sigil. vs HiddenVault

Short answer: choose HiddenVault if you want one app that hides photos, stores passwords and includes a private browser, and you are happy with a PIN or Face ID. Choose sigil. if you want a dedicated photo and video vault with clearly described encryption, no account, hidden vaults behind different signs and a decoy vault opened by its own pattern.

HiddenVault is a popular app that bundles several privacy tools. sigil. does one thing and tries to be specific about how it does it.

sigil.

HiddenVault

Price

Free · Pro €39.99 once or €19.99/yrPremium per listing text: $2.99/wk, $7.99/mo, $34.99/yr (30-day trial); an annual item at $44.99 is also listed

Lifetime option

€39.99 once, no subscription—

Free tier

100 photos and documents + 10 videos per vault, 1 vault + decoy vaultFree download; unlimited photos, videos and passwords need Premium

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 anythingSays it does not store or access your data (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—

EXIF / location removal

Location/EXIF stripped on import and export—

Cloud sync

No — local-first, no cloud backup yetFiles kept on the phone; no cloud backup listed

Unlock

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

Break-in alerts

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

Platforms

iPhone onlyiPhone, iPad

sigil. compared with HiddenVault

Feature	sigil.	HiddenVault
Price	Free · Pro €39.99 once or €19.99/yr	Premium per listing text: $2.99/wk, $7.99/mo, $34.99/yr (30-day trial); an annual item at $44.99 is also listed
Lifetime option	€39.99 once, no subscription	—
Free tier	100 photos and documents + 10 videos per vault, 1 vault + decoy vault	Free download; unlimited photos, videos and passwords need Premium
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	Says it does not store or access your data (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	—
EXIF / location removal	Location/EXIF stripped on import and export	—
Cloud sync	No — local-first, no cloud backup yet	Files kept on the phone; no cloud backup listed
Unlock	Only the pattern you draw — no Face ID or Touch ID, by design	PIN and Face ID
Break-in alerts	No intruder photos; optional self-destruct after too many wrong patterns	—
Platforms	iPhone only	iPhone, iPad

Security model

HiddenVault unlocks with PIN and Face ID. On data access, it says: Says it does not store or access your data (vendor-stated). We could not find a description of how HiddenVault encrypts files in its App Store listing, so the encryption row in the table is empty. That does not mean the files are unencrypted; it means we could not verify it from a primary source. If encryption matters to you, ask the developer or look for technical documentation. Our guide on whether calculator and vault apps are safe explains what to look for.

sigil. works like this: you draw a sign on a 5×5 dot grid; Argon2id hardens it, the phone's secure chip binds it to the device, and the result unlocks the 256-bit key that decrypts the vault. A wrong sign is not checked against a stored value; it simply opens nothing. See pattern encryption and the background in AES-256 encryption explained.

sigil. leaves out Face ID and Touch ID on purpose. Biometrics are quick, but someone holding your phone can use your face. A sign has to come from you. And because there is no reset, the only way back after a forgotten sign is your recovery phrase.

Privacy

HiddenVault's App Store listing shows: App Store privacy label: Data Used to Track You (Usage Data). Apple's label is self-reported by the developer and describes data collection, not what happens to your photos. Still, it is worth reading before you choose any privacy app.

sigil. has no account and no server and does not know who you are. It sends no usage statistics. Nothing in your vaults leaves the phone unless you export it.

Features

Scope. The HiddenVault listing presents it as a photo vault, a password manager and a private browser. sigil. is only a vault for photos and videos, such as pictures of IDs, documents or medical records. If you want a password manager, a dedicated one is a sensible companion.

Multiple vaults. We did not find separate vaults with separate secrets in HiddenVault's listing. In sigil., each sign opens its own vault and the app never shows a list (multiple hidden vaults).

Decoy vault. We could not confirm a decoy vault for HiddenVault. sigil. has a free decoy vault, opened by its own decoy pattern, while your other vaults stay hidden.

Self-destruct. sigil. can erase its vaults after too many wrong signs in a time window (self-destruct). Free, off by default.

Disguised icon and camera. Neither is described in the HiddenVault listing we checked. sigil. can show a neutral icon that doesn't say sigil. (disguised icon), and the private camera writes straight into the encrypted vault.

Intruder photos. sigil. does not photograph whoever enters a wrong sign. No alerts, no visible counter.

Price

HiddenVault on the US App Store: Premium per listing text: $2.99/wk, $7.99/mo, $34.99/yr (30-day trial); an annual item at $44.99 is also listed. Free tier: Free download; unlimited photos, videos and passwords need Premium. We did not find a lifetime option in the listing.

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 HiddenVault is better

• More tools in one app. Passwords and a private browser alongside photos, if you prefer a single app.
• User base. HiddenVault has 2.1K ratings on the US App Store. sigil. is new.
• iPad. It runs on iPhone, iPad. sigil. is iPhone-only today.
• Free trial. HiddenVault's yearly plan comes with a trial, quoted in the price above; sigil. has no trial, its free plan plays that role.

On backup the two are level: HiddenVault: Files kept on the phone; no cloud backup listed. sigil. has no cloud backup yet either. Read how to securely back up private photos whichever you choose.

How to switch from HiddenVault to sigil.

1. In HiddenVault, select the photos and videos you want to move and export them to your iPhone's Photos library.
2. Install sigil., draw a sign and write the 12-word recovery phrase on paper.
3. Import the items into your vault. sigil. strips location and EXIF data on import.
4. Open a few items in sigil. to confirm they are readable.
5. Delete the exported copies from Photos and empty Recently Deleted (how to delete Recently Deleted photos).
6. Keep HiddenVault if you use it for passwords; otherwise move those to a password manager first, then delete it.

Verdict

HiddenVault is a popular all-in-one privacy app with a large user base. Its listing says little about how files are encrypted, and its privacy label includes tracking data. sigil. is narrower and more explicit: sign-only unlock, a 256-bit key bound to the secure chip, hidden vaults the app never lists, a decoy vault and an optional self-destruct, all without an account. If you want passwords and browsing in the same app, HiddenVault fits. If you want a vault designed for someone forcing you to open your phone, choose sigil.

For more options, see the best private photo vault apps for iPhone or sigil. vs Keepsafe.