Ghost vs Wave
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ghost
This messaging app prioritizes user privacy with end-to-end encryption and anonymous profiles. It collects minimal metadata, ensuring conversations remain confidential and invisible to third parties.
- End-to-end encryption
- Anonymous profiles
- Minimal metadata collection
- No phone number required
- Secure file sharing
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Ghost is your ultra-private messaging companion—designed from the ground up for total peace of mind. With Ghost, your conversations stay truly yours: End-to-End Encryption Every message, image, and file is encrypted on your device and only decrypted on the recipient's device. Not even we can read your chats. Encrypted Voice Calling Make crystal-clear, one-on-one voice calls protected by the same encryption standards as your messages. Calls ring through even when your phone is locked, so you never miss an important call. Anonymous Profiles No phone numbers, no email addresses. Connect with friends and communities without revealing personal information. Group Chats Bring your circle together in encrypted group conversations without sacrificing the privacy you expect from every one-on-one chat. Minimal Metadata We collect only what's strictly necessary—such as app version and crash logs—to keep the service running smoothly. No ad tracking. No analytics. Whether you're a privacy advocate, a whistleblower, or simply someone who values discretion, Ghost keeps your conversations—and your calls—private and protected from prying eyes. Download now and start talking with complete confidence.
Wave
A privacy-focused messaging app offering end-to-end encrypted chats without requiring sign-ups or personal information. It utilizes a decentralized network for enhanced user control and supports both one-to-one and group conversations.
- End-to-end encryption
- No sign-up required
- Decentralized network
- One-to-one and group chats
- Optional Bluesky integration
- Ad-free and tracker-free
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Wave: Secure Messaging Wave is a privacy-first messaging app built for people who value security, simplicity, and control. Chat freely without signing up, sharing personal details, or trusting centralized servers. You can start messaging instantly. Wave uses end-to-end encryption, ensuring only you and the people you’re chatting with can read messages. Conversations are encrypted on your device and decrypted only by recipients. Powered by XMTP, Wave is built on a decentralized messaging network reducing reliance on central servers and giving users more control over their conversations. Wave supports fast one-to-one messaging and secure group conversations in a clean, minimal interface with no clutter or distractions. You can optionally connect your Bluesky account to message people you already know, or simply use Wave on its own without linking any account. Wave is designed with privacy at its core, with end-to-end encrypted messages, a privacy-first architecture, and no ads or trackers.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Wave at 5.0 against Ghost's 4.8. Ghost's advantage is ratings volume (5 vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Wave holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ghost has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ghost | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (5 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 68 MB | 149 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Kacper Oselka | Simhadri Bogula |
Customer experience
Ghost
Wave
In-app purchases
Ghost
No in-app purchases
Wave
No in-app purchases









