HushkeeperSafe Lock vs Hushkeeper
Safe Lock – Hidden Photo Vault is one of the best-rated vaults on the App Store, with break-in photos, a fake gallery and lots of lock types. Here's where it beats Hushkeeper, and where Hushkeeper does more.
Updated
Short answer. Safe Lock is a strong all-rounder: a "Data Not Collected" privacy label, break-in photos, a fake gallery and a long list of extras (hidden camera, notes, OCR). Its listing doesn't name an encryption method, and cloud support means exporting to your own cloud accounts rather than an automatic encrypted backup. Hushkeeper publishes its encryption and backs up automatically, encrypted, to your iCloud.
Facts about Safe Lock come from its US App Store listing as of November 2026.
At a glance
| Safe Lock – Hidden Photo Vault | Hushkeeper | |
|---|---|---|
| App Store rating | 4.8 from about 25K ratings | Launching soon on the App Store |
| Developer | Katerina Akhlebinina | Hushkeeper |
| Encryption | Not named on the listing; it says data is saved only on your device | AES-256-GCM on the device; method published |
| Unlock | PIN, Touch ID, Face ID, DotLock pattern, numeric or alphabetic password | 5×5 pattern (PBKDF2, 600,000 iterations) |
| Decoy access | Fake password opens a fake gallery | Unlimited hidden vaults that can't be counted; duress pattern (Pro) |
| Break-in alerts | Break-in reports with photos | Not offered |
| Cloud backup | Manual import/export with your own Dropbox, Google Drive, Yandex.Disk, iCloud or Box | Encrypted iCloud backup, free and on by default; daily versions kept 30 days |
| Account or email | Not stated on the listing | None needed |
| Forgot your code | Not stated on the listing | Recovery phrase (yours to keep) |
| Ads | Not stated on the listing | No ads in any tier |
| Tracking (privacy label) | Data Not Collected | No tracking, no account |
| Disguise | Custom app icon; hide the app with a shake or flip | Calculator, Notes, Weather or Clock icon (Pro) |
| Sharing | Export to camera roll, email or cloud | Separate encrypted vault with expiry, open limit, export block (Pro) |
| Price | Free; Premium in-app purchases at $4.99, $19.99 and $29.99 | Free tier; Pro $1.49/week, $4.99/month, $16.99/year or $34.99 once |
| Languages | 13 | 5 |
"Not stated on the listing" means the App Store page doesn't say; it doesn't mean the app lacks the feature. Privacy labels are declared by each developer.
Where Safe Lock is ahead
Safe Lock takes a photo of anyone who enters the wrong code, which Hushkeeper doesn't offer. It also gives you more ways to unlock (PIN, pattern, letters, Face ID, Touch ID), works in 13 languages, and adds a hidden camera, notes, AI image search and OCR. Its privacy label says no data is collected.
Encryption: stated vs published
The listing says your data is saved only on your device and that the developer can't access it, but doesn't name how files are protected. Hushkeeper publishes its design: your pattern and a device salt go through PBKDF2 with 600,000 iterations to unlock a random 256-bit master key, and files, thumbnails, names and folders are sealed with AES-256-GCM.
Backups: export vs automatic
Safe Lock moves files in and out of Dropbox, Google Drive, Yandex.Disk, iCloud or Box, plus Wi-Fi transfer. That's flexible, but exported copies are only as private as the cloud folder they land in. Hushkeeper's backup runs automatically, is free, keeps 30 days of daily versions, and only ever uploads ciphertext you open with your recovery phrase.
Fake gallery vs uncountable vaults
A fake password that opens a fake gallery works well against a casual snoop. Hushkeeper lets every pattern open its own vault with no list anywhere, and its duress pattern (Pro) removes all other vaults from the device while their encrypted backups stay safe.
When Safe Lock is the better choice
- You want photos of anyone who tries to break in.
- You want many unlock types and 13 languages.
- You'd use the hidden camera, notes, OCR or AI search.
When Hushkeeper is the better choice
- You want the encryption method published, not just described.
- You want automatic encrypted backup instead of manual exports.
- You want 30-day backup versions to undo accidental deletes.
- You want sharing with expiry dates and open limits.
Before you switch vaults
Whichever app you pick, move files across while the old vault still opens, check every album on the new side, then delete the originals and empty Recently Deleted. Our guide to moving a photo vault without losing anything covers the order, and the best private photo vault apps for iPhone roundup compares the bigger names side by side.
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