PhotoGuard vs Privately
PhotoGuard
cubetix.comPrivately
getprivately.appSide by side
| Figure | PhotoGuard | Privately |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $3.33/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 2 |
| Spec score · Photo Vault Apps | 8.1 (#10) | 7.8 (#12) |
| Data handling | The privacy policy says premium cloud users may store encrypted photos and videos, and that passphrase-based encryption keys are not uploaded to the maker’s servers. | The maker says it does not sell, rent, or share personal data and collects limited data for subscriptions and support. |
| Encryption | The maker says PhotoGuard uses AES-256 encryption and that the passphrase based key is not uploaded to its servers. | Photos and videos are split into 1 MB blocks and encrypted with AES-256-GCM. |
| Support | PhotoGuard support is available at [email protected]; the maker says it typically responds within 24–48 hours on business days. | Support is available by email at [email protected], and the maker says a real person reads every email. |
Plans
In their own words
PhotoGuard
PhotoGuard is an Android photo vault for hiding private photos and videos. The vault can be secured with a PIN, pattern, password, or fingerprint, and individual albums can have their own passwords. The maker says hidden files are encrypted on the device rather than uploaded to a server. A secret camera saves photos directly into the vault with encryption applied as they are taken. For privacy, Fake Vault opens a decoy space with a separate PIN, and Quick Exit closes the vault when the home button is pressed. Break-In Alerts record the time of a failed unlock and take a photo. Trash Recovery temporarily holds deleted files for restoration, and the maker says the vault can be restored automatically after accidental uninstallation. Private Cloud provides automatic backup and sync with unlimited space across devices running PhotoGuard; the privacy policy identifies cloud storage as a premium feature. The free download is free and includes ads and in-app purchases.
Privately
Privately is an iPhone vault for photos and videos, with media encrypted on the device. It splits files into 1 MB blocks protected by AES-256-GCM, while the user’s PIN wraps a master key stored in the iPhone Secure Enclave. Albums can have separate passwords, and their locked photos disappear from the timeline, search, and favorites; Face ID unlocking is optional. On-device Smart Search can find text in photos in 18 languages without sending the photos off the iPhone. Users can export a.privately backup and restore it on a new device with their PIN; the maker says backups can be kept in iCloud Drive or elsewhere. The maker says it has no accounts or servers holding photos, file names, or thumbnails. The Free plan costs nothing, with no sign-up required. Pro Yearly costs $39.99 a year and includes locked albums and encrypted backups. The yearly subscription has a 7-day free trial; the weekly subscription has no free trial. The app is only for iPhone and requires iOS 18.0 or later. The maker says forgotten PIN access or losing a device without a backup can mean permanent content loss.