.6 billion-number database is genuinely best in class for East Asia, partly because Gogolook is the official partner of Taiwan’s National Police Administration for reporting scam numbers. New scams hit the database in hours.
So why look for Whoscall alternatives? Three reasons keep coming up: the permission ask (Phone, Contacts, and SMS) is broader than some users want, the free tier serves a lot of ads, and Premium at roughly $2 a month adds up over the year. The seven Whoscall alternatives below cover the privacy-strict picks, the regional alternatives that beat Whoscall in specific markets, and the all-in-one options that bundle caller ID with other phone features.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free tier | Paid starts at | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phone by Google | Pixel and most modern Android | Full feature set | Free | Built-in, no permission ask beyond Phone |
| Truecaller | India, Brazil, Middle East | Full ID and blocking with ads | $2.50/mo | Largest crowdsourced database globally |
| Hiya | US and UK | Caller ID and basic blocking | $4.99/mo | AI scam detection, no contacts upload |
| Getcontact | Turkey and MENA | Caller ID with ads | $4.99/mo | Strongest in Turkey, MENA, CIS |
| CallApp | Power users wanting dialer + ID | Full dialer + ID with ads | $2.99/mo | Replaces the system dialer |
| Should I Answer? | Privacy-strict users in Europe | Free, no ads, open source | — | Fully offline database |
| Mr. Number | US-focused robocall blocking | Full feature set | Free | Free, owned by Hiya, US-focused |
Why people leave Whoscall
The three friction points that drive readers to alternatives.
The permission ask is broad. Whoscall asks for Phone, Contacts, and SMS at install. The contacts and SMS permissions are not strictly needed for caller ID, and many readers prefer apps that ask only for what they use.
Ads in the free tier are heavy. Whoscall’s free tier surfaces ads on the caller ID overlay, in the SMS folder, and on the home screen. The ads pay for the database updates, so they are reasonable, but they are noticeable.
Premium adds up. Whoscall Premium runs around $2 a month or roughly $20 a year depending on market. That is cheap individually, but readers running multiple subscription apps notice. Some of the alternatives below offer the same core feature set free.
The 7 Whoscall alternatives
Ordered roughly from “most likely to work for the broadest reader” to “specialist pick”.
Phone by Google — Best built-in option
Phone by Google is the default dialer on Pixel devices and ships preinstalled on most Android One phones. Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, and OnePlus users can install it from the Play Store and set it as default. The spam filter relies on Google’s caller ID and spam signal database. Coverage is strongest in the US, UK, Western Europe, and India for businesses; thinner in East Asia and parts of Latin America where Whoscall leads.
The big advantage is the permission ask: Phone only. No contacts, no SMS, no broad data access. Spam blocking is on by default and you can turn on automatic filtering so suspected spam never rings the phone.
Where it falls short: weaker than Whoscall in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Hong Kong. Call Screen (the AI assistant that picks up unknown calls) is Pixel-only and US English-only.
Pricing:
- Free, no paid tier, no ads
- vs Whoscall: free vs ~$2/month if you want Whoscall Premium
Bottom line: install this first if you live in a market where Google’s caller ID is dense. Add Whoscall or a regional pick on top only if you find gaps.
Hiya — Best for the US and UK with stricter privacy
Hiya powers the spam-call labelling for AT&T, T-Mobile, and Samsung dialers in the US, which means the database has years of carrier-grade signal data. The standalone Hiya app brings that data to any Android phone (and iPhone), with caller ID, spam blocking, and reverse number lookup. The free tier handles basic blocking; Premium adds international call protection and stronger automated filtering.
Hiya’s privacy posture is notably tighter than Whoscall’s. The standalone app does not require access to your contacts to identify callers. Spam classification runs on Hiya’s servers, but the company publishes its data practices clearly.
Where it falls short: weaker than Whoscall in East Asia. The free tier covers basic blocking; advanced features (premium spam categories, international protection) sit behind the $4.99/month or $14.99/year Premium tier.
Pricing:
- Free: caller ID, basic spam blocking, manual block list
- Premium: $4.99/mo or $14.99/year
- vs Whoscall: pricier Premium but cleaner free tier; stronger in US/UK
Bottom line: the right pick if you are in the US, UK, or Canada and want a focused caller ID app without Whoscall’s contacts/SMS permission ask.
Truecaller — Best for India, Brazil, and the Middle East
Truecaller is the default caller ID and spam blocker in India, with a strong second position in Brazil, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. The database is the largest crowdsourced caller ID pool globally, built from user uploads of their contacts over years. The free tier covers ID and blocking with ads; Premium adds an ad-free experience, an incognito mode, and richer call insights.
The Truecaller controversy worth knowing: the database was built by uploading users’ address books, which means a number you have never given to Truecaller may still be identified there because someone else uploaded your contact card. The practice is legal in most jurisdictions but is the reason a chunk of readers actively avoid Truecaller on privacy grounds.
Where it falls short: the privacy model is the inverse of Whoscall’s. Where Whoscall asks broadly and processes locally, Truecaller’s value comes from a database built on uploaded contact graphs. The app is also heavier than Hiya or Phone by Google.
Pricing:
- Free: caller ID, spam blocking, with ads
- Premium: $2.50/mo or $24.99/year
- vs Whoscall: comparable price, much stronger India/Brazil/MENA coverage, weaker in East Asia
Bottom line: install Truecaller if you live in India, Brazil, the UAE, or Saudi Arabia. The regional database wins by a wide margin. Avoid if the contact-upload model bothers you.
Getcontact — Best for Turkey and the Middle East
Getcontact dominates in Turkey and has a strong second position across the Middle East and former Soviet states. The standout feature is “Tag List”: the app shows you how other users have labelled a number (“Pizzeria Roma delivery”, “Real estate agent Mehmet”, “Insurance spam”). The crowdsourced labelling is more informal than Whoscall’s regulated approach but is genuinely useful for filtering local business calls.
The free tier shows ads and limits Tag List queries. Premium unlocks unlimited queries and removes ads.
Where it falls short: the contact upload model is similar to Truecaller’s, and Getcontact has had privacy disputes in several markets, including a temporary regulatory block in Indonesia. Coverage outside Turkey/MENA/CIS is patchy.
Pricing:
- Free: limited Tag List queries, with ads
- Premium: $4.99/mo or $39.99/year
- vs Whoscall: stronger in Turkey/MENA; pricier Premium; comparable free experience
Bottom line: install if you live in Turkey or the broader MENA region. The Tag List feature alone justifies a try.
CallApp — Best dialer replacement with caller ID built in
CallApp is one of the few alternatives that replaces the system dialer entirely. You get a T9 keypad, address book, call history, caller ID, spam blocker, and call recorder (where legal) in a single app. The caller ID database is mid-tier in size but covers most major markets adequately. Premium removes ads and unlocks features like call recording with cloud backup.
Where it falls short: the free tier is busy with ads inside the dialer UI itself, which some users find disruptive. The caller ID database does not match Whoscall in East Asia or Truecaller in India.
Pricing:
- Free: full dialer, caller ID, spam blocker, with ads
- Premium: $2.99/mo or $24.99/year
- vs Whoscall: cheaper Premium, fuller dialer, weaker regional coverage outside the US
Bottom line: pick CallApp if you want to replace the stock dialer with something more feature-rich, not just add a caller ID layer on top.
Should I Answer? — Best for privacy-strict users
Should I Answer? is the privacy answer to the entire caller ID category. The database lives on your device after the initial download, lookups happen offline, and no number metadata leaves the phone. The community model lets users rate unknown numbers as safe or spam; ratings flow into the database after moderator approval.
The app does not ask for contacts or SMS permissions, only the minimum needed to function as a caller ID provider. There are no ads and no paid tier; the project is a non-commercial effort by a Czech indie team.
Where it falls short: the database is much smaller than Whoscall’s, particularly outside Europe. Identification rates for unknown business numbers are noticeably lower. The interface is plain and the discovery layer is thin.
Pricing:
- Free, no paid tier, no ads
- vs Whoscall: free with no data collection; smaller database; weaker outside Europe
Bottom line: the right choice if you want a caller ID app and refuse to send data to a server. Accept the trade in identification rate for the privacy posture.
Mr. Number — Best free US-focused option
Mr. Number is owned by Hiya and runs on a portion of the same data, but it targets a different segment: free, US-focused, robocall-heavy. The app catches the most common US scam patterns (auto warranty calls, fake IRS, energy company spoofs) without a subscription. International numbers are partially covered through Hiya’s data but with less precision.
Where it falls short: weak outside North America. No premium tier means no advanced features.
Pricing:
- Free, no paid tier
- vs Whoscall: free vs ~$2/mo Premium; stronger US robocall coverage; weaker globally
Bottom line: the right free pick if you are in the US and your problem is robocall volume specifically. Outside North America, install Hiya or Phone by Google instead.
How to choose
The Whoscall question is really three regional questions in a trench coat. Pick by where you live and what your phone gets called by.
- Pick Phone by Google if you live in the US, UK, Western Europe, or Canada and you want the simplest possible answer with no extra app and no extra permissions.
- Pick Hiya if you live in the US or UK, your built-in filter is missing too many calls, and you want a focused caller ID app without the contacts/SMS permission ask.
- Pick Truecaller if you live in India, Brazil, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, or anywhere the existing default caller ID app is already Truecaller. Skip if the contact-upload model is a dealbreaker.
- Pick Getcontact if you live in Turkey, the Middle East, or former Soviet states. The Tag List feature is genuinely useful for unknown business calls.
- Pick CallApp if you want one app that replaces the stock dialer entirely and gives you caller ID inside that same interface.
- Pick Should I Answer? if privacy is a hard requirement and you accept a smaller database in exchange for offline operation and no data collection.
- Pick Mr. Number if you are in the US, want a free app, and your spam volume is mostly robocalls.
- Stay on Whoscall if you live in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, or you receive a high volume of calls from those markets. None of the alternatives match Whoscall’s database in East Asia.
FAQ
What is the best alternative to Whoscall?
For most readers, Phone by Google is the best starting point because it is built into the phone, asks for minimal permissions, and is free. If Phone by Google misses too many calls, the regional pick depends on where you live: Hiya in the US/UK, Truecaller in India and Brazil, Getcontact in Turkey and MENA.
Is there a free Whoscall alternative without ads?
Yes. Phone by Google and Should I Answer? are both free with no ads. Phone by Google has the larger database; Should I Answer? has the stronger privacy posture. Mr. Number is also free with ads removed.
Is Whoscall safe to use?
Whoscall is rated TRUSTED on Aptoide’s malware scanner and the developer Gogolook is a publicly listed Taiwanese company. The privacy posture is the main concern for some users because the app asks for Contacts and SMS permissions in addition to Phone. If those broad permissions bother you, Phone by Google or Should I Answer? are the cleaner picks.
Can I use a Whoscall alternative on iPhone?
Yes. Hiya, Truecaller, and Whoscall itself all have iOS apps. iOS limits caller ID apps more strictly than Android (no automatic call blocking the way Android allows), so the experience is more passive: you see a label on incoming calls, but the app cannot reject them automatically. Phone by Google is Android-only.
Which Whoscall alternative has the best privacy?
Should I Answer? leads on privacy because the database is fully on-device and the app does not send number queries to a server. Phone by Google is the next best, with caller ID lookups sent to Google but no contacts upload. Truecaller and Getcontact are the weakest on privacy because both built their databases by uploading users’ contact graphs.
Does Phone by Google work on non-Pixel phones?
Yes. You can install Phone by Google from the Play Store on most Android phones running Android 9 or newer and set it as the default phone app. Some manufacturer customizations (especially older Samsung One UI versions and some Xiaomi MIUI builds) restrict full default-dialer replacement, but on most modern phones it works without issue. Call Screen and call recording remain Pixel-exclusive.
