# EPA NWCA vs MessageCipher

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: EPA NWCA at none against MessageCipher's 2. MessageCipher's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MessageCipher sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. EPA NWCA asks for nothing beyond the download.

EPA NWCA ships an update fortnightly, MessageCipher every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | EPA NWCA | MessageCipher |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 5 days** |
| Size | 55 MB | 42 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)](https://appshunter.io/developer/466052690) | [Thori Barker](https://appshunter.io/developer/1862447645) |

## What reviewers say

### EPA NWCA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/epa-nwca/id1465990157)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### MessageCipher

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/messagecipher/id6757100213)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Yearly premium | $79.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is EPA NWCA free?

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

### Is MessageCipher free?

MessageCipher is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do EPA NWCA or MessageCipher have ads?

Neither EPA NWCA nor MessageCipher shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, EPA NWCA or MessageCipher?

EPA NWCA ships an update fortnightly, and MessageCipher every 5 days. Most recently, EPA NWCA was updated on September 28, 2026 and MessageCipher on September 25, 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.*