Vault This vs Private Photo Vault.
Private Photo Vault, by Legendary Software Labs, is one of the most popular vaults on iPhone, with about a million ratings. It's more careful than many vault apps. Here's where it differs, using its own store listings and help pages.
| Feature | Private Photo Vault | Vault This |
|---|---|---|
| Works on Android | From December 2026 | |
| Works on iPhone and iPad | From December 2026 | |
| No account needed | None for the vault itself; backup needs one | |
| Files encrypted on the phone | AES-256 | AES-256-GCM, keys tied to the phone's secure hardware |
| Backup | Its Cloud Vault, with Premium and an account | Free: your own Google Drive, a folder or a file |
| Backup kept if you stop paying | No: deleted when Premium ends | |
| The company can't read your backup | ||
| No ads in the free version | ||
| No advertising IDs or tracking | ||
| Nobody can reset your passcode by email | An optional recovery email can | |
| A decoy for when you're forced | Decoy password | Decoy vaults, plus a duress vault (Pro) |
| Hidden vaults nobody can count | ||
| Break-in report with photo and location | No, on purpose | |
| Private web browser | ||
| Passwords, bank cards and 2-step codes | ||
| Share folders read-only, with end dates | ||
| Price in the US | Premium in-app purchases from $6.99 to $39.99 (App Store) | $4.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $39.99 once |
Where Private Photo Vault is good
It works without an account, encrypts files on the phone with AES-256, and lets you choose a passcode that differs from your phone's. Its Cloud Vault backup is encrypted on the phone with a password the company never receives, so it can't read your backups. It's on iPhone and Android, syncs between them, and adds a private web browser, photo and video editing, and a break-in report with a photo and location, which Vault This doesn't have.
Where it falls short
The free version shows ads. Its App Store privacy label lists usage data used to track you, and its Google Play data safety section lists device IDs shared for analytics and advertising.
Backup is a Premium feature that needs an account and lives on the company's servers, and its help page says the cloud backup is deleted if Premium expires. With no Premium, your only copy is the one on your phone.
If you add a recovery email, your app passcode can be recovered through it, so the email becomes a way in. Its decoy password shows a second collection, but its own security page says it "is not a guarantee that another vault's existence cannot be discovered".
What Vault This does differently
No ads, no tracking and no account, ever. 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.
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 Private Photo Vault
In Private Photo Vault, select what you want to move and export or save it back to your phone. If you use Space Saver, make sure the full-size originals are on the phone first. Then, in Vault This, tap Add, then From another vault app, then Another app, and follow the steps. Vault This offers to delete the copies once they're safely inside.
Facts about Private Photo Vault checked on 27 October 2026 against its own store listings and help pages: Private Photo Vault on Google Play, Private Photo Vault on the App Store, FAQ, Security, Cloud Vault. Apps change, so check them for the latest. Private Photo Vault is a trademark of its owner, who has no connection with Vault This.
Questions
Is Private Photo Vault encrypted?
Yes. It says files in the app use AES-256 encryption, and its Cloud Vault backup adds encryption on your phone with a key made from a password the company never receives.
Does Private Photo Vault have ads?
The free version does. Premium removes them. Vault This has no ads in any version.
What happens to my Private Photo Vault backup if I stop paying?
Its help page says the Cloud Backup is deleted when Premium expires; the photos on your phone stay. Vault This backups are free and stay in your own storage.
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.