Comparison

Instant PGP vs PGPony

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Instant PGP

Easily manage your PGP keys for secure communication. Generate, import, and export public and private keys in ASCII format. Encrypt, decrypt, sign, and validate messages with robust PGP functionality.

Highlights
  • Generate PGP keys
  • Import PGP keys
  • Export PGP keys
  • Encrypt messages
  • Decrypt messages
  • Sign messages
  • Validate signatures
Features
Read full description

The app allows you to generate, import and export your public and private PGP keys in ASCII format. You can use these keys to encrypt/sign cleartext messages, decrypt PGP MESSAGEs and validate PGP SIGNED MESSAGEs. For questions and suggestions contact me at instantpgp@gmail.com.

About

PGPony

This app simplifies PGP encryption for users on their iPhone. It allows for key generation, secure message and file encryption/decryption, digital signing, and hardware security key integration. All features are available for free.

Highlights
  • Generate PGP keys
  • Encrypt/decrypt messages and files
  • Sign and verify digital documents
  • Hardware security key integration (YubiKey, Token2)
  • Password-only encryption
  • Key management and revocation
  • Share sheet extension for app integration
Features
Read full description

PGPony makes PGP encryption easy, private, and powerful, and every feature is free. Generate keys, encrypt to people or to a password, sign and verify, back up your whole keyring, and revoke compromised keys, all from your iPhone and iPad, in eight languages. New in 8.3.0: post-quantum signatures, NIST P-256, P-384 and P-521 keys, messages to several post-quantum recipients, and a reorganized Key Detail screen. POST-QUANTUM Encrypt with ML-KEM-768 or ML-KEM-1024 paired with X25519, and sign with ML-DSA-65 paired with Ed25519 (RFC 9980), on RFC 9580 (v6) keys or the v4 shape GnuPG 2.5 reads. Add post-quantum subkeys to a key you already have. HARDWARE SECURITY KEYS Generate a key pair on the card over NFC, or add an existing card with a tap. Sign, decrypt, and encrypt-and-sign in one step, with RSA and ECC (Ed25519/Curve25519) keys, on YubiKey, Token2, and others, over NFC or USB-C. Full card admin: PINs, factory reset, and Card Details. ENCRYPT, DECRYPT & SIGN Encrypt messages and files of any size to one or many public keys, or to a password with no keys at all, readable by gpg -c and back. Pick which subkey to encrypt to when a key has more than one. Decrypt with a private key, a hardware key, or a passphrase, and see which of your keys opened the message. Sign without encrypting, including detached signatures, and verify a file against its signature. GENERATE & MANAGE KEYS Create keys on a card or in-app: post-quantum, v6 Ed25519, classic Ed25519 + Cv25519, or RSA 2048/4096, with or without an email address. Add, revoke, or remove subkeys (including authentication subkeys) and User IDs. Full OpenPGP v6 (RFC 9580), interoperable with Sequoia PGP and GnuPG. Import from files, clipboard, QR codes, or keyservers. Make revocation certificates and export private keys (GnuPG-compatible). BACK UP & RESTORE Save your whole keyring, secret keys included, as one encrypted file. A single backup code opens it, and the same file restores onto another device. The file stays with you, never on anyone's server. KEYSERVERS Look up a recipient by email through Web Key Directory, then key servers. Add your own servers, publish to several at once, and upload an updated key straight from Key Detail. Route lookups through Tor or a SOCKS proxy, or turn on offline mode to stop every network request. PASSWORD STORE Open a pass (password-store) folder, decrypt an entry with a software or hardware key, and copy it through an auto-clearing clipboard. SHARE SHEET EXTENSION Encrypt or decrypt text, encrypt a file, or sign a file in any app: Safari, Files, Notes, Mail. SECURITY FIRST Face ID / Touch ID lock with auto-lock. Software keys live in the iOS Keychain. Keys and messages from outside are checked strictly before they are used. No analytics, tracking, accounts, or sign-up. Your private keys never leave your device, and with a hardware key they never leave the card. EIGHT LANGUAGES English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese. Built by an indie developer who cares about your privacy. Your keys, your messages, your data, always yours. Terms of Use (EULA): https://pgpony.app/eula.html Privacy Policy: https://pgpony.app/privacy.html

Screenshots

Instant PGP4 screens
PGPony4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PGPony at 4.8 against Instant PGP's 3.6. PGPony also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 54%). Instant PGP's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PGPony holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 49 and 18 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Instant PGP's written reviews are positive against 67% of PGPony's.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Instant PGP versus PGPony: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInstant PGPPGPony
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (49 ratings)4.8 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.8% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings49 — better18
Update frequency—Weekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIgor FedotovKevin Stewart

Customer experience

Instant PGP

All ratings49 ratings
Positive61.2%
Neutral6.1%
Negative32.7%
Written reviews65 reviews
Positive53.8%
Neutral10.8%
Negative35.4%

PGPony

All ratings14 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral7.1%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Instant PGP

No in-app purchases

None

PGPony

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Instant PGP free?
Instant PGP is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PGPony free?
PGPony is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Instant PGP or PGPony?
PGPony is rated higher. Instant PGP averages 3.6 out of 5 from 49 ratings, while PGPony averages 4.8 from 18 ratings.
Do Instant PGP or PGPony have ads?
Neither Instant PGP nor PGPony shows ads.

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