# Substitutes vs Cipher

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.

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

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Substitutes | Cipher |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cipher/id1505289366/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| Positive reviews | **71.4% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 3 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jan Wittler](https://appshunter.io/developer/805834216) | [TN-TECHNOLOGY](https://appshunter.io/developer/558528402) |

## What reviewers say

### Substitutes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/substitutes/id805834213)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Cipher

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cipher/id1505289366)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*