Private Photo Vault is the most-rated vault app on the US App Store, with 1,017,879 ratings since 2011. It has extras VaultCube doesn't, like break-in photos and a private browser, but by its own listing the free version doesn't back up, and its encryption claim is about the Cloud Vault backup. VaultCube encrypts every file on your iPhone, needs no account, and its encrypted iCloud backup is free.
VaultCube vs Private Photo Vault side by side
VaultCube
Private Photo Vault
Lock
Pattern on a 5×5 grid
Password, PIN, or pattern/dot lock
Encryption
AES-256-GCM on the iPhone, a separate key for every file and thumbnail
"Encrypted Cloud Backup"; the listing doesn't describe encryption of files on the phone
Account or email
None. There is no VaultCube server
Not stated
Backup
Free: encrypted, in your own iCloud, opened only by your recovery phrase
Cloud Vault, with its own Cloud Vault Password; "the free version of the app does not backup"
Decoy
Panic pattern opens a decoy vault (Pro)
"Decoy Password"
Album locks
Separate vaults, each with its own pattern
Password-protected albums
Break-in alerts
No
"Break-in Report: Photo + GPS"
Private browser
No
Yes
Disguised icon
Calculator or Notes that really work (Pro)
Not in its listing
Forgot your password
9-word recovery phrase; nobody, us included, can reset it
Not stated for the app lock; a forgotten Cloud Vault Password means the cloud data can't be opened
Free version
100 photos and 10 videos per vault, no ads
Free, Premium subscription for Cloud Vault
Paid plans
Pro: weekly, yearly with a 7-day free trial, or once for life
Premium subscription
Age rating
4+
17+
Minimum iOS
18
15.0
US App Store ratings
New on the App Store
1,017,879 · 4.82
Private Photo Vault's column quotes its US App Store listing, retrieved 2026-10-23. VaultCube's column is checked against the app's code.
We haven't run our own hands-on test of Private Photo Vault yet. When we do, this page gets the results and the test date.
Is Private Photo Vault encrypted?
The listing's encryption claim is about Cloud Vault: "Encrypted Cloud Backup", protected by a Cloud Vault Password that, it says,
is never backed up to its servers. It doesn't say how photos are stored on the phone itself, and the app lock is described as password,
PIN or pattern protection. A lock screen and on-device encryption aren't the same thing: one hides the photos, the other makes the files unreadable.
In VaultCube there is no readable photo on disk. Every file, thumbnail, note and file name in the vault is ciphertext, under its own key.
How VaultCube's encryption works
Backup: free or Premium?
Private Photo Vault's listing is clear: the free version doesn't back up to Cloud Vault, so you're told to back up your photos yourself.
VaultCube's encrypted iCloud backup is free. It goes to your own private iCloud, Apple sees only ciphertext, and only your recovery phrase
opens it on a new iPhone. Encrypted backup
Decoy password vs panic pattern
Both apps have a decoy. Private Photo Vault lists a "Decoy Password". VaultCube's panic pattern opens a decoy vault with your vault's
name and, if you want, ten ordinary sample photos. Every vault's key slot looks the same and wrong patterns all fail the same way,
so the unlock screen gives no sign that another vault exists. Decoy vault
Where Private Photo Vault does more
Break-in reports. A photo and GPS location of whoever tried a wrong password. VaultCube doesn't take photos of people.
Private browser. Browse and save photos straight into the app.
Transfers. iTunes syncing and wireless photo transfer, by its listing.
Track record. On the App Store since 2011, with over a million ratings.
Who should choose which
Private Photo Vault if you want break-in photos, a private browser, and are happy to pay Premium for backup.
VaultCube if you want every file encrypted on the phone, no account, a free encrypted backup only you can open, and no ads.
Questions
Is there a Private Photo Vault alternative with free backup?
Yes. VaultCube's encrypted iCloud backup is included in the free version. Only you can open it, with your recovery phrase.
How do I move from Private Photo Vault to VaultCube?
Export your photos from Private Photo Vault to the Photos app, import them into VaultCube, and let VaultCube delete the originals from Photos.
Then empty Recently Deleted, because iOS keeps deleted photos there for 30 days.
What if I forget my VaultCube pattern?
Open the vault with your recovery phrase and set a new pattern. There is no reset by email, because there is no account.