sigil. vs Best Secret Folder

Short answer: choose Best Secret Folder if you want a simple, inexpensive app lock with folders and intruder deterrents, and encryption is not a requirement for you. Choose sigil. if you need the files themselves to be encrypted with a key only you can produce, plus hidden vaults the app never lists.

Best Secret Folder is a long-running, popular app from RV AppStudios. It is easy to use. The main question is what it protects against.

sigil.

Best Secret Folder

Price

Free · Pro €39.99 once or €19.99/yrUS App Store IAPs: Yearly VIP Premium $14.99, VIP Plus $14.99, Pro $1.99, Remove Ads $0.99

Lifetime option

€39.99 once, no subscription—

Free tier

100 photos and documents + 10 videos per vault, 1 vault + decoy vaultFree download; premium adds unlimited storage, break-in alerts, password recovery

Account required

No account at all—

Encryption

256-bit encryption; key unlocked by your pattern (Argon2id, bound to the secure chip)—

Zero-knowledge

Yes — no server, we never see anything—

Multiple vaults

Up to 7 vaults with Pro, one pattern each; the app never lists themUnlimited folders inside one app lock (vendor-stated)

Decoy vault

Free: a decoy pattern opens a decoy vault with harmless photos and erases nothingIntruder stopper shows fake videos

Disguised icon

Neutral utility icons that don't say vault.—

Private camera

Photos never touch the Camera RollRecord directly through the app

EXIF / location removal

Location/EXIF stripped on import and export—

Cloud sync

No — local-first, no cloud backup yet—

Unlock

Only the pattern you draw — no Face ID or Touch ID, by designPassword, pattern, Face ID or Touch ID lock

Break-in alerts

No intruder photos; optional self-destruct after too many wrong patternsPhoto and location of intruder after failed logins (premium)

Platforms

iPhone onlyiOS, iPadOS, visionOS

sigil. compared with Best Secret Folder

Feature	sigil.	Best Secret Folder
Price	Free · Pro €39.99 once or €19.99/yr	US App Store IAPs: Yearly VIP Premium $14.99, VIP Plus $14.99, Pro $1.99, Remove Ads $0.99
Lifetime option	€39.99 once, no subscription	—
Free tier	100 photos and documents + 10 videos per vault, 1 vault + decoy vault	Free download; premium adds unlimited storage, break-in alerts, password recovery
Account required	No account at all	—
Encryption	256-bit encryption; key unlocked by your pattern (Argon2id, bound to the secure chip)	—
Zero-knowledge	Yes — no server, we never see anything	—
Multiple vaults	Up to 7 vaults with Pro, one pattern each; the app never lists them	Unlimited folders inside one app lock (vendor-stated)
Decoy vault	Free: a decoy pattern opens a decoy vault with harmless photos and erases nothing	Intruder stopper shows fake videos
Disguised icon	Neutral utility icons that don't say vault.	—
Private camera	Photos never touch the Camera Roll	Record directly through the app
EXIF / location removal	Location/EXIF stripped on import and export	—
Cloud sync	No — local-first, no cloud backup yet	—
Unlock	Only the pattern you draw — no Face ID or Touch ID, by design	Password, pattern, Face ID or Touch ID lock
Break-in alerts	No intruder photos; optional self-destruct after too many wrong patterns	Photo and location of intruder after failed logins (premium)
Platforms	iPhone only	iOS, iPadOS, visionOS

Security model

Best Secret Folder protects access with an app lock (Password, pattern, Face ID or Touch ID lock) and organizes media into folders: Unlimited folders inside one app lock (vendor-stated). Its App Store listing does not make a claim about encrypting the stored files, so we leave the encryption row empty rather than guess.

That distinction matters. An app lock decides whether the app shows your photos. Encryption decides whether the photos are readable without the key — in a device backup, on a forensic copy, or if the lock is bypassed. Read are calculator vault apps safe? for why this is the question to ask of any vault.

sigil. encrypts every item with a 256-bit key. The key is unlocked by a sign you draw on a dot grid, hardened with Argon2id and bound to the phone's secure chip, and the sign is never stored (pattern encryption). Each sign opens its own vault, and the app keeps no list of them (multiple hidden vaults).

Privacy

The App Store listing for Best Secret Folder does not mention an account, a server or cloud backup, so we make no claim about them. Its premium tier is described as: Free download; premium adds unlimited storage, break-in alerts, password recovery.

sigil. has no account, no server and no cloud backup. We do not know who our users are.

Features

Intruder deterrents. Best Secret Folder offers Intruder stopper shows fake videos, and break-in alerts on premium. These are designed to scare off or catch a snoop.

Decoy and duress. sigil. takes a different approach: instead of catching the person, it gives them something plausible to look at. Each pattern opens its own vault, and the decoy pattern opens a decoy vault while the others stay hidden.

Camera. Best Secret Folder: Record directly through the app. sigil.'s private camera saves only into the encrypted vault, never the Camera Roll.

Disguise. sigil. can use a neutral utility icon that doesn't say vault (disguised icon).

Metadata. sigil. strips EXIF and location data on import and export. To see what a photo reveals before sharing it, use the photo metadata viewer or the EXIF remover.

Price

Best Secret Folder on the US App Store: US App Store IAPs: Yearly VIP Premium $14.99, VIP Plus $14.99, Pro $1.99, Remove Ads $0.99.

sigil. is free with every feature included (decoy vault, self-destruct, disguised icon): 100 photos and documents plus 10 videos per vault, one vault plus the decoy vault. Pro lifts the photo and video limits and gives you up to 7 vaults, each opened by its own pattern: €39.99 once, lifetime, no subscription, or €19.99 per year. No free trial and no monthly plan. Over the free limit nothing is locked; you just can't add more. See pricing.

Where Best Secret Folder is better

• Simplicity. A familiar lock-and-folders model with almost no learning curve.
• Intruder features. Fake content and break-in alerts, if catching snoops is what you want.
• Recovery. Its premium tier includes password recovery; sigil. only has the recovery phrase.
• Platforms. iOS, iPadOS, visionOS. sigil. is iPhone-only.
• Maturity. It has been on the App Store for many years.

How to switch to sigil.

1. In Best Secret Folder, open each folder and export the items to the Photos library.
2. Install sigil., draw a sign, and write down the 12-word recovery phrase.
3. Import the items into your vault; EXIF and location are removed on import.
4. Verify the items, then delete the exported copies from Photos and empty Recently Deleted (guide).
5. Delete the items from Best Secret Folder.

How we checked

Every fact about Best Secret Folder on this page comes from its App Store listing, checked on October 30, 2026, and is shown with its source in the table. Where the vendor does not say something — for example, how files are encrypted — we leave the cell empty instead of guessing. Prices differ between regions and change often, so confirm the current price on the purchase screen before you pay. If you spot something out of date, tell us and we will correct it.

Verdict

Best Secret Folder is a good lock. sigil. is a vault: encrypted contents, a key derived from something only you know, hidden vaults and a decoy vault. If your concern is a sibling scrolling your phone, either works. If the concern is anyone who gets past the lock, choose the app that documents its encryption. For more options, see the best private photo vault apps for iPhone or how to password protect photos on iPhone.