sigil. vs Folder Lock

Short answer: choose Folder Lock if you want one locker across your phone and computer, synced through a cloud storage service you already use. Choose sigil. if you want a focused iPhone photo vault with on-device encryption, no account, hidden vaults and a decoy vault — and you are fine with no cloud.

Folder Lock, from NewSoftwares.net, is a general-purpose, cross-platform locker. sigil. is narrower by design.

sigil.

Folder Lock

Price

Free · Pro €39.99 once or €19.99/yrUS App Store IAPs: Unlocked Feature Pack $3.99, Folder Lock Subscription $39.99

Lifetime option

€39.99 once, no subscription—

Free tier

100 photos and documents + 10 videos per vault, 1 vault + decoy vaultFree: 1 GB per locker, 2 synced devices

Account required

No account at all—

Encryption

256-bit encryption; key unlocked by your pattern (Argon2id, bound to the secure chip)AES 256 (vendor-stated, for cloud sync)

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—

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—

EXIF / location removal

Location/EXIF stripped on import and export—

Cloud sync

No — local-first, no cloud backup yetBackup/sync via Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox

Unlock

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

Break-in alerts

No intruder photos; optional self-destruct after too many wrong patterns—

Platforms

iPhone onlyiOS, iPadOS, visionOS, Android, Windows, Mac

sigil. compared with Folder Lock

Feature	sigil.	Folder Lock
Price	Free · Pro €39.99 once or €19.99/yr	US App Store IAPs: Unlocked Feature Pack $3.99, Folder Lock Subscription $39.99
Lifetime option	€39.99 once, no subscription	—
Free tier	100 photos and documents + 10 videos per vault, 1 vault + decoy vault	Free: 1 GB per locker, 2 synced devices
Account required	No account at all	—
Encryption	256-bit encryption; key unlocked by your pattern (Argon2id, bound to the secure chip)	AES 256 (vendor-stated, for cloud sync)
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	—
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	—
EXIF / location removal	Location/EXIF stripped on import and export	—
Cloud sync	No — local-first, no cloud backup yet	Backup/sync via Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox
Unlock	Only the pattern you draw — no Face ID or Touch ID, by design	—
Break-in alerts	No intruder photos; optional self-destruct after too many wrong patterns	—
Platforms	iPhone only	iOS, iPadOS, visionOS, Android, Windows, Mac

Security model

Folder Lock's iPhone page states AES 256 (vendor-stated, for cloud sync). The page ties that claim to the sync process; we did not find a separate statement about how files are stored on the iPhone itself, so we report exactly what is said and no more.

sigil. encrypts each item on the device 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 written to storage (pattern encryption). If you want the background, read how to encrypt photos on iPhone and AES-256 encryption explained.

Privacy: account and cloud

Sync in Folder Lock runs through third-party storage: Backup/sync via Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox.

sigil. has no account and no server; nothing leaves the phone unless you export it. That makes it a good fit for ID documents or medical photos that should never sit in a cloud folder. The trade-off is backup — see below.

Features

Scope. Folder Lock handles many file types and is designed for syncing lockers between devices. sigil. focuses on photos and videos on one iPhone.

Hidden vaults. Each sigil. sign opens its own vault, with no visible list (multiple hidden vaults). We did not find an equivalent documented for Folder Lock.

Decoy. sigil.'s decoy pattern opens a decoy vault while the real ones stay hidden. We did not find a decoy or duress mode documented for Folder Lock's iPhone app.

Disguise and camera. sigil. offers neutral utility icons that don't say vault (disguised icon) and a private camera that never touches the Camera Roll.

Metadata. sigil. strips EXIF and location on import and export. Test any photo with the photo metadata viewer.

Price

Folder Lock on the US App Store: US App Store IAPs: Unlocked Feature Pack $3.99, Folder Lock Subscription $39.99. Free tier: Free: 1 GB per locker, 2 synced devices.

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 Folder Lock is better

• Cross-platform. iOS, iPadOS, visionOS, Android, Windows, Mac. sigil. runs only on iPhone.
• Sync and backup through cloud storage you already have. sigil. has no cloud backup yet; read how to securely back up private photos.
• File types. A general-purpose locker for documents, not just media.
• Track record. Folder Lock is an established product; sigil. is new.

How to switch to sigil.

1. In Folder Lock, open the locker that holds your photos and export them to the iPhone's Photos library or Files.
2. Install sigil., draw a sign and write down the 12-word recovery phrase.
3. Import the photos and videos. Location and EXIF are stripped automatically.
4. Check they open, then delete the exported copies and empty Recently Deleted (guide).
5. If Folder Lock synced to a cloud provider, delete the synced copies there too.

Which one should you choose?

• Your private files are mostly documents, spread across a phone and a computer: Folder Lock.
• You want your locker synced through a cloud you already pay for: Folder Lock.
• Your private files are photos and videos on an iPhone, and you want them encrypted with a secret only you hold: sigil.
• You need hidden vaults or a decoy vault, because someone might ask you to open the app: sigil.
• You want nothing in any cloud: sigil., keeping in mind that you then need your own plan for backup.

How we checked

Every fact about Folder Lock on this page comes from the vendor's iPhone page and its US 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

Folder Lock is the better tool if your private files live across a phone and a computer and you want them synced. sigil. is the better tool if your private files are photos on an iPhone and you want them encrypted with a secret only you hold, with no account and nothing in the cloud. For an encrypted cross-platform option, also look at sigil. vs Cryptomator.