Comparison

No Trace vs OnlyTxt

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
Read full description

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

OnlyTxt

Features
Read full description

OnlyTxt is a text-only private chat for iPhone and iPad. No photos. No voice. No files. Just encrypted text that disappears after it is read. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • End-to-end encryption (Curve25519 + AES-GCM) on your device • Messages self-destruct shortly after being read • Screenshot protection on chats and QR codes • No permanent cloud inbox — the server only relays encrypted payloads ADD CONTACTS WITH QR OR CODE Scan a QR code or share a short spoken code to connect. No phone number, email, or account signup required. TEXT ONLY A minimal messenger built for words, not media. FREE & PREMIUM • Free: up to 2 contacts • Premium: unlimited contacts (annual subscription) Perfect for brief, sensitive conversations where you want encryption and automatic deletion — without the complexity of a full messenger. Privacy Policy: https://onlytxt.pages.dev/privacy.htm Terms: https://onlytxt.pages.dev/terms.htm Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

No Trace4 screens
OnlyTxt4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: No Trace at 15.0 against OnlyTxt's 17.0. On price, update cadence, 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. No Trace sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and OnlyTxt sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

No Trace ships an update every 11 days, OnlyTxt every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
No Trace versus OnlyTxt: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNo TraceOnlyTxt
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size101 MB7 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperTeamz Lab LtdAlvaro Ramirez

In-app purchases

1 purchases

No Trace

One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$4.99
1 purchases

OnlyTxt

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Yearly$9.991 Year

Questions

Is No Trace free?
No Trace is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OnlyTxt free?
OnlyTxt is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do No Trace or OnlyTxt have ads?
Neither No Trace nor OnlyTxt shows ads.
Which is updated more often, No Trace or OnlyTxt?
No Trace ships an update every 11 days, and OnlyTxt every 9 days. Most recently, No Trace was updated on October 8, 2026 and OnlyTxt on October 12, 2026.

Other comparisons