App-Vault vs Private Photo Vault

App-Vault and Private Photo Vault both serve the same core job: locking private media behind a separate app with no required account. That shared baseline matters, and Private Photo Vault has been on the App Store since 2012 with a very large install base.

Where App-Vault pulls ahead is transparency and scope. We publish concrete details about on-device AES-256-GCM per-file encryption through Apple CryptoKit, per-file unique nonces, PBKDF2-SHA256 with 600,000 iterations, and Secure Enclave key wrapping, while Private Photo Vault claims AES-256 but does not publicly document the mode or broader cryptography.

App-Vault has no ads at any tier and no third-party ad SDKs. For a vault app holding private photos and files, we think that is the cleanest default and the easiest trust decision.

Private Photo Vault takes a different approach. Its free tier allows unlimited photos with ads, and its privacy nutrition label shows third-party advertising SDKs are present. That free access is useful if your only priority is storing unlimited photos without paying, but we think most people should not have advertising components inside the same app that holds their most sensitive media.

App-Vault goes beyond a lock screen by offering a fully functional Calculator Launcher disguise with three alternate icons. That means the app can look and behave like a normal calculator on the home screen and when opened, which is a practical privacy layer Private Photo Vault does not offer.

Private Photo Vault does include a decoy concept through its Fake Passcode feature, and that is a real advantage over simpler vault apps. But its home-screen icon still reads "Private Photo Vault," while App-Vault combines a working disguise with a second encrypted Decoy Vault derived from a separate pattern, which is a broader answer to casual inspection.

App-Vault is built around local control. It requires no account, no email, and no server holding vault data, and it keeps the full encryption stack even in the free tier for one file.

On top of that, App-Vault includes a 5x5 pattern grid that derives the encryption key, optional Face ID quick re-unlock, an optional BIP-39 12-word recovery phrase, Intruder Selfie with timestamp and approximate location after three failed attempts, and a File Shredder that overwrites the encrypted blob three times before unlinking. Private Photo Vault offers no-account use, PIN lock, Fake Passcode, and Break-in Report with front camera, but it does not match the same combination of documented cryptography, disguise, decoy separation, recovery phrase, and file shredding.

If you are moving from Private Photo Vault, the practical reason to switch is simple: App-Vault removes ad SDKs from the equation and adds stronger concealment. That matters most if you care not just about locking files, but also about minimizing extra parties and making the app less obvious on your device.

App-Vault is iPhone and iPad only on iOS 17+, has a small install size of about 12 MB, and does not require an account or email to get started. If you want a secondary denial layer, set up the main 5x5 pattern first, then create a separate pattern for the Decoy Vault and store the 12-word recovery phrase safely, because no other recovery exists.

App-Vault frames pricing around a different tradeoff: no ads, no ad SDKs, and the full local encryption design from the start. Its free tier lets you test the full protection stack with one file, and Premium is available weekly from USD 3.99/week or yearly from USD 29.99/year with a 7-day free trial.

Private Photo Vault's strongest pricing advantage is its unlimited ad-supported free tier. That will appeal to people who want unlimited photo storage without paying, but once privacy and concealment matter more than raw free capacity, App-Vault's cleaner model is the one we would choose.