HushkeeperSecret Photo Vault vs Hushkeeper
Secret Photo Vault – Lock Photos is one of the oldest vault apps on the App Store: a one-time $6.99 upgrade, decoy passwords, multiple users and a "Data Not Collected" privacy label. Here's how it stacks up against Hushkeeper.
Updated
Short answer. Secret Photo Vault is cheap, private by its own label ("Data Not Collected") and flexible, with decoy passwords and several users on one phone. Its listing doesn't name an encryption method or describe a cloud backup, and password reset relies on a security question. Hushkeeper publishes its encryption, backs up to your iCloud for free and uses a recovery phrase instead.
Facts about Secret Photo Vault come from its US App Store listing as of November 2026. Several apps use similar names; this page is about the one listed as "Secret Photo Vault Lock Photos".
At a glance
| Secret Photo Vault – Lock Photos | Hushkeeper | |
|---|---|---|
| App Store rating | 4.6 from about 27K ratings | Launching soon on the App Store |
| Developer | Independent developer (伟林 莫) | Hushkeeper |
| Encryption | Not stated on the listing | AES-256-GCM on the device; method published |
| Unlock | Passwords per category and user, Touch ID, Face ID, dot lock | 5×5 pattern (PBKDF2, 600,000 iterations) |
| Decoy access | Decoy passwords open a separate decoy database | Unlimited hidden vaults that can't be counted; duress pattern (Pro) |
| Break-in alerts | Not stated on the listing | Not offered |
| Cloud backup | Not stated on the listing; the developer says data stays on your device | 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 | Optional security question and answer | 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 | Not stated on the listing | Calculator, Notes, Weather or Clock icon (Pro) |
| Sharing | Email or MMS, export to Photos or a computer, Wi-Fi access, a shared public folder | Separate encrypted vault with expiry, open limit, export block (Pro) |
| Price | Free; one-time Pro $6.99 | Free tier; Pro $1.49/week, $4.99/month, $16.99/year or $34.99 once |
| Languages | 1 (English) | 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.
Price: a one-time $6.99 is hard to beat
Secret Photo Vault's only in-app purchase is a $6.99 Pro upgrade. Hushkeeper's lifetime option is $34.99, with a free tier and subscriptions from $1.49 a week. If cost is the deciding factor and you don't need backups, Secret Photo Vault wins here.
Multiple users and decoys
The app supports several users with their own passwords, a shared public folder, and decoy passwords that open a separate decoy database. Hushkeeper's model is close but simpler: every pattern opens its own vault, nothing lists how many exist, and Pro adds a duress pattern that removes the other vaults from the device.
Recovery: security question vs recovery phrase
Secret Photo Vault can reset a forgotten password with an optional security question. That's convenient, but answers to security questions can sometimes be guessed by people who know you. Hushkeeper uses a recovery phrase that only you hold; if you lose both it and your pattern, nobody can open the files, including us.
Encryption and backups
The listing says data is stored only on your device but doesn't name an encryption method or describe a cloud backup. Hushkeeper encrypts files, thumbnails, names and folders with AES-256-GCM and keeps a free encrypted iCloud backup with 30 days of daily versions.
When Secret Photo Vault is the better choice
- You want a one-time $6.99 purchase and nothing more.
- Several people share the iPhone and each needs their own space.
- You want a security-question reset for a forgotten password.
When Hushkeeper is the better choice
- You want published encryption rather than an unnamed method.
- You want a free encrypted backup that survives a lost phone.
- You'd rather recover with a phrase only you hold.
- You want sharing with expiry dates and open limits, or a duress pattern.
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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