Comparison

Cipher Message vs Folio

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

Head to head
About

Cipher Message

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
Read full description

Cipher Message is an App and iMessage Extension that lets you easily encrypt and decrypt messages right inside the Messages app. Choose from classic ciphers like Caesar and Vigenère, Rail Fence, or Playfair to protect your conversations, or upgrade to Premium to enable AES (password) and add Face ID to lock the message. Simply select your cipher, type your message, set your key, and then encrypted and send to your friends. They can decrypt your message using the same extension, keeping your chats private and fun. Features: - Encrypt and decrypt messages directly in iMessage - Supports Caesar, Vigenère, Rail Fence, and Playfair - Easy-to-use interface - Share encrypted messages with friends - Keep your conversations private Upgrade to Premium to enjoy: - No Ads - Additional Ciphers and Encryption Methods: - AES (set your own password) - Face ID Secondary Encryption (disclaimer: does not use FaceID to encrypt, only requires FaceID of recipient to unlock message)

About

Folio

Capture, organize, and secure your thoughts with a beautiful note-taking app. Features include folders, tags, and device synchronization. Keep your private notes safe with passcode and biometric locking.

Highlights
  • Capture notes quickly
  • Organize with folders and tags
  • Lock private notes with passcode/biometrics
  • Sync across all devices
  • Offline note-taking
  • Light and dark mode
Features
Read full description

Beautiful notes with folders, tags, locking, and sync across all your devices. Capture in a tap Open the app, tap once, and start writing. Pick a color, format the way you like, and Folio saves automatically. Nothing is ever lost. Organize when you're ready Drop notes into folders. Add tags so you can find things later. Pin the ones that matter most, favorite the ones you keep coming back to. Filter your wall by tag, folder, or color in a single tap. Keep private notes private Lock any note with a 4-digit passcode. Unlock with Face ID, Touch ID, or fingerprint when you need it. Wherever you are Your notes sync across all your devices. Write offline on a flight or in the subway, Folio catches up the moment you're back online. Made to feel good Light and dark mode. Smooth, thoughtful animations. Search that finds what you mean. A trash that holds onto deleted notes for 30 days, just in case.

Screenshots

Cipher Message4 screens
Folio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Cipher Message at 5.0 against Folio's 4.0. Cipher Message also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Folio's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.5). On price, ratings volume, ads 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. Cipher Message sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Folio asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cipher Message holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cipher Message ships an update fortnightly, Folio every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 4 level
Cipher Message versus Folio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCipher MessageFolio
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.515.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB47 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperNathaniel Van EveraZluck Solutions

Customer experience

Cipher Message

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Folio

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Cipher Message

One-time1
  • Cipher Message Premium$0.99
None

Folio

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cipher Message free?
Cipher Message is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Folio free?
Folio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cipher Message or Folio?
Cipher Message is rated higher. Cipher Message averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Folio averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Cipher Message or Folio have ads?
Both Cipher Message and Folio show ads.
Which is updated more often, Cipher Message or Folio?
Cipher Message ships an update fortnightly, and Folio every 2 months. Most recently, Cipher Message was updated on October 1, 2026 and Folio on October 3, 2026.

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