Comparison

PrivateWave Professional vs Cisco Secure Client

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PrivateWave Professional

Securely encrypt your calls using VoIP technology. This app allows for encrypted communication between users who also have the software installed, offering robust security features and low bandwidth usage. It is designed for business and personal use where call privacy is paramount.

Highlights
  • End-to-end voice encryption (ZRTP)
  • Signaling protection (SIP/TLS)
  • Mutual authentication with X.509 certificates
  • Low bandwidth usage
  • Extremely low battery drain
  • Supports various IP-enabled networks
Read full description

PrivateWave Professional is an innovative software to encrypt your calls in a totally safe and legal way through the VoIP Internet Protocol. It needs to be configured on your own PrivateServer or it can auto-configure itself on PrivateWave's hosted server. Once installed on mobile phones, PrivateWave Professional gives you the option to encrypt calls between the users (i.e both caller and called need to have the software installed). Using PrivateWave you can communicate easily and securely with your contacts. Please keep in mind that there is no way to call numbers on a public switched telephone network (PSTN). Easy to use: - Software only solution for iOS 11.x/12.x/13.x/14.x/15.x/16.x - The way to make calls doesn’t change Security: - Flexible security model: - ZRTP for end-to-end voice encryption - SIP/TLS for signaling protection - Use of only IETF standardized protocols - Security compliant with FIPS, NIST and NSA - Mutual Authentication with X.509 certificates - SSL Certificate Pinning - Based on open source technologies Performance: - Low average Bandwith: * in standby: negligible * during conversation: (100-200 K/minute) - International calls and worldwide roaming - Extremely low battery drain - Low latency (depends on network) Supported Networks: - Any IP-enabled network - 2G (GPRS, EDGE, 1xRTT) - 3G (UMTS, HSDPA, EV-DO) - 4G - WiFi - Satellite Encryption Algorithms: - ECDH 256 bit / 384 bit (default) / 521 bit (Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman) - AES256 (CTR) for SRTP - SIP/TLS with X509v3 digital certificates Audio Codec: - AMR Narrowband 4.75 kbits/s

About

Cisco Secure Client

This application provides secure, encrypted network connectivity for mobile devices, enabling persistent access to corporate resources. It optimizes connections for various applications and traffic types, ensuring reliable access for users on the go.

Highlights
  • Encrypted network connectivity
  • Persistent corporate access
  • Optimized connection paths
  • Network roaming capability
  • Wide range of authentication options
  • Per-app VPN support
Features
Read full description

This is the Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect VPN) application for Apple iOS. Please report any questions to ac-mobile-feedback@cisco.com. Please consult with your EMM/MDM vendor on configuration changes required to configure this new version if you are not setting it up manually. Samples at: https://community.cisco.com/t5/security-blogs/anyconnect-apple-ios-transition-to-apple-s-latest-vpn-framework/ba-p/3098264 LICENSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS: You must have an active AnyConnect Plus, Apex or VPN Only term/contract to utilize this software. Use is no longer permitted for older Essentials/Premium with Mobile licensing. AnyConnect may never be used with non-Cisco servers. Trial AnyConnect Apex (ASA) licenses are available for administrators at www.cisco.com/go/license AnyConnect for iOS requires Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Boot image 8.0(4) or later. Per App VPN requires ASA 9.3(2) or later (5500-X/ASAv only) with Plus, Apex or VPN Only licensing and a minimum Apple iOS version of 10.x. For additional licensing questions, please contact ac-mobile-license-request (AT) cisco.com and include a copy of "show version" from your Cisco ASA. Ordering and Licensing Guide: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/security/anyconnect-secure-mobility-client/secure-client-og.html Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect VPN) provides reliable and easy-to-deploy encrypted network connectivity from any Apple iOS by delivering persistent corporate access for users on the go. Whether providing access to business email, a virtual desktop session, or most other iOS applications, AnyConnect enables business-critical application connectivity. Through the use of Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS), TCP-based applications and latency-sensitive traffic (such as voice over IP [VoIP]) are provided an optimized communication path to corporate resources. Additionally, the Cisco Secure Client support IPsec IKEv2 with Next Generation Encryption. Features: - Automatically adapts its tunneling to the most efficient method possible based on network constraints, using TLS and DTLS. - DTLS provides an optimized connection for TCP-based application access and latency-sensitive traffic, such as VoIP traffic - Network roaming capability allows connectivity to resume seamlessly after IP address change, loss of connectivity, or device standby - Wide Range of Authentication Options: RADIUS, RSA SecurID, Active Directory/Kerberos, Digital Certificates, LDAP, multifactor authentication - Supports certificate deployment using Apple iOS and AnyConnect integrated SCEP - Compatible with Apple iOS Connect On Demand VPN capability for automatic VPN connections when required by an application - Policies can be preconfigured or configured locally, and can be automatically updated from the VPN headend - Access to internal IPv4 and IPv6 network resources - Administrator-controlled split / full tunneling network access policy - Per App VPN (TCP and UDP) - MDM controlled If you are an end-user and have any issues or concerns, please contact your organization’s support department. If you are a System Administrator having difficulties configuring or utilizing the Application, please contact your designated support point of contact. Release Notes: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/security/anyconnect-secure-mobility-client/products-release-notes-list.html User Guide: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/security/anyconnect-secure-mobility-client/products-user-guide-list.html End user license: https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/about/doing_business/legal/seula/anyconnect-SEULA-v4x.pdf

Screenshots

PrivateWave Professional4 screens
Cisco Secure Client1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Cisco Secure Client at 2.1K against PrivateWave Professional's 3. PrivateWave Professional's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cisco Secure Client holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cisco Secure Client has 2.1K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of PrivateWave Professional's written reviews are positive against 32% of Cisco Secure Client's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PrivateWave Professional ships an update every 5 weeks, Cisco Secure Client every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PrivateWave Professional versus Cisco Secure Client: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrivateWave ProfessionalCisco Secure Client
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings)3.9 (2.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews — better31.6% of reviews
Number of ratings32.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBV TECH SPACisco

Customer experience

PrivateWave Professional

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Cisco Secure Client

All ratings2,089 ratings
Positive70.7%
Neutral6.6%
Negative22.8%
Written reviews478 reviews
Positive31.6%
Neutral11.1%
Negative57.3%

Bugs and requests

PrivateWave Professional

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Cisco Secure Client

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Cannot connect after update
  • App crashes when selecting server
  • Cannot import certificates
  • Incompatible with iOS 12/13/14
  • Disconnects frequently

Requested features

4 requests
  • Save password option
  • Dark mode
  • Face ID/Touch ID support
  • Ability to change server/port

In-app purchases

None

PrivateWave Professional

No in-app purchases

None

Cisco Secure Client

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PrivateWave Professional free?
PrivateWave Professional is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cisco Secure Client free?
Cisco Secure Client is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PrivateWave Professional or Cisco Secure Client?
Cisco Secure Client is rated higher. PrivateWave Professional averages 3.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Cisco Secure Client averages 3.9 from 2.1K ratings.
Do PrivateWave Professional or Cisco Secure Client have ads?
Neither PrivateWave Professional nor Cisco Secure Client shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PrivateWave Professional or Cisco Secure Client?
PrivateWave Professional ships an update every 5 weeks, and Cisco Secure Client every 3 months. Most recently, PrivateWave Professional was updated on September 22, 2026 and Cisco Secure Client on September 22, 2026.

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