Comparison

Wave vs Citylap

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

Citylap

Read full description

Stay close to the people who matter, without sacrificing your privacy. Citylap lets you share your location with friends and family through a simple, city-level view — so they know you're in town, not your exact street corner. Everything is protected with end-to-end encryption, meaning your location data is readable only by the people you choose. Not even we can see it. Whether you're traveling, planning to meet up, or just want to know when a friend lands in your city, Citylap keeps you connected on your terms. Why Citylap? - End-to-end encrypted — Your location is encrypted on your device before it's ever stored. Only the people you approve can see it. - City-level by design — Share the city you're in, not precise GPS coordinates. Privacy is the default, not an afterthought. - Overlap alerts — Get notified when a friend arrives in your city, so you never miss a chance to meet up. - Time machine — Look back at where friends have been, or share your future travel plans so people know when you'll be around. - Granular controls — Decide per person what they can see: your current city, your location history, or your upcoming plans. - Find friends easily — Connect with people already on Citylap through secure, privacy-preserving contact matching. Your contacts are never exposed. - React and stay in touch — Send lightweight reactions to keep the connection warm. Your data, your rules. Citylap is built privacy-first from the ground up. Location data is end-to-end encrypted, you control exactly who sees what, and you can revoke access at any time. Download Citylap and stay connected with the people who matter — privately.

Screenshots

Wave4 screens
Citylap4 screens

Verdict

The call

Wave and Citylap are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Wave versus Citylap: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWaveCitylap
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size157 MB56 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperSimhadri BogulaTechnical Assemblage LLC

In-app purchases

None

Wave

No in-app purchases

None

Citylap

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Wave free?
Wave is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Citylap free?
Citylap is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Wave or Citylap have ads?
Neither Wave nor Citylap shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Wave or Citylap?
Wave ships an update monthly, and Citylap monthly. Most recently, Wave was updated on October 30, 2026 and Citylap on November 6, 2026.

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