HypaVault vs Private Photo VaultWhich Vault Can You Trust with Your Photos?

For privacy, yes. Private Photo Vault’s free version is ad-supported, independent tests of older versions found photos readable, and its decoy password opens a second vault without erasing anything. HypaVault encrypts every file, name and thumbnail with AES-256-GCM, carries no advertising, works without an account and has a duress passcode that erases your real vaults.

The developer says files in the app use AES encryption, with AES-256 for Cloud Vault uploads, and calls its security page product documentation, not an independent audit. Independent tests of older versions, by Jonathan Zdziarski in 2014, IOActive in 2015 and Purdue researchers in a 2022 study of 2019 tests, found photos readable or the passcode stored in plaintext; we found no independent test of the current app. HypaVault encrypts every file on the phone with AES-256-GCM, each with its own random 256-bit key.

Not for the vault on your phone, which the developer says is offline by default. Its paid Cloud Vault backup needs an account and an internet connection. HypaVault never asks for an account or email: setup is a 6-digit passcode and a 12-word recovery phrase, and backups are encrypted files you keep.

Yes, in the free Basic version. Google Play lists “Contains ads” and sells Ad-Free as a Premium feature, and its App Store privacy label lists advertising data as used to track you. HypaVault carries no advertising, and nothing in it reports what you do.

No. It has a Decoy Password that opens a separate decoy vault, which its own security page says is no guarantee that another vault can’t be discovered, but nothing in its listings or security page describes a passcode that erases data. HypaVault’s duress passcode looks like a normal unlock, opens an empty vault and erases every other vault in one silent step. Your backups bring them back later.

Private Photo Vault is free with ads. Apple lists Premium at $6.99, $12.99, $35.99 and $39.99 without billing periods, plus a $39.99 “Private Photo Vault Upgrade” we couldn’t confirm as one-time; the developer says its old Pro version was a one-time purchase and it now sells a subscription. HypaVault is $24.99 a year after a 3-day free trial, or $39.99 once, and it carries no advertising.

Yes. Save the photos and videos from Private Photo Vault to your photo library or Files, then import them into HypaVault, which encrypts the photos, videos and documents you choose. If you use Cloud Vault, move your files before switching back to Basic, since the developer says the cloud backup is deleted then. Once they’re safely in HypaVault, delete the originals if you want them kept only there.

We couldn’t find a documented way to recover a forgotten passcode in the listings and developer pages we checked, and a 2026 Google Play reviewer reports finding no way to recover a password. HypaVault gives you a 12-word recovery phrase that resets a forgotten passcode. It’s shown once and never stored, so nobody, including Cyberdunes, can recover it for you; keep it written down somewhere safe.