Tesseract Network vs UMBR
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tesseract Network
Read full descriptionHide full description
Tesseract — private messaging that leaves no trail. No accounts. No phone numbers. No cloud history. Add a friend with a one-time invite code, pick an emoji for each other, and start talking. Every message is end-to-end encrypted; the relay only ever sees opaque bytes. Your identity lives in this device's secure keychain. Reinstall the app and it's gone — nothing is recoverable, from us or anyone else. What you get for free • End-to-end encrypted 1:1 chat (X25519 + AES-256-GCM) • Emoji-based contacts instead of names or numbers • Invite codes that expire in 24 hours or on first use • Notification Disguise — 10 preset alt-icons and lock-screen texts • App Lock with PIN + optional silent Duress PIN • Minimalist brutalist interface built for speed Unlock TESSERACT PLUS for the full suite • TOR ROUTING — every request tunneled through Tor; the relay sees an exit node, never you • GHOST TEXT — messages your eye reads but cameras average away • PIXEL SHATTER — text realigns only at the owner's viewing angle • CUSTOM TIMER — self-destructing messages that vanish from both phones • PHOTOS · VIDEOS · GIFS — end-to-end encrypted media • 30-DAY MAILBOX — missed messages held longer Tesseract does not have a "delete for everyone" button because there is nothing to delete. Messages don't live on a server. The relay is a dumb pipe. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://keniprimo.github.io/SecretR00M/privacy.html Open source: https://github.com/keniprimo/SecretR00M
UMBR
Read full descriptionHide full description
Sharing photos shouldn't mean losing them. Once a photo leaves your phone, anyone can photographed with a camera, screenshot or screen-recorded. Until now, you just had to hope nobody would. Umbr is different. Powered by the iPhone's latest on-device AI chips, your media becomes SmartPhotos™ and SmartVideos™ - protection is woven into every pixel by Apple's Neural Engine. When someone tries to screenshot, screen-record, or capture your content with another phone, they don't get a clean copy. They get damage. FINALLY, EMBARRASSING MOMENTS WITHOUT FEAR That cringey selfie. The karaoke clip. The photo your friend keeps threatening to leak. With Umbr, even if they try to copy it - the copy won't survive. POWERED BY APPLE METAL - Apple Neural Engine - Our protection model runs on the iPhone's on-device AI chip. Fast, private, never on a server. - ProMotion 120Hz - Frame alternation timed to ProMotion displays so capture attempts get garbled output, not a clean copy. - Apple CryptoKit - AES-256-GCM end-to-end encryption with split-key sharing. The same standard Signal and WhatsApp use. - App Attest - Hardware-attested device identity. No accounts, no passwords - your iPhone proves itself. - Designed for iOS 26 with Liquid Glass throughout. YOU STAY IN CONTROL - Set view limits - one view, three, five, or unlimited - Choose how long links last - 1 hour to 90 days - Revoke access anytime, even after sending - Report abuse with one tap - Your media never leaves your iPhone unprotected BEING HONEST No app is 100% uncopyable, and we won't pretend otherwise. What we will say is this: Umbr is the most serious protection ever built into a consumer sharing app, and it works against the ways photos actually get stolen - screenshots, screen recordings, and someone pointing another phone at your screen. Determined attackers with specialized equipment may still find ways. For everyone else, Umbr is the strongest protection there is. PHOTOSENSITIVITY NOTICE SmartPhotos™ and SmartVideos™ use rapid frame alternation (up to 120Hz on ProMotion displays) to keep your content protected. Most people don't notice it. If you have photosensitive epilepsy or sensitivity to flicker, this app may not be safe for you. Reduce Motion users see a static frame; protection is reduced in that mode. PRIVACY POLICY & TERMS Read our full privacy policy and terms at umbr.link/privacy and umbr.link/terms. QUESTIONS? contact@umbr.link - we respond within 24 hours.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: UMBR at none against Tesseract Network's 2. Tesseract Network's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. Tesseract Network sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. UMBR asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Tesseract Network | UMBR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 73 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Kevin Kulcsar | Aaratus, inc. |
In-app purchases
Tesseract Network
- Tesseract Plus · Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Tesseract Plus · Yearly3 Days trial$39.991 Year
UMBR
No in-app purchases









