Comparison

theSHFT vs Zyphr

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Calculator disguise
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Self-destructing messages
  • No server storage
  • Advanced encryption protocols
  • No phone number required
Features
Read full description

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

About

Zyphr

A private messaging app offering end-to-end encrypted chats and calls for secure communication. It prioritizes user privacy with features like disappearing messages and on-device transcription, and requires no phone number for signup.

Highlights
  • End-to-end encrypted chats
  • Secure voice and video calls
  • Disappearing messages
  • On-device voice message transcription
  • No phone number required for signup
  • Screenshot protection
Read full description

Zyphr is a private messenger built around one idea: your conversations are yours. Messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted, video calls are secure video calls, and the server is never able to read them. PRIVATE BY DESIGN - End-to-end encrypted 1:1 chats (Signal Protocol) and group chats (MLS, the IETF standard for group encryption). - Encrypted voice and video calls (WebRTC / DTLS-SRTP) that connect directly between devices whenever they can. - Sign up with just an email, no phone number. Your email is stored only as an irreversible hash, never in plain text. Or sign in with Apple or Google. - The server relays only sealed ciphertext and helps your devices find each other. It holds no message content and no decryption keys. MESSAGING THAT RESPECTS YOU - Photos, videos, files and voice messages, each encrypted with its own key. - Disappearing messages, delayed send, and view-once secure media. - Read receipts and typing indicators you can turn off, in both directions. - On-device voice-message transcription (audio never leaves your phone). CALLS - One-tap voice and video, with a native call experience. - Call history with in-chat call records. YOURS TO CONTROL - Two-step verification and passkey sign-in. - Block and report, with username and impersonation filtering. - Screenshot protection across the app including video calls (secure video calls). - Delete your account and wipe your data anytime. Zyphr is ad-free and tracker-free.

Screenshots

theSHFT4 screens
Zyphr4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Zyphr at free against theSHFT's free with in-app purchases. Zyphr also leads on update cadence (daily vs weekly). theSHFT's advantage is ratings volume (10 vs 1). On price, rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. theSHFT sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Zyphr sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for theSHFT against 5.0 for Zyphr. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: theSHFT has 10 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

theSHFT ships an update weekly, Zyphr daily. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
theSHFT versus Zyphr: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametertheSHFTZyphr
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (10 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings10 — better1
Update frequencyWeeklyDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size176 MB58 MB
Age rating17+17+
DevelopertheSHFT LLCZyphr LLC

Customer experience

theSHFT

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Zyphr

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

In-app purchases

3 purchases

theSHFT

Subscriptions2
  • theSHFT Pro Monthly3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • theSHFT Pro Yearly3 Days trial$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • theSHFT Pro Lifetime$49.99
1 purchases

Zyphr

One-time1
  • Founding Member$3.69

Questions

Is theSHFT free?
theSHFT is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Zyphr free?
Zyphr is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, theSHFT or Zyphr?
theSHFT and Zyphr are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 10 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do theSHFT or Zyphr have ads?
Neither theSHFT nor Zyphr shows ads.
Which is updated more often, theSHFT or Zyphr?
theSHFT ships an update weekly, and Zyphr daily. Most recently, theSHFT was updated on October 24, 2026 and Zyphr on October 28, 2026.

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