HypaVault vs Safe LockReal Encryption or Just a Lock?

For privacy, yes. HypaVault encrypts every file with AES-256-GCM, while Safe Lock never says its files are encrypted, and HypaVault’s duress passcode erases your other vaults when you’re forced to unlock. HypaVault also runs on Android as well as iPhone and iPad, and costs $24.99 a year after a 3-day free trial, or $39.99 once.

Safe Lock doesn’t say. Its App Store listing and terms never mention encryption; the terms describe a storage area protected by a PIN code or fingerprint, and no independent analysis of the app was found. HypaVault encrypts every photo with AES-256-GCM before it’s saved, each with its own random 256-bit key.

Its listing describes no sign-up; the vault opens with a PIN, pattern, password, Face ID or Touch ID. Its privacy policy does mention registering with Safe Lock services, and whether a forgotten passcode can be recovered by email isn’t stated. HypaVault needs only a 6-digit passcode and a 12-word recovery phrase, with no sign-up and no email.

Its App Store listing indicates no advertising, its privacy label reads “Data Not Collected”, and reviewers praise it for being ad-free, though one 2023 review mentions minimal ads. HypaVault carries no advertising either, and nothing in it reports what you do.

Not one that erases data. Safe Lock’s fake password opens a fake gallery that hides your real vault, but the real vault is only hidden. HypaVault’s duress passcode looks like a normal unlock, opens an empty vault and erases every other vault on the phone in one silent step; your backups bring them back later.

Safe Lock is free to download, and reviewers describe a Premium trial; the listing shows Premium Account purchases at $4.99, $19.99 and $29.99 without saying what period each covers, and says subscriptions renew automatically. Reviewers mention monthly, yearly and lifetime options. HypaVault is $24.99 a year after a 3-day free trial, or $39.99 once.

Yes. Export them from Safe Lock to your photo library or Files, then import them into HypaVault, which imports the photos, videos and documents you choose. Reviewers report that without Premium, Safe Lock exports only one photo at a time, and one says they paid about $5 to get their photos out. Once they’re in HypaVault, delete the originals if you want them kept only in HypaVault.

Safe Lock’s listing doesn’t say whether a forgotten passcode can be recovered by email, and reviewers who were locked out report waiting weeks for a reply from support. HypaVault gives you a 12-word recovery phrase instead. It’s shown once and never stored, and nobody, including Cyberdunes, can recover it, so keep it somewhere safe.