# Pignus — Easy PGP Encryption

> PGP encryption and decryption for messages and documents. (iPhone/iPad app by frobese GmbH.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pignus/id1201822648 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [frobese GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/291683874)
- Category: Utilities, Productivity
- Price: $3.99
- Rating: 3.48/5 from 31 App Store ratings · 19 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 14.0 · 49 MB
- Languages: English, German
- Released: 2018-02-21
- Data updated: 2026-06-10
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pignus/id1201822648/reviews.md

## What is Pignus?

With Pignus you can encrypt and decrypt your Messages and Documents and send them to your Contacts. Simply create your Profile in Pignus, share it with your Contacts, and then encrypt for them.

Because Pignus is based on PGP, already generated keys can be imported as Profile and Contacts.

- Encrypt and decrypt your Messages and Documents from Pignus
- Encrypt and decrypt your Messages and Documents from any app via Pignus' Share Extension
- Decrypt Messages directly in any app via Pignus' Action Extension
- Create your Profile in Pignus
- Send the Profile to a Contact via AirDrop, e-mail or other services
- Load the Profile of Contacts from online directory
- Verify the trustworthiness via QR code or fingerprint
- Unlock your Profile using Face-ID or Touch-ID
- Upload Profile to online directory
- Create a Profile backup
- Import existing private or public PGP keys as Profile or Contact via AirDrop, from file, from clipboard, any app, and from key server
- Quick actions and show Profiles QR code from Home Screen Today View

PGP details:
- a Profile in Pignus corresponds to a private and public key pair
- a Contact in Pignus corresponds to a public key
- when creating a profile in Pignus, an RSA key pair with a length of 3,072 bits without expiration date is generated
- the Online Directory corresponds to OpenPGP Verifying Keyserver (VKS) and Public Key Server (PKS)
- Pignus displays the primary User ID as user information
- Pignus does not support MIME-attachments
- Pignus does not support sign-only keys
- Pignus does not import expired keys
- Pignus does not support symmetric encryption
- when creating a backup of the profile in Pignus, the key pair consisting of private and public key is exported
- when sending the profile in Pignus, the public key is exported
- Pignus uses ObjectivePGP https://objectivepgp.com

Questions? Suggestions?
Simply contact us at pignus@frobese.de
or try the latest beta at https://testflight.apple.com/join/seMiLAZP

*App Preview Music: http://www.bensound.com

## Key features

- Encrypt and decrypt messages and documents
- Share extension for cross-app encryption
- Action extension for in-app decryption
- Create and share PGP profiles
- Import existing PGP keys
- Unlock with Face-ID/Touch-ID
- Profile backup and online directory upload

## Recent user reviews (10 of 19)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pignus/id1201822648/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Can’t import PGP keys?

*2024-03-04*

I can’t seem to import any pgp keys. Forces me to use a profile instead of my pgp keys.

### 1/5 — doesn’t work

*2023-09-11*

crashes on startup, did work for week or so then nothing.

### 2/5 — Request the support of elliptic curve ciphers

*2022-10-25, version 1.5.2*

Seems like this app doesn’t support modern OpenPGP ciphers like Ed25519 or any other elliptic curves.
When I try to import the key with Ed25519 and NIST P-521, the app crashed with no error message.

### 1/5 — I wish i could give a true review

*2022-04-13, version 1.5.2*

I’ve tried to email developer. Post master returns my email. I can’t find any other way to get in touch 

Id love to give something here but so far it’ll crash and tkme I attempt to encrypt or any function

### 2/5 — Has potential, but not for people already with private keys

*2022-02-24*

I think this app has potential, but it has a number of flaws that makes it unusable for my personal use.

Pros:
- The user interface is lovely. It feels modern and is pretty to look at, which is something I can’t say about many other similar apps.
- The key creation works well. It makes it easy to share the public key with the openpgp key server and provides a QR code for the fingerprint of the key. 
- One can also export their public key to a file and import it elsewhere (such as through GnuPG)
- The Share Extension makes it very easy to decrypt messages: you can highlight the encrypted text, then share it to the Pignus, where it will decrypt and display the message.

Cons:
- I did not manage to import any of my own private keys. I tested this with both RSA 3072 and ED25519 keys and the application immediately crashed. This issue alone makes the application useless to people that already use PGP.
- I couldn’t import my public key from the keyserver, or as a file. 
- There isn’t an ability to sign messages - you can only encrypt.
- I couldn’t find a way to revoke my key. This is very important for security and is absolutely needed.
- No obvious way to change keyserver.
- There are also no options to change the type of key, or how it’s generated. You can only use RSA3072. The generated keys also don’t expire, which maybe be for simplicity, but is a security risk.

In summary, whilst the application looks nice, it lacks basic functionality that means people already invested in PGP won’t be able to use the application. I’m hoping that some of these issues will be addressed as the app is one of the only ones of its type with a nice user interface!

### 3/5 — It’s okay

*2021-06-30, version 1.5.2*

Crashes a lot when importing keys

**Developer response:** Hello, can you please send us an email to pignus@frobese.io when any one or more keys than cannot be imported to analyze the problem.

### 3/5 — Can only generate 3072 bit keys

*2020-12-11, version 1.5.2*

I have to use 4096 bit keys but the app only generates 3072 bit keys. If this was fixed I think the app would work for me.

**Developer response:** Hello, you can import any PGP key generated in another application to be used in Pignus.

### 4/5 — Great app

*2020-08-14, version 1.5.1*

App works great with clean / easy to navigate UI. 

I have one issue:

1. Encryption of documents cannot be completed. The app crashes each time this is attempted. 

Once updated, I can re-rate this app with five stars. 

Thank you.

**Developer response:** Hello, can you please send aus an email to pignus@frobese.io to analyze the problem.

### 1/5 — Can’t import...

*2020-01-14, version 1.5*

Can’t import my saved (backup) profile. Can’t import contacts from files. If it’s this much trouble doing something so simple, I suppose that I’ve wasted money and time... uninstalling. Lesson learned.

**Developer response:** Hello,
we're very sorry that it isn't possible for you to import you backed up Profile or Contacts.
Can you please send us a mail to pignus@frobese.de to solve that problem with you.

### 5/5 — Perfect PGP app!

*2019-12-09, version 1.5*

Literally works amazingly. No issues.

## Frequently asked questions about Pignus

### How do I encrypt messages with Pignus?

You can encrypt messages directly within Pignus or use its Share Extension to encrypt content from any app. Ensure you have the recipient's Pignus profile (public key) to encrypt for them.

### Can Pignus import my existing PGP keys?

Yes, Pignus allows you to import existing private or public PGP keys. You can import them from various sources including AirDrop, files, clipboard, or key servers.

### What is the price of Pignus?

Pignus is a paid application, available for a one-time purchase of $3.99. There are no in-app purchases or subscriptions.

### What devices does Pignus support?

Pignus is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. It requires iOS 4+ and is optimized for the latest devices.

### How often is Pignus updated?

The latest version of Pignus is 1.5.2, released on October 17, 2020. While updates are not frequent, the app is stable and functional for its core purpose.

### What is the age rating for Pignus?

Pignus has an age rating of 4+, indicating it is suitable for users of all ages. The app's functionality is focused on technical encryption.

### Does Pignus support symmetric encryption?

No, Pignus does not support symmetric encryption. It is designed to work with asymmetric PGP encryption methods using public and private key pairs.

### How can I get help or provide feedback for Pignus?

You can contact the developers directly at pignus@frobese.de with any questions or suggestions. You can also try the latest beta version via TestFlight.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.5.2 — 2020-10-17

Share your Profile with your Contacts using the new Profile widget on your Home Screen or Today View

### 1.5.1 — 2020-02-08

This updates makes it easier to create your Profile in Pignus and let you save the password in the iOS keychain.

### 1.5 — 2019-11-15

Pignus introduces the OpenPGP keyserver to its online directory. Contacts coming from this have already been checked by the email address and are indicated by a yellow icon. As a user, you can also publish and verify your own profile in the app.
In addition, scanning a QR code downloads an unimported contact from the online directory. This works for both contact cards (vCard) and openpgp4fpr to be compatible with other PGP apps.

### 1.4.2 — 2019-09-18

This update supports dark mode in iOS 13.

Now, you can also drag and drop any Message, Document, Profile or Contact into Pignus.

### 1.4.1 — 2019-08-02

This update fixes an issue where certain Contacts can not be imported from the online directory.

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## More apps by frobese GmbH

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All apps by frobese GmbH: https://appshunter.io/developer/291683874

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*