iPGMail vs Pocket
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Securely encrypt, decrypt, sign, and verify messages and files directly on your device. Manage PGP keys locally for enhanced privacy and control, with options for handling larger files and unlimited key storage through in-app purchases.
- Create and manage PGP keys locally
- Encrypt, decrypt, sign, and verify messages
- Encrypt and decrypt files
- Support for large files with Chunk Mode
- Organize and manage keyring
- Channel-independent encryption
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Pocket PGP brings OpenPGP encryption to your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Silicon Mac: direct, private, and under your control. Create, import, and manage PGP keys directly on your device. Encrypt, decrypt, sign, and verify messages with greater privacy and control. Core cryptographic operations run locally on your device, without relying on external servers for the actual encryption and decryption process. Features: - Create OpenPGP key pairs directly on your device - Import public and private keys as plain text or from .asc files - Encrypt messages for one or multiple recipients - Decrypt messages locally on your device - See signature verification details, including which key signed a message - Sign cleartext messages - Verify clear-signed PGP messages - Optionally remember private-key passphrases on this device after successful decryption - Share results after encrypting, decrypting, signing, or verifying - Encrypt and decrypt regular files up to 125 MB on iPhone and iPad - Encrypt and decrypt regular files up to 200 MB on Apple Silicon Macs - Create and open app-specific Pocket PGP .ppgp packages with Chunk Mode - Use Chunk Mode for larger files up to 750 MB per package - Organize and manage your keyring with ease - Switch the app language between English and German Pocket PGP is channel-independent. Encrypt or sign your content first, then share or send it through email, messaging apps, notes, cloud drives, or any other channel. Regular file encryption uses OpenPGP-compatible file encryption. For larger files, Chunk Mode creates Pocket PGP .ppgp packages. These packages are app-specific and can be opened with Pocket PGP. The app can be downloaded and tested for free with plain text encryption. The free version is limited to a maximum of two stored keys and does not include file-encryption. In-App Purchases: - Premium unlocks unlimited key storage and bulk import - File Encryption unlocks regular file encryption and decryption (maximum supported file size: 125 MB per file on capable iPhone and iPad, 200 MB on Apple Silicon Macs) - Chunk Mode unlocks app-specific large-file .ppgp packages (maximum supported file size: 750 MB per package) - Pro Bundle unlocks Premium, File Encryption, and Chunk Mode in one purchase No user accounts. No cloud key storage. No analytics tracking. Your private keys stay under your control.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Pocket at Free against iPGMail's $3.99. Pocket also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 66%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). iPGMail's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (235 vs 5). On rating, update cadence, ads 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
Pocket is free to download; iPGMail costs $3.99 up front. Pocket sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. iPGMail asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for iPGMail against 4.2 for Pocket. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iPGMail has 235 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of iPGMail's written reviews are positive against 100% of Pocket's.
iPGMail ships an update every 10 days, Pocket weekly. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.
| Parameter | iPGMail | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (235 ratings) — better | 4.2 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 235 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #113 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Wyllys Ingersoll | MAGNUS FINSTAD |
Customer experience
iPGMail
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
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
iPGMail
No in-app purchases
- File encryption (125MB)$1.99
- Chunk Mode (750 MB)$1.99
- Pocket PGP Pro (Unlimited keys)$1.99
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- Pro Bundle$4.99








