Photok vs Weave Vault

Photok is an Android vault for keeping private photos and videos away from ordinary view. Imported media can be organized into albums and exported, while files are encrypted locally with AES-256 and decrypted only in memory during use. Cloud upload is not required. Users can unlock with a fingerprint, share directly into the vault, hide the app icon, and delete originals after import. Encrypted backups can be created and restored. Photok is open source under the Apache 2.0 License and is developed by Leon Latsch and public volunteers. Downloads are listed for Google Play, F-Droid, and other alternatives. The maker describes the core app as identical across Google Play and FOSS variants, but telemetry defaults differ: enabled by default in Google Play and disabled by default in FOSS. The FOSS plan costs nothing; Photok Pro is an optional Google Play add-on with no listed price.

Weave Vault is a mobile encrypted vault for private photos, videos, PDFs, and documents, available on Android and iOS. A pattern drawn on a 5×5 grid derives the key; an unrecognized pattern opens a fresh, empty vault rather than showing an error. The app supports files up to 16 GB and includes sealed folders, duress mode, and a camera that captures directly into the vault. Its security page says AES-256-GCM seals files, thumbnails, metadata, vault manifests, and key-wrapping headers. A 12-word recovery phrase appears once when a vault is created. If both the pattern and phrase are lost, the vault cannot be recovered. Optional encrypted backup requires Pro and stores ciphertext in the user's iCloud or Google Drive; restoring does not require Pro. Sharing sends a point-in-time copy that expires within at most 30 days and can be revoked earlier. The free plan allows up to three vaults and 50 files per vault. Annual, monthly, and lifetime Pro prices are shown in the app at purchase time; the annual plan includes a seven-day free trial for new subscribers.