Comparison

Viper Messenger vs Wave

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

Head to head
About

Viper Messenger

A privacy-focused messenger offering secure communication via internet, direct P2P, and Bluetooth. It features an offline AI assistant, unlimited file sharing, and encrypted notes, with an optional subscription for enhanced anonymity and features.

Highlights
  • End-to-end encrypted messaging
  • Internet, P2P, and Bluetooth routing options
  • Offline on-device AI assistant
  • Unlimited P2P file sharing
  • Encrypted notes
  • People Nearby discovery
  • Optional Pro subscription for enhanced privacy
Features
Read full description

Viper is a privacy-first messenger that works over the internet, directly between phones, and over Bluetooth when there's no internet at all. No phone number. No email. Your identity is a cryptographic key, and that key is also your TON address. Every message is end-to-end encrypted, whichever way it travels. # FEATURES • Route: choose how your messages travel • Bluetooth messaging and People Nearby • On-device AI assistant that works offline • Voice and video messages • Unlimited P2P file sharing • Encrypted Notes, kept only on your device • Private reactions, hidden from anyone in between • Hide typing and read receipts, free for everyone • Find people by .ton domain instead of long addresses • Built on TON # ROUTE You choose the path, and the balance of reach, speed and privacy: • Relay: works anywhere and holds encrypted messages until the recipient comes online. • Direct P2P: phone to phone over TON, faster and with nothing stored in between. • Bluetooth: for people nearby when there's no internet or cell signal. # ON-DEVICE AI A private AI assistant that runs on your iPhone. Download the model once, and it works offline: what you ask never leaves your device. Select messages in a chat and ask it to summarize them, or forward an answer to a friend. Russian voice messages can be transcribed on the device too. # BLUETOOTH & PEOPLE NEARBY Meet in person, keep talking after. People Nearby shows Viper users around you with approximate distance, and every contact proves they own their key. Messages, voice and video messages, and files work in a basement, on a festival field, in the metro. Interrupted transfers resume where they stopped. When you part ways, the chat moves to a direct TON connection, and you can send that person TON later. Your Bluetooth signal reveals only that a Viper user is nearby. Visibility and Show My Distance can be turned off at any time. # UNLIMITED P2P FILE SHARING Files go directly between devices, never through Viper servers. No subscriptions, no storage quotas, no size limits. Both peers need to be online during the transfer. # ENCRYPTED NOTES Personal notes that stay on your device, encrypted with your account key. Send any note to a chat when you want to share it. Your encrypted chat backup carries your notes too. # VIPER PRO An optional monthly subscription for an even quieter presence: • Anonymity: strangers can't find you, probe you or fill your chat list. Existing chats keep working. • Hide Online Status. • Files up to 2 GB via relay, even when the other person is offline. • Full encrypted chat backup: photos, videos, files, voice and video messages. Messages, contacts and notes are backed up for free. One subscription works on one account. Your other accounts can get Viper Pro for a month at a time. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://viperfoundation.base44.app/PrivacyPolicy

About

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.

Highlights
  • End-to-end encryption
  • No sign-up required
  • Decentralized network
  • One-to-one and group chats
  • Optional Bluesky integration
  • Ad-free and tracker-free
Features
Read full description

Wave is a privacy-first messaging app built for people who value security, simplicity, and control. Chat, call, and send photos and videos 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 see your messages, calls, photos, and videos. Everything is 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. Send voice notes, photos, videos, and albums of up to 10 photos and videos. Reply to messages, react with emoji, and share GIFs and stickers, including ones made from your own photos. Make one-to-one voice and video calls with anyone you chat with. Answer from the Lock Screen, keep chatting while a call floats in a small window, add live filters to your video, and find past and missed calls in call history. Stay in control of every conversation. Set messages to disappear after 30 seconds up to 7 days, unsend any message you've sent, and pin, archive, or mute your chats. Choose how much your notifications show, block anyone, and get alerts about suspicious accounts. Give your groups admins, a description, and a custom photo. Pick your own profile photo and share your profile with a QR code or a link you can reset anytime. Chat Backup saves your chats to iCloud automatically, daily, weekly, or monthly, so you can restore them when you reinstall Wave or get a new iPhone. Your backup is encrypted before it leaves your device. 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 and calls, a privacy-first architecture, and no ads or trackers.

Screenshots

Viper Messenger3 screens
Wave4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Wave at none against Viper Messenger's 2. Viper Messenger's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Viper Messenger sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Wave asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Viper Messenger against 5.0 for Wave. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Viper Messenger ships an update every 5 days, Wave monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Viper Messenger versus Wave: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterViper MessengerWave
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size144 MB157 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperMaksim ChernyshovSimhadri Bogula

Customer experience

Viper Messenger

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

Wave

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

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Viper Messenger

Subscriptions1
  • Viper Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
One-time1
  • Viper Pro: 1 account, 1 month$4.99
None

Wave

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Viper Messenger free?
Viper Messenger is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Wave free?
Wave is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Viper Messenger or Wave?
Viper Messenger and Wave are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Viper Messenger or Wave have ads?
Neither Viper Messenger nor Wave shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Viper Messenger or Wave?
Viper Messenger ships an update every 5 days, and Wave monthly. Most recently, Viper Messenger was updated on November 9, 2026 and Wave on October 30, 2026.

Other comparisons