Encrypt Messages vs CryptKB
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.
CryptKB
Encrypt messages and files locally on your device before sending. Use a custom keyboard or Messages extension to easily encrypt and decrypt content with a password. Your data remains private with no account creation or backend servers.
- Local encryption/decryption
- Custom keyboard integration
- Messages extension
- AES-256-GCM encryption
- ASCII-safe payload
- Password saving with Face ID/passcode
Read full descriptionHide full description
CryptKB helps you encrypt message text before it leaves your iPhone or iPad. Use the custom keyboard to write a message, choose a password, and insert an encrypted payload into Messages or another text field. Or open the Messages extension to stage a CryptKB bubble inside a Messages draft. The other person can open the same payload in CryptKB and decrypt it locally with the matching password. Why people use CryptKB: - Local encrypt and decrypt on device - Custom keyboard for ordinary text fields - Messages extension for composing and opening CryptKB bubbles - AES-256-GCM encryption with PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 key derivation - ASCII-safe payload format for copy, paste, and sharing - Optional saved conversation passwords protected by Face ID or device passcode - No account creation, no backend relay, no analytics SDKs, and no ad tracking in the app - Built-in playground, settings, privacy notes, and diagnostics How it works: 1. Switch to CryptKB Keyboard. 2. Type your message. 3. Enter a password. 4. Tap Encrypt & Insert. 5. Review the encrypted text and tap Send yourself. To decrypt, paste or open a CryptKB payload, enter the matching password, and read the plaintext locally. CryptKB intentionally reveals decrypted text in a local panel instead of writing it back into the conversation automatically. Important platform notes: - Apple does not allow third-party keyboards to tap the host app's Send button, so sending is always manual. - Password recovery is not possible by design. - CryptKB protects message content inside its encrypted payload, not message metadata like recipients, timestamps, screenshots, or notification previews.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: CryptKB at Free against Encrypt Messages's $3.99. CryptKB also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Encrypt Messages's advantage is ratings volume (4 vs 1). 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
CryptKB is free to download; Encrypt Messages costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
CryptKB holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.
| Parameter | Encrypt Messages | CryptKB |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 70 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Anthony Harvey | Seth Farrington18896201822 |
Customer experience
Encrypt Messages
CryptKB
In-app purchases
Encrypt Messages
No in-app purchases
CryptKB
No in-app purchases









