Comparison

Secret vs Paranoia Text Encryption PRO

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

Head to head
About

Secret

Securely send and receive encrypted messages that only the intended recipient can read. Protect your private conversations with end-to-end encryption and a password. Messages are not stored on your device after decryption.

Highlights
  • End-to-end message encryption
  • Password protection for decryption
  • Shake to clear messages
  • Messages not stored on device
  • Supports any language and emoji
  • Multiple language localizations
Features
Read full description

Send messages to your friends and colleagues – encrypted so that only they can read the message. Tap and type your message, and with one tap you can encrypt and then send your message, or copy it to the clipboard for pasting in to another application. Shake to clear your message. Secret – just between you and me... When someone who has Secret installed receives a Secret-encrypted message, they need only click on the message and they are taken straight to Secret where they can decrypt the message with a pre-arranged password. It's as simple as that! Secret uses DES symmetric encryption to keep your messages safe. You can use it anywhere you need to send a message that you don't want others to read. The decrypted message is not stored on your phone, so if someone intercepts or finds your phone, they can't read your messages without knowing the password. Secret works in any language, and even with emoji. Secret is also fully localised in English, French, Japanese, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Malay, Indonesian, German, Korean, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese. Secret – it's the easiest way to secure the messages you send and receive.

About

Paranoia Text Encryption PRO

Securely encrypt and decrypt sensitive text data using a wide range of advanced algorithms. Protect notes, messages, and cryptocurrency keys. Features steganography to hide data within images and post-quantum key exchange.

Highlights
  • Multiple strong encryption algorithms
  • Steganography for image data hiding
  • Post-quantum key encapsulation (KEM)
  • Unlimited password management
  • Cross-platform compatibility (iOS, macOS)
  • Copy/paste and file saving
Features
Read full description

• Paranoia Text Encryption PRO is a universal text encryption application for iOS (iPhone/iPad/iPod) and macOS by Paranoia Works. • Paranoia Text Encryption ensures the safety of your notes, SMS messages, emails, social networking posts, cryptocurrency keys (seeds, mnemonics), and any other text from all unwanted readers. • The app offers true security, encrypting data using the strongest encryption algorithms available: Threefish 1024-bit, SHACAL-2 512-bit, Paranoia C4 2048-bit (a cascade of Threefish, Serpent, AES, and SHACAL-2), Blowfish 448-bit, AES 256-bit, RC6 256-bit, Serpent 256-bit, and Twofish 256-bit ciphers. • Simply copy and paste text to and from your favorite applications, or save it to a file for future use. • This app does not function as a "Vault application." Instead, a password is set for the current encryption/decryption session, not for entering the app itself. You may have an unlimited number of passwords for any purpose—different files, tasks, people, etc. • Steganography: The application offers steganographic features, allowing you to conceal text or files within a JPEG image. Two algorithms are available: J-UNIWARD (content-adaptive, minimizes visual distortion, harder to detect) and F5 (matrix encoding, efficient embedding). The selected algorithm works with your chosen symmetric cipher to create the final steganogram. • Key Encapsulation (KEM): Securely exchange encryption passwords using the post-quantum ML-KEM mechanism (NIST FIPS 203). Two parties can establish a shared password without ever transmitting it directly, with protection against future quantum computer attacks. ◆ Differences between Free and PRO versions: The PRO version offers additional encryption algorithms, specifically Threefish 1024-bit, SHACAL-2 512-bit, and Paranoia C4 2048-bit (a cascade of Threefish–Serpent–AES–SHACAL-2). While the free version can decrypt data encrypted by these advanced algorithms, the ability to encrypt data using them is exclusive to the PRO version. The PRO version also provides a key to activate the PRO versions of our desktop applications: Paranoia File & Text Encryption for PC, Paranoia Text Encryption for PC, and S.S.E. File Encryptor for PC. • The application is directly compatible with macOS (10.15 and later). Versions for other systems and platforms are available on the application's homepage (download section - https://paranoiaworks.mobi/download/). • An online (web-based) version, utilizing AES and client-side JavaScript, and other utilities are available at https://pteo.paranoiaworks.mobi

Screenshots

Secret4 screens
Paranoia Text Encryption PRO4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Paranoia Text Encryption PRO at 4.7 against Secret's 3.0. Paranoia Text Encryption PRO also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 55%) and ratings volume (52 vs 1). Secret's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $3.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Secret costs $0.99 and Paranoia Text Encryption PRO $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Paranoia Text Encryption PRO holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Paranoia Text Encryption PRO has 52 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Secret's written reviews are positive against 84% of Paranoia Text Encryption PRO's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Secret ships an update every 10 months, Paranoia Text Encryption PRO every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Secret versus Paranoia Text Encryption PRO: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSecretParanoia Text Encryption PRO
Price$0.99 — better$3.99
Rating3.0 (1 ratings)4.7 (52 ratings) — better
Positive reviews54.5% of reviews83.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings152 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.014.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developercurmi.comFrantisek Dvorak

Customer experience

Secret

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive54.5%
Neutral22.7%
Negative22.7%

Paranoia Text Encryption PRO

All ratings52 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral1.9%
Negative5.8%
Written reviews55 reviews
Positive83.6%
Neutral7.3%
Negative9.1%

In-app purchases

None

Secret

No in-app purchases

None

Paranoia Text Encryption PRO

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Secret free?
Secret costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Paranoia Text Encryption PRO free?
Paranoia Text Encryption PRO costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Secret or Paranoia Text Encryption PRO?
Paranoia Text Encryption PRO is rated higher. Secret averages 3.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Paranoia Text Encryption PRO averages 4.7 from 52 ratings.
Do Secret or Paranoia Text Encryption PRO have ads?
Neither Secret nor Paranoia Text Encryption PRO shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Secret or Paranoia Text Encryption PRO?
Secret ships an update every 10 months, and Paranoia Text Encryption PRO every 2 months. Most recently, Secret was updated on September 27, 2026 and Paranoia Text Encryption PRO on September 28, 2026.

Other comparisons