# SMS vs Cipher Message

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SMS at none against Cipher Message's 1. SMS also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.5). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cipher Message sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SMS asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for SMS against 5.0 for Cipher Message. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

SMS ships an update monthly, Cipher Message fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SMS | Cipher Message |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sms-extension/id6743150217/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cipher-message/id6748971173/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **2** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 50 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.5 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Tawlq. Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1801674940) | [Nathaniel Van Evera](https://appshunter.io/developer/1827814572) |

## What reviewers say

### SMS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sms-extension/id6743150217)

Send and receive SMS and MMS messages across your devices seamlessly. Your messages stay synced and accessible from your mobile device or web browser, using your existing phone number.

**Highlights:** Cross-device SMS and MMS sync, Cloud-based message storage, Seamless web browser access, Uses your existing phone number, Easy setup

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Cipher Message

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cipher-message/id6748971173)

Easily encrypt and decrypt messages within your messaging app using various classic ciphers. Protect your conversations with friends and upgrade for advanced encryption methods and Face ID unlock.

**Highlights:** Encrypt/decrypt in iMessage, Classic ciphers (Caesar, Vigenère), Advanced ciphers (AES), Face ID unlock, Private conversations

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cipher Message Premium | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SMS free?

SMS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Cipher Message free?

Cipher Message is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, SMS or Cipher Message?

SMS and Cipher Message are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do SMS or Cipher Message have ads?

Cipher Message shows ads; SMS does not.

### Which is updated more often, SMS or Cipher Message?

SMS ships an update monthly, and Cipher Message fortnightly. Most recently, SMS was updated on October 6, 2026 and Cipher Message on October 1, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*