York Vault vs Private Photo Vault: which photo vault should you use?

Side by side

Which one suits you

Pick Private Photo Vault if you want the app with the longest track record, a zero-knowledge cloud backup that syncs iPhone and Android, and you accept ads on the free plan and a backup that ends with Premium. Pick York Vault if you want a free backup of every item to your own cloud, no ads, and a recovery key instead of email.

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

What protects your files

Private Photo Vault says “Your local files are AES encrypted.” Its site does not say how the key for those local files is made or where it is kept. Cloud Vault, the Premium backup, adds a second layer: AES-256 with a key made from a Cloud Vault password that is never sent to its servers. The company says its team “cannot decrypt or view” those backups. That is a real zero-knowledge design, but only for the paid backup.

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

Private Photo Vault resets the app password through a recovery email. You must set it up before you forget. Then you enter the password wrong 8 times in a row and choose Yes at the prompt. Our read of the app package also found an offer to “e-mail yourself a backup of your PIN”, with the text “Your pin is: “. Anyone who can read that email can open the vault. The Cloud Vault password cannot be recovered at all.

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

Private Photo Vault’s listing is clear: “The free version of the app does not backup your files to Cloud Vault.” Its FAQ says deleting the app “removes the photos and videos stored in it from your phone.” Cloud Vault backs up and syncs between iPhone and Android on Premium. If you switch back to Basic, the FAQ says “your Cloud Backup will be deleted.”

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. It does not end when a plan ends. 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

Private Photo Vault has a Decoy Password that opens an alternate vault. 2 reviews in our sample praise it. Its Break-in Report takes a photo and records GPS after a wrong code. The app’s text offers it as a 7-day trial, then a paid feature. It also has Face Down Lock, a Location-Based Lock, a Dual Lock that needs Face ID and the PIN, and 35 custom icons. Its site warns that an icon “does not make the installation undetectable.” We found no erase code.

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, with optional location.
• A working calculator front, 12 or more neutral icons and a face-down exit.

Trash, ads and price

The app’s text says “Upgrade to Premium in order to access recovery functions”, so Trash recovery is paid. The free version shows ads, and the privacy label lists Usage Data as data used to track you. Our read of the app package found AppLovin and about 10 ad networks. On the US App Store, Premium and a one-time Upgrade are sold as 10 purchases from $6.99 to $39.99 (checked October 8, 2026). In the app, Premium includes 100 GB of Cloud Vault and Ultimate includes 1,000 GB.

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. 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 Private Photo Vault does better

Private Photo Vault has run since February 2011. It has 1,016,551 US ratings at 4.82 and more than 10 million installs on Google Play. It was the most praised app in our review study: 73 of 100 reviews give 5 stars, and 13 praise years of use across phones and iPads. One wrote: “Never has let me down. On 4th phone with app. So easy transfer”. Its Cloud Vault is zero-knowledge, and one Premium plan syncs iPhone and Android. York Vault needs Pro for that. Its private browser is free, and York Vault’s needs Plus.

Switching from Private Photo Vault

If you use Space Saver, your originals may live only in Cloud Vault. Download them to the phone first, and check your free space. Then export each album to Photos, or use Wi-Fi Transfer to copy everything to a computer. Count the items before you delete anything, and keep Private Photo Vault installed until York Vault has every file. Our guide to moving from Private Photo Vault has every step. The Private Photo Vault alternative page and our Private Photo Vault review cover the rest.

Download York Vault on the App Store or Google Play.