Comparison

ChipVault vs Libre Key Companion

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

Head to head
About

ChipVault

This app transforms NFC cards into secure, encrypted personal data vaults. Store passwords, recovery phrases, and more, all protected by your master password and AES-128 encryption directly on the chip. Your data remains offline, with no cloud or server reliance.

Highlights
  • Personalize DESFire EV2/EV3 cards
  • AES-128 encrypted data storage
  • Store passwords, notes, recovery phrases
  • Edit card details and categories
  • Clone cards for backup
  • Visual storage usage
  • Reset cards to factory state
Read full description

The only iOS app dedicated to NXP DESFire EV2 and EV3 NFC cards. ChipVault turns your DESFire cards into hardware-backed personal data vaults — AES-128 encrypted at the chip level, secured by your own master password. No cloud, no servers, no accounts, no subscriptions. The cards in your wallet are the storage. SECURE FIRST. Traditional NXP card tools fall short on security when working with these chips. ChipVault treats native AES encryption, EV2 Secure Messaging, and proper key derivation as first-class citizens — not afterthoughts. Every byte written to a card is encrypted with a key derived from your master password and that card's unique UID. The same data on a different card is a different ciphertext. A different password unlocks nothing. The chip enforces this at the silicon level. WHAT YOU CAN DO — Personalize a blank DESFire EV2 or EV3 card into a ChipVault: pick up to 8 categories from a palette of 15+ pre-canned options (Financial, Medical, Travel, Auto, Insurance, Tools, Credentials, Licenses, Subscriptions, Crypto Recovery, Family, Work, Notes, Wi-Fi & IoT, Personal IDs) or roll your own with custom names — Store passwords, codes, account numbers, notes, recovery phrases — each entry is a simple key plus a multi-line value, with optional hide-by-default for sensitive fields — Read your data with a tap and your master password — Edit a card after enrollment: rename it, change its theme and icon, rename any category — all instant, no NFC tap needed — Add new categories or delete existing ones on a card you've already personalized — one NFC tap each, with confirmation — Clone an entire card to a backup card — your safety net stays in your physical control, with per-trait toggles for what carries over (name, theme, icon) — Recover from a stuck chip memory allocator with Reset & Restructure — wipes entries and rebuilds the card with your current category set (chip-level recovery you'll rarely need, but you'll be glad it's there if you do) — See exactly how much space each category is using with the visual storage donut — Reset any card back to factory state with a single command — Delete individual entries cleanly with no leftover ghost data USE CASES — A password manager backup that doesn't live on anyone's cloud — A travel-only vault you carry separately from your phone — Encrypted storage for crypto recovery phrases that survives device loss — An emergency credentials kit that goes in a safe deposit box — A shared medical info card a family member can read with their own ChipVault install (if they know your master password) PRIVACY BY DESIGN ChipVault has no servers. No analytics. No tracking SDKs. No accounts to create. Nothing you do leaves your device, except a small operational record stored in your own iOS Keychain (which you control). Your master password is never transmitted, never logged, and never recoverable — write it down somewhere safe. WHAT YOU'LL NEED — An iPhone with NFC support (iPhone 7 or later) — One or more NXP DESFire EV2 or EV3 NFC cards (widely available online — see the in-app guide) ONE-TIME PURCHASE A 20-day free trial. After that, a single one-time purchase unlocks ChipVault forever — on all your devices. No subscriptions. Ever. ABOUT N0AGI ChipVault is built by N0AGI LLC, an indie shop focused on tools that respect your data and your wallet. Questions, feedback, or bug reports: n0agi@n0agi.com

About

Libre Key Companion

This app transforms your iPhone into a manager for hardware security keys. It supports various key types, allowing you to manage one-time passcodes, FIDO2/passkeys, PIV, and OpenPGP credentials via NFC or USB-C.

Highlights
  • Manage OATH TOTP/HOTP credentials
  • Support for Token2 on-device OTP
  • FIDO2/passkey management
  • PIV and OpenPGP key details
  • FIDO metadata lookup
  • NFC and USB-C transport support
Features
Read full description

Libre Key Companion turns your iPhone into a manager for hardware security keys. Tap your key to NFC or plug it into USB-C and work with everything it stores — from a single, free, ad-free app. WHAT YOU CAN DO • One-time passcodes (OATH) — list TOTP/HOTP credentials with live codes, add new ones by scanning a QR code or pasting an otpauth:// link, and delete the ones you no longer need. Works with the standard YKOATH applet used by YubiKey-class and compatible keys. • Token2 on-device OTP — list, add, and remove TOTP entries stored directly on Token2 FIDO keys, including touch-required profiles. • FIDO2 / passkeys — read your authenticator's details, set or change its PIN, toggle always-require-user-verification, and view or delete passkeys with full per-passkey details. (FIDO2 management is available over NFC.) • PIV and OpenPGP — view certificate slots, key details, and PIN retry counters. • FIDO metadata — resolve your key's model name, icon, and certification level (e.g. FIDO Certified L2) from the FIDO Alliance metadata service, with an in-app update to refresh the catalog. TRANSPORTS • NFC — works with every supported applet. Hold your key to the top of the phone. • USB-C — read OATH, Token2 OTP, PIV, and OpenPGP by plugging the key in; the app detects it automatically. (FIDO2 management is NFC only on iOS.) PRIVACY FIRST No account. No analytics. No ads. No tracking. Codes and key data are shown on screen only and never leave your device. The single optional network request downloads the public FIDO Alliance metadata file and sends none of your data. Libre Key Companion is provided by Token2.

Screenshots

ChipVault4 screens
Libre Key Companion4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Libre Key Companion at none against ChipVault's 1. ChipVault's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly). 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. ChipVault sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Libre Key Companion asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ChipVault ships an update weekly, Libre Key Companion monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ChipVault versus Libre Key Companion: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChipVaultLibre Key Companion
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperN0AGI LLCTOKEN2 MULTIFACTOR AUTHENTICATION PRODUCTS AND SERVICES LTD

Customer experience

ChipVault

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Libre Key Companion

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ChipVault

One-time1
  • ChipVault Full Access$6.99
None

Libre Key Companion

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ChipVault free?
ChipVault is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Libre Key Companion free?
Libre Key Companion is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ChipVault or Libre Key Companion have ads?
Neither ChipVault nor Libre Key Companion shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ChipVault or Libre Key Companion?
ChipVault ships an update weekly, and Libre Key Companion monthly. Most recently, ChipVault was updated on October 31, 2026 and Libre Key Companion on October 25, 2026.

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