Comparison

No Trace vs The Lottery Pool

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

Head to head
About

No Trace

Features
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Encrypted code-based chat. No phone. No email. No account. Share an 8-character code with someone. They type it in. You are talking. End-to-end encrypted from your device. Nothing to log in to. Nothing to back up. WHY NO TRACE WORKS • No phone number — no SMS confirmation that fails in your country. You install, you chat. • No email — no recovery flow you have to remember. • No account — no profile, no friend list, no directory. • 8-character code — share on paper, by voice, by QR. Whoever has the code joins. Whoever does not, never sees the room. • Optional 2-layer code — share a room without leaking access. The join-code is the second gate. • Three privacy presets — Ghost saves nothing on your phone, Balanced keeps codes for one-tap re-open, Comfort keeps history too. Change anytime. • Screen-recording lock — your chats render as black in screen recorders. • App lock — optional tap-code on every launch. • 1-tap delete all data — Settings > Account > Delete. Nothing kept on our side. HOW IT IS DIFFERENT Signal needs a phone number. Telegram needs a phone number. WhatsApp needs a phone number. Threema gives you a permanent ID that lives forever. No Trace gives you a throwaway 8-character code per room — no identity follows you. WHO PICKS IT • Journalists collecting tips • Lawyers and doctors with confidentiality duties • Activists and advocates • Two people who want a chat that does not sit in either phone's backup • Teams who want a side channel separate from work tools CROSS-DEVICE iPhone, iPad, Web, macOS, Linux. Open the room on whatever you have nearest. PRIVACY YOU CAN VERIFY • No ads • Tracking limited to crash + basic analytics, disclosed in our privacy policy • Premium uses Apple Pay only — no external payment links • Delete all your data anytime: Settings > Account > Delete CONTENT SAFETY We have zero tolerance for objectionable content and abusive users. Every message can be reported with one tap (long-press > Report) and is reviewed within 24 hours. You can block any sender locally on long-press. Senders flagged for objectionable content are removed and ejected. Contact: hello@teamzlab.com. FEATURES • 1:1 and small-group code-gated rooms • Featured Topics — public rooms with daily prompts • Reply-to threading + emoji reactions • Edit and delete your own messages • Report and block any sender • Long-press copy • QR share for in-person joins • Three privacy levels you control PRICING 50 free messages on install. Premium is a one-time purchase — lifetime unlimited messages. No subscriptions. No recurring charges. No renewal. Install No Trace. Create a room. Share the code. That is the whole onboarding.

About

The Lottery Pool

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The Lottery Pool is the easiest way to run a shared lottery pool with friends, family, or coworkers. Whether you chip in a few bucks for a big jackpot or have a standing weekly group, The Lottery Pool keeps everyone on the same page — who's in, who's paid, which tickets are in the pool, and what the draw results were. HOW IT WORKS • Create a pool — name it, pick the draw, invite your group • Members join and confirm they're in for this draw • The host buys the physical tickets at their local retailer • Upload a photo of the ticket so every member can see what's in the pool • After the draw, enter results and the app shows each member's share of any winnings AN ORGANIZER TOOL — NOT A GAMBLING SERVICE The Lottery Pool is a free coordination tool. We do not sell lottery tickets. We do not collect, hold, or transfer any money. All buy-ins and winnings are settled directly between the members of your pool, the same way a group dinner bill is split. The app is just a shared notepad so no one argues about who was in and who wasn't. We are not affiliated with any lottery operator. FEATURES • Create unlimited lottery pools • Invite members by email • Track who has paid their share • Upload photos of purchased tickets for transparency • Record draw results and calculate each member's split • Push notifications for new pools, results, and reminders • Private pool wall for group messaging • Sign in with Google or email PRIVACY FIRST We only collect the minimum needed to run your account: your name, email, and the pools you're part of. We never sell your data and we never use it for advertising. Full privacy policy at thelotterypool.net/privacy. You can delete your account and all associated data any time from inside the app or at thelotterypool.net/delete-account. PLAY RESPONSIBLY Lottery is a game of chance — there is no guarantee of winning. Only spend what you can comfortably afford to lose. If you or someone you know needs help with gambling, free confidential help is available 24/7 at 1-800-522-4700 (US National Problem Gambling Helpline). You must be 18+ (or the legal age for lottery play in your state) to use this app.

Screenshots

No Trace4 screens
The Lottery Pool4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Lottery Pool at none against No Trace's 1. No Trace's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 4 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. No Trace sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. The Lottery Pool asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

No Trace ships an update every 11 days, The Lottery Pool every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
No Trace versus The Lottery Pool: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNo TraceThe Lottery Pool
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size101 MB19 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperTeamz Lab LtdGer Vang

In-app purchases

1 purchases

No Trace

One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$4.99
None

The Lottery Pool

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is No Trace free?
No Trace is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Lottery Pool free?
The Lottery Pool is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do No Trace or The Lottery Pool have ads?
Neither No Trace nor The Lottery Pool shows ads.
Which is updated more often, No Trace or The Lottery Pool?
No Trace ships an update every 11 days, and The Lottery Pool every 4 months. Most recently, No Trace was updated on October 8, 2026 and The Lottery Pool on October 7, 2026.

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