HushkeeperSPV – Secret Photo Vault vs Hushkeeper
SPV – Secret Photo Vault is a popular PIN-locked vault that also stores contacts and passwords, and keeps everything on the device. Hushkeeper also encrypts on the device, but backs your vault up to iCloud so a lost phone doesn't mean lost photos.
Updated
Short answer. SPV is simple, well reviewed and keeps your files only on the phone, which also means there's no backup if the phone is lost or the app is deleted. Its listing shows ads, declares identifiers and usage data used to track you, and doesn't name an encryption method. Hushkeeper publishes its encryption, has no ads or tracking, and includes a free encrypted iCloud backup.
Facts about SPV come from its US App Store listing as of November 2026.
At a glance
| SPV – Secret Photo Vault | Hushkeeper | |
|---|---|---|
| App Store rating | 4.6 from about 70K ratings | Launching soon on the App Store |
| Developer | Maple Labs Co., Ltd. | Hushkeeper |
| Encryption | Not stated on the listing | AES-256-GCM on the device; method published |
| Unlock | PIN | 5×5 pattern (PBKDF2, 600,000 iterations) |
| Decoy access | Not stated on the listing | Unlimited hidden vaults that can't be counted; duress pattern (Pro) |
| Break-in alerts | Not stated on the listing | Not offered |
| Cloud backup | None; the listing says data stays on the device's internal storage with no server | 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; it warns that deleting the app deletes your data | Recovery phrase (yours to keep) |
| Ads | Yes (advertising noted in the listing) | No ads in any tier |
| Tracking (privacy label) | Identifiers, usage data, diagnostics | No tracking, no account |
| Disguise | Subtitle mentions a hidden calculator; the developer says the icon can be changed | Calculator, Notes, Weather or Clock icon (Pro) |
| Sharing | Export to the photo gallery | Separate encrypted vault with expiry, open limit, export block (Pro) |
| Price | Free; Premium weekly, monthly or yearly from $2.99 (yearly has a 7-day trial) | Free tier; Pro $1.49/week, $4.99/month, $16.99/year or $34.99 once |
| Languages | 4 | 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.
"No server" cuts both ways
SPV says your data lives only in the device's internal storage, with no server involved. That keeps files off anyone else's computers, but the listing also warns that deleting the app deletes your data and suggests exporting first. Lose the phone, and the vault goes with it.
Hushkeeper also has no server that receives your files or keys. The difference is that it seals everything with AES-256-GCM on the device and then stores only that ciphertext in your private iCloud. On a new iPhone you restore it with your recovery phrase. That's what we mean by zero-knowledge: the backup exists, but nobody except you can open it.
Tracking inside a privacy app
SPV's privacy label declares identifiers, usage data and diagnostics as used to track you (not linked to your identity), and its age rating notes advertising. Hushkeeper has no ads, no tracking and no account.
More than photos
SPV also stores contacts and passwords and includes a private browser. If you want one app for several kinds of secrets, that's convenient. Hushkeeper handles photos, videos and documents, with search, folders and browsing by day.
Decoys
A decoy vault is not stated on SPV's listing. Hushkeeper lets every pattern open its own vault, so there's no count to reveal, and Pro adds a duress pattern that removes the other vaults from the device while their encrypted backups stay safe.
When SPV is the better choice
- You want contacts, passwords and a private browser in the same app.
- You prefer that nothing, not even an encrypted copy, leaves the phone.
- You're happy with a simple PIN.
When Hushkeeper is the better choice
- You want a backup that survives a lost phone, encrypted before it leaves the device.
- You want the encryption method published.
- You don't want ads or tracking.
- You want hidden vaults and 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.
Sources
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