# Cipher Message vs ARK

The clearest difference is price: Cipher Message at Free against ARK's $1.99. ARK's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Cipher Message is free to download; ARK costs $1.99 up front. Cipher Message sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ARK asks for nothing beyond the download.

Cipher Message ships an update fortnightly, ARK every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cipher Message | ARK |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cipher-message/id6748971173/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2** | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 21 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.5 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nathaniel Van Evera](https://appshunter.io/developer/1827814572) | [Gaelon Swift](https://appshunter.io/developer/1759501747) |

## What reviewers say

### 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 |


### ARK

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ark-emergency-tools/id6758130776)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cipher Message free?

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

### Is ARK free?

ARK costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Cipher Message or ARK have ads?

Cipher Message shows ads; ARK does not.

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

Cipher Message ships an update fortnightly, and ARK every 10 days. Most recently, Cipher Message was updated on October 1, 2026 and ARK on October 7, 2026.

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