# Signal vs CeliApp

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CeliApp at none against Signal's 1. Signal's advantage is chart position (#11 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Signal sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. CeliApp asks for nothing beyond the download.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Signal | CeliApp |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.1M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/signal-private-messenger/id874139669/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.1M** | — |
| Positive reviews | 67.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Best chart rank | **#11** | — |
| Size | 239 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Signal Messenger, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/874139672) | [Conectin media s.r.o.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1711031233) |

## What reviewers say

### Signal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/signal-private-messenger/id874139669)

**Currently charting:** #11 Top Free · Social Networking, #165 Top Grossing · Social Networking, #167 Top Free (US App Store)

This messaging app prioritizes your privacy with strong end-to-end encryption for texts, voice messages, photos, videos, and files. Enjoy crystal-clear encrypted voice and video calls, and create disappearing stories. It's a non-profit, donation-supported alternative focused on secure communication.

**Highlights:** End-to-end encrypted messaging, Encrypted voice and video calls, Group chats up to 1,000 people, Disappearing stories, File sharing, Non-profit, donation-supported

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Signal Secure Backups | $1.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🔒 Security and privacy
- 👍 Ease of use
- 🚀 Great call quality
- 🚀 Smooth and pleasant user interface
- 🔒 End-to-end encryption

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Delayed message delivery
- 🐛 Inconsistent image/video quality
- 🐛 Buggy call functionality
- 🐛 Inability to edit sent messages
- 🐛 Unreliable notifications

**Reported bugs**

- Problem retrieving data, resulting in lost message history
- Keyboard covering the current conversation
- Inconsistent behavior when attaching photos/videos
- Scrolling issues when reading through messages
- Inability to recover message history after device change

**Requested features**

- Add filters and customization options
- Allow adding music to stories
- Implement a sticker store
- Add ability to pin messages in group chats
- Allow new members to view previous group messages


### CeliApp

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/celiapp/id6775502191)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Signal free?

Signal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is CeliApp free?

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

### Do Signal or CeliApp have ads?

Neither Signal nor CeliApp shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Signal or CeliApp?

Signal ships an update weekly, and CeliApp weekly. Most recently, Signal was updated on November 1, 2026 and CeliApp on October 25, 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.*