Message Vault vs Authenticator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Message Vault
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Message Vault turns your text conversations โ years of them, going back further than your phone can currently show โ into a private, permanent, searchable archive that only you can open. THE COMPLETE BACKUP, DONE HONESTLY A real backup of a text thread means two things: the words, and the pictures. Message Vault keeps the words โ every message, searchable, forever. Apple doesn't allow any outside app to reach the photos and videos inside Messages, so Message Vault can't copy those, and it never pretends to. Instead, it walks you through saving your photos and videos into your own Photos library โ a few taps, right inside the app โ and marks in every conversation where a photo or video belongs, so your searchable text becomes the index back to the picture. Your words live in Message Vault. Your pictures live in Photos. Together, that's the whole conversation, kept. YEARS OF CONVERSATIONS, ACTUALLY SEARCHABLE Messages makes it hard to search anything old and painful to get anything out. Message Vault holds everything you've archived โ search by name, date, or a half-remembered phrase, and export what you find. IMPORT WITH A TAP, APPROVE EVERY BATCH Message Vault never reads your messages on its own. You run the Vault Sync shortcut yourself, and iOS shows you exactly what's being shared every time. Anything already archived is recognized and never duplicated. ENCRYPTED BEFORE IT TOUCHES ANYTHING Everything you archive is encrypted on your device with a key that lives in your iPhone's Keychain โ decrypted only in memory, only for you. YOUR iCLOUD, NOT OURS Optionally keep an encrypted copy in your own Apple Account's private iCloud database. It leaves your phone only as ciphertext โ there's no Message Vault server, so there's nowhere for us to read your messages. A RECOVERY PHRASE ONLY YOU HOLD Turn on recovery and you get a one-time phrase that unlocks your vault on a new iPhone. We never see it and can't recover it โ that's what makes it yours. NO ACCOUNTS. NO ANALYTICS. NO SERVERS. Message Vault is a paid app on purpose, so you're the customer, not the product. GOOD TO KNOW Message Vault archives what iOS makes available to Shortcuts, typically conversations through the previous day. Sync is manual. Requires the free Shortcuts app from Apple. Message Vault is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple Inc. iMessage and iCloud are trademarks of Apple Inc.
Authenticator
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Authenticator helps you manage authentication codes and organize your saved credentials on iPhone and iPad. KEY FEATURES โข Authentication codes: Generate TOTP and HOTP codes for compatible online services. Add accounts by scanning a QR code or entering setup details. โข Encrypted local vault: Store logins, passwords, payment details, Wi-Fi credentials and notes in an encrypted file on your device. โข Optional iCloud backup: Back up and restore your vault through your private Apple CloudKit database. Cloud backups use Apple's CloudKit protections; local vault encryption does not mean app-managed end-to-end encryption of cloud backups. โข Security checks: Check passwords against Pwned Passwords and manually check an email using LeakCheck. Checks require a network connection and reflect the providers' available records; no match is not a guarantee of safety. โข Private browsing sessions: Browse using nonpersistent website storage. Websites still receive normal requests, and bookmarks you choose to save remain available. โข Password generator: Create random passwords with your preferred length and character options. โข AutoFill: Use supported saved credentials in Safari and compatible apps. โข App lock: Protect access to the app with a PIN and supported biometric authentication. Some features require a subscription. Prices and available offers are shown in the app before purchase. Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/view/authenticator-2fa-vault/privacy-policy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Service: https://sites.google.com/view/authenticator-2fa-vault/terms-conditions
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Authenticator at Free against Message Vault's $4.99. Authenticator also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Message Vault's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Authenticator is free to download; Message Vault costs $4.99 up front. Authenticator sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Message Vault asks for nothing beyond the download.
Message Vault ships an update every 2 months, Authenticator monthly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | Message Vault | Authenticator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free โ better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly โ better |
| Ads | No โ better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No โ better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad โ better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 49 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BS Boys LLC | Huong Dang |
In-app purchases
Message Vault
No in-app purchases
Authenticator
- Weekly Premium Access3 Days trial$6.997 Days
- Yearly Premium Access$39.991 Year
Questions
Is Message Vault free?
Is Authenticator free?
Do Message Vault or Authenticator have ads?
Which is updated more often, Message Vault or Authenticator?
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