Aegis vs Ente Auth: Best 2FA App for Android 2026

Two-factor authentication apps are small but serious tools. They generate the six-digit codes that protect your email, bank, and social accounts. Picking the wrong one can lock you out of your own accounts, while the right one quietly guards them for years.

Aegis and Ente Auth are the two names that come up most often when Android users look for a free, open-source authenticator. Both are free. Both are open source. But they work in very different ways. This article compares them on real, verified facts so you can choose the right one for your phone.

Quick verdict

Bottom line: choose Aegis if you want your codes to stay only on your Android phone, with no account and no cloud. Choose Ente Auth if you use more than one device and want your codes to follow you safely. Both are excellent — the right choice depends on how you use your phone.

What is Aegis?

Aegis Authenticator is a free, secure, open-source 2FA app made only for Android. It has been around since 2016 — about ten years — and its code is public on GitHub under the GPLv3 license. The project has gathered over 13,000 stars and 74 releases, which is a strong sign of long-term, active development.

Aegis works like a small safe on your phone. Your codes are stored in a vault that is encrypted with AES-256-GCM, a strong modern encryption standard. You open the vault with a password or your fingerprint. Because the vault lives on your device, there is no account to create and no company server holding your codes.

Key Aegis features, verified from the Play Store listing and the official GitHub page:

• Encrypted local vault. Everything stays on your phone. The vault is encrypted with AES-256-GCM; the password is strengthened with scrypt, and biometrics are tied to the Android Keystore.
• Both code types. Supports TOTP (codes that change every 30 seconds) and HOTP (counter-based codes). It works with any service that works with Google Authenticator.
• Automatic backups. Aegis can back up the vault automatically to a folder you pick — and if your cloud storage app supports Android's Storage Access Framework, such as Nextcloud, backups can go straight to your own cloud.
• Easy migration. Aegis can import codes from Authenticator Plus, Authy, andOTP, FreeOTP, FreeOTP+, Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Steam, TOTP Authenticator, and WinAuth.
• Organization tools. Custom icons, groups, alphabetic or custom sorting, and search by name — handy when you have dozens of accounts.
• Anti-snooping extras. Screen capture prevention, tap-to-reveal codes, and light, dark, and AMOLED themes.
• F-Droid support. Aegis is also on F-Droid for users who avoid the Play Store, and the developers publish signed APK fingerprints so you can verify downloads.

What is Ente Auth?

Ente Auth is a free, open-source 2FA app from Ente, the company also known for Ente Photos. It is younger than Aegis — around three years old — but it has grown fast. Its code is public under the AGPL 3.0 license.

Ente Auth's big idea is end-to-end encrypted sync. Your codes are encrypted on your device before they ever leave it, so even Ente's own servers cannot read them. They sync across Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and the web. Codes are still generated offline on your phone, so a dead internet connection never blocks your logins.

Key Ente Auth features, verified from the Play Store listing and the official site:

• End-to-end encrypted backup. Your tokens are encrypted on your device, and the company says its cryptography has been externally audited. Only you can decrypt them.
• True cross-platform apps. Native apps for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus a web client. Your codes follow you everywhere.
• Offline mode without signup. You can use Ente Auth as a single-device authenticator with no account at all. The account is only needed for cloud sync.
• Next-code preview. It shows the next code before the current one expires, so you never have to wait and retype.
• Organization tools. Pin favorites to the top, add tags, search codes instantly, and pick icons from a large library.
• Secure sharing. You can share a code with someone through an encrypted link that can have an expiry time — useful for shared team accounts.
• Notes. Save recovery codes or notes next to each entry, also encrypted end to end.
• Import. Scan QR codes, enter secrets by hand, or bulk-import from other authenticator apps.

Platform support: the biggest difference

This is where the two apps split hardest. Aegis is Android-only. There is no iPhone version, no desktop version, and no web version. The developers have publicly confirmed that a copycat "Aegis" app on Apple's App Store is fake and not their product. If you use an iPhone at any point, do not install it.

Ente Auth runs on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and the web. If you own a laptop and a phone, or you might switch between Android and iPhone in the future, Ente Auth keeps your codes with you on every screen.

For Android-only users, this difference barely matters. For everyone else, it decides the question immediately.

Backups: who keeps you safe when you lose your phone?

This is the most practical difference of all. Losing your phone is the number-one way people lose access to their accounts.

Ente Auth backs up your codes to its encrypted cloud automatically once you sign in. Buy a new phone, install the app, sign in, and your codes come back. The catch: you must save your recovery key somewhere safe. If you lose both your password and your recovery key, nobody — not even Ente — can restore your vault. Write the recovery key on paper and store it somewhere safe.

Aegis keeps your codes on your phone and leaves backups to you. It can create automatic backups to a folder of your choice, including your own cloud storage like Nextcloud, but you have to set that up. If you never set up backups and your phone dies, your codes are gone. The responsibility is yours, which privacy-focused users actually prefer — no company ever holds their data, not even in encrypted form.

Neither approach is "safer" in the abstract. Automatic encrypted sync protects forgetful users. Local-only storage protects users who trust no server. Pick the one that matches your habits.

Security and encryption compared

Both apps take security seriously, and both are open source, which means anyone can inspect their code.

Aegis encrypts its on-device vault with AES-256-GCM. Your password is run through scrypt, a function designed to make password guessing very slow and expensive. Biometric access is tied to the Android Keystore, so your fingerprint never leaves the secure hardware. It also blocks screenshots of your codes and can hide codes until you tap them.

Ente Auth encrypts your data end to end before it reaches any server. The company states its cryptography has been independently audited, and outside reviews name auditors such as Cure53, Symbolic Software, and Fallible for Ente's products. Its server software can even be self-hosted, so a technical user can run the whole sync service on their own machine.

One thing to know about both: TOTP codes are not phishing-proof. If you type a code into a fake login page, an attacker can use it within its 30-second window. For your most valuable accounts — email, banking — consider a hardware security key or passkeys in addition to an authenticator app.

Open source licenses: GPLv3 vs AGPL 3.0

Both apps are free and open source, but their licenses differ in one interesting way. Aegis uses GPLv3, Ente Auth uses AGPL 3.0. In plain words: both let you see, use, and change the code freely. The AGPL also requires anyone who runs a modified version of the server code to share their changes. For you as a user, the practical takeaway is the same — no hidden code, no secret data collection you cannot verify.

Play Store ratings: what real users say

At the time of writing, the verified Play Store numbers are:

• Aegis: 4.69 stars from 6,287 reviews. Package: com.beemdevelopment.aegis.
• Ente Auth: 4.63 stars from 2,530 reviews. Package: io.ente.auth.

Both ratings are high. Aegis has more reviews, which fits its longer history — ten years versus about three. Ente Auth's rating is close behind despite its younger age, which suggests users are happy with it. Both listings describe the apps as free and open source, with no ads or paid features mentioned in either listing.

Ease of use

Ente Auth is the easier start. Install it, create an account, and backups work from then on. The interface is modern, with search, tags, and pinned favorites. Features like the next-code preview and one-tap copy make daily logins slightly faster.

Aegis asks a little more of you at the start: choose a strong vault password, decide where backups go, and set up automatic backups. After that, daily use is simple. Its organization tools — groups, custom icons, custom sorting — are arguably better than Ente's for people with very long code lists.

Privacy: accounts and trust

Aegis collects nothing because there is no account and no server. Your codes never leave your phone unless you back them up to your own storage. This is the strongest privacy story of any mainstream authenticator.

Ente Auth requires an email address for cloud sync, which means giving the company one piece of personal information. In return, your encrypted data syncs across devices. The encryption means Ente cannot read your codes, and you can skip the account entirely with offline mode — a middle path that several privacy guides recommend.

Watch out for the fake Aegis app on iOS. Aegis is Android-only; anything claiming to be Aegis on the App Store is not from the real developers and should not be trusted with your login codes.

Which one should you choose?

Choose Aegis if: you use only Android, you want no account and no company server involved, you are comfortable setting up your own backups, or you like F-Droid and fully offline tools.

Choose Ente Auth if: you use more than one device or operating system, you want backups to happen by themselves, you might switch to iPhone someday, or you share codes with family or teammates.

Either way, do three things the day you install your pick: save your backup codes from each website, write down your vault password or Ente recovery key on paper, and test a restore before you need it. The best authenticator is the one whose backup you can actually recover.

If you want a third option, we also compared 2FAS vs Aegis — 2FAS is another open-source authenticator that backs up through your own Google Drive or iCloud with no vendor account. And if you are locking down your whole phone, not just your logins, see our guide on how to lock apps on Android without installing an app.

Get the apps

• Aegis Authenticator on Google Play — free, no ads.
• Ente Auth on Google Play — free, no ads.

Frequently asked questions

Is Aegis Authenticator really free?

Yes. Aegis is fully free with no ads and no paid features. Its code is open source under the GPLv3 license, and the Play Store listing describes it as free and open source, with no ads or paid features mentioned anywhere in the listing.

Is Ente Auth really free?

Yes. Ente Auth is fully free and open source under the AGPL 3.0 license. Cloud backup and sync cost nothing, and the Play Store listing describes it as free and open source, with no ads or paid features mentioned anywhere in the listing.

Can I use Aegis on an iPhone?

No. Aegis is Android-only. The developers have confirmed that any Aegis app on Apple's App Store is fake and not their product — do not install it. iPhone users should pick Ente Auth or another iOS authenticator instead.

Does Ente Auth work without creating an account?

Yes. Ente Auth has an offline mode that works without signing up. You only need an account if you want cloud backup and sync across devices.

Which app is safer if I lose my phone?

Ente Auth is safer for most people because your encrypted codes sync to the cloud automatically — install it on a new phone, sign in, and your codes return. With Aegis you must restore from your own encrypted backup, so you need to have made one.

Which one should a beginner choose?

Ente Auth is easier to start with because backups happen automatically once you sign in. Aegis takes a little more setup, but it keeps everything on your phone, which privacy-focused users prefer.