Comparison

Encrypt Messages vs Shady Encoding

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

Head to head
About

Encrypt Messages

Securely send private messages using custom codes. Choose from text, emoji, or hidden message formats. Share codes safely with recipients through various methods, including QR codes and hints. Includes duress codes for added security.

Highlights
  • AES-256 encryption
  • No account or internet required
  • Text, Emoji, Hidden, and Classic modes
  • Secure code sharing (hints, QR codes)
  • Duress codes for decoy messages
  • Customizable code generation
Read full description

Type a message. Pick a secret code. Send the scrambled result through any app you already use — Messages, WhatsApp, email, even a handwritten note. Only someone who knows your code can read it. Not us, not your carrier, not whoever is looking over their shoulder. REAL ENCRYPTION, NOT A TOY CIPHER Your message is locked with AES-256. Your secret code is the only key — there is no master key, no backdoor, and no way to recover a message if the code is lost. Codes are strengthened before use, so even a short one is slow to attack. NOTHING LEAVES YOUR PHONE No account. No sign-up. No servers. The app never connects to the internet, so your messages and codes are never collected, uploaded, or shared. Saved codes live in your device keychain, on this device only. FOUR WAYS TO SEND • Text — a block of scrambled letters and numbers. Paste it anywhere. • Emoji — the same message, disguised as a string of emoji. • Hidden — your secret tucked invisibly inside an ordinary sentence you write. Anyone reading sees only the cover text. • Classic — turns letters into letters. No code is ever reported as wrong, so someone guessing gets thousands of believable answers and no way to tell which is yours. Best for short secrets: a time, a place, a name, a password. SHARING A CODE, SAFELY A code only works if your recipient has it too, so the app gives you three ways to hand one over without ever sending it: • Say it out loud, in person or on a call. • Attach a hint that travels with the message — a question only your recipient can answer. • Show a Code Card: a QR your friend scans off your screen with their camera. Screen to camera, nothing in between. Save the codes you use and name them — "Mom," "Poker night" — so picking the right one takes a tap. DURESS CODES Any message can carry a second code that opens a harmless decoy message you wrote yourself. If someone pressures you into handing over your code, give them that one instead. Both messages are padded to the same size, so nothing in the scrambled text hints that a second message exists. STRONG CODES, MADE EASY Generate a passphrase you can read aloud over the phone, or a dense random string best shared by Code Card. Either way you see exactly how strong it is before you use it. Type your own and the app tells you honestly where it stands. UNSCRAMBLING IS ONE STEP Paste the whole chat message — greeting, signature, and all. The app finds the scrambled part on its own, whether it's text, emoji, or hidden inside a normal sentence. Built for people who'd rather keep a few things between themselves. No ads. No tracking.

About

Shady Encoding

Features
Read full description

Shady Encoding turns plain text into fun coded messages using simple, key-based transformations (think classic Caesar-style ciphers). Create a custom key, encode a message, and share it. To make sharing easy, you can export and import keys using QR codes. FEATURES • Encode and decode text with your own keys • Save and manage multiple keys (name them, reuse them) • Export keys as a QR code • Import keys by scanning a QR code • Copy or share encoded text via the iOS Share Sheet • Works offline — no account required IMPORTANT Shady Encoding is for puzzles, learning, and light obfuscation. It is not secure encryption and should not be used to protect sensitive information. “What’s New” (Version Notes) Initial release. Encode/decode messages with custom keys and share keys via QR codes.

Screenshots

Encrypt Messages4 screens
Shady Encoding4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Shady Encoding at Free against Encrypt Messages's $3.99. Shady Encoding also leads on iOS requirement (18.2 vs 26.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Shady Encoding is free to download; Encrypt Messages costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Encrypt Messages versus Shady Encoding: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEncrypt MessagesShady Encoding
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 70 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.018.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAnthony HarveySergey Tereshkin

In-app purchases

None

Encrypt Messages

No in-app purchases

None

Shady Encoding

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Encrypt Messages free?
Encrypt Messages costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shady Encoding free?
Shady Encoding is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Encrypt Messages or Shady Encoding have ads?
Neither Encrypt Messages nor Shady Encoding shows ads.

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