Comparison

iPGMail vs Keywave.

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

Head to head
About

iPGMail

This app simplifies PGP encryption for iOS users, allowing easy sending and receiving of encrypted emails and files. It supports the OpenPGP standard, key management, and various import methods for keys and messages.

Highlights
  • PGP encryption and decryption
  • Send and receive encrypted emails
  • Encrypt and decrypt files
  • Create and manage PGP keys
  • Import keys from various sources
  • Supports OpenPGP standard
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

iPGMail is a complete OpenPGP client for iPhone and iPad. Encrypt, decrypt, and digitally sign email and files using the same RFC 9580 / RFC 4880 standard you already use with GnuPG, Mailvelope, Thunderbird, ProtonMail's PGP exports, and any other OpenPGP-compatible tool. Bring your existing PGP identity to iOS or generate a new one in the app. Your private keys are stored in a private local database with the highest data-protection class and are unlocked only by Touch ID or Face ID. All cryptography runs locally — your keys and message content never leave your device. CRYPTO & INTEROPERABILITY • OpenPGP v4 and v6 (RFC 9580 / RFC 4880, RFC 6637) — fully interoperable with GnuPG, Mailvelope, Thunderbird, ProtonMail PGP exports, and any other compliant tool • Public-key algorithms: RSA, DSA, ECDSA, EdDSA (Ed25519, Ed448), ECDH (Curve25519, X448) • Symmetric ciphers including AES-256, with modern AEAD encryption on PGP v6 (SEIPDv2) messages • PGP/MIME for encrypted email; standard ASCII-armored output for any plain-text channel • Detached and inline signatures; sign-only mode for authenticated but readable messages • Symmetric (password-based) file encryption • Encrypt to multiple recipients in a single message EMAIL • Send encrypted email directly from the app via SMTP — works with iCloud, Gmail, Outlook / Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, Fastmail, GMX, Yandex, mail.ru, QQ, Comcast, and any custom SMTP server • Google OAuth2 for password-free Gmail authentication • Reply with quoted plaintext ("> " prefix) so encrypted threads read like normal email • Or hand off to your default mail app via the standard iOS share sheet KEY MANAGEMENT • Generate new keypairs in-app with strong defaults (ECC or RSA) • Import existing public and private keys (ASCII-armored or binary) • Search SKS / hkps key servers and Keybase to find recipient keys • Attach your public key to outgoing messages so recipients can import it directly • Inspect key flags, expiration, signatures, and user IDs FILES • Encrypt and decrypt files up to 100 MB per file (200 MB total per message), with on-screen progress • Quick Look preview of decrypted content in-place • Receive encrypted attachments directly from iOS Mail.app — no copy/paste required • Read .pgp, .gpg, .asc, and .sig files from anywhere via the Files app, AirDrop, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, or the system clipboard • Open URL handler for the x-ipgmail:// scheme so other apps can hand work to iPGMail iPAD-OPTIMIZED • Sidebar navigation and full keyboard shortcut support • Optimized layouts for Split View and Stage Manager PRIVACY POSTURE • Private keys are stored locally in a secured private database and unlocked only by Touch ID / Face ID • All encryption, decryption, signing, and verification happens on-device • No account creation, no cloud middleman, no third-party access to your message content • Open standard — your keys and messages stay portable to any other OpenPGP tool, on any platform WHO IT'S FOR Built for journalists, activists, security professionals, lawyers, developers, and anyone who already uses PGP on the desktop and wants the same workflow on iOS. Bring your existing key, decrypt your inbox, sign and send — without surrendering custody of your keys to anyone.

About

Keywave.

Securely encrypt and decrypt messages directly on your device. Manage your PGP keys locally without any server interaction or data tracking. Offers robust key generation and import/export options with a clean interface.

Highlights
  • Encrypt and decrypt messages
  • Generate RSA keypairs
  • Manage unlimited keys
  • Import/export keys
  • Native SwiftUI interface
  • 100% local processing
Read full description

PGP encryption for people who value their privacy. Everything runs on your device. No servers, no tracking, no compromises. Keywave is a native iOS app for PGP encryption and decryption. Encrypt messages before sending them. Decrypt messages you receive. Manage your keys. That's it. Everything runs locally using Protonmail's open-source gopenpgp library. Your keys never leave your phone. Features: • Encrypt & decrypt messages with a tap • Generate 2048, 3072, or 4096-bit RSA keypairs • Store unlimited keys with search and filtering • Import from files, clipboard, or share extension • Export as ASCII Armored or Binary • Native SwiftUI interface with dark mode Why Keywave: • 100% local — no servers, no cloud, no network requests • Zero data collection — no analytics, no tracking • Built on Protonmail's battle-tested gopenpgp library • Keys stored securely in iOS Keychain • Compatible with GPG and other PGP tools Free. No ads. Works offline. Requires iOS 17.5+. New features coming in the next version: This will include a keyboard extension, and also adding support for encrypting and decrypting files. potentially could an encrypted file vault.

Screenshots

iPGMail4 screens
Keywave.3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Keywave. at Free against iPGMail's $3.99. iPGMail's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 2.8) and review sentiment (66% vs 33%). 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

Keywave. is free to download; iPGMail costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iPGMail holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iPGMail has 235 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of iPGMail's written reviews are positive against 33% of Keywave.'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iPGMail ships an update every 10 days, Keywave. every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
iPGMail versus Keywave.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriPGMailKeywave.
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (235 ratings) — better2.8 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews66.3% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings235 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#113 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWyllys IngersollWilliam Kelley

Customer experience

iPGMail

All ratings235 ratings
Positive81.7%
Neutral7.2%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews199 reviews
Positive66.3%
Neutral8.0%
Negative25.6%

Keywave.

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Bugs and requests

iPGMail

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when importing certain private keys
  • Issues with sending/receiving encrypted attachments
  • Problems with key server integration and key management

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to save password/passphrase
  • Automatic deletion of local decrypted files
  • Better integration with iOS Mail app
  • Support for more encryption algorithms beyond RSA

Keywave.

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

iPGMail

No in-app purchases

None

Keywave.

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iPGMail free?
iPGMail costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Keywave. free?
Keywave. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iPGMail or Keywave.?
iPGMail is rated higher. iPGMail averages 4.3 out of 5 from 235 ratings, while Keywave. averages 2.8 from 4 ratings.
Do iPGMail or Keywave. have ads?
Neither iPGMail nor Keywave. shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iPGMail or Keywave.?
iPGMail ships an update every 10 days, and Keywave. every 6 months. Most recently, iPGMail was updated on September 23, 2026 and Keywave. on September 1, 2026.

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