HypaVault vs Other Photo Vault Apps
How HypaVault compares with 9 popular vault apps on the 10 basics that decide whether your files are really private: encryption, sign-up, ads, duress protection, backups and price.
The Short Answer
HypaVault is the only app here that meets all 10 basics. Every comparison links its sources, so you can check each mark yourself.
Basics HypaVault Meets
Encryption on the phone, setup with just a passcode, ad-free, a duress passcode that erases, hidden vaults, backups you keep and a pay-once option.
Others That Fully Encrypt Files
Of the rest, 7 apps encrypt only partly or don't show how, and 2 apps don't say how files are stored.
Others With a Duress Passcode That Erases
8 apps offer a decoy vault and 1 app a partial duress option, but none erases your real vaults when you're forced to unlock.
How Each App Scores
One point for every basic an app fully meets, judged from its own store listing, website and public reviews. Pick an app for the full comparison.
The 10 Basics We Compare
What separates a real vault from a hidden folder, why each basic matters, and how many of the other apps meet it.
Files Encrypted on the Phone
Hiding a file isn't protecting it. Only encryption makes a copied file unreadable.
HypaVault: AES-256-GCM, with a key for every file
The other 9:7 Partly2 Not stated
Works Without an Account or Email
Every account is an email, a password and a reset link someone else could use.
HypaVault: A passcode and a recovery phrase, nothing more
The other 9:1 Yes5 Partly1 No2 Not stated
Files Stay on Your Phone
Files on a company's server are only as private as that company and its staff.
HypaVault: Encrypted on the phone; it leaves only when you send it
The other 9:4 Yes5 Partly
Ad-Free
Ad networks and their trackers don't belong inside the app that guards your photos.
HypaVault: Paid for by Pro, never by advertising
The other 9:1 Partly6 No2 Not stated
Duress Passcode That Erases Data
A lock screen does nothing when someone makes you open it.
HypaVault: Opens an empty vault and erases the rest
The other 9:1 Partly8 No
Decoy or Empty Vault
Under pressure, opening an empty vault is safer than refusing to open anything.
HypaVault: The duress passcode opens an empty vault
The other 9:7 Yes1 Partly1 Not stated
Calculator or Clock Disguise
An app that doesn't look like a vault draws fewer questions.
HypaVault: Working calculator or alarm clock, with matching icon
The other 9:3 Yes5 Partly1 Not stated
Separate Hidden Vaults
Personal, work and family files shouldn't sit behind one passcode.
HypaVault: Up to three, none aware of the others
The other 9:8 Partly1 Not stated
Encrypted Backup You Keep
A vault without a backup you control can be lost with the phone.
HypaVault: One encrypted .hypa file per vault, checked before it's saved, kept where you choose
The other 9:8 Partly1 Not stated
Pay-Once Option
A subscription shouldn't be the only way to keep using the files you've stored.
HypaVault: $39.99 once, or $24.99 a year
The other 9:2 Yes7 Not stated
Every App, Every Basic
The whole comparison in one table: HypaVault first, then every other app by score.
| App | Encrypted | No Sign-Up | On Your Phone | Ad-Free | Duress Erase | Empty Vault | Disguise | Hidden Vaults | Own Backup | Pay Once | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HypaVault | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10/10 |
| Privault | Partly | Partly | Yes | No | Partly | Yes | Partly | Partly | Partly | Yes | 3/10 |
| PV Secret Photo Album | Partly | Partly | Partly | No | No | Yes | Yes | Partly | Partly | Yes | 3/10 |
| Safe Lock | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Not stated | No | Yes | Partly | Partly | Partly | Not stated | 3/10 |
| Calculator# | Partly | Not stated | Yes | No | No | Partly | Yes | Partly | Not stated | Not stated | 2/10 |
| Hide It Pro | Partly | Partly | Partly | Partly | No | Yes | Yes | Partly | Partly | Not stated | 2/10 |
| Keepsafe | Partly | No | Partly | No | No | Yes | Partly | Partly | Partly | Not stated | 1/10 |
| Private Photo Vault | Partly | Partly | Partly | No | No | Yes | Partly | Partly | Partly | Not stated | 1/10 |
| Secret Photo Album | Partly | Partly | Partly | Not stated | No | Yes | Not stated | Partly | Partly | Not stated | 1/10 |
| SPV | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | No | No | Not stated | Partly | Not stated | Partly | Not stated | 1/10 |
Based on each app's store listings, website and public reviews, checked 27 October 2026. HypaVault isn't affiliated with these apps; their names and icons are trademarks of their owners, shown only to identify each app. Prices and features can change.
Every Comparison
Side by side, basic by basic, with prices, what reviewers report and the sources behind each mark.
The Only One That Meets All 10
Start free on iPhone, iPad or Android. Choose a passcode, write down your recovery phrase, and move your private files into a vault that's encrypted on your phone.
Questions About These Comparisons
How the comparisons are made, where every fact comes from, and how to report a mistake.
Every statement about another app comes from its own store listing, website or public reviews, and each comparison shows the date its facts were checked. Points that come only from reviews are written as what reviewers report, and anything no source states is marked Not stated.
Files encrypted on the phone, works without an account or email, files stay on your phone, ad-free, a duress passcode that erases data, a decoy or empty vault, a calculator or clock disguise, separate hidden vaults, an encrypted backup you keep, and a pay-once option. Together they decide whether the files in a vault app are really private.
Partly means a source supports only part of the basic, such as a feature on one platform only, or encryption claimed without naming a method. Not stated means no source we checked says either way, so we don't guess, and the note beside each mark gives the detail.
No. HypaVault isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of the apps or developers compared, and every comparison page says so.
They're the prices listed in the US stores on the date each page was checked, and they can change at any time. Check the app's store listing for the latest price in your country.
To identify each app at a glance, beside its name. The names and icons are trademarks of their owners and are shown only for that purpose.
Email mail@hypavault.com with the page, what's wrong and a link to a source that shows it. We confirm each correction with the app's own listing, website or reviews before updating the entry and its checked date.
Yes. Each comparison lists every source it used under Sources at the foot of the page, and each review theme links to the reviews behind it.