LastingNote vs Dead Man's Switch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LastingNote
This app allows you to securely compose and schedule messages, photos, and documents for loved ones to receive at a future date or if you stop checking in. It offers military-grade encryption and multiple check-in methods to ensure your important messages are delivered privately and reliably.
- Compose messages with attachments
- Schedule messages for future delivery
- Automatic delivery upon missed check-ins
- Military-grade end-to-end encryption
- Guardian Mode for trusted delivery authorization
- Multiple check-in methods
- Lifetime plan options
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What would you say to the people you love if you knew they'd only read it when you're gone? LastingNote makes sure your most important messages reach the right people at the right time — automatically, securely, and privately. WRITE WHAT MATTERS Compose messages for the people who matter most. Add photos, documents, voice notes, or just your words. Schedule them for a future milestone — a birthday, graduation, or anniversary — or set them to deliver automatically if you stop checking in. HOW IT WORKS 1. Write your messages and choose your recipients 2. Set your check-in schedule 3. Check in regularly — tap the app, reply to an email, or let your computer handle it 4. If you miss your check-in window, your messages are delivered to your loved ones MILITARY-GRADE ENCRYPTION Your messages are protected with the same encryption used by security professionals — ChaCha20-Poly1305 with Argon2id key derivation. Choose between two security modes: • Guardian Mode — Maximum privacy. Your messages are end-to-end encrypted on your device, and only a Trusted Guardian you designate can authorize delivery. Not even LastingNote can read them. Cryptographically impossible to decipher without the Guardian's passcode. • Automatic Mode — Fully encrypted and guaranteed to arrive. Your messages are protected at all times and delivered automatically when needed, with no extra steps required. SCHEDULED MILESTONE MESSAGES LastingNote isn't just for emergencies. Write birthday messages for years to come. Share life advice for graduations, first jobs, or big decisions. Put into words what you feel today, so they'll know tomorrow. EVERYTHING YOU NEED • 7 ways to check in: iOS app, web, macOS menu bar, Windows tray, CLI, email reply, SMS • Encrypted attachments: photos, videos, voice notes, and documents (up to 25MB per file) • Multiple recipients per message • Customizable check-in periods and grace periods • Email and push notification reminders before your deadline • 12-word recovery phrase backup — never lose access to your messages BUILT TO LAST LastingNote is built for longevity — with lifetime plans, robust infrastructure, and the security architecture to prove we take this seriously. PRICING • Free trial to get started • Monthly, annual, and lifetime plans available • Early adopters get special founding member pricing Your words are too important to leave unsaid. Start writing your lasting messages today. Available in English and Spanish. Terms of Use: https://www.lastingnote.me/en/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.lastingnote.me/en/privacy
Dead Man's Switch
This app ensures your safety by automatically notifying chosen contacts if you miss a scheduled check-in. It offers flexible check-in intervals and customizable messages for emergencies.
- Scheduled check-ins
- Automated contact alerts
- Customizable emergency messages
- Multiple check-in methods (app, widget, Siri, Apple Watch)
- Grace period before alerts
- Away mode for travel
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Free to use: email alerts, reminders, widgets, Apple Watch, the daily deadline and up to 3 people. Dead Man's Switch checks that you're OK. Choose how often you'll check in, anywhere from once a day to once a year. Miss your deadline and your phone reminds you. Still no check-in after the grace window, and the people you chose get an email with the message you wrote. It's for anyone who lives alone, hikes or travels solo, has a health condition, or wants the people who care about them to know if something is wrong. CHECK IN WITH ONE TAP • From the app, a widget, a notification, Siri, Control Center or the Action Button • Or automatically: a Shortcuts automation can check you in when you stop your morning alarm • Or press and hold the app icon and tap Check in • On Apple Watch: see the time left on your watch face and check in from your wrist • On your Lock Screen: in the last 8 hours, the time left and a Check in button that works without unlocking • A live countdown shows exactly how long you have, down to the second • Every check-in is confirmed by our server, so what you see is what will happen • Every day by a set time: pick a time, say 9 PM, and that's your deadline every day. Checking in early doesn't move it KNOW WHAT HAPPENS, AND WHEN • See when your contacts would be emailed, and who • Reminders every day and before your deadline • Still no check-in an hour before anyone is told? Your phone can ring like an alarm clock, even on silent (iOS 26) • Settings > Reminders lists what your phone will do next: each reminder in order, then when your people are told • A grace window before anyone is emailed • Send a test email so your contacts know what to expect • If you check in after an alert went out, your contacts get an "all clear" email • Each alert email has a button your people tap to say they're checking on you, and the app shows who did YOUR MESSAGE, YOUR PEOPLE • Write one message for everyone, or a personal one for each person • One tap adds what they'd need: your address, where the spare key is, who relies on you, health notes, who to call • Your contacts don't need the app. They just get an email • When you add someone, they get one short heads-up email from us, so a real alert is never a surprise (you can switch it off) • A typo in someone's address (like gmial.com) is caught when you add them • The people you add are kept on our server only to send your alerts, never shared or sold, and deleted when you turn the switch off. The app asks before anything is sent TEXT ALERTS (US AND CANADA) • Your contacts can get a text as well as the email, once they say yes with one tap • Texts come in small packs. Emails are always free AWAY MODE • Going somewhere without signal? Pick the day you're back, and nobody is emailed before then PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No account to create • No location tracking DEAD MAN'S SWITCH PRO (OPTIONAL) • Safety timer: a hike, a run, a first date? Set 1 to 23 hours and where you're going. Not back in time? Your people get your message with that note on top. Start it in the app, with Siri or from the app icon • Up to 10 people instead of 3 • App icons: Pulse, Green, Moon or Daylight on your Home Screen instead of the candle • Yearly $9.99 with the first week free, monthly $1.99, or lifetime $19.99 once • Bought the app before it was free? Pro is included • Subscriptions renew automatically until you cancel in your Apple ID settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Available in English, Spanish, German, Polish, French, Italian, Dutch, Japanese and Korean. Dead Man's Switch is not an emergency service and does not contact emergency services. If you are in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: LastingNote at 5.0 against Dead Man's Switch's 4.5. Dead Man's Switch's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 days) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, 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. LastingNote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Dead Man's Switch sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
LastingNote holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.
LastingNote ships an update every 9 days, Dead Man's Switch every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LastingNote | Dead Man's Switch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.5 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | LastingNote LLC | Aaron Jin |
Customer experience
LastingNote
Dead Man's Switch
In-app purchases
LastingNote
- LastingNote Premium Monthly1 Month trial$3.991 Month
- LastingNote Premium Annual1 Month trial$39.991 Year
- LastingNote Premium Lifetime$149.99
Dead Man's Switch
- Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
- Pro Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
- 5 Texts$0.99
- 15 Texts$1.99
- 40 Texts$3.99
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- Pro Lifetime$19.99
Questions
Is LastingNote free?
Is Dead Man's Switch free?
Which has better reviews, LastingNote or Dead Man's Switch?
Do LastingNote or Dead Man's Switch have ads?
Which is updated more often, LastingNote or Dead Man's Switch?
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