# Shortwave Messaging vs Ghost

The clearest difference is rating: Ghost at 4.1 against Shortwave Messaging's 3.0. Ghost also leads on ratings volume (7 vs 1). Shortwave Messaging's advantage is iOS requirement (7.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Ghost holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ghost has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Shortwave Messaging ships an update fortnightly, Ghost every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shortwave Messaging | Ghost |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shortwave-messaging/id864480884/reviews) | **[4.1 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ghost-private-messenger/id6748726977/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **7** |
| Positive reviews | 41.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 9 MB | 74 MB |
| Requires iOS | **7.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cornfield Creative, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/864480887) | [Kacper Oselka](https://appshunter.io/developer/1813430141) |

## What reviewers say

### Shortwave Messaging

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shortwave-messaging/id864480884)

Connect with people nearby through public messages within a 70-foot radius. This social networking app utilizes location services and Bluetooth to facilitate local communication.

**Highlights:** Public messaging, 70-foot communication radius, Location-based, Bluetooth integration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Ghost

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ghost-private-messenger/id6748726977)

This messaging app offers end-to-end encrypted chats and voice calls for ultimate privacy. Connect anonymously without sharing personal information and enjoy group conversations with minimal metadata collection.

**Highlights:** End-to-end encryption, Encrypted voice calling, Anonymous profiles, Group chats, Minimal metadata collection

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shortwave Messaging free?

Shortwave Messaging is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Ghost free?

Ghost is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Shortwave Messaging or Ghost?

Ghost is rated higher. Shortwave Messaging averages 3.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Ghost averages 4.1 from 7 ratings.

### Do Shortwave Messaging or Ghost have ads?

Neither Shortwave Messaging nor Ghost shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shortwave Messaging or Ghost?

Shortwave Messaging ships an update fortnightly, and Ghost every 9 days. Most recently, Shortwave Messaging was updated on November 1, 2026 and Ghost on November 12, 2026.

---

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