A Private Photo Vault alternative
Updated · By THEORIST LLC, the company that makes Hushtrove
If you're looking for a Private Photo Vault alternative, the main differences to weigh are data collection, ads and backup. Private Photo Vault's App Store privacy label lists data linked to you (purchases, photos or videos, identifiers, usage and diagnostics) and usage data that may be used to track you, and its free version has ads and no cloud backup S1. Hushtrove, our app, has the label Data Not Collected, no ads, no account, and an optional encrypted backup to your own iCloud that is free.
Hushtrove is our app. Facts about Private Photo Vault come from its App Store page and its own website, read on 2026-10-28 and linked under Sources. Private Photo Vault has been on the App Store since 2011 and has over a million US ratings S2 S3; it does a lot well, and we say where it may suit you better.
Private Photo Vault and Hushtrove compared
| Hushtrove | Private Photo Vault | |
|---|---|---|
| App Privacy label | Data Not Collected. | Data Used to Track You: Usage Data. Data Linked to You: Purchases, User Content (photos or videos), Identifiers, Usage Data, Diagnostics. S1 |
| Account | None. | Not for the on-device vault; Cloud Vault needs Premium and an account. S3 S4 |
| Ads | None. | Ads in the free version; a purchase removes them. S5 |
| Encryption, in their words | AES-256-GCM, a separate key per file, passcode combined with a Secure Enclave secret. | "Files stored in the app use AES encryption." Cloud Vault adds AES-256 on the device before upload. S3 |
| Separate from your phone passcode | Yes: its own passcode, or Face ID. | Yes: a vault PIN or pattern; Face ID and the vault PIN can be required together. S3 S1 |
| Backup | Optional and free, to your own iCloud, encrypted on the iPhone before upload. | Cloud Vault, Premium only, on the developer's servers with "zero-knowledge encryption"; the free version "does not backup your files". S4 S1 |
| If you stop paying | Everything stays viewable, exportable and deletable; adding beyond the free limits waits for Pro. | Switching to Basic keeps photos in the app, but "your Cloud Backup will be deleted". S5 |
| Decoy | Decoy vault, optional duress mode. Pro. | Decoy password opens an alternate vault. S1 S3 |
| Intruder photo | Intruder Selfie. Pro. | Break-in Report: photo and GPS. S1 |
| Face-down lock | Panic Lock. Pro. | Face Down Lock. S1 |
| Screenshots | Screenshot Shield, on by default: the app's screens come out black in screenshots and recordings, with a few exceptions such as system sheets. | Not stated. |
| Location removal | Location and camera details removed from photos and videos on import and on share, by default. | Not stated. |
| Extras | Documents and PDFs, a scanner, Secure Notes (Pro), on-device search. | Private web browser, Wi-Fi transfer, iTunes syncing, Location Based Lock. S1 S3 |
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 26 or later). | iPhone, iPad and Android, with Cloud Vault sync between them. S4 |
| Paid plans (US) | Pro as a one-time purchase or a subscription; prices shown in the app. | In-app purchases listed from $6.99 to $39.99, including a $39.99 "Upgrade". S1 |
When Private Photo Vault may be the better fit
- You switch between iPhone and Android. Cloud Vault syncs between them S4.
- You want a cloud backup that doesn't use your iCloud storage, and you're happy to keep a separate Cloud Vault password that its team says it can never recover S4.
- You want a private browser or Wi-Fi transfer from a computer built into the vault S1.
When Hushtrove may be the better fit
- You'd rather not have your vault app collect anything: no account, no analytics, no ads.
- You want a backup without paying for one: Hushtrove's encrypted iCloud backup is free.
- You want the vault's screens to come out black in screenshots and screen recordings, and location removed from photos by default.
- You want photos kept at full resolution, in their original format and with Live Photo motion, and videos never re-encoded.
How to switch without losing anything
- In Private Photo Vault, export the photos and videos you want to move to the Photos app (its App Store page lists Import/Export from the Photos app) S1.
- In Hushtrove, tap + and add them from Photos. Hushtrove offers to delete the originals from Photos once they're safely in the vault.
- Empty Photos › Recently Deleted; otherwise the copies stay there for 30 days S6.
- Open a few items in Hushtrove, including a video, before you delete anything in Private Photo Vault.
- If you subscribed, cancel in Settings › Apple Account › Subscriptions. Private Photo Vault's FAQ notes that deleting the app does not cancel a subscription S5.