Calculator Lock review: is Calculator Lock - Secure Vault safe, and is it worth it?

At a glance

What is Calculator Lock?

Calculator Lock - Secure Vault is a photo vault that looks like a calculator. It arrived on the App Store in May 2023, and the seller is Zipo Apps Ltd. Its privacy policy and support email sit on macymind.com. You type your password on the calculator and press “=”, and the vault opens. Any other sum calculates as normal. It runs on iPhone and iPad, in English only, and we found no Google Play version from the same developer.

The app hides more than photos. The listing names videos, audio, notes, contacts, a password list, a private browser and Wi-Fi transfer to a computer. The free version shows ads. Pro and a one-time Remove Ads purchase are for sale, but the listing does not say what each one unlocks.

How Calculator Lock protects your photos

The calculator front is the main protection. It works, and it keeps a history, so a quick look at the screen shows a calculator.

The listing makes one encryption claim, and it covers the password list: “Secure Vault has password lock in encrypted formats”. It says nothing about photos or videos. Our read of the app package found no file encryption library. The app also turns on file sharing, which can show its documents folder in the Files app and in Finder. One reviewer wrote: “You can just search your hidden files from HomePage and will find all your files in iFiles.” Apple encrypts the app code, so we could not read all of it. That is not proof that files are stored in the clear, but the app makes no claim you can check.

Lock, forgotten PIN and decoy

You pick a password and type it on the calculator. A plain passcode pad is the other lock screen. We found no Face ID or Touch ID.

If you forget the password, the App Store FAQ gives the way back: “You can enter “11223344=” for master reset your password by verifying your security question and reset the password.” The code is the same on every install, and anyone can read it on the listing. After that, one security question is the only barrier. The people you most want to keep out, such as a partner or a parent, are the people most likely to know your answer. Some users never find the code: “there’s no forgot password option so once U forget it’s gone forever” (2 stars, September 2026).

We found no decoy code. One reviewer asked for one: “there should be a decoy instead of just the vault screen” (4 stars, October 2025). The app takes an intruder selfie after a wrong password. Its panic switch leaves the app when you put a palm on the screen, turn the phone face down or shake it. Disguise Mode changes the icon, but 8 of its 9 alternate icons show a padlock.

Backup and moving to a new phone

The listing offers iCloud and Google Drive backup and an App Migration tool that moves data to a new device. It does not say which plan includes them. The same page says the app “does not copy or store your Photos, Videos, Audio, Contacts, Notes, Passwords, etc.” That makes it hard to tell where your files live.

The warning is direct: “Do not uninstall Calculator Vault - Secure Vault app otherwise, all your files will be lost forever.” So set up a backup and check that it finished before you change phones.

Price and plans

Prices on the US App Store, checked October 8, 2026:

• Calculator Lock Pro Weekly: $1.99
• Hide Photos & Videos: $4.99 a month
• Calculator Lock Pro Yearly: $14.99, also listed as a $14.99 discount offer
• Calculator Lock Pro (Lifetime): $29.99
• Remove Ads: $3.99, listed 2 times

These are some of the lowest prices among the vault apps we studied. The listing does not say which features need Pro.

Privacy label and ads

The free version shows ads. The App Store label lists Identifiers under “Data Used to Track You”. The app asks for tracking permission with the text “This identifier will be used to deliver personalized ads to you.” Our read of the app package found AdMob, AppLovin and Meta Audience Network.

Ads also get in the way. One reviewer wrote: “oh the stupid advertisements load and come through but I can’t access my things!” (1 star, September 2025).

What users report

We read 63 Calculator Lock reviews, 61 from the US and 2 from Australia, from October 2023 to September 2026. 41 give 5 stars, but many of those are a word or two. Only 27 carry a clear theme, so read the counts as signals, not rates.

• A disguise that gives itself away: 7 reviews. One said the name “is a dead giveaway in our app list and folders” (2 stars, July 2026). Another said the calculator “has to load an add first” (2 stars, October 2024).
• Locked out after a forgotten or broken password: 6 reviews.
• Ads in the way: 3 reviews.
• Files visible outside the vault: the Files app review above (2 stars, April 2026).

What Calculator Lock does well

The calculator is real and keeps a history, which is what a calculator front needs. The price is low. One reviewer wrote: “with the subscription of under $5 it’s so much better and worth the price to keep your privacy.” (5 stars, April 2024). It keeps notes, contacts and a password list next to photos, which few vaults do. The panic switch offers 3 physical triggers, and backup goes to your own iCloud or Google Drive.

York Vault as an alternative

York Vault is our own app, so read this part with that in mind. It also has a working calculator front, free, with no ad before it. Behind it, each item is encrypted on your phone with its own key (AES-256-GCM), and nothing shows in the Files app. There is no master code and no security question. A 12-word recovery key that you hold replaces them. Backup of every item to your own iCloud, or Google Drive on Android, is free. So are the cover code, the erase code and wrong-code photos. York Vault has no password list and no hidden contacts. See York Vault vs Calculator Lock for the full table, and the Calculator Lock alternative page for how to export everything first.

Download York Vault on the App Store or Google Play.

Who it fits

Side by side with York Vault, row by row: York Vault vs Calculator Lock: which calculator vault should you use?