Orbot vs AgePony
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Orbot
This app provides a free and open-source Tor-powered VPN for enhanced internet safety and privacy. It allows users to browse the web over Tor, secure their traffic, and access .onion sites. While it offers increased privacy, users should be aware that browsing speeds may be slower than a standard VPN.
- Browse internet over Tor
- Secure traffic from insecure networks
- Access .onion sites
- Free and open-source
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Orbot is the original free and open-source Tor-powered VPN for iOS and macOS. Orbot helps you access the internet with more safety and privacy, and no extra cost to you. FEATURES: - Browse the internet over Tor. - Secure your traffic from insecure wireless networks and ISPs. - Access .onion sites that are only accessible over Tor. DISCLAIMERS: - Web browsing is much slower than through a normal VPN because your traffic is encrypted and relayed through the Tor network. - Orbot might not work on networks with advanced network restrictions. If the app does not connect, try using bridges (or a different type of bridge). - Use of Orbot is at your own risk; remember that sensitive data does not always belong on a mobile device. ** Orbot is free and open-source software. You can read more about Orbot and how to support development of Tor on iOS by visiting orbot.app **
AgePony
Securely encrypt, decrypt, and sign files using the modern age protocol. Protect your data with post-quantum cryptography and verify file authenticity without relying on servers or accounts. Supports various key types and any file size for robust local-first security.
- Post-quantum encryption (ML-KEM-768 + X25519)
- Encrypt, decrypt, sign, and verify files of any size
- Supports various public keys (SSH, age, passphrase)
- Hardware security key integration (NFC)
- Local-first, zero-backend architecture
- Encrypted notes for sensitive data
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Modern file encryption and signing for iPhone, built on the age protocol. Encrypt anything to anyone, sign files so others can verify they came from you, and keep every byte on your device. No accounts, no servers, no key-management headaches. POST-QUANTUM Hybrid ML-KEM-768 + X25519 recipients, so a file captured today stays private even if X25519 falls to a quantum computer years from now. Interoperable with the age CLI 1.3 and newer. Files already on a classical key? The re-encrypt tool moves them across. ANY SIZE Encrypt, decrypt, sign and verify files of any size. Nothing is held in memory, so a 1 GB video behaves like a text file. ENCRYPT TO ANYONE • Anyone's published SSH keys, fetched by their username • Any age public key, classical (X25519) or post-quantum • Any SSH public key (ed25519 or RSA) • A passphrase, when you don't need recipient keys at all SIGN FILES Prove a file came from you and hasn't been altered. Sign on its own, producing a detached signature anyone can check without AgePony. Or sign and encrypt in one step, sealing the signature inside the file so the ciphertext never reveals who sent it. Signatures are verified automatically as a file decrypts. • Sign with an in-app SSH key (ed25519 or RSA) • Sign with a Secure Enclave key, generated in hardware and never exportable • Sign with an external hardware security key over NFC, including keys protected by a PIN • Standard SSHSIG signatures, verifiable with the usual SSH command-line tools • Verify signatures from other people right inside the app BUILT ON AGE A clean-room implementation of the age v1 file format, a modern, simpler alternative to older encryption tools. X25519 key agreement, ChaCha20-Poly1305 authenticated encryption, scrypt for passphrase-protected files. Bit-perfect with the reference age CLI: encrypt on your phone, decrypt on your laptop, and back again. HARDWARE, PAPER, NEXT PHONE • Secure Enclave decryption keys, quantum-safe if you like • Decrypt with a security key over NFC • Move keys to your next phone over Wi-Fi • Passphrase-protected paper backups ENCRYPTED NOTES Passphrase-locked notes for secrets that never need to leave your device: recovery phrases, API keys, server credentials. Each note has its own passphrase, stretched through scrypt into its wrapping key. Forget it and the body is gone for good. That is the point. EVERY KIND OF DATA • Files: encrypt anything from the Files app • Several at once: one archive, or one encrypted file each, your choice • Text: armored age blocks for paste-into-email use • Inspect: see what any age file is encrypted to, without decrypting it • .age files: tap "Open in AgePony" from the Files app LOCAL-FIRST, ZERO BACKEND No accounts. No cloud sync. No telemetry. No analytics. No advertising. No third-party SDKs. Your vault stays on your device, encrypted at rest with a master key in the iOS Keychain that Face ID or Touch ID unlocks. The only internet request AgePony ever makes is fetching someone's published SSH keys, when you ask. FOR THE DEVELOPER SECURITY COMMUNITY If you have ever wished file encryption were simpler, age is the answer and AgePony is age on your phone. Sending someone an encrypted file without coordinating keys first takes one tap and their username. The interface is deliberately minimal: files, notes, text, identities, settings. OPEN SOURCE Apache 2.0. Source code linked from agepony.com. COMPATIBILITY • Any age v1 implementation, including the reference command-line tool • Post-quantum recipients need age CLI 1.3 or newer • Reads and writes both binary and PEM-armored age files • Requires iPhone with iOS 17.0 or later PRIVACY AgePony collects nothing and there is no server. Your data never leaves your device unless you export it. Policy: agepony.com/privacy. SUPPORT Documentation, FAQ, and contact: agepony.com/support Email: NorseHorse@norsehor.se Built quietly in Alabama by NorseHorse. Sibling to PGPony, the same idea for OpenPGP keys.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Orbot at 25% against AgePony's 0%. Orbot also leads on ratings volume (975 vs 3) and device support (4 vs 1). AgePony's advantage is rating (3.3 vs 3.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
AgePony holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Orbot has 975 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 25% of Orbot's written reviews are positive against 0% of AgePony's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Orbot ships an update monthly, AgePony every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Orbot | AgePony |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (975 ratings) | 3.3 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 25.4% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 975 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 119 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Tor Project | Kevin Stewart |
Customer experience
Orbot
AgePony
Bugs and requests
Orbot
Reported bugs
4 issues- Fails to connect at 50% or gets stuck in a connection loop
- Causes Wi-Fi or mobile data connection issues
- Randomly disconnects without warning
- Onion Browser integration is unreliable
Requested features
4 requests- Add manual bridge configuration options
- Implement a kill switch to block internet access when VPN disconnects
- Improve compatibility with other iOS apps and services
- Provide more detailed connection logs and diagnostics
AgePony
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Orbot
No in-app purchases
AgePony
No in-app purchases









