NullVault vs Obscura Photo Vault
NullVault
nullvault.appObscura Photo Vault
obscura-vault.comSide by side
| Figure | NullVault | Obscura Photo Vault |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $1.67/mo | $2.50/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 8 | 4 |
| Spec score · Photo Vault Apps | 8.9 (#3) | 8.7 (#4) |
| Backup | Android backups are encrypted exported files with a separate phrase; iOS backups use encrypted iCloud data. | The maker says vault data is included in iCloud Backup by default and remains encrypted there. |
| Company headquarters | The developer address is Kodaňská 1441/46, 101 00 Praha, Czechia. | Crunchbase lists Orlio's headquarters in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. |
| Company legal name | The Android store identifies the developer as Think Aloud Design s.r.o. | Crunchbase lists the maker's legal name as Orlio Inc. |
| Company size | The registry page leaves the employee count unspecified. | Crunchbase reports an employee range of 1 to 10 people. |
| Encryption | The apps use AES-256-GCM authenticated encryption for vault content and metadata. | The app uses AES-256-GCM with 600,000 PBKDF2 key-derivation rounds. |
| Headquarters | Prague, Czechia | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Hidden vaults | The app opens a pattern-addressed vault without displaying a master list or count of vaults. | The app maintains ten encrypted vault slots, while the security document says the indistinguishability property applies only under stated threat-model bounds. |
| Licence | The App Store listing describes NullVault as using open-source libsodium but does not state that the NullVault application itself is open source. | The public ObscuraCrypto repository is licensed under GNU GPL version 3.0 or later. |
| Offline use | Local vault creation, unlocking and viewing work without a NullVault account or server connection. | The maker says the app requires zero network access to function and has no server or account system. |
| Rating on Apple App Store | No rating overview; Apple says the app has not received enough ratings or reviews to display one. | 4.0 out of 5 from 17 ratings |
| Support | Support is provided by email at [email protected] and staff state they cannot bypass encryption or recover forgotten phrases. | The support page lists email [email protected] and says typical replies arrive within 24 to 48 hours. |
| What it does | NullVault is a mobile encrypted vault for photos, videos, documents, files and notes, with each pattern opening a separate vault. | Obscura Photo Vault encrypts photos, videos and its database locally on iPhone and iPad, without accounts or cloud servers. |
Plans
NullVault
- NullVault FreeFree
- NullVault Free for iOSFree
- Vaultie Pro Monthly$2.99 a month
- Vaultie Pro Annual$19.99 a year
- Vaultie Pro Lifetime$39.99, paid once
- NullVault Pro for iOSPrice not published
- NullVault Pro for iOSPrice not published
- NullVault Pro for iOSPrice not published
Obscura Photo Vault
- FreeFree
- Pro Monthly$6.99 a month
- Pro Yearly$29.99 a year
- Pro Lifetime$39.99, paid once
In their own words
NullVault
NullVault stores photos, videos, files, and notes in separate encrypted vaults, each opened with its own pattern. Entering a pattern opens the matching vault without showing a master list or the number of vaults. Within a vault, users can organize content into collections, search, and sort; they can capture or import items and deliberately export selected ones. Exported copies are outside NullVault’s protection.
Local vaults work offline without a NullVault account or server. The maker describes Android encryption using AES-256-GCM, Argon2id, and Android Keystore material; its iOS description lists AES-256-GCM, Argon2id, Apple CryptoKit, and libsodium. iOS supports encrypted iCloud backup and controlled read-only sharing through CloudKit, while Android supports portable encrypted backups. The free iOS plan allows up to five vaults and 20 items total, with one collection per vault. Compatibility is listed for iPhone running iOS 26 or later and Android phones running Android 10 or later. The maker warns that a compromised device may expose patterns, keys, screens, or plaintext, and that hidden vaults do not make encrypted data impossible to detect.
Obscura Photo Vault
Obscura Photo Vault stores photos and videos in encrypted vaults on iOS. It uses AES-256-GCM and derives vault keys with 600,000 rounds of PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256. The maker says the app functions without network access, has no server or account system, and gathers no installation, usage, or analytics data. It provides ten encrypted vault slots, Face ID and Touch ID unlocking, configurable auto-lock, delays after failed attempts, and memory clearing when a vault locks. Photo tools include editing, collages, tags, favorites, manual arrangement, duplicate detection, and Live Photo frame extraction. Users can import from their camera roll and export a vault as a password-protected encrypted.obscura file. Vault data is included in iCloud Backup by default and remains encrypted there. The maker says the indistinguishability property for hidden vaults applies only within stated threat-model bounds. The free plan allows up to 50 photos in one vault. Pro Monthly is $6.99 a month; Pro Yearly is $29.99 a year after a 7-day free trial; Pro Lifetime is $39.99, paid once payment. Forgotten passwords cannot be recovered.