Pocket vs PGPony
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Securely encrypt, decrypt, sign, and verify messages and files directly on your device. Manage PGP keys locally for enhanced privacy and control, with options for handling larger files and unlimited key storage through in-app purchases.
- Create and manage PGP keys locally
- Encrypt, decrypt, sign, and verify messages
- Encrypt and decrypt files
- Support for large files with Chunk Mode
- Organize and manage keyring
- Channel-independent encryption
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Pocket PGP brings OpenPGP encryption to your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Silicon Mac: direct, private, and under your control. Create, import, and manage PGP keys directly on your device. Encrypt, decrypt, sign, and verify messages with greater privacy and control. Core cryptographic operations run locally on your device, without relying on external servers for the actual encryption and decryption process. Features: - Create OpenPGP key pairs directly on your device - Import public and private keys as plain text or from .asc files - Encrypt messages for one or multiple recipients - Decrypt messages locally on your device - See signature verification details, including which key signed a message - Sign cleartext messages - Verify clear-signed PGP messages - Optionally remember private-key passphrases on this device after successful decryption - Share results after encrypting, decrypting, signing, or verifying - Encrypt and decrypt regular files up to 125 MB on iPhone and iPad - Encrypt and decrypt regular files up to 200 MB on Apple Silicon Macs - Create and open app-specific Pocket PGP .ppgp packages with Chunk Mode - Use Chunk Mode for larger files up to 750 MB per package - Organize and manage your keyring with ease - Switch the app language between English and German Pocket PGP is channel-independent. Encrypt or sign your content first, then share or send it through email, messaging apps, notes, cloud drives, or any other channel. Regular file encryption uses OpenPGP-compatible file encryption. For larger files, Chunk Mode creates Pocket PGP .ppgp packages. These packages are app-specific and can be opened with Pocket PGP. The app can be downloaded and tested for free with plain text encryption. The free version is limited to a maximum of two stored keys and does not include file-encryption. In-App Purchases: - Premium unlocks unlimited key storage and bulk import - File Encryption unlocks regular file encryption and decryption (maximum supported file size: 125 MB per file on capable iPhone and iPad, 200 MB on Apple Silicon Macs) - Chunk Mode unlocks app-specific large-file .ppgp packages (maximum supported file size: 750 MB per package) - Pro Bundle unlocks Premium, File Encryption, and Chunk Mode in one purchase No user accounts. No cloud key storage. No analytics tracking. Your private keys stay under your control.
PGPony
This app simplifies PGP encryption for users on their iPhone. It allows for key generation, secure message and file encryption/decryption, digital signing, and hardware security key integration. All features are available for free.
- Generate PGP keys
- Encrypt/decrypt messages and files
- Sign and verify digital documents
- Hardware security key integration (YubiKey, Token2)
- Password-only encryption
- Key management and revocation
- Share sheet extension for app integration
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PGPony makes PGP encryption easy, private, and powerful, and every feature is free. Generate keys, encrypt to people or to a password, sign and verify, back up your whole keyring, and revoke compromised keys, all from your iPhone and iPad, in eight languages. New in 8.3.0: post-quantum signatures, NIST P-256, P-384 and P-521 keys, messages to several post-quantum recipients, and a reorganized Key Detail screen. POST-QUANTUM Encrypt with ML-KEM-768 or ML-KEM-1024 paired with X25519, and sign with ML-DSA-65 paired with Ed25519 (RFC 9980), on RFC 9580 (v6) keys or the v4 shape GnuPG 2.5 reads. Add post-quantum subkeys to a key you already have. HARDWARE SECURITY KEYS Generate a key pair on the card over NFC, or add an existing card with a tap. Sign, decrypt, and encrypt-and-sign in one step, with RSA and ECC (Ed25519/Curve25519) keys, on YubiKey, Token2, and others, over NFC or USB-C. Full card admin: PINs, factory reset, and Card Details. ENCRYPT, DECRYPT & SIGN Encrypt messages and files of any size to one or many public keys, or to a password with no keys at all, readable by gpg -c and back. Pick which subkey to encrypt to when a key has more than one. Decrypt with a private key, a hardware key, or a passphrase, and see which of your keys opened the message. Sign without encrypting, including detached signatures, and verify a file against its signature. GENERATE & MANAGE KEYS Create keys on a card or in-app: post-quantum, v6 Ed25519, classic Ed25519 + Cv25519, or RSA 2048/4096, with or without an email address. Add, revoke, or remove subkeys (including authentication subkeys) and User IDs. Full OpenPGP v6 (RFC 9580), interoperable with Sequoia PGP and GnuPG. Import from files, clipboard, QR codes, or keyservers. Make revocation certificates and export private keys (GnuPG-compatible). BACK UP & RESTORE Save your whole keyring, secret keys included, as one encrypted file. A single backup code opens it, and the same file restores onto another device. The file stays with you, never on anyone's server. KEYSERVERS Look up a recipient by email through Web Key Directory, then key servers. Add your own servers, publish to several at once, and upload an updated key straight from Key Detail. Route lookups through Tor or a SOCKS proxy, or turn on offline mode to stop every network request. PASSWORD STORE Open a pass (password-store) folder, decrypt an entry with a software or hardware key, and copy it through an auto-clearing clipboard. SHARE SHEET EXTENSION Encrypt or decrypt text, encrypt a file, or sign a file in any app: Safari, Files, Notes, Mail. SECURITY FIRST Face ID / Touch ID lock with auto-lock. Software keys live in the iOS Keychain. Keys and messages from outside are checked strictly before they are used. No analytics, tracking, accounts, or sign-up. Your private keys never leave your device, and with a hardware key they never leave the card. EIGHT LANGUAGES English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese. Built by an indie developer who cares about your privacy. Your keys, your messages, your data, always yours. Terms of Use (EULA): https://pgpony.app/eula.html Privacy Policy: https://pgpony.app/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: PGPony at 4.8 against Pocket's 3.7. PGPony also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (18 vs 6). Pocket's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.6). On price, update cadence, 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. Pocket sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. PGPony asks for nothing beyond the download.
PGPony holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 18 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Pocket's written reviews are positive against 67% of PGPony's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.
| Parameter | PGPony | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (6 ratings) | 4.8 (18 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 18 — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MAGNUS FINSTAD | Kevin Stewart |
Customer experience
PGPony
In-app purchases
- File encryption (125MB)$1.99
- Chunk Mode (750 MB)$1.99
- Pocket PGP Pro (Unlimited keys)$1.99
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- Pro Bundle$4.99
PGPony
No in-app purchases







