York Vault vs Keepsafe: which photo vault should you use?

Side by side

Which one suits you

Pick Keepsafe if you want one login that syncs a small library across iPhone and Android, and you accept an email reset, ads on the free plan and a paid decoy. Pick York Vault if you want no account, a free backup of every item to your own cloud, and the cover code, erase code and Trash recovery on the free plan.

Our full review of Keepsafe on its own: Keepsafe review: is Keepsafe safe, and is it worth paying for?

Who holds the keys

This is the biggest difference between the two apps.

Keepsafe encrypts files with 256-bit AES. Its help center also says it is “not currently designed as a completely zero-knowledge app.” So the design does not stop the company from reaching your files. Your email account is the way back in when you forget the PIN.

York Vault has no account. Each item gets its own random key and is sealed with AES-256-GCM on your phone, before it is stored or backed up. File names, dates and thumbnails are encrypted too. We run no server that holds your library, and we cannot reset a code or open a file. Read how the encryption works and what we can and cannot see.

Forgotten code

Keepsafe sends an access code to your verified email. It is easy, and anyone who can read your email can use it after the wait.

York Vault shows a 12-word recovery key at setup and asks you to type 3 of the words back. The key opens your library and restores a backup on a new phone. If you want a softer fallback, you can turn on a 72-hour reset through your Apple Account or Google account. During the wait, every device with York Vault shows a banner, and the right code cancels the reset.

Backup and new phones

Keepsafe backs up to its own cloud. The free plan covers the first 200 items, and Premium covers 10,000. Keepsafe says items that never synced are lost when you uninstall.

York Vault backs up every item for free to your own iCloud, or to your own Google Drive on Android. The backup is encrypted before upload, so Apple and Google store only encrypted data. A restore check confirms that every file is back on the new phone. See encrypted backup and how to move to a new iPhone.

Decoy codes, break-in photos and disguise

Keepsafe sells the Secondary Vault, Break-In Alerts and Album Lock as Premium. Its face-down lock and alternate icons are part of the app. Secret Door, its fake app front, is on Android only.

York Vault puts these on the free plan:

• A cover code that opens a separate library, and an erase code that also removes the keys to the rest.
• A wrong-code photo and a log of attempts.
• Codes on single albums.
• A working calculator front, 12 or more neutral icons and a face-down exit.

Ads, tracking and price

Keepsafe Basic shows ads, and its privacy label lists Usage Data as data used to track you. Premium removes the ads.

York Vault shows no ads on any plan. It does measure its own ad campaigns, so its label lists identifiers and usage data for that. The measurement code never sees your files, names or codes. Ad measurement and privacy explains the limits.

York Vault has Free, Plus, Pro and Family plans. Viewing, export, Trash recovery and restore of your own items stay free on every plan. See pricing and what stays free.

What Keepsafe does better

Keepsafe has 14 years of history and a large base of ratings. One login brings your library to any iPhone or Android phone, and the first 200 items sync across both for free. York Vault syncs between your devices on Plus, and between iPhone and Android on Pro. Keepsafe also offers Secret Door, a fake app screen, on Android. York Vault has no fake app screen. Its calculator front is a real, working calculator.

Switching from Keepsafe

Export from Keepsafe first, album by album, and check the count in Photos. Recover what you need from Keepsafe’s Trash before you cancel Premium, because Trash recovery is a Premium feature. The Keepsafe alternative page has every step.

Download York Vault on the App Store or Google Play.