Vault This vs Gallery Vault.
Gallery Vault, first made by ThinkYeah, has over 50 million downloads on Google Play. It's packed with features and costs little. Here's how it compares on the things that keep your files safe, using its own listings and privacy policy.
| Feature | Gallery Vault | Vault This |
|---|---|---|
| Works on Android | From December 2026 | |
| Works on iPhone and iPad | From December 2026 | |
| Says how files are encrypted | Says "encrypted", names no method | AES-256-GCM, keys tied to the phone's secure hardware |
| Built-in backup on Android | None, by its own FAQ | Free: your own Google Drive, a folder or a file |
| Nobody can reset your passcode by email | A forgotten passcode is reset by email | |
| No ads in the free version | ||
| No advertising IDs or tracking | ||
| A decoy for when you're forced | Fake passcode | Decoy vaults, plus a duress vault (Pro) |
| Hidden vaults nobody can count | ||
| Hides or disguises its icon | Disguises (Pro) | |
| Photos of whoever tries to break in | No, on purpose | |
| Private web browser | ||
| Locks when shaken | ||
| Passwords, bank cards and 2-step codes | ||
| Share folders read-only, with end dates | ||
| Price in the US | $8.99 a year or $26.99 once (App Store) | $4.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $39.99 once |
Where Gallery Vault is good
It's cheap, it's on Android and iPhone, and it does a lot: it can hide its own icon, show fake content with a fake passcode, take photos of whoever tries to break in, store files on an SD card and browse the web privately. Vault This has no web browser or break-in photos.
Where it falls short
Its listing says hidden files are encrypted, but neither the listing nor its privacy policy says how, and the help site its listing links to no longer opens. With nothing published, there's no way to know how strong the protection is.
On Android there's no built-in backup: its own FAQ says your hidden files are stored only on your device and asks you to back them up yourself before changing phones or resetting. Lose or break the phone without that, and the files go with it.
A forgotten passcode is reset through a link sent to your email, so your email becomes a way in.
The free version shows ads. Its privacy policy says it uses your information for advertising and marketing and lists device identifiers such as the IMEI and network card address, and the list of installed apps. Its Google Play data safety section lists your email address and approximate location used for advertising, and its App Store label lists identifiers used to track you.
What Vault This does differently
Its encryption is written up in full on our security page: AES-256-GCM, with keys that only your pattern or passphrase and the phone's secure hardware can unlock. Backups are free and go where you choose, your own Google Drive, a folder or a file, and they open only with that vault's 9 recovery words. Nobody can reset your way in by email, including us. If you lose both your pattern and your words, your files are gone, so the app checks that your backup works.
No ads, no tracking and no account. Hidden vaults sit among random cover files, so nobody can count them, and a duress pattern opens a harmless vault while destroying the others. You also get password and card records, 2-step codes, document scanning and private folder sharing.
Moving from Gallery Vault
In Gallery Vault, select what you want to move and choose Unhide or Export, so normal copies go back on your phone. Then, in Vault This, tap Add, then From another vault app, then Gallery Vault, and follow the steps. Vault This offers to delete the copies once they're safely inside.
Facts about Gallery Vault checked on 27 October 2026 against its own store listings and help pages: Gallery Vault on Google Play, its Google Play data safety section, Gallery Vault on the App Store, privacy policy. Apps change, so check them for the latest. Gallery Vault is a trademark of its owner, who has no connection with Vault This.
Questions
Is Gallery Vault encrypted?
Its listing says hidden files are encrypted, but it doesn't say how. Vault This publishes how its encryption works on its security page.
Does Gallery Vault back up my photos?
Not on Android, according to its own FAQ: hidden files are stored only on your device, so you need to back them up yourself. Vault This backups are free and built in.
Can I move my photos from Gallery Vault to Vault This?
Yes. Unhide or export them in Gallery Vault, then use Add, From another vault app, Gallery Vault in Vault This. It walks you through it.
Why doesn't Vault This take photos of intruders?
On purpose. In Vault This a wrong pattern doesn't fail: it opens what looks like a new, empty vault, so nobody can tell a wrong guess from a vault that doesn't exist yet. Taking a photo would give that away, and tell them there's something to find.
What's the difference between a fake vault and a duress vault?
A fake vault shows harmless files, but your real vault stays on the phone for anyone to keep trying. Vault This has decoys too, and a duress vault that goes further: it opens normally while destroying every other vault on the phone, so there's nothing left to find. Your backups aren't touched, so each vault comes back later with its recovery words.
Why does it matter that a vault app shows ads?
Ads mean another company's code runs inside the app that opens your files, and information about your phone, including the fact that you use a vault, goes to advertisers. Vault This has no ads and no analytics code. We won't compromise your privacy for ad revenue.
Is Vault This on iPhone and Android?
Both, from December 2026: Android, iPhone and iPad at the same time. A vault moves between them, either way, with its backup and recovery words.
Take back your privacy.
Free to download. No account. Your files never leave your phone unless you choose.