Comparison

Substitutes vs Cipher

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

Head to head
About

Substitutes

Access your school's substitution schedule directly on your iPhone or iPad. Stay updated automatically with timetable changes, even offline. You can also input your personal schedule for a consolidated view of all your classes and substitutions.

Highlights
  • Real-time substitution plan updates
  • Offline access to schedule
  • Personal timetable input
  • Automatic course synchronization
  • Supports schools across Germany
Read full description

Latest substitution plan directly for your iPhone and iPad. Stay up to date automatically and be aware of your timetable at all times! With your iOS device, you now have your substitution plan directly in your pocket - even offline - and are always up-to-date. You can also enter your own timetable and have everything in one app. Choose your school, enter your courses and that's all you need to be informed about all your substitutions. Your courses are automatically synchronised with the substitutions and displayed to you. No more annoying course matching, because from now on all you need to do is take a quick look at this app and you'll know when you have which substitutions. Substitutes supports schools all over Germany. The complete list can be viewed at https://vertretungen.wittler.app/en#schools. Your school is not supported yet? Send us an email to vertretungen@wittler.app with information about your school and the link to your online substitution plan. We hope to support your school as soon as possible!

About

Cipher

This app allows users to easily encode and decode messages using various secret codes. It offers offline functionality and printable translation tables for decoding without the app. Ideal for educational puzzles, treasure hunts, and creative communication.

Highlights
  • Encode and decode messages
  • 12+ secret codes available
  • Offline functionality
  • Printable translation tables
  • Export encoded messages as images
  • Suitable for educational puzzles
Features
Read full description

Do you love a treasure hunt?  Do you love secret messages?  Do you enjoy decoding and encoding messages? With "CIPHER" you can easily encode and decode messages. At the beginning, there are 12 different secret codes (e.g. Morse alphabet, Braille, ...) available, more codes will follow in free updates. All functions and worksheets do not need an internet connection! ENCODING With the keyboard, letters and numbers can be typed in plain text and converted into symbols. The encoded messages can be saved and exported as an image. Various applications: treasure hunts, puzzle tasks for school, children's birthday parties, encoded postcards or just for fun! DECODING WITH THE APP By using the symbol keyboard, the message can be easily decoded in the app. When tapping on the symbols, the corresponding letter or number is displayed. DECODING WITH THE PRINTABLE TRANSLATION TABLE The translation tables can be exported and printed as PDF worksheet. With these worksheets, the encoded messages can be decoded even without an app or the Internet. *** NOTE *** This app contains a part of "CacheToolBox". The printable translation tables will be available only in this app, also in the future! More fonts will follow later, some of them are only available here! "Cipher" is addressed to a different target group like schools, scouts, etc.

Screenshots

Substitutes4 screens
Cipher4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Substitutes at Free against Cipher's $2.99. Substitutes also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Substitutes is free to download; Cipher costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Substitutes ships an update every 3 months, Cipher every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Substitutes versus Cipher: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSubstitutesCipher
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS1817.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJan WittlerTN-TECHNOLOGY

Customer experience

Substitutes

Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral28.6%
Negative0.0%

Cipher

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Substitutes

No in-app purchases

None

Cipher

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Substitutes free?
Substitutes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cipher free?
Cipher costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Substitutes or Cipher have ads?
Neither Substitutes nor Cipher shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Substitutes or Cipher?
Substitutes ships an update every 3 months, and Cipher every 4 months. Most recently, Substitutes was updated on September 19, 2026 and Cipher on October 5, 2026.

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