Comparison

AgePony vs Erase Metadata

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

Head to head
About

AgePony

Securely encrypt, decrypt, and sign files using the modern age protocol. Protect your data with post-quantum cryptography and verify file authenticity without relying on servers or accounts. Supports various key types and any file size for robust local-first security.

Highlights
  • Post-quantum encryption (ML-KEM-768 + X25519)
  • Encrypt, decrypt, sign, and verify files of any size
  • Supports various public keys (SSH, age, passphrase)
  • Hardware security key integration (NFC)
  • Local-first, zero-backend architecture
  • Encrypted notes for sensitive data
Features
Read full description

Modern file encryption and signing for iPhone, built on the age protocol. Encrypt anything to anyone, sign files so others can verify they came from you, and keep every byte on your device. No accounts, no servers, no key-management headaches. POST-QUANTUM Hybrid ML-KEM-768 + X25519 recipients, so a file captured today stays private even if X25519 falls to a quantum computer years from now. Interoperable with the age CLI 1.3 and newer. Files already on a classical key? The re-encrypt tool moves them across. ANY SIZE Encrypt, decrypt, sign and verify files of any size. Nothing is held in memory, so a 1 GB video behaves like a text file. ENCRYPT TO ANYONE • Anyone's published SSH keys, fetched by their username • Any age public key, classical (X25519) or post-quantum • Any SSH public key (ed25519 or RSA) • A passphrase, when you don't need recipient keys at all SIGN FILES Prove a file came from you and hasn't been altered. Sign on its own, producing a detached signature anyone can check without AgePony. Or sign and encrypt in one step, sealing the signature inside the file so the ciphertext never reveals who sent it. Signatures are verified automatically as a file decrypts. • Sign with an in-app SSH key (ed25519 or RSA) • Sign with a Secure Enclave key, generated in hardware and never exportable • Sign with an external hardware security key over NFC, including keys protected by a PIN • Standard SSHSIG signatures, verifiable with the usual SSH command-line tools • Verify signatures from other people right inside the app BUILT ON AGE A clean-room implementation of the age v1 file format, a modern, simpler alternative to older encryption tools. X25519 key agreement, ChaCha20-Poly1305 authenticated encryption, scrypt for passphrase-protected files. Bit-perfect with the reference age CLI: encrypt on your phone, decrypt on your laptop, and back again. HARDWARE, PAPER, NEXT PHONE • Secure Enclave decryption keys, quantum-safe if you like • Decrypt with a security key over NFC • Move keys to your next phone over Wi-Fi • Passphrase-protected paper backups ENCRYPTED NOTES Passphrase-locked notes for secrets that never need to leave your device: recovery phrases, API keys, server credentials. Each note has its own passphrase, stretched through scrypt into its wrapping key. Forget it and the body is gone for good. That is the point. EVERY KIND OF DATA • Files: encrypt anything from the Files app • Several at once: one archive, or one encrypted file each, your choice • Text: armored age blocks for paste-into-email use • Inspect: see what any age file is encrypted to, without decrypting it • .age files: tap "Open in AgePony" from the Files app LOCAL-FIRST, ZERO BACKEND No accounts. No cloud sync. No telemetry. No analytics. No advertising. No third-party SDKs. Your vault stays on your device, encrypted at rest with a master key in the iOS Keychain that Face ID or Touch ID unlocks. The only internet request AgePony ever makes is fetching someone's published SSH keys, when you ask. FOR THE DEVELOPER SECURITY COMMUNITY If you have ever wished file encryption were simpler, age is the answer and AgePony is age on your phone. Sending someone an encrypted file without coordinating keys first takes one tap and their username. The interface is deliberately minimal: files, notes, text, identities, settings. OPEN SOURCE Apache 2.0. Source code linked from agepony.com. COMPATIBILITY • Any age v1 implementation, including the reference command-line tool • Post-quantum recipients need age CLI 1.3 or newer • Reads and writes both binary and PEM-armored age files • Requires iPhone with iOS 17.0 or later PRIVACY AgePony collects nothing and there is no server. Your data never leaves your device unless you export it. Policy: agepony.com/privacy. SUPPORT Documentation, FAQ, and contact: agepony.com/support Email: NorseHorse@norsehor.se Built quietly in Alabama by NorseHorse. Sibling to PGPony, the same idea for OpenPGP keys.

About

Erase Metadata

Features
Read full description

Every photo, PDF, and document carries invisible traces: location, device name, author, edit history. Spurlos shows you exactly what's hidden inside your files — and removes it with one tap. Everything happens on your device. No cloud, no server, no tracking. WHAT YOUR FILES REVEAL - GPS coordinates & location name — often accurate to the meter - Author name, company, camera or device model - Capture, creation and modification dates - Edit history, software used, embedded comments HOW IT WORKS 1. Import a file (photos, PDF, Office docs, video, and more) 2. Review the analysis — clear, plain-language, no jargon 3. Clean it with one tap — your original file is never touched 100% ON YOUR DEVICE Spurlos analyzes and cleans everything locally. Your files never leave your iPhone. No account, no backend, no tracking — that's not a marketing line, it's the architecture. GUARANTEED COMPLETE After every clean, Spurlos re-checks the result. If anything sensitive remains, the file is discarded instead of handing you a half-cleaned version. No compromises. SUPPORTED FORMATS Photos & images (JPEG, HEIC, PNG, TIFF, WebP, GIF, BMP, AVIF), PDF, Word/Excel/PowerPoint (DOCX/XLSX/PPTX), OpenDocument (ODT/ODS), Pages/Numbers/Keynote, video (MP4/MOV), MP3, SVG. CLEAN FROM ANYWHERE Use the share sheet to clean files directly from Photos, Files, WhatsApp, and more — no need to open Spurlos first. WHO IT'S FOR Anyone who shares, sells, or publishes photos and documents — on marketplaces, social media, at work, or just on principle. For journalists, activists, and anyone who wants to know what their files are really saying. FREE TO USE Analyze any file for free, and clean photos without limits. WITH PRO - Clean PDFs, Office docs, video & audio - Batch-process multiple files at once - Selectively keep specific fields - Siri Shortcuts & automation One-time purchase — no subscription. Spurlos. Because your files say more than you think. Spurlos Pro is a one-time purchase — no subscription, no auto-renewal, no hidden costs. Payment is charged to your Apple account. Privacy Policy: https://spurlosapp.com/privacy Contact: support@spurlosapp.com

Screenshots

AgePony4 screens
Erase Metadata4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: AgePony at none against Erase Metadata's 1. Erase Metadata's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). 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. Erase Metadata sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. AgePony asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AgePony ships an update every 3 weeks, Erase Metadata every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
AgePony versus Erase Metadata: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAgePonyErase Metadata
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKevin StewartElias Wilkening

In-app purchases

None

AgePony

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Erase Metadata

One-time1
  • Spurlos Pro$3.99

Questions

Is AgePony free?
AgePony is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Erase Metadata free?
Erase Metadata is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do AgePony or Erase Metadata have ads?
Neither AgePony nor Erase Metadata shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AgePony or Erase Metadata?
AgePony ships an update every 3 weeks, and Erase Metadata every 5 days. Most recently, AgePony was updated on November 5, 2026 and Erase Metadata on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons