# Cipheus vs IONChat Direct

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: IONChat Direct at none against Cipheus's 2. IONChat Direct also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cipheus sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. IONChat Direct asks for nothing beyond the download.

Cipheus ships an update every 6 weeks, IONChat Direct every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cipheus | IONChat Direct |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ionchat-direct/id6778883986/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Size | 11 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [洪涛 冯](https://appshunter.io/developer/1780160351) | [Eric Caprarese](https://appshunter.io/developer/6778883988) |

## What reviewers say

### Cipheus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cipheus/id6759548732)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cipheus+ Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Cipheus+ Yearly | $29.99 | per year |


### IONChat Direct

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ionchat-direct/id6778883986)

A private, end-to-end encrypted messenger for communities. It offers direct messaging, a community feed for updates, and organized team channels. Features include encrypted calls, meetings with recordings, and a secure chat vault.

**Highlights:** End-to-end encrypted messaging, Community feed for updates, Organized team channels, Encrypted voice and video calls, Private chat vault with PIN, Group meetings with recordings

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cipheus free?

Cipheus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is IONChat Direct free?

IONChat Direct is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Cipheus or IONChat Direct have ads?

Neither Cipheus nor IONChat Direct shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Cipheus or IONChat Direct?

Cipheus ships an update every 6 weeks, and IONChat Direct every 3 days. Most recently, Cipheus was updated on October 16, 2026 and IONChat Direct on October 15, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*