# The Cipher vs Sub Cipher

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sub Cipher at 100% against The Cipher's 29%. Sub Cipher also leads on rating (3.8 vs 2.8). The Cipher's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (12.2 vs 16.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Sub Cipher holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of The Cipher's written reviews are positive against 100% of Sub Cipher's.

The Cipher ships an update fortnightly, Sub Cipher every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Cipher | Sub Cipher |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.8 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-cipher/id1297082268/reviews) | **[3.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sub-cipher/id1582898316/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 28.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 42 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.2** | 16.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Logan Richards](https://appshunter.io/developer/1439094062) | [Eduard Schwan](https://appshunter.io/developer/594336989) |

## What reviewers say

### The Cipher

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-cipher/id1297082268)

This app allows users to encrypt and decrypt messages using a variety of classic ciphers. It also includes tools for cryptoanalysis to help understand encrypted text and a mod calculator.

**Highlights:** Multiple classic ciphers (Rail Fence, Caesar, Vigenere, Enigma, etc.), Cryptoanalysis tools (Letter Frequency, N-Gram Frequency), Mod Calculator, Random Generator, Encrypt and decrypt messages

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Sub Cipher

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sub-cipher/id1582898316)

Easily encode and decode messages using simple substitution ciphers like Caesar and Atbash. Convert up to 2,000 characters at a time and save your cipher settings for later use. Ideal for fun educational purposes, not for serious secret messaging.

**Highlights:** Encode/decode simple substitution ciphers, Supports Caesar and Atbash cipher methods, Converts up to 2,000 characters at once, Save cipher settings as text, Create magic decoder wheels, No licensing or royalties required for published ciphers

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Cipher free?

The Cipher is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Sub Cipher free?

Sub Cipher is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, The Cipher or Sub Cipher?

Sub Cipher is rated higher. The Cipher averages 2.8 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Sub Cipher averages 3.8 from 4 ratings.

### Do The Cipher or Sub Cipher have ads?

Neither The Cipher nor Sub Cipher shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Cipher or Sub Cipher?

The Cipher ships an update fortnightly, and Sub Cipher every 7 months. Most recently, The Cipher was updated on October 2, 2026 and Sub Cipher on October 1, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*