Comparison

Kivo Messenger vs Vutalk

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

Head to head
About

Kivo Messenger

Connect with friends and discover communities through private, end-to-end encrypted chats, calls, and interest-based groups. Manage multiple identities and share moments with customizable privacy settings.

Highlights
  • End-to-end encrypted messaging
  • Private groups and calls
  • Public profiles and 'Moments' sharing
  • Interest-based 'Circles'
  • Multiple account identities
  • Local identity creation without phone number
Features
Read full description

Kivo Messenger brings private conversations and shared interests together. PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS Send end-to-end encrypted private messages, photos, files, voice messages and stickers. Create private groups and start voice or video calls. Add friends using a complete Kivo public address or searchable username. REGIONAL CALLING In mainland China, calls use Kivo's own interface and standard notifications. Open the app to answer a still-ringing call or call back. System calling remains available in supported regions. Background and lock-screen behavior varies by region. PEOPLE AND MOMENTS Create a public profile with your name, photo and interests. Choose whether people can discover you or start a private message request. Share text and photos in Moments, choose Public or Followers only, and join conversations through likes and comments. Private Stories remain a separate space for selected contacts or groups, with 24-hour expiry. CIRCLES AND VOICE Find circles around shared interests and request to join. An owner or administrator approves membership before you enter the circle's text, image and voice channels. Speaking roles and optional managed seats control who can use the microphone. Minimize a room while browsing inside Kivo; locking your phone or switching apps ends the room session. Circle and social activity appears inside Kivo. YOUR PROFILE AND ACCOUNTS Use a public profile for social spaces and a separate chat profile for private conversations. Keep up to three identities on one device and switch between unlocked accounts without entering the local password again. FREE VIP1 Opt into mutual-friend confirmation and reach ten eligible, confirmed friendships to earn permanent VIP1 and one circle-creation slot. Following someone or adding a private chat contact does not automatically count. Earned VIP1 stays with the account if friends are removed; deleting the account removes it. Joining circles does not require VIP1, but membership approval still applies. No paid membership is offered in this version. LOCAL IDENTITY, CLEAR RECOVERY Create a messaging identity with a local password, without a phone number, email address or SMS code. Kivo generates real Ethereum-compatible cryptographic keys and a corresponding 0x public address. In Kivo, that address identifies your messaging account and helps others find you. The keys sign Kivo login challenges to prove control of your identity. This version does not provide cryptocurrency balances, asset transfers, exchanges or blockchain transaction signing or broadcasting. A display name and searchable username are different. Keep your recovery phrase or private key safe: importing it restores the same messaging identity. A retained encrypted identity copy on this device can be restored with its local password. After reinstalling or moving to another device, you need the original recovery phrase or private key. Restoring an identity does not restore messages: chat history requires a separate encrypted backup and its key. Public profiles, Moments, circle channels and community voice rooms use Kivo's social services and have different visibility from private encrypted chats. Discovery is available to signed-in users who choose to participate. Public-profile blocking and reporting are available; private-message blocking is managed separately. Support: https://kivo.zhiera.com/support/ Privacy: https://kivo.zhiera.com/privacy/

About

Vutalk

A secure messaging app that prioritizes privacy by allowing account creation without a phone number or email. It offers end-to-end encrypted messages, calls, and file sharing, with features like disappearing messages and an integrated wallet.

Highlights
  • Account creation without phone number or email
  • End-to-end encrypted messaging, calls, and file sharing
  • Username and QR code for contact sharing
  • Disappearing messages
  • Integrated crypto wallet
  • Modern cryptography for enhanced security
Features
Read full description

Vutalk is an end-to-end encrypted messenger for people who would rather not hand over a phone number or an email address. You create an account without either. The app gives you an Account ID and a recovery key, and nothing else is needed. Other people reach you through the username you pick, or the QR code that goes with it. Your address book is never uploaded. Messages, calls, and files are encrypted on your device before they leave it, and the keys stay on your devices. Nobody in between can read them, and neither can we. FEATURES No number, no email — Create an account with no phone number and no email address. Keep your Account ID and recovery key: they are how you get back in. Username and QR code — Share a username, or let someone scan your code. Your contacts are never uploaded or matched against our servers. Encrypted messaging — One-to-one and group conversations, end-to-end encrypted by default. Voice and video calls — Encrypted calls, one-to-one and in groups, with voice or video. Photos, video, and files — Send images, videos, documents, and voice messages through the same encrypted channel. Wallet — Receive, send, and view history from Settings. The keys stay on your device. Disappearing messages — Choose how long a conversation keeps its history, from seconds to weeks. Free, with nothing to buy — No subscriptions, no in-app purchases, and no advertising. Modern cryptography — Key agreement uses X3DH, and every message advances a Double Ratchet, so earlier messages stay protected even if a device is compromised later. Accounts created with an email address in an earlier version keep signing in with that address.

Screenshots

Kivo Messenger2 screens
Vutalk4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Kivo Messenger at every 3 days against Vutalk's every 2 weeks. Kivo Messenger also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Kivo Messenger against 5.0 for Vutalk. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kivo Messenger ships an update every 3 days, Vutalk every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Kivo Messenger versus Vutalk: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKivo MessengerVutalk
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size198 MB179 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZhiEra LLCCncloud Limited

Customer experience

Kivo Messenger

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

Vutalk

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

In-app purchases

None

Kivo Messenger

No in-app purchases

None

Vutalk

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Kivo Messenger free?
Kivo Messenger is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Vutalk free?
Vutalk is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Kivo Messenger or Vutalk?
Kivo Messenger and Vutalk are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Kivo Messenger or Vutalk have ads?
Neither Kivo Messenger nor Vutalk shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kivo Messenger or Vutalk?
Kivo Messenger ships an update every 3 days, and Vutalk every 2 weeks. Most recently, Kivo Messenger was updated on October 31, 2026 and Vutalk on November 10, 2026.

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