Comparison

Encrypt Messages vs Elapsed Time Adder

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

Elapsed Time Adder

Easily add and subtract elapsed time for various projects. Handles time segments in audio, video, or personal projects, displaying totals in a clear, plain-language format. Export your calculations to CSV or HH:MM:SS format.

Highlights
  • Add and subtract elapsed time
  • Handles time segments
  • Plain-language total display
  • Export to CSV
  • Export to HH:MM:SS format
  • On-device data storage
Features
Read full description

Elapsed Time Adder runs on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS to help you add and subtract elapsed time. You might ask why not just use a spreadsheet for this? Sadly, while spreadsheets are great at doing calculations, they don't know how to work with elapsed time; they think in time-of-day. Try adding 23 hours plus 7 hours in a spreadsheet — you won't get 30, you'll get 6 (AM)! If you need to add split times for running or walking, or keep track of time segments in audio or video recording, or time spent on projects, all of these efforts work great with ElapsedTimeAdder. Enter the times in each row, along with an optional title for each row, and watch the total update automatically in a plain-language way (e.g., "1 hr 23 min 45 sec"). You can type 384.6 seconds, or 74 minutes, and Elapsed Time Adder will easily work with it. If you want to subtract a row, simply hit the +/- toggle, and you'll see the row turn from green to pink. Use the "Add Another Row" button to have more rows in your calculations. If you're on a Mac or an iPad with a keyboard, hitting Tab at the end of the last second cell will add a new row too. Want to start over? Use the Reset button, and you'll be back to the default number of rows, and they'll all be empty. When you're finished, you can copy your data to a CSV suitable for opening in a spreadsheet application, or you can copy in HH:MM:SS format along with the titles for each row. Note that nothing is stored in a back-end system or in the cloud; all of your data is kept on-device only.

Screenshots

Encrypt Messages4 screens
Elapsed Time Adder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Elapsed Time Adder at 100% against Encrypt Messages's 50%. Elapsed Time Adder also leads on price (Free vs $3.99) and rating (5.0 vs 4.0). On ratings volume, 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Elapsed Time Adder holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Encrypt Messages's written reviews are positive against 100% of Elapsed Time Adder's.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Encrypt Messages versus Elapsed Time Adder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEncrypt MessagesElapsed Time Adder
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 70 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.018.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAnthony HarveyAllison Sheridan

Customer experience

Encrypt Messages

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Elapsed Time Adder

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Encrypt Messages

No in-app purchases

None

Elapsed Time Adder

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Encrypt Messages free?
Encrypt Messages costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Elapsed Time Adder free?
Elapsed Time Adder is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Encrypt Messages or Elapsed Time Adder?
Elapsed Time Adder is rated higher. Encrypt Messages averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Elapsed Time Adder averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Encrypt Messages or Elapsed Time Adder have ads?
Neither Encrypt Messages nor Elapsed Time Adder shows ads.

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