Gallery VaultCompare
sigil. vs Gallery Vault
Gallery Vault vs sigil.: unlock, encryption claims, cloud upload, decoy passcode, break-in alerts and price compared with verified, sourced facts.
Short answer: choose Gallery Vault if you want one app across Android, iPhone and iPad, a free tier with no storage limit, cloud upload on iOS, and a passcode you can reset by email. Choose sigil. if you want a vault with no account, no server, no ads, and a key that only the sign you draw can unlock.
Gallery Vault is one of the best-known hider apps on Android. sigil. is new and iPhone-only. The comparison is about where trust sits and what happens when someone gets hold of your phone.
- Price
- Free · Pro €39.99 once or €19.99/yriOS Premium: $1.99/mo, $5.99/6 mo, $8.99/yr (7-day trial)
- Lifetime option
- €39.99 once, no subscriptionLifetime Premium $26.99 (US App Store)
- Free tier
- 100 photos and documents + 10 videos per vault, 1 vault + decoy vaultFree with ads; no storage limit
- Account required
- No account at allEmail used to reset a forgotten passcode (Android)
- Encryption
- 256-bit encryption; key unlocked by your pattern (Argon2id, bound to the secure chip)"Hidden files are all encrypted" (Android, vendor-stated; no cipher named)
- 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 nothingFake passcode shows fake content
- Disguised icon
- Neutral utility icons that don't say vault.Can hide its icon or look like another app
- 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 yetCloud upload on iOS; Android files stay on device
- Unlock
- Only the pattern you draw — no Face ID or Touch ID, by designPasscode, pattern, Face ID / Touch ID, fingerprint
- Break-in alerts
- No intruder photos; optional self-destruct after too many wrong patternsBreak-in alerts
- Platforms
- iPhone onlyAndroid, iPhone, iPad
| Feature | sigil. | Gallery Vault |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free · Pro €39.99 once or €19.99/yr | iOS Premium: $1.99/mo, $5.99/6 mo, $8.99/yr (7-day trial) |
| Lifetime option | €39.99 once, no subscription | Lifetime Premium $26.99 (US App Store) |
| Free tier | 100 photos and documents + 10 videos per vault, 1 vault + decoy vault | Free with ads; no storage limit |
| Account required | No account at all | Email used to reset a forgotten passcode (Android) |
| Encryption | 256-bit encryption; key unlocked by your pattern (Argon2id, bound to the secure chip) | "Hidden files are all encrypted" (Android, vendor-stated; no cipher named) |
| 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 | Fake passcode shows fake content |
| Disguised icon | Neutral utility icons that don't say vault. | Can hide its icon or look like another app |
| 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 | Cloud upload on iOS; Android files stay on device |
| Unlock | Only the pattern you draw — no Face ID or Touch ID, by design | Passcode, pattern, Face ID / Touch ID, fingerprint |
| Break-in alerts | No intruder photos; optional self-destruct after too many wrong patterns | Break-in alerts |
| Platforms | iPhone only | Android, iPhone, iPad |
Security model
On Google Play, Gallery Vault's developer says: "Hidden files are all encrypted" (Android, vendor-stated; no cipher named). We could not find details on the method or on how the key is protected, and the iOS listing does not repeat the claim. Access is through Passcode, pattern, Face ID / Touch ID, fingerprint.
sigil. uses a single secret: a sign you draw on a 5×5 dot grid. The sign goes through Argon2id and is tied to the phone's secure chip, and that is what unlocks the 256-bit key for the vault. There is no stored PIN to compare against; a wrong sign simply opens nothing. More in pattern encryption and AES-256 encryption explained.
The practical difference shows up when you forget. Gallery Vault offers this route: Email used to reset a forgotten passcode (Android). sigil. has no such route by design. The only way back is your recovery phrase.
Privacy
Gallery Vault's storage depends on the platform: Cloud upload on iOS; Android files stay on device. The free tier is Free with ads; no storage limit, so the app shows advertising. The listings we checked don't say what the cloud upload encrypts or who holds the keys.
sigil. has no account, no server and no cloud copy. No ads. Your vaults stay on the iPhone, and we do not know who you are or how many vaults you have. Nobody has the key, not even us.
Features
Decoy vault. Gallery Vault: Fake passcode shows fake content. sigil. has a free decoy vault, opened by its own decoy pattern; your other vaults stay hidden, because there is no list showing how many exist.
Multiple vaults. In sigil. every sign opens its own vault, with no list anywhere in the app (multiple hidden vaults). Gallery Vault's listings don't describe separate vaults with separate passcodes.
Disguised icon. Gallery Vault Can hide its icon or look like another app. sigil. can use a neutral icon that doesn't say vault (disguised icon).
Wrong attempts. Gallery Vault offers Break-in alerts. sigil. takes no intruder photos. It has an optional self-destruct, off by default: too many wrong signs and the vaults are erased, with growing waits between attempts.
Unlock. Gallery Vault accepts Face ID and Touch ID. sigil. does not, by design: a face or finger can be used without your consent.
Camera and metadata. sigil.'s private camera saves straight into the vault, and location and EXIF data are stripped on import and export. We did not find either documented for Gallery Vault; check any file with the photo metadata viewer.
Price
Gallery Vault on the US App Store: iOS Premium: $1.99/mo, $5.99/6 mo, $8.99/yr (7-day trial). One-time option: Lifetime Premium $26.99 (US App Store).
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 Gallery Vault is better
- Platforms. It runs on Android, iPhone, iPad. sigil. is iPhone-only; Android is planned, with no date.
- Free tier. Free with ads; no storage limit, while sigil.'s free tier stops at 100 photos and documents plus 10 videos per vault.
- Cloud. It offers cloud upload on iOS. sigil. has no cloud backup yet, so plan your own (how to securely back up private photos).
- Forgotten passcode. An email reset exists on Android. In sigil., a lost sign and a lost recovery phrase mean the data is gone.
- Scale. 606K ratings and 50M+ downloads on Google Play. It has had years to mature; sigil. is new.
How to switch from Gallery Vault to sigil.
- In Gallery Vault, select the files you want to move and unhide or export them to the Photos library.
- Install sigil., draw a sign, and write the 12-word recovery phrase on paper.
- Import the files into a vault. sigil. strips location and EXIF data on import.
- Open a few of them in sigil. to confirm they arrived intact.
- Delete the exported copies from Photos and empty Recently Deleted (how to delete Recently Deleted photos).
- When you are sure, remove the files from Gallery Vault, including any cloud copy, and cancel any subscription.
Verdict
Gallery Vault is a popular, cross-platform hider with a generous free tier, cloud upload on iOS and an email safety net. sigil. gives up those conveniences for a simpler trust model: no account, no server, no ads, unlock only with your sign, and a decoy vault that shows nothing of the real one. If you need Android or iPad, or want cloud copies, Gallery Vault fits better today. If you are on iPhone and want a vault that depends on nobody but you, choose sigil.
See also sigil. vs LockMyPix and the best private photo vault apps for iPhone.
Frequently asked questions
Is sigil. a good Gallery Vault alternative?
On iPhone, yes, if you want encryption with no account and no server. If you need Android, iPad or cloud upload, Gallery Vault covers those and sigil. does not yet.
Does Gallery Vault encrypt files?
On its Google Play listing the developer says hidden files are all encrypted, without naming the method. We could not find an equivalent statement on the iOS listing.
Can I unlock sigil. with Face ID?
No. sigil. opens only with the sign you draw. Biometrics can be forced by holding the phone to your face, so we left them out on purpose.
Does sigil. have break-in alerts?
No intruder photos. sigil. offers an optional self-destruct, off by default, that erases the vaults after too many wrong signs.
What if I forget my sign?
You restore access with your 12-word recovery phrase. Without it, nobody can open the vault, us included. There is no email reset.
App names and icons belong to their owners; used only to identify the products compared.