What is the best photo vault app for iPhone?

Most “best photo vault” lists rank apps by feature count. Features matter less than what happens on a bad day: a new phone, a lapsed plan, a forgotten code. We scored 8 apps on what protects your photos on those days. York Vault, the app this site is for, is not in the ranking, because we make it. A short note on it is at the end.

How we scored the apps

We checked every listing, rating and privacy label on the US App Store on 2026-10-02. Prices come from the In-App Purchases list on each US listing, read on 2026-09-28. Features and limits come from each app’s listing. They also come from our read of the text and settings files inside each app package. User complaints come from our study of 836 App Store reviews of 7 of these apps.

Each app gets a score from 1 to 5 on six criteria. The weights add up to 100.

Criterion	Weight	What earns a 5	What earns a 1
Your photos stay safe	30	Backup of every item on the free plan, a tested restore, few loss reviews	No backup, data lost if the app is deleted
Lock and recovery	25	Real encryption, a recovery path only you control, Face ID, nothing exposed in the Files app	No encryption found, a public reset code or a password sent by email
Fair pricing	15	Your own files never behind a paywall, no ads, clear prices	Caps on export or recovery, ads, weekly plans pushed first
Privacy footprint	15	No ad SDKs and no data used to track you on the privacy label	Several ad networks and tracking on the label
Hiding features	10	Decoy code, neutral icons, quick exit	None of these
Track record	5	Years on the store, updated this year, many ratings	Not updated in the last 12 months

Backup and recovery carry over half the weight on purpose. Lost photos were the top complaint in our review study, in 136 of 836 reviews. A vault that loses photos fails at its one job.

The scores

Rank	App	Photos safe	Lock and recovery	Pricing	Privacy	Hiding	Track record	Total
1	Vaultaire	4	4	4	5	2	1	3.80
2	Private Photo Vault	3	3	3	2	4	5	3.05
3	LockMyPix	3	3	2	2	3	4	2.75
4	Keepsafe	2	2	1	2	4	5	2.20
5	NQ Vault	2	2	2	1	3	3	2.00
6	Calculator Lock	2	1	3	2	3	1	1.95
7	Privault	1	2	3	2	2	1	1.80
8	SPV	2	1	1	1	4	3	1.70

No app scored 4 or more on all six criteria. The top score is under 4 of 5. If you weigh hiding features or track record more than we do, the order changes. The per-app notes below show why each score is what it is.

1. Vaultaire

US rating: 4.70 from 33 ratings, checked 2026-10-08. Version: 1.0.19, 2026-10-07. On the store since: 2026-03-13. Price: Free plan, then $1.99 a week, $5.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $39.99 lifetime. Family: $49.99 a year or $99.99 lifetime.

What it does well. Its listing says it encrypts photos, videos and documents with AES-256-GCM. Encrypted iCloud backup is “included with both Free and Pro and is on by default”. It needs no account. We found no ad SDK in the app, and its privacy label shows no data used to track you. A recovery phrase replaces any email reset.

What users complain about. We collected only 7 reviews, too few to rank. 2 of them report lost or unopenable files and no easy route to support.

What holds it back. A pattern is the only way in. There is no PIN, passcode or Face ID. The key that opens a vault stays tied to the device. Restore to a second device only worked from version 1.0.15. The app is about 7 months old. The duress vault needs Pro. The privacy label lists Contact Info and User Content as data linked to you.

2. Private Photo Vault - Pic Safe

US rating: 4.82 from 1,016,143 ratings. Version: 25.8, 2026-09-17. On the store since: 2011. Price: Free with ads. Premium $6.99 a month or $35.99 a year. Ultimate $12.99 a month or $39.99 a year. A one-time upgrade at $39.99 is still listed.

What it does well. It is the most praised app in our sample: 73 of 100 reviews gave 5 stars. 13 reviews praise years of use or iPhone and iPad together, and 10 praise ease of use. The listing names a decoy password, face down lock, password protected albums and a break-in report. Its listing says the Cloud Vault password is never sent to its servers, so the company cannot view your files.

What users complain about. 9 reviews describe lost photos, most after a new phone, a reinstall or a lockout. 6 describe lockouts and 7 complain about ads.

What holds it back. The free plan backs up 200 files. Its own text warns that cloud backup is deleted when a subscription lapses. The app offers to email you your PIN. It exposes its documents folder to Finder file sharing. It ships about 10 ad networks. Its privacy label shows Usage Data used to track you.

3. LockMyPix Secret Photo Vault

US rating: 4.74 from 2,563 ratings. Version: 4.1.1, 2026-09-23. On the store since: 2020. Price: $3.99 a week, $7.99 to $11.99 a month, $20.49 for 6 months, $14.99 to $29.99 a year, $189.99 lifetime.

What it does well. Its listing names AES encryption, and its database uses SQLCipher. It supports Face ID, Touch ID and Optic ID. It also has a second password for the same vault, folders and subfolders, and a decoy vault. It has its own backup file format you can move between devices. Short 5-star reviews praise privacy (8) and ease (7).

What users complain about. Of 52 reviews, the 1-star ones report lost photos (3), lockouts (3), silent support (3) and ads (2). One says Live Photos import and export as videos.

What holds it back. Its password recovery can show your password back to you. So it keeps the password in a form it can read. The decoy vault stops opening when Premium lapses, and says so on screen. iCloud sync is paid. Restoring a large backup can hit a paywall. The price list runs countdown discounts. The privacy label shows Identifiers used to track you.

4. Secret Photo Vault: Keepsafe

US rating: 4.75 from 383,624 ratings. Version: 13.33.0, 2026-09-29. On the store since: 2012. Price: Free with ads. Premium from $4.99 to $12.99 a month, or $23.99 or $35.99 a year, depending on the plan shown.

What it does well. Cloud sync across devices, a per-item “not backed up” badge, a decoy vault, album locks and a face-down switch. 24 reviews praise years of reliable use and 11 praise the decoy vault.

What users complain about. Keepsafe has the largest sample, 495 reviews, and the most complaints. Users report lost photos (111) and crashes or a stuck update screen (113). Others report support that did not help (78), files behind a paywall (54) and billing problems (27). Half of these reviews come from Apple’s “most helpful” sort, which favors long 1-star reviews. The store average is 4.75.

What holds it back. Free backup stops at a few hundred items. Trash recovery is a paid feature. A PIN resets by email. You need an account to buy. Its listing claims “military-grade encryption” with no key details. The app ships AppLovin and several ad networks. Its privacy label shows Usage Data used to track you.

5. Vault - Hide photos & videos (NQ Vault)

US rating: 4.25 from 8,744 ratings. Version: 4.6.54, 2026-08-28. On the store since: 2012. Price: Premium $2.99 a month or $19.99 a year. VIP $3.99 a month or $19.99 a year. Add-ons include break-in attempts for $0.99, and coin packs.

What it does well. Face ID and Touch ID. Changing the passcode re-encrypts every file, which suggests the passcode is part of the key. The app keeps its files out of the Files app. Premium includes 1,024 GB of cloud backup.

What users complain about. We have no reviews in our sample, so this score rests on the listing and the app’s text only.

What holds it back. Ads show inside the photo and video lists. The app gives two recovery stories. One says a forgotten passcode means you reinstall and lose everything. The other offers an email reset. Cloud backup drops to 1 GB when Premium ends. Support for some issues goes to a Gmail address. Its US listing shows no iPad version. The privacy label shows Identifiers used to track you.

6. Calculator Lock - Secure Vault

US rating: 4.57 from 6,348 ratings. Last update: version 3.8, 2024-12-20. On the store since: 2023. Price: $1.99 a week, $14.99 a year, $29.99 lifetime, $3.99 to remove ads, $4.99 for “Hide Photos & Videos”.

What it does well. A working calculator as the front screen, a low price, and iCloud or Google Drive backup per its listing. Reviews praise the calculator and a price under $5.

What users complain about. Of 63 reviews, 7 say the “Calculator Lock” name gives it away and 6 describe a lockout. Others report an ad before the calculator and files that show up in the Files app.

What holds it back. Its own listing prints a master reset: enter “11223344=” and answer a security question. We found no file encryption library in the package. The app exposes its documents folder to the Files app. It has no Face ID. It shows ads from AdMob and AppLovin. It has not been updated in over 21 months.

7. Privault - Private Photo Vault

US rating: 4.68 from 76,593 ratings. Last update: version 10.2, 2025-02-28. On the store since: 2017. Price: $3.49 a month, $24.99 a year, $45.99 permanent, $2.99 to remove ads.

What it does well. A free plan that works, folders, and a player that handles many video formats. We found no playback complaints in its reviews.

What users complain about. Of 50 reviews, only 15 carry a theme. Users report a limit of about 10 files after they paid to remove ads, and a recovery email that never arrived. Others say the “PV” name gives it away, or that an update swapped a calculator icon for a vault icon.

What holds it back. It has no backup of any kind. Its own text says “If the App is removed, files inside will be removed too.” It has no Face ID. An erase-all code wipes data with no second confirmation. The app exposes its documents folder to file sharing and shows AdMob ads. No update in over 19 months.

8. SPV - Secret Photo Vault

US rating: 4.59 from 69,813 ratings. Version: 7.6.1, 2026-08-30. On the store since: 2019. Price: $4.99 a week, $6.99 or $12.99 a month, $29.99 to $39.99 a year, $35.99 lifetime.

What it does well. A long feature list: fake passcode, face-down switch, break-in photos, a private browser and Face ID. Reviews praise the features (7) and the decoy (5).

What users complain about. Of 69 reviews, only 3 are from 2025 or later, so they mostly describe older versions. They report crashes (12) and lost photos (10) after a 2020 update. Others say the “SPV” name gives it away (9), or complain about an export cap.

What holds it back. Its listing says “If you delete the app, your photos & data saved in the app will also be deleted.” The free plan caps imports at 50 and exports at 5. Google Drive backup is paid and capped at 1,000 photos. We found no evidence of file encryption. The app ships AdMob, Adjust, AppsFlyer and Facebook SDKs. Its privacy label shows Identifiers, Usage Data and Diagnostics used to track you.

Which app fits which need?

If you most need	Look first at	Why
Free backup with no ads	Vaultaire	Encrypted iCloud backup on the free plan, no ad SDK
Face ID and a long record	Private Photo Vault	Face ID, Dual Lock, on the store since 2011
Folders and subfolders	LockMyPix	Folders, subfolders and manual sort
A decoy that users praise	Keepsafe or SPV	11 and 5 reviews praise their decoy vaults
A calculator front	Calculator Lock	A working calculator, with the reset code risk above

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. Our guide to whether photo vault apps are safe has the full checklist. What is a photo vault explains how these apps work.

What about Apple’s Hidden album?

We did not rank it, because it is not an app you choose. It is the baseline every vault app competes with. It is free, it sits in your normal library and in iCloud Photos, and it locks with Face ID. Your iPhone passcode opens it, and it has no password of its own. If the people you need privacy from do not know your passcode, it may be all you need. Our Hidden album guide covers it in full.

York Vault, our own app

York Vault is the app we make. It is on the App Store for iPhone and iPad and on Google Play for Android. Plus adds a Mac app, and Pro adds a web app. Because it is ours, we do not score it or rank it against the 8 apps above. Weigh what follows with that in mind. York Vault:

• Opens with a PIN, a passcode or a pattern, with Face ID on top. See lock options.
• Encrypts each item on your phone. On the Free plan, it backs up every item, encrypted, to your own iCloud, or Google Drive on Android. 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.
• Keeps viewing, export and restore of your own items free on every plan. See pricing.
• Shows no ads. York Vault measures its own ad campaigns with an attribution SDK, and its privacy label lists that ad measurement data.

Download York Vault on the App Store or Google Play, and run the same test above before you move anything you cannot replace.