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

Side by side

Which one suits you

Pick Vaultaire if a drawn pattern is the only lock you want, you use only Apple devices, and you value a privacy label that lists no data used to track you. Pick York Vault if you want Face ID or a PIN, Android, a wrong-code photo and a disguise, and a cover code and erase code on the free plan.

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

How each app encrypts your files

This is where the two apps are closest.

Vaultaire encrypts photos, videos and files on the iPhone with AES-256-GCM. A random key encrypts the files, and the pattern you draw unlocks that key. Its listing says its servers “never receive your files or keys.” There is no account. Vaultaire’s own pages also state the limits of its design, such as a vault count that someone with access to the app’s storage can see.

York Vault has no account either. 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.

Lock types

Vaultaire opens with a pattern on a 5x5 grid and nothing else. Its manifesto says “No biometric unlock inside Vaultaire”, because biometrics “can be legally compelled.” There is no PIN and no passcode. Its own guide on locks says that observers reproduced a traced pattern “around 64 percent of the time”, against about 11 percent for a six-digit PIN.

York Vault lets you pick a pattern, a PIN or a passcode with letters at setup, and change it later. Face ID, Touch ID or an Android fingerprint is an optional fast unlock on top, and the code is always the fallback. You can also hide the pattern trace. See lock options.

Forgotten code

Vaultaire gives each vault a nine-word recovery phrase, or a phrase you write. Its page says the phrase is stored “so it can be shown later from that vault’s settings.” It adds that anyone who opens the vault “may be able to view it.” If you lose the pattern and the phrase, the files are gone.

York Vault shows a 12-word recovery key at setup and asks you to type 3 of the words back. It never shows the key again, so a person who opens your library cannot copy it. 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

Vaultaire backs up to your own iCloud, encrypted on the iPhone first. The backup is on by default and free. Restore uses the same pattern or the recovery phrase, on the same Apple Account. Its release notes say restore on a second device brought files back only from version 1.0.15, in September 2026. Sync between devices is Pro, and it does not reach Android, Windows or the web. The free plan holds 100 photos and 10 videos in total.

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. Free adds new items up to a set limit, and Plus has no item limit. See encrypted backup and how to move between iPhone and Android.

Decoy codes, break-in photos and disguise

In Vaultaire, each pattern opens its own vault, and no screen lists them. So any vault can serve as a decoy, and the free plan allows 3. The duress vault is Pro. When you draw its pattern, it opens and removes local access to every other vault, with no undo. We found no photo on a wrong pattern in its listing or its app package. Vaultaire’s guide on icons says “Vaultaire does not disguise its 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. Plus allows up to 8 hidden libraries, each with its own code.
• A wrong-code photo and a log of attempts.
• A working calculator front, 12 or more neutral icons and a face-down exit.

Ads, tracking and price

Vaultaire shows no ads, and its privacy label has no “Data Used to Track You” section. Its privacy policy says anonymous usage data, crash reports and Apple Ads attribution are on by default, behind one switch in Settings, and that crash reports “can include file names.” It does not ask for tracking permission. On the US App Store, Pro costs $1.99 a week, $5.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $39.99 once. Family costs $49.99 a year or $99.99 once (checked October 8, 2026).

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 Vaultaire does better

Vaultaire’s privacy label is cleaner than ours. It ships no ad SDK and lists no data used to track you, and York Vault cannot match that, because it measures its own ads. Its website documents its key design in detail and admits its own limits. It updates often: 18 releases since March 2026, and version 1.0.18 added folders inside folders and a custom order. Its shared vaults carry an expiry date and an open limit. If a pattern is the only lock you want, Vaultaire is a careful choice.

Switching from Vaultaire

Each pattern opens a different vault, so list every vault first. Export the files from each one to Photos and check the counts. Items imported with Optimized quality export as the smaller stored copy, not the original. Vaultaire’s own comparison page lists Live Photos as “Still image only”, so those come back without motion. York Vault keeps Live Photos whole from then on. Keep Vaultaire installed until York Vault has everything. The Vaultaire alternative page has every step, and our Vaultaire review covers the rest of the app.

Download York Vault on the App Store or Google Play.