Encrypt Messages vs Shady Encoding
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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 descriptionHide 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.
Shady Encoding
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
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
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.
| Parameter | Encrypt Messages | Shady Encoding |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 70 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 18.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Anthony Harvey | Sergey Tereshkin |
In-app purchases
Encrypt Messages
No in-app purchases
Shady Encoding
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Encrypt Messages free?
Is Shady Encoding free?
Do Encrypt Messages or Shady Encoding have ads?
Other comparisons















