Krypta Chat vs theSHFT
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Krypta Chat
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Krypta Chat is a private messenger with end-to-end encryption. No phone number, no email, no trackers, no ads. If you like, Krypta opens as a fully working calculator, and only your secret code opens your chats. NO PHONE NUMBER, NO EMAIL You don't need an account with your name. Krypta creates an anonymous ID; you add contacts by QR code or ID. Strangers can only send you a request that you have to accept. A CALCULATOR WITH A SECRET (OPTIONAL) During setup you can disguise Krypta as a calculator that really calculates. Your own secret code followed by "=" opens your chats. A separate erase code deletes everything instantly if you ever need it. DELIVERED WITHOUT A TRACE Every message is end-to-end encrypted: only you and the person you write to can read it, not the server and not us. Messages are deleted from the server as soon as your contact has received them. Disappearing messages, delete after reading, view once and password-protected messages let you decide how long something exists. EVERYTHING A MESSENGER NEEDS • One-to-one and group chats • Photos, videos, voice messages and files, encrypted • Replies, reactions, editing, search, mute, pin, archive • Notifications show who wrote, never what they wrote PROTECTION FOR YOUR IPHONE • Face ID and an additional vault password • Emergency button deletes everything instantly if you choose • Automatic erase if you don't open Krypta for a period you choose • Protection against screenshots and screen recordings VERIFIABLE SECURITY X3DH and Double Ratchet, XChaCha20-Poly1305, Argon2id. Safety numbers and key transparency show whether anyone has come between you. NO TRACKERS, NO ADS Krypta contains no analytics tools and no advertising. SAFE TOGETHER Report and block contacts and messages right in the chat. We review every report. Krypta Chat is developed by Connexa GmbH in Switzerland. Privacy policy: https://connexa-gmbh.ch/krypta/datenschutz
theSHFT
This app offers a secure and private messaging experience disguised as a functional calculator. Messages are end-to-end encrypted and self-destruct after reading, with no data stored on servers. It prioritizes user privacy with advanced encryption protocols.
- Calculator disguise
- End-to-end encryption
- Self-destructing messages
- No server storage
- Advanced encryption protocols
- No phone number required
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theSHFT is a private messaging app built for people who take privacy seriously. Direct messages, group chats, calls, photos, videos and voice memos are encrypted on your device before they are sent. We hold only ciphertext for them. Community posts and Stories are server readable so they can be shown to members and viewers. Private. Secure. Yours. The text of every direct message runs on the Double Ratchet, so each message gets its own key. Photos, videos and voice memos are sealed with a key for the chat they are sent in, not a new key for each file. In one to one chats the message text also gets post quantum protection, in hybrid with classical encryption, whenever the recipient's device has published a post quantum key. Every chat starts with a 10 second timer that both sides share, and a message counts down once it is read. Pick Off or anything from 5 seconds to 30 days, free on every account, and watch a live countdown to the second it is gone. Once a message disappears from a phone, it is deleted there for good. Voice calls are free and video calls come with Pro, for both people on the call. Calls are encrypted end to end with 256 bit AES. Create encrypted group chats with up to 50 members (100 with Pro). When someone leaves or is removed, the group moves to new keys, so they cannot read what is sent after they are gone. Send voice memos with a visual waveform and adjustable playback speed. In a chat they are encrypted like your photos and follow the chat's timer. Dress up your avatar with a SHFT look: free, Pro and seasonal outfits, paired with any pose and color you choose. Two looks unlock by playing, not paying. Collect stars for the things you do in theSHFT, from your first message to a year of use, and see them on your own Stars screen. theSHFT also lives on your Lock Screen and Home Screen as a small companion you can pet and feed. It is built from a few numbers already on your phone, like when you last opened the app, never from who you talk to or what you send. In communities, anyone signed in can vote on a post. How you voted is private; only the totals show to others. Posting, replying and polls are for members. No phone number. No email. No real name. Just a username and a PIN. Your 12 word recovery phrase is the only way to restore your account, and only you have it. Screenshots, screen recordings and AirPlay mirroring of your messages come out blank, on your iPhone and on the phones of the people you message: the app renders them through a protected layer, so the capture saves as a black image. Take a screenshot inside a chat on iPhone and the others in that chat are told at once. Screen recordings are blanked but not reported, and nothing can stop a photo taken with a second camera. We hold only ciphertext for direct messages, group chats and calls. The keys for them are made and kept on your device. We cannot read those messages, even if asked. A duress PIN (Pro) wipes theSHFT from your phone without warning and, when the phone is online, deletes your account too. There is no decoy and nothing left to unlock. theSHFT delivers real time messaging, encrypted voice calls, video calls with Pro, group chats, voice memos with waveform playback, and a live countdown on every timed message once it is read. The free plan includes unlimited messages, photos and contacts, voice calls up to five minutes, up to ten groups of fifty, communities, stories, and every disappearing timer, from 5 seconds to 30 days. Upgrade to Pro, a monthly or yearly subscription, to unlock encrypted video calls when both of you have Pro, unlimited call length when everyone on the call has Pro, voice room hosting, unlimited groups of up to 100 members, and the duress PIN. Terms of Use (EULA): https://theshft.app/eula Privacy Policy: https://theshft.app/privacy-policy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Krypta Chat at none against theSHFT's 2. theSHFT's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. theSHFT sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Krypta Chat asks for nothing beyond the download.
Krypta Chat ships an update every 2 months, theSHFT weekly. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.
| Parameter | Krypta Chat | theSHFT |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (10 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 10 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 17 MB | 176 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Connexa GmbH (CH) | theSHFT LLC |
In-app purchases
Krypta Chat
No in-app purchases
theSHFT
- theSHFT Pro Monthly3 Days trial$9.991 Month
- theSHFT Pro Yearly3 Days trial$99.991 Year








