Vault This vs Keepsafe.
Keepsafe is one of the best-known photo vaults, with over 50 million downloads. Here's how it compares on privacy, backups and price, using Keepsafe's own listings and help pages.
| Feature | Keepsafe | Vault This |
|---|---|---|
| Works on Android | From December 2026 | |
| Works on iPhone and iPad | From December 2026 | |
| No account or email needed | ||
| The company can't see your files | Not zero-knowledge, by its own help page | |
| A forgotten PIN can't be reset by email | ||
| No ads in the free version | ||
| No analytics shared with third parties | ||
| Encryption | AES-256 | AES-256-GCM, keys tied to the phone's secure hardware |
| Backup | Keepsafe's cloud: first 200 items free, up to 10,000 with Premium | Your own Google Drive, a folder or a file, opened only by your recovery words |
| A decoy for when you're forced | Fake PIN (Premium) | Decoy vaults, plus a duress vault (Pro) |
| Any number of hidden vaults | ||
| Photos of whoever tries a wrong PIN | Yes (Premium) | No, on purpose |
| Locks when laid face down | ||
| Passwords, bank cards and 2-step codes | ||
| Share folders read-only, with end dates | ||
| Price in the US | $9.99 a month or $23.99 a year (App Store) | $4.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $39.99 once |
Where Keepsafe is good
It's on both iPhone and Android, it has a long track record and millions of reviews, and its cloud keeps your photos in step across your devices. Premium adds photos of anyone who tries a wrong PIN, which Vault This doesn't do.
Where it falls short on privacy
Keepsafe needs an account with your email address, and its help page says plainly that it "is not currently designed as a completely zero-knowledge app", so the company can technically view your files in limited cases, such as a legal request.
A forgotten PIN is reset with a code sent to your email, and a new phone signs in the same way. That's convenient, but it makes your email inbox a second key to your vault.
The free version shows ads, and its Google Play data safety section lists app activity, device IDs and purchase history shared with third parties for analytics.
What Vault This does differently
There's no account and no email. Your vault is encrypted on the phone with keys that only your pattern or passphrase and the phone's secure hardware can unlock, and backups open only with that vault's 9 recovery words. Nobody can reset your way in, including us. The other side of that: if you lose both your pattern and your words, your files are gone, so the app checks your backup works.
You also get hidden vaults nobody can count, a duress vault for when you're forced, password and card records, document scanning and private folder sharing. No ads and no analytics.
Moving from Keepsafe
In Keepsafe, select what you want to move and choose Unhide or Export, so normal copies go back on your phone. If you use Space Saver, make sure the full-size originals are back on the phone first. Then, in Vault This, tap Add, then From another vault app, then Keepsafe, and follow the steps. Vault This offers to delete the copies once they're safely inside.
Facts about Keepsafe checked on 27 October 2026 against its own store listings and help pages: Keepsafe on Google Play, Keepsafe on the App Store, How does Keepsafe protect my data?, Can Keepsafe see any of my content?. Apps change, so check them for the latest. Keepsafe is a trademark of its owner, who has no connection with Vault This.
Questions
Is Keepsafe encrypted?
Yes. Keepsafe says it encrypts files with 256-bit AES. The difference is who else can get in: Keepsafe can reset your PIN through your email, and says it isn't fully zero-knowledge.
Can Keepsafe see my photos?
Keepsafe says it doesn't look at your content unless you ask, but also that it can technically view or share it in limited cases, such as a legal requirement. Vault This can't: it never has your keys.
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.
Can I move my photos from Keepsafe to Vault This?
Yes. Unhide or export them in Keepsafe, then use Add, From another vault app, Keepsafe in Vault This. It walks you through it.
Take back your privacy.
Free to download. No account. Your files never leave your phone unless you choose.