# Serial Box vs Cipher

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cipher at none against Serial Box's 1. Cipher also leads on device support (4 vs 2). Serial Box's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

Serial Box ships an update monthly, Cipher every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Serial Box | Cipher |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 9 MB | 34 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mark Battistella](https://appshunter.io/developer/1584906978) | [DGL Factor](https://appshunter.io/developer/6801650956) |

## What reviewers say

### Serial Box

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/serial-box/id1634535698)

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock extras | $1.99 | one-time |


### Cipher

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cipher-password-vault/id6751274317)

Securely store and encrypt sensitive text files, passwords, and crypto keys. Access your protected information across devices with cloud sync, even when offline. Your data remains private and under your control with strong AES-based encryption.

**Highlights:** Encrypt notes, texts, passwords, crypto keys, and recovery phrases, Import text files for encryption, Search across encrypted items, Cloud Sync across devices, Offline access to encrypted content, AES-based encryption

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Serial Box free?

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

### Is Cipher free?

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

### Do Serial Box or Cipher have ads?

Neither Serial Box nor Cipher shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Serial Box or Cipher?

Serial Box ships an update monthly, and Cipher every 4 months. Most recently, Serial Box was updated on October 2, 2026 and Cipher on October 10, 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.*