Comparison

ZERO Messenger vs Occulta

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

Head to head
About

ZERO Messenger

A secure and private messaging app built on decentralized architecture. It offers end-to-end encryption, Web3 integration, and no ads or surveillance. Reclaim your digital rights with this free, anonymous communication tool.

Highlights
  • Decentralized architecture
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Web3 wallet login
  • Token-gated chats
  • Cross-device access
  • No phone number required
  • Sleek and minimal design
Features
Read full description

Decentralized messaging for everyone. ZERO Messenger is secure, private, and free. No ads, no surveillance – reclaim your digital rights with ZERO. Decentralized - ZERO Messenger is built on decentralized architecture. Encrypted data is hosted on and shared between ZODEs; you can choose which ZODE will host your account, or you can run one of your own! Private - All conversations are end-to-end encrypted. No ads, no surveillance, completely anonymous; users are not required to provide personal data to create an account. Web3-Native - ZERO Messenger boasts Web3 (Ethereum) wallet login, identity verification with ZERO ID, the ability to create and join token-gated chats, and more. All Your Devices - Available on Web and Mobile. Access your conversations on all your devices. Secure Conversations of Any Size - Collaborate and share with individuals or groups of people in private, encrypted conversations. No Phone Number Required - Sign up with an Ethereum wallet and verify your identity with a ZERO ID. Sleek and Minimal - Designed with simplicity and ease of use in mind. Who are we? ZERO is a small startup empowering the citizens of our digital age with Web3 and decentralized technology. ZERO apps are built according to our values: Sovereignty, Decentralization, Security, Open Source, and Censorship Resistance.

About

Occulta

Features
Read full description

Your contacts app tells you who people are. It doesn't prove it's really them, and it hands every file you send through it to someone else's servers. Occulta is a cryptographic address book. Meet someone in person, and UWB hardware exchanges verified keys directly between your phones: no server ever sees them, no account is created, no phone number required. From then on, encrypt any file, photo, or video for that person and send it however you want: AirDrop, email, iMessage, any chat app. If one channel goes down, use another. The security lives in the key, not the pipe. Every key in your collection represents someone you actually met. No certificate authority vouched for them. No company holds a copy. No legal process can hand over what was never stored anywhere but your phone. Key Features • In-person key exchange via Nearby Interaction (iPhone 11+): UWB proximity confirms it's really them • Diceware verification words: a quick, human-friendly check that catches what UWB alone can't • Encrypt files, photos, and videos for anyone in your collection; share the result over any channel you choose • Encrypted group sharing: protect a file for an entire group at once • Protected by Apple Secure Enclave: your private keys are generated on-device and never leave it • No accounts, no servers, no tracking: nothing to breach, subpoena, or sell • Quantum-resistant by design: ML-KEM 1024 protects today's exchanges against tomorrow's quantum computers (iOS 26+) • Identity challenge: if a contact's account is ever hijacked, the impostor can't produce a valid signed response. A stolen account can't quietly keep talking in your place. • Shamir Secret Sharing: split vault recovery across trusted people, so no single point of failure can lock you out or hand you over • Secure Mode: a coercion-resistant layer that keeps sensitive contacts and data invisible under duress Occulta doesn't ask you to trust a company. It asks you to meet someone once. Everything after that is yours. Forever.

Screenshots

ZERO Messenger4 screens
Occulta4 screens

Verdict

The call

ZERO Messenger and Occulta are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on July 8, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
ZERO Messenger versus Occulta: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZERO MessengerOcculta
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (15 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews77.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings15 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.5 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size248 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZero to Infinity, Inc.Yura Filatov

In-app purchases

None

ZERO Messenger

No in-app purchases

None

Occulta

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ZERO Messenger free?
ZERO Messenger is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Occulta free?
Occulta is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ZERO Messenger or Occulta have ads?
Neither ZERO Messenger nor Occulta shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ZERO Messenger or Occulta?
ZERO Messenger ships an update weekly, and Occulta weekly. Most recently, ZERO Messenger was updated on July 8, 2026 and Occulta on September 13, 2026.

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