Comparison

Keywave vs CypherAir

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

Head to head
About

Keywave

Securely encrypt and decrypt messages directly on your device. Manage your PGP keys locally without any server interaction or data tracking. Offers robust key generation and import/export options with a clean interface.

Highlights
  • Encrypt and decrypt messages
  • Generate RSA keypairs
  • Manage unlimited keys
  • Import/export keys
  • Native SwiftUI interface
  • 100% local processing
Read full description

PGP encryption for people who value their privacy. Everything runs on your device. No servers, no tracking, no compromises. WHAT IT DOES Keywave is a native iOS app for PGP encryption and decryption. Encrypt messages before you send them. Decrypt the ones you receive. Manage your keys. That's it. Everything runs locally using Protonmail's open-source gopenpgp library. Your keys never leave your phone. We can't see them even if we wanted to. CORE FEATURES β€’ Encrypt & Decrypt Messages Swipe to switch modes. Select your keys. Tap to encrypt or decrypt. Copy the result. Done. β€’ Generate PGP Keys Create new keypairs at 2048, 3072, or 4096-bit RSA. Optional password protection. Takes seconds. β€’ Key Management Store unlimited keys on your device. Search by name, email, or fingerprint. Filter by public, private, expiring, or expired. Sort by name, date, type, or fingerprint. β€’ Import Keys Open key files (.asc, .gpg, .key, .pub, .pem) from the Files app, paste from the clipboard, or share text straight into Keywave from another app. β€’ Export Keys ASCII Armored or binary. Save to Files, share to another app, or copy to the clipboard. β€’ Clean iOS Design Native SwiftUI. Haptic feedback. Dark by default. No clutter. WHY KEYWAVE Most PGP apps are ugly, complicated, or both. We're neither. β€’ 100% Local Processing No servers. No cloud. No network requests at all. Everything happens on your device. β€’ Zero Data Collection We don't collect, store, or see your data. No analytics. No tracking. No telemetry. β€’ Open Source Foundation Built on Protonmail's battle-tested gopenpgp library. Transparent. Auditable. β€’ iOS-Native Designed for iOS from the start. Not a port. Not a web page in a wrapper. WHO IT'S FOR β€’ Privacy-conscious individuals β€’ People tired of bloated encryption tools β€’ Anyone who needs PGP without the complexity β€’ Users who want their data to stay on their device SECURITY β€’ Keys stored in the iOS Keychain β€’ Password prompts for protected keys β€’ Signature verification when you decrypt β€’ No plaintext storage of sensitive data β€’ Standard OpenPGP, so it works with GPG and other PGP tools WHAT IT'S NOT This isn't a messaging app. We don't send anything. We encrypt and decrypt text; you send it however you like. This isn't cloud-based. Everything stays on your device. If you want backups, export your keys yourself. This isn't for everyone. If you need someone to explain why encryption matters, we're not that app. THE FINE PRINT β€’ Free. Every feature included. β€’ No ads. No in-app purchases. β€’ Requires iOS 17.6 or later β€’ Works completely offline β€’ Export your keys to keep your own backups Privacy isn't a feature. It's the whole point.

About

CypherAir

Read full description

CypherAir is a fully offline, open-source OpenPGP encryption tool built for iOS, iPadOS, macOS and VisionOS. It makes zero network connections. There is no telemetry, no tracking, and no possibility of data leakage. Two Encryption Profiles β€’ Universal (Profile A) β€” Interoperable with GnuPG and all major PGP implementations. RFC 4880 compliant, employing Ed25519 and X25519 with SEIPDv1. β€’ Advanced (Profile B) β€” Implements the latest OpenPGP standard, RFC 9580, with Ed448 and X448, authenticated encryption via AEAD (SEIPDv2), and Argon2id passphrase protection. Capabilities β€’ Encrypt and decrypt text and files, processed as streams for efficiency β€’ Create digital signatures β€” cleartext for messages, detached for files β€’ Exchange public keys through QR codes using the system Camera, with no camera permission required β€’ Manage multiple keys, each with its own encryption profile β€’ Safeguard private keys in the Secure Enclave, unlocked only by Face ID or Touch ID Privacy Through Architecture β€’ The sole system permission is the Face ID usage description β€’ Private keys never leave the protection of Secure Enclave wrapping Open Source CypherAir is open source and available under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later (GPL-3.0-or-later) or the Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL-2.0). Additional languages are in progress. Disclaimer No Warranty: You expressly acknowledge and agree that use of the Licensed Application is at your sole risk. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Licensed Application and any services performed or provided by the Licensed Application are provided "as is" and "as available," with all faults and without warranty of any kind, and Licensor hereby disclaims all warranties and conditions with respect to the Licensed Application and any services, either express, implied, or statutory, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties and/or conditions of merchantability, of satisfactory quality, of fitness for a particular purpose, of accuracy, of quiet enjoyment, and of noninfringement of third-party rights. No oral or written information or advice given by Licensor or its authorized representative shall create a warranty. Should the Licensed Application or services prove defective, you assume the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, or correction. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties or limitations on applicable statutory rights of a consumer, so the above exclusion and limitations may not apply to you.

Screenshots

Keywave3 screens
CypherAir4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: CypherAir at every 2 days against Keywave's every 4 months. CypherAir also leads on device support (4 vs 1). Keywave's advantage is iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.5). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Keywave ships an update every 4 months, CypherAir every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 5 level
Keywave versus CypherAir: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKeywaveCypherAir
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews33.3% of reviewsβ€”
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeβ€”
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro β€” better
Requires iOS17.6 β€” better26.5
Further details β€” not scored
Size13 MB79 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWilliam KelleyεΊ· ι™ˆ

In-app purchases

None

Keywave

No in-app purchases

None

CypherAir

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Keywave free?
Keywave is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CypherAir free?
CypherAir is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Keywave or CypherAir have ads?
Neither Keywave nor CypherAir shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Keywave or CypherAir?
Keywave ships an update every 4 months, and CypherAir every 2 days. Most recently, Keywave was updated on November 5, 2026 and CypherAir on October 31, 2026.

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