Comparison

Wave vs LoChat Messenger

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

Head to head
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.

About

LoChat Messenger

Features
Read full description

LoChat is a secure messaging app built for people and teams who take privacy seriously. Every message, call, and file you share is protected by end-to-end encryption (E2EE) - encrypted on your device and decrypted only by your intended recipient. Not even LoChat servers can access your conversations. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT - End-to-end encryption on all messages, calls, and files - Zero-knowledge storage - no readable metadata on our servers - Perfect forward secrecy - rotating session keys per message - No ads. No tracking. No data sold. Ever. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO COMMUNICATE - One-on-one and group chats with full E2EE - Encrypted voice messages - a faster alternative to typing - Secure voice & video calls with peer-to-peer connections - File, photo, video, and audio sharing - all encrypted - Message reactions, replies, forwarding, and editing - Auto-delete messages with configurable timers - Pinned messages and chat folders for organization BUILT FOR SECURITY-CONSCIOUS TEAMS - Local passcode with Face ID / Touch ID support - IP whitelist - restrict access to trusted networks only - Role-based permissions in group rooms - Admin back-office controls for enterprise deployments - Bot integrations that run inside encrypted rooms - Independent third-party security audits AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE LoChat works seamlessly across your devices. Start a conversation on your phone and pick it up on another device — your encrypted history follows you. WHY ORGANIZATIONS CHOOSE LOCHAT LoChat is trusted by teams that cannot afford a data breach. With enterprise-grade access controls, audit-friendly policies, and a zero-tracking commitment, LoChat is the secure communication layer your organization deserves. Download LoChat today and take back your privacy.

Screenshots

Wave4 screens
LoChat Messenger4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: LoChat Messenger at weekly against Wave's monthly. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Wave ships an update monthly, LoChat Messenger weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Wave versus LoChat Messenger: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWaveLoChat Messenger
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.5
Further details — not scored
Size157 MB470 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperSimhadri BogulaSwissGuard Solutions AG

In-app purchases

None

Wave

No in-app purchases

None

LoChat Messenger

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Wave free?
Wave is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is LoChat Messenger free?
LoChat Messenger is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Wave or LoChat Messenger have ads?
Neither Wave nor LoChat Messenger shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Wave or LoChat Messenger?
Wave ships an update monthly, and LoChat Messenger weekly. Most recently, Wave was updated on October 30, 2026 and LoChat Messenger on October 31, 2026.

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