What is the best photo vault app for Android?

Most “best photo vault” lists rank apps by how many features they have. Features matter less than what happens on a bad day: a new phone, a lapsed plan, a forgotten code. So this page compares 7 vault apps on Google Play on those points. It also covers the tools that come with Android and Samsung phones. We did not give the apps scores, because we have not run our review study on Android yet. York Vault, the app this site is for, is in a separate section at the end, because we make it.

How we compared the apps

We read each US Google Play listing on 2026-10-03. We noted the rating, review count, downloads, last update, ads and Data safety section. Features come from each listing, and backup and recovery details come from the developers’ own help pages where they exist. We picked well-known apps from Google Play searches for “photo vault”, “hide photos” and “calculator vault”. The list includes the Android versions of apps we cover for iPhone.

The Data safety section is the developer’s own statement about the data the app collects and shares with other companies. Google shows it on every listing.

The 7 apps at a glance

App (developer)	Rating	Downloads	Last update	Backup	Decoy code
Keepsafe (Keepsafe)	4.7 from 2.08M reviews	50M+	2026-10-01	Private Cloud	Premium
Vault, NQ Vault (Wafer Co.)	4.3 from 1.29M reviews	100M+	2026-09-18	Cloud Backup	Yes
Hide It Pro (Goaffpro)	4.7 from 1.27M reviews	50M+	2026-09-04	Free cloud backup	Escape PIN
Calculator - photo vault (FishingNet)	4.8 from 499K reviews	10M+	2026-08-03	None, phone only	Fake vault
Vaulty (Squid Tooth)	4.5 from 410K reviews	10M+	2026-09-10	Free, your Google Drive	Yes
LockMyPix (fourchars)	4.5 from 331K reviews	10M+	2026-09-29	Encrypted cloud or backup file	Premium
Private Photo Vault (Legendary Software Labs)	4.8 from 236K reviews	10M+	2026-09-25	Cloud Vault, Premium	Premium

Every one of the 7 listings says “Contains ads” and “In-app purchases”. None shows its prices on the listing page.

Notes on each app

Keepsafe

The most reviewed vault on Google Play. It locks with a PIN, a pattern or a fingerprint, and it has a face-down lock. The free Basic plan includes Private Cloud storage. Premium raises it to 10,000 items and adds album codes, a fake PIN, break-in alerts and Trash Recovery. Its Data safety section says it may share personal info, financial info and 3 other data types with other companies. The listing claims “military-grade encryption” and names no cipher. Our Keepsafe alternative page has more.

Vault (NQ Vault)

The most downloaded app here, at 100M+. It has cloud backup, a fake vault, a stealth mode that removes the icon, an app lock and a private browser. Password recovery goes through a security email. The listing also says cleaning apps can delete its data folder. Without a backup, that deletes your photos. Its Data safety section says it may share location, app activity and device IDs.

Hide It Pro

It hides behind a working “Audio Manager” app, and other disguises are available. The listing names free cloud backup, PIN, password and pattern locks, fingerprint unlock and an escape PIN. Its Data safety section says it may share location and device IDs, and that data is not encrypted in transit.

Calculator - photo vault

A working calculator in front, with AES encryption per its listing. The listing’s own FAQ says two things to weigh. The app keeps your files only on your phone, so you must back them up yourself before a new phone or a reset. And after a forgotten password, you enter 11223344 and “=”, answer your security question, and get the password back. Anyone who reads the listing knows that code. Its Data safety section says data is not encrypted in transit and cannot be deleted.

Vaulty

Vaulty locks with a PIN or a text password, with fingerprint or face login. It can look like a calculator or a stocks app. Its help center says the Google Drive backup is free on every version, including the one with ads. Vaulty keeps it in a hidden app folder in your own Drive. It is a two-way sync: if you delete a Vaulty file in Drive, Vaulty deletes it from your phone too. Its Data safety section says it may share device IDs. See the Vaulty alternative page.

LockMyPix

The listing names AES encryption. You open the vault with a PIN, a password, a pattern, a fingerprint or your face. A fake vault and app disguise are Premium. Its docs say a LockMyPix backup file moves between Android and iPhone in both directions. Its Google Drive and iCloud backups do not. Its Data safety section says it may share device IDs. See the LockMyPix alternative page.

Private Photo Vault

It locks with a PIN, a pattern or a fingerprint, and it has a face-down lock. Album codes, a fake PIN, break-in alerts and Cloud Vault are Premium. Its FAQ says nobody can recover the Cloud Vault password. It also says that if Premium expires and you switch to Basic, the app deletes your cloud backup. Its Data safety section says it may share device IDs. See the Private Photo Vault alternative page.

Which app fits which need?

If you most need	Look first at	Why
A free backup in your own Google account	Vaulty	Free Google Drive backup on every version
A backup that moves between Android and iPhone	LockMyPix	Its backup file works on both
A disguise that works as a real app	Hide It Pro or Calculator - photo vault	Audio manager or calculator fronts
The most user feedback	Keepsafe or NQ Vault	The most reviews and downloads

What about the built-in options?

You may not need an app at all. Google Photos has Locked Folder on Android 6 and later, with an optional backup. Samsung Galaxy phones have Secure Folder with its own code, and select models have a private album in Gallery. Files by Google has a Safe folder with its own PIN. Locked Folder and the private album open with your screen lock. Secure Folder and Safe folder use a separate code but keep no cloud copy. The details are in how to hide photos on Android.

Test any app before you trust it

Whatever you pick, test it before you move anything you cannot replace. Add 20 photos and a long video. Back up. Delete the app, reinstall it, and restore. Count what comes back. Only then delete the originals from your gallery and from Google Photos. Our guide to whether photo vault apps are safe has the full checklist. If you also use an iPhone, see the best photo vault apps for iPhone.

York Vault, our own app

York Vault is the app we make. It is on Google Play and the App Store, with a Mac app in Plus and a web app in Pro. Because it is ours, we do not rank it against the 7 apps above. Weigh what follows with that in mind. On Android, York Vault:

• Opens with a PIN, a passcode or a pattern. A fingerprint or your face can open it too, where Android rates that method as strong. See lock options.
• Encrypts each item on the phone, with keys in the Android Keystore.
• Backs up every item, encrypted, to a hidden app folder in your own Google Drive on the Free plan. See encrypted backup.
• Gives you a 12-word recovery key, with no email reset and no master code. See recovery key.
• Includes a working calculator front, a cover code and an erase code, all free. See cover and erase codes.
• Moves to an iPhone and back, phone to phone or with an encrypted backup file. See moving between iPhone and Android.
• Shows no ads. York Vault measures its own ad campaigns with the Google Play Install Referrer and the Android advertising ID. You can delete that ID in Android settings.

Viewing, export and restore of your own items stay free on every plan. See pricing, then download York Vault and run the same test before you move anything you cannot replace.