Comparison

Encrypt Messages vs Cipher5000

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

Cipher5000

Features
Read full description

Cipher is a creative tool that transforms text into fun, coded messages only decodable by the intended recipient. With a library of 250 unique ciphers, you can encode text into fun formats and then share them with friends through any messaging platform. As long as your recipient knows which cipher to use, they can decode the text and reveal its hidden meaning.

Screenshots

Encrypt Messages4 screens
Cipher50004 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Cipher5000 at Free against Encrypt Messages's $3.99. Cipher5000 also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 70 months) and iOS requirement (15.1 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

Cipher5000 is free to download; Encrypt Messages costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Encrypt Messages ships an update every 70 months, Cipher5000 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Encrypt Messages versus Cipher5000: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEncrypt MessagesCipher5000
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 70 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB185 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAnthony HarveySean Scollin

In-app purchases

None

Encrypt Messages

No in-app purchases

None

Cipher5000

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Encrypt Messages free?
Encrypt Messages costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cipher5000 free?
Cipher5000 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Encrypt Messages or Cipher5000 have ads?
Neither Encrypt Messages nor Cipher5000 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Encrypt Messages or Cipher5000?
Encrypt Messages ships an update every 70 months, and Cipher5000 every 3 weeks. Most recently, Encrypt Messages was updated on October 1, 2026 and Cipher5000 on October 2, 2026.

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