Comparison

Keylane vs Orbeo

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

Head to head
About

Keylane

Features
Read full description

Keylane is a privacy-first messenger for the people who matter most. Every message, voice memo, photo, file, and call is protected with end-to-end encryption — and Keylane goes further than most, using post-quantum cryptography designed to stay secure even against future quantum computers. Built for genuine one-to-one conversations. No groups, no feeds, no algorithms — just private, direct communication. WHY KEYLANE • End-to-end encrypted by default. Messages and calls are encrypted on your device and can only be read by you and the person you're talking to. Not by us, not by anyone. • Post-quantum protection. Keylane uses a quantum-resistant key exchange (ML-KEM-768) and a quantum-resistant double-ratchet protocol, giving you forward secrecy and protection against "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks. • Your keys never leave your device. Your private keys are generated on-device and encrypted at rest with a key derived from your PIN. We never receive them. • Metadata privacy. A sealed-sender design means our servers can't see who is messaging whom — only that a message needs delivering. • Unlock with Face ID or Touch ID. Convenient biometric unlock, backed by the same PIN-derived encryption — no security shortcuts. • Secure calling. Encrypted one-to-one voice and video calls, integrated with the native iOS call experience. • Rich, private media. Share photos, videos, files, and voice memos — all encrypted, with per-file quality options and in-app image annotation before you send. • No phone number required. Add a contact by scanning their QR code. No address-book upload, no discovery by phone number. • No ads. No tracking. No profiling. Keylane's business is privacy, not your data. HOW IT WORKS When you create an account, Keylane generates your cryptographic identity locally. Only your public keys are registered with the server. Everything sensitive — your profile, your private keys, your local files — is encrypted on your device. To connect with someone, you exchange an invite (for example, by scanning a QR code). From that point on, every exchange runs over a quantum-resistant double-ratchet session that provides forward secrecy: even if a key were ever compromised, past messages stay protected. DESIGNED FOR CONTROL • Block a contact and their ability to reach you is revoked immediately, at the server. • You choose who can contact you — there's no open directory. Keylane is for anyone who believes private conversations should stay private: journalists, professionals handling sensitive information, and anyone who simply prefers that their messages remain their own. Private by design. Quantum-safe by default. See https://keylane.app for more information.

About

Orbeo

A private messenger that uses a unique ID instead of a phone number. It offers rich messaging features, voice and video calls, and group/channel communication without ads or third-party tracking.

Highlights
  • Phone number-free registration
  • Rich messaging features
  • Voice and video calls
  • Groups and channels
  • File sharing up to 50 MB
  • Cross-platform support
Features
Read full description

Orbeo is a messenger that does not need your phone number. Instead of a number there is a short Orbeo ID. Only the people you hand it to can find you: the app never reads your address book, never looks people up by number, and never suggests you to strangers. WHAT IS THERE Messages Quoted replies, editing and deleting on both sides, reactions, stickers. Read receipts and a typing indicator, as they should be. Photos, voice, video and files A photo opens full screen. Voice records two ways: hold the button, or tap once and keep talking hands-free. Double-tap the microphone, or swipe up from it, for a square video message from the front camera. Video and files up to 50 MB. Calls Voice and video, your own camera in the corner, switchable to the front lens. Connection quality is on screen: latency and jitter in milliseconds. On iPhone an incoming call is shown by the system, like an ordinary phone call. Groups and channels A group is for the people you know. A channel is for readers, with an address like orbeo.me/c/name and discussion under each post. Three languages Interface, dates and plurals in English, Russian and Kazakh. Everywhere Phone, tablet and computer — one account. WHAT IS NOT THERE No advertising. No third-party analytics and no tracking pixels. Nothing about you is sold or passed on for marketing. Registration asks for neither a phone number nor an email address. PLAINLY, ABOUT THE IMPORTANT PART The only spare key to an account is a twelve-word recovery phrase. It is shown once, at sign-up: write it down on paper. There is no phone number and no email to fall back on, and without those words nobody can return the account to you — us included. Orbeo has no end-to-end encryption. Traffic to the server is encrypted, but messages are stored on the server in readable form — which is what makes your correspondence appear on a new device right after you sign in. We say this outright rather than let you assume otherwise. ORDER Report and block are in the menu of every conversation. Reports are reviewed by a human; an account that breaks the rules is limited or removed. You can delete your own account in Settings, immediately and without asking anyone. Terms of Use: https://orbeo.me/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://orbeo.me/privacy.html

Screenshots

Keylane4 screens
Orbeo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Orbeo at every 3 days against Keylane's every 2 weeks. Orbeo also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.2). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Keylane ships an update every 2 weeks, Orbeo every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Keylane versus Orbeo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKeylaneOrbeo
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.7 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.216.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB110 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLivotov Labs Ltd.Kirill Prikota

In-app purchases

None

Keylane

No in-app purchases

None

Orbeo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Keylane free?
Keylane is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Orbeo free?
Orbeo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Keylane or Orbeo have ads?
Neither Keylane nor Orbeo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Keylane or Orbeo?
Keylane ships an update every 2 weeks, and Orbeo every 3 days. Most recently, Keylane was updated on November 8, 2026 and Orbeo on November 10, 2026.

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