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

Side by side

Which one suits you

Pick Privault if you want a low-cost vault that plays almost any video file, with a decoy code and an erase-all code, and you accept no backup, no Face ID and no recent updates. Pick York Vault if you want named encryption, a free backup of every item to your own cloud, Face ID and a Trash you can restore from.

Our full review of Privault on its own: Privault review: is Privault safe, and is it still worth using?

What protects your files

This is the biggest difference between the two apps.

Privault says “The encrypted storage can be accessed only when you enter your particular digit-passcode.” Its listing names no cipher. Our read of its app package found a Realm database, which can encrypt its data. Apple encrypts the app code, so we could not confirm that Privault turns that encryption on. That is not proof that Privault stores files in the clear. It means Privault makes no claim you can check.

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

Privault’s FAQ gives a reset path. Type 911911 on the keypad to open a help list, and tap Forget Passcode?. Set up and verify an email if you have not. Tap it again, and Privault sends a temporary code to that email. One reviewer had no luck: “you will never receive the password recovery email they claim to send you” (1★, July 2026).

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

Privault’s own welcome text is plain: “If the App is removed, files inside will be removed too.” It has no cloud backup. Its FAQ names two ways to move to a new iPhone. Apple’s migration during setup copies the app’s data with everything else. Or you download your files to a Mac or PC over the app’s Wi-Fi page. Then you upload them to the new phone the same way. We found no Android version, so a move to Android goes through a computer.

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. Phone-to-phone transfer works between iPhone and Android in both directions. See encrypted backup, iPhone to Android transfer and how to move to a new iPhone.

Decoy codes, break-in photos and disguise

Privault has a strong idea here: three codes. The primary passcode opens your files. A secondary passcode opens a second folder, for use “if you are threatened to disclose a passcode”. An erase-all passcode deletes everything. The menus for the last two show only after the real code.

The erase-all code has no guard. The app’s own text says that once you enter it, “all data will be erased immediately without a second confirmation alert.” Codes are digits only, and there is no backup to restore from. We found no wrong-code photo.

For disguise, Privault offers a calculator-style keypad as the lock screen and 13 alternate icons. On English iPhones the home screen name is “PV”. One reviewer wrote: “It’s not really private if it indicates Private.” Another lost the calculator look after an update: “the calculator icon changed to a Vault icon.”

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. The erase code needs at least 6 digits and a typed confirmation, and a test mode shows what it would remove.
• A wrong-code photo and a log of attempts.
• Optional Face ID or Touch ID on top of your code. See lock options.
• A working calculator front and 12 or more neutral icons that never change after an update. On iPhone the home screen name is “YV”.

Trash, ads and price

Privault has no Trash. Its text warns: “Caution: you cannot restore it once deleted.” The free version shows ads and has an import quota. Our read of the package found a default cap of 10 videos. One reviewer paid twice: “I purchased the ad removal now they want me to buy pro to save more than about 10 photos” (1★, March 2025). At the quota, the app also offers more space for a rewarded video or an App Store rating.

On the US App Store, Pro costs $3.49 a month, $24.99 a year or $45.99 permanent (checked October 8, 2026). Remove ADs costs $2.99. The privacy label lists Usage Data as data used to track you. It also lists usage and advertising data linked to you, for third-party 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. 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 Privault does better

Privault plays almost anything. Its player decodes “up to 150 media formats”, including WMV, FLV, RMVB and MKV, with subtitles and AirPlay. York Vault plays MKV, AVI, WebM and FLAC on iPhone in Plus, and WMV only on Android. Privault also has a covert voice recorder that starts from the lock keypad and a 3D photo browser. York Vault has neither. Its price is low, with a permanent plan at $45.99. It still runs on iOS 11, and it has 76,592 US ratings at 4.7.

Switching from Privault

For a large library, use Privault’s Wi-Fi server. Start it in the app, open the address it shows on a computer on the same network, and download your files. Open the secondary passcode folder and export it too. Check which codes you set before you type anything unusual on the keypad, because the erase-all code acts at once. The Privault alternative page has every step, and our Privault review covers the rest of the app.

Download York Vault on the App Store or Google Play.