# Sub Cipher vs Balo

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sub Cipher at none against Balo's 1. Sub Cipher also leads on update cadence (every 7 months vs every 22 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Balo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Sub Cipher asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sub Cipher ships an update every 7 months, Balo every 22 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sub Cipher | Balo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sub-cipher/id1582898316/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **4** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 7 months** | Every 22 months |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 40 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.6** | 18.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Eduard Schwan](https://appshunter.io/developer/594336989) | [Mikhail Vyrtsev](https://appshunter.io/developer/1550996634) |

## What reviewers say

### Sub Cipher

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sub-cipher/id1582898316)

Easily encode and decode messages using simple substitution ciphers like Caesar and Atbash. Convert up to 2,000 characters at a time and save your cipher settings for later use. Ideal for fun educational purposes, not for serious secret messaging.

**Highlights:** Encode/decode simple substitution ciphers, Supports Caesar and Atbash cipher methods, Converts up to 2,000 characters at once, Save cipher settings as text, Create magic decoder wheels, No licensing or royalties required for published ciphers

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Balo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balo/id6445960440)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove watermark | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sub Cipher free?

Sub Cipher is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Balo free?

Balo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Sub Cipher or Balo have ads?

Neither Sub Cipher nor Balo shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sub Cipher or Balo?

Sub Cipher ships an update every 7 months, and Balo every 22 months. Most recently, Sub Cipher was updated on November 3, 2026 and Balo on November 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*