EncameraCompare
sigil. vs Encamera
Encamera vs sigil.: two no-account vaults compared on unlock, iCloud storage, open source, decoy vaults and price, with verified facts only.
Short answer: choose Encamera if you want an open-source camera vault that can store albums in your own iCloud, and you are happy unlocking with Face ID or a PIN. Choose sigil. if you want several hidden vaults behind different signs, a decoy pattern that opens a decoy vault while the real ones stay hidden, and an unlock that cannot be done with your face.
Both apps start from the same place: no account, no company server, a camera that skips the Photos library. They part ways on backup and on what happens when someone else is holding your phone.
- Price
- Free · Pro €39.99 once or €19.99/yrUS App Store: $1.99/wk, $3.99/mo, $19.99/yr (12 Months)
- Lifetime option
- €39.99 once, no subscriptionLifetime $99.99; Limited Lifetime $49.99
- Free tier
- 100 photos and documents + 10 videos per vault, 1 vault + decoy vaultFree with limits; Premium unlocks unlimited photos, albums and iCloud storage
- Account required
- No account at allNo account or email needed
- Encryption
- 256-bit encryption; key unlocked by your pattern (Argon2id, bound to the secure chip)Encrypts all media you add or capture (vendor-stated; cipher not named in the listing)
- Zero-knowledge
- Yes — no server, we never see anythingNo third-party servers; storage on device or your own iCloud (vendor-stated)
- Multiple vaults
- Up to 7 vaults with Pro, one pattern each; the app never lists them—
- Decoy vault
- Free: a decoy pattern opens a decoy vault with harmless photos and erases nothing—
- Disguised icon
- Neutral utility icons that don't say vault.—
- Private camera
- Photos never touch the Camera RollIn-app camera and lock-screen widget, bypassing Photos
- EXIF / location removal
- Location/EXIF stripped on import and export—
- Cloud sync
- No — local-first, no cloud backup yetOptional storage in your own iCloud, album by album (Premium)
- Unlock
- Only the pattern you draw — no Face ID or Touch ID, by designFace ID or PIN
- Break-in alerts
- No intruder photos; optional self-destruct after too many wrong patterns—
- Platforms
- iPhone onlyiPhone, iPad
| Feature | sigil. | Encamera |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free · Pro €39.99 once or €19.99/yr | US App Store: $1.99/wk, $3.99/mo, $19.99/yr (12 Months) |
| Lifetime option | €39.99 once, no subscription | Lifetime $99.99; Limited Lifetime $49.99 |
| Free tier | 100 photos and documents + 10 videos per vault, 1 vault + decoy vault | Free with limits; Premium unlocks unlimited photos, albums and iCloud storage |
| Account required | No account at all | No account or email needed |
| Encryption | 256-bit encryption; key unlocked by your pattern (Argon2id, bound to the secure chip) | Encrypts all media you add or capture (vendor-stated; cipher not named in the listing) |
| Zero-knowledge | Yes — no server, we never see anything | No third-party servers; storage on device or your own iCloud (vendor-stated) |
| Multiple vaults | Up to 7 vaults with Pro, one pattern each; the app never lists them | — |
| Decoy vault | Free: a decoy pattern opens a decoy vault with harmless photos and erases nothing | — |
| Disguised icon | Neutral utility icons that don't say vault. | — |
| Private camera | Photos never touch the Camera Roll | In-app camera and lock-screen widget, bypassing Photos |
| EXIF / location removal | Location/EXIF stripped on import and export | — |
| Cloud sync | No — local-first, no cloud backup yet | Optional storage in your own iCloud, album by album (Premium) |
| Unlock | Only the pattern you draw — no Face ID or Touch ID, by design | Face ID or PIN |
| Break-in alerts | No intruder photos; optional self-destruct after too many wrong patterns | — |
| Platforms | iPhone only | iPhone, iPad |
Security model
On encryption, Encamera's listing says: Encrypts all media you add or capture (vendor-stated; cipher not named in the listing). On data access, its position is: No third-party servers; storage on device or your own iCloud (vendor-stated). You open it with Face ID or PIN. The developer also says its code is public: Open source code (vendor-stated), which lets outsiders review how it works.
sigil. doesn't use a PIN or biometrics. You draw a sign on a 5×5 dot grid; Argon2id hardens it, the phone's secure chip binds it to that device, and the result unlocks the 256-bit key that decrypts the vault. There is no stored value to compare against, so a wrong sign simply opens nothing. More in pattern encryption and pattern lock vs PIN vs password.
Face ID is the main design split. It is fast, and Encamera supports it. sigil. leaves it out because a face can be put in front of the phone by someone else. With a sign, nothing opens unless you draw it.
If you forget the sign, sigil. has no reset. The only way back is your recovery phrase.
Privacy
Encamera states No account or email needed. Its App Store listing shows App Store privacy label: Usage Data, not linked to you.
sigil. has no account and no server, and does not know who you are. It sends no usage statistics. Your vaults stay on the phone; sigil. has no cloud copy of them.
That last point cuts both ways. Encamera can store albums in your own iCloud, so a lost phone does not have to mean lost photos. With sigil., it currently does, unless you keep your own copy (how to securely back up private photos).
Features
Camera. This is Encamera's core: In-app camera and lock-screen widget, bypassing Photos. sigil.'s private camera does the same job, writing straight into the encrypted vault so nothing touches the Camera Roll.
Multiple vaults. Encamera organizes photos into albums. Its listing does not say whether albums can have separate secrets. In sigil., each sign opens its own vault and the app never shows a list, so nothing in the app shows how many exist (multiple hidden vaults).
Decoy vault. We did not find a decoy vault in Encamera's listing. sigil. has a free decoy vault, opened by its own decoy pattern, while your other vaults stay hidden: there is no list showing how many exist.
Self-destruct. sigil. can erase its vaults after too many wrong signs in a time window (self-destruct). Free, off by default.
Disguised icon. Encamera's listing does not mention one. sigil. can show a neutral icon that doesn't say sigil. (disguised icon).
Metadata. sigil. strips EXIF and location data on import and export. Encamera's listing does not say. You can check any file with the photo metadata viewer.
Intruder photos. sigil. does not photograph whoever enters a wrong sign. No alerts, no counter.
Price
Encamera on the US App Store: US App Store: $1.99/wk, $3.99/mo, $19.99/yr (12 Months). Lifetime: Lifetime $99.99; Limited Lifetime $49.99. Free tier: Free with limits; Premium unlocks unlimited photos, albums and iCloud storage.
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 Encamera is better
- Backup. Optional storage in your own iCloud, album by album (Premium). sigil. has no cloud backup yet.
- Open source. Open source code (vendor-stated). If you want to audit the code yourself, that is a real advantage.
- iPad. Encamera runs on iPhone, iPad. sigil. is iPhone-only today.
- Track record. Encamera is an established app, with 147 ratings on the US App Store. sigil. is new.
- Speed. Face ID and a lock-screen widget make capture and unlock quicker, if you accept the trade-off.
How to switch from Encamera to sigil.
- In Encamera, select the items you want to move and export them to your iPhone's Photos library.
- Install sigil., draw a sign and write the 12-word recovery phrase on paper.
- Import the items into your vault. sigil. strips location and EXIF data on import.
- Open a few items in sigil. to confirm they are readable.
- Delete the exported copies from Photos and empty Recently Deleted (how to delete Recently Deleted photos).
- Once you are sure, delete the items from Encamera, including any copies it keeps in iCloud.
Verdict
Encamera is a clean, open-source camera vault with no account and optional storage in your own iCloud. sigil. gives up cloud backup for now and focuses on the moment someone has your phone: a sign-only unlock, hidden vaults the app never lists, a decoy vault and an optional self-destruct. If backup and iPad matter most, pick Encamera. If pressure from another person is your concern, pick sigil.
See also the best private photo vault apps for iPhone and sigil. vs Obscura.
Frequently asked questions
Is sigil. a good Encamera alternative?
Yes, if you want a decoy vault with its own pattern and a vault that opens only with a drawn sign. If you want encrypted storage in your own iCloud or open-source code, Encamera offers that and sigil. does not yet.
Do I need an account for Encamera or sigil.?
No. Encamera says no account or email is needed, and sigil. has no account and no server.
Can sigil. back up to iCloud like Encamera?
Not yet. sigil. is local-first and keeps vaults only on your iPhone, so you need your own backup plan until a backup option exists.
Why doesn't sigil. use Face ID?
Because a face can be used by someone holding your phone in front of you. sigil. opens only with the sign you draw.
How do I move photos from Encamera to sigil.?
Export the items from Encamera to Photos, import them into a sigil. vault, check they open, then delete the exported copies from Photos and Recently Deleted.
App names and icons belong to their owners; used only to identify the products compared.