Comparison

Onym Messenger vs Haven

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

Head to head
About

Onym Messenger

Features
Read full description

Onym is a private messenger built on one idea: your conversations are yours. END-TO-END ENCRYPTED Only the people in your group can read what's sent. Onym's servers never see your messages. NO PHONE NUMBER, NO EMAIL Your identity is a cryptographic key you own — not your contact info. Create one in seconds, and make as many as you like. NO CENTRAL SERVER Group membership is anchored on the Stellar network, not owned by us. There's no company account that can lock you out. START A CHAT WITH ONE LINK Spin up an encrypted group and share a single invite link. People join later without exchanging any keys. BRING YOUR OWN INFRASTRUCTURE Onym carries messages and media over open Nostr relays and Blossom servers. Use the defaults, or point the app at your own instances for maximum privacy. MULTIPLE IDENTITIES Keep contacts and chats cleanly separated. Switch between identities with a tap. YOU HOLD THE KEYS A recovery phrase restores your identity on a new device. Lose it and no one — including us — can recover it. Onym doesn't ask who you are. No accounts, no profiles, no tracking, no ads. Just private conversations you control. Built by people who think privacy is a right.

About

Haven

This app offers private, end-to-end encrypted chat for communities that manage their own servers. It provides a rich set of communication features, including text and voice channels, file sharing, and customizable themes, all while giving users full control over their data.

Highlights
  • End-to-end encrypted direct messages
  • Text, private, and group DMs
  • Voice and video calls
  • File and screen sharing
  • Customizable themes and settings
  • Self-hosted server option
  • Message deletion and auto-delete
Features
Read full description

Haven is private chat for communities that run their own server. Your messages live on a box you control, not on someone else's cloud, and direct messages are end-to-end encrypted so even the server can't read them. END-TO-END ENCRYPTED • Direct messages and group DMs are encrypted on your device (ECDH P-256, HKDF-SHA256, AES-256-GCM) • Pictures and files in encrypted conversations are encrypted too • Group messages are signed, so you can tell who really sent them • Optional encrypted key backup restores your keys with your password CHAT THE WAY YOUR GROUP DOES • Text channels, private channels, DMs and group DMs • Threads, replies, quotes, reactions, custom emoji and stickers • Forums with topics and tags, polls, pinned messages and search • Pictures, video, files and GIFs • Markdown, tables, spoilers and code blocks • Official messages that make staff announcements stand out VOICE AND VIDEO • Drop-in voice channels • Video and screen sharing • Push notifications for mentions and DMs YOUR DATA, YOUR RULES • Delete your own messages, all of them or only those older than a day, a week, a month or a year • Auto-delete your messages after a set time • Export your data as one file • Block people, and see and sign out every device on your account MAKE IT YOURS Dozens of themes, icon packs, adjustable text size and accessibility settings. SELF-HOSTED AND OPEN Haven connects to Haven servers. Run your own on a home PC or a small server, or join a community that already has one. Save several servers and switch between them in a tap. TRY IT FIRST On the connect screen, tap Try the demo for a sample server that runs on your phone. No account needed. Haven is free, with no ads.

Screenshots

Onym Messenger4 screens
Haven4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Onym Messenger at every 5 days against Haven's fortnightly. Haven's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Onym Messenger ships an update every 5 days, Haven fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Onym Messenger versus Haven: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOnym MessengerHaven
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB34 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperOnym OÜAnthony Reffelt

In-app purchases

None

Onym Messenger

No in-app purchases

None

Haven

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Onym Messenger free?
Onym Messenger is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Haven free?
Haven is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Onym Messenger or Haven have ads?
Neither Onym Messenger nor Haven shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Onym Messenger or Haven?
Onym Messenger ships an update every 5 days, and Haven fortnightly. Most recently, Onym Messenger was updated on November 5, 2026 and Haven on November 10, 2026.

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