# Ant Messenger vs K9 Chat

The clearest difference is review sentiment: K9 Chat at 100% against Ant Messenger's 39%. K9 Chat also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.4). Ant Messenger's advantage is ratings volume (39 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.5). On price, update cadence, 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.

K9 Chat holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ant Messenger has 39 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Ant Messenger's written reviews are positive against 100% of K9 Chat's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ant Messenger | K9 Chat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.4 (39 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ant-messenger/id1443543254/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/k9-chat/id1603886124/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **39** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 38.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 276 MB | 254 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 18.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ant Messenger](https://appshunter.io/developer/1443543253) | [Colohost LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1582364323) |

## What reviewers say

### Ant Messenger

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ant-messenger/id1443543254)

This secure messaging app offers end-to-end encrypted chats and calls, prioritizing user privacy. It features self-destructing messages and robust security measures to protect your conversations from unauthorized access.

**Highlights:** End-to-end encryption, Encrypted voice and video calls, Burn after reading messages, Periodic document destruction, Bidirectional chat destruction, Anti-eavesdropping technology

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### K9 Chat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/k9-chat/id1603886124)

This secure chat application offers end-to-end encryption and zero-trust communication for private teams and organizations. It supports audio, video, screensharing, and voice notes without tracking user activity. Access requires an account provided by an administrator.

**Highlights:** End-to-end encryption, Zero-trust communication, Anonymous messaging, Audio and video calls, Screensharing, Voice notes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ant Messenger free?

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

### Is K9 Chat free?

K9 Chat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Ant Messenger or K9 Chat?

K9 Chat is rated higher. Ant Messenger averages 3.4 out of 5 from 39 ratings, while K9 Chat averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Ant Messenger or K9 Chat have ads?

Neither Ant Messenger nor K9 Chat shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ant Messenger or K9 Chat?

Ant Messenger ships an update every 3 weeks, and K9 Chat every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ant Messenger was updated on October 16, 2026 and K9 Chat on October 16, 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.*