Air vs OffGrid
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Air
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• Send end-to-end encrypted texts, photos, videos, and documents. • Create group chats with friends and family. Feel free to bring your coworkers too. • Air doesn’t collect sensitive information like your phone number or email address, and doesn’t store metadata, like who you talk to and when. • Air is open-source, and is based on the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol and open standards. • Air is designed, built, and hosted in the European Union (EU). • Air is not supported by investors or advertisers, and you can see Air’s funders at the Air website. Air is regularly updated with new features and improvements.
OffGrid
Communicate privately with end-to-end encrypted messaging. This app collects no user data, requires no personal information for signup, and prevents screenshots. A killswitch feature erases all conversations.
- End-to-end encryption
- No data collection
- No ads or trackers
- No screenshots
- Killswitch feature
- No personal info required
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Your messages are never stored. Not with us. Not with you. Chat in real-time. • No phone number, email, or social • No data collection, no ads, no trackers • No screenshots or screen recordings • No access to your camera, contacts, or location Killswitch erases everything. End-to-end encrypted.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is device support: Air at 3 against OffGrid's 1. Air also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). 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.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Air | OffGrid |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 5 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 57 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Phoenix R&D GmbH | Vetra Labs Inc. |
In-app purchases
Air
No in-app purchases
OffGrid
No in-app purchases
