# Beacon vs Cipchat

Beacon and Cipchat both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Beacon's written reviews are positive against 20% of Cipchat's. Beacon also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 2 months). Cipchat's advantage is ratings volume (61 vs 17). On price, rating, 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.

Beacon holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 61 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Beacon's written reviews are positive against 20% of Cipchat's.

Beacon ships an update every 4 weeks, Cipchat every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Beacon | Cipchat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beacon/id1424678259/reviews)** | [4.8 (61 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cipchat-encrypted-messenger/id1472339678/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 17 | **61** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 20.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 15 MB | 205 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Mass Luminosity](https://appshunter.io/developer/1275905433) | [ZERO & ONE SOFTWARE PTE. LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1739607222) |

## What reviewers say

### Beacon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beacon/id1424678259)

Experience secure and private video and voice calls with advanced technology. Connect with family, friends, and colleagues on a global scale with a seamless communication platform.

**Highlights:** Private video calls, Secure voice calls, State-of-the-art security, Global communication, User-friendly interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration

**In-app purchases:** none


### Cipchat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cipchat-encrypted-messenger/id1472339678)

This app provides secure messaging with end-to-end encryption and messages that disappear after being read. It also offers encrypted voice and video calls for private online communication.

**Highlights:** End-to-end encryption, Burn after reading messages, Encrypted voice calls, Encrypted video calls, Securely send text, pictures, GIF, audio, and video

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Beacon free?

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

### Is Cipchat free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Beacon or Cipchat?

Beacon is rated higher. Beacon averages 5.0 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Cipchat averages 4.8 from 61 ratings.

### Do Beacon or Cipchat have ads?

Neither Beacon nor Cipchat shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Beacon or Cipchat?

Beacon ships an update every 4 weeks, and Cipchat every 2 months. Most recently, Beacon was updated on September 17, 2026 and Cipchat on October 3, 2026.

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