Comparison

Encrypt Messages vs CuePic

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

CuePic

Features
Read full description

More helpful than a thick manual: a simple “right here” from someone you know. CuePic is an app for gently showing where to tap, where to look, or what to follow by adding marks to an image. “Tap here.” “Look here.” “Follow these steps.” “The button in the top right,” “the item below that,” “the blue part” — words alone can be surprisingly hard to understand. With CuePic, you can choose an image, add a red circle or rectangle, and share it right away. Add a clear “right here” to the words you already know how to say. When you want to help a family member with a phone. When you want to show a friend where to look. When you want someone at work to check a specific spot. Start with one image and mark it with a red circle or rectangle. For someone you do not want to confuse, add a pointer or arrow to make it even clearer. For steps you do not want to explain over and over, you can turn multiple images into a simple guide. When explaining gets a little easier, the conversation can feel a little kinder. CuePic is a small image explanation app that helps reduce misunderstandings and deliver a simple “right here.” Main Features: ・Add red circles or rectangles to images ・Clearly show where to tap or where to look ・Share the image you made right away ・Use pointers and arrows to make things stand out ・Combine multiple images into step-by-step instructions ・Helpful for explaining phone steps to family ・Useful for work checks and quick guidance for friends Use CuePic when: ・You want to show someone where to tap on their phone ・You want to point out where to look in an image ・Words alone are hard to explain ・You want to say “right here” with one image ・You want to show multiple screens as steps ・You want to make explanation a little easier CuePic delivers a “right here” that is a little kinder for both the person explaining and the person receiving it.

Screenshots

Encrypt Messages4 screens
CuePic3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Encrypt Messages at none against CuePic's 2. CuePic's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 70 months) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads 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

Encrypt Messages costs $3.99 and CuePic $3.99 up front. CuePic sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Encrypt Messages asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Encrypt Messages ships an update every 70 months, CuePic fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Encrypt Messages versus CuePic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEncrypt MessagesCuePic
Price$3.99$3.99
Rating4.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 70 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAnthony HarveyMakoto Fukuoka

In-app purchases

None

Encrypt Messages

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

CuePic

One-time2
  • Buy Me a Coffee$1.99
  • CuePic Pro$2.99

Questions

Is Encrypt Messages free?
Encrypt Messages costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is CuePic free?
CuePic costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Do Encrypt Messages or CuePic have ads?
Neither Encrypt Messages nor CuePic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Encrypt Messages or CuePic?
Encrypt Messages ships an update every 70 months, and CuePic fortnightly. Most recently, Encrypt Messages was updated on October 17, 2026 and CuePic on October 25, 2026.

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