Inner GalleryCompare
sigil. vs Inner Gallery
Inner Gallery vs sigil.: one-time packs or Pro, panic PIN or decoy pattern, iCloud sync or local-only. An honest comparison with verified facts.
Short answer: choose Inner Gallery if you want to pay once for exactly the features you need, sync encrypted copies through iCloud, and use the app on iPad too. Choose sigil. if you want the decoy vault and self-destruct free, an unlock that only works when you draw your sign, and no visible sign that more than one vault exists.
Both are recent iPhone vaults with no account and on-device encryption. The real differences are in how they react under pressure, how they look on your Home Screen and how you pay.
- Price
- Free · Pro €39.99 once or €19.99/yrOne-time packs: Pro Bundle $34.99; single packs $4.99–$14.99 (US App Store)
- Lifetime option
- €39.99 once, no subscriptionPay once: Pro Bundle $34.99, Lifetime $99.99, no subscription
- Free tier
- 100 photos and documents + 10 videos per vault, 1 vault + decoy vault2 spaces, 50 photos, no ads
- Account required
- No account at allNo account
- Encryption
- 256-bit encryption; key unlocked by your pattern (Argon2id, bound to the secure chip)ChaCha20-Poly1305 on device (vendor-stated)
- Zero-knowledge
- Yes — no server, we never see anything"Not even we can access it" (vendor-stated)
- Multiple vaults
- Up to 7 vaults with Pro, one pattern each; the app never lists themSeparate spaces, each with its own lock
- Decoy vault
- Free: a decoy pattern opens a decoy vault with harmless photos and erases nothingPanic PIN opens a decoy space (paid pack)
- Disguised icon
- Neutral utility icons that don't say vault.Can look like Calculator, Notes, Settings or Clock (paid pack)
- 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 yetOptional iCloud sync, encrypted on device first (paid pack)
- Unlock
- Only the pattern you draw — no Face ID or Touch ID, by designFace ID or PIN; each space can have its own lock
- Break-in alerts
- No intruder photos; optional self-destruct after too many wrong patterns—
- Platforms
- iPhone onlyiPhone, iPad
| Feature | sigil. | Inner Gallery |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free · Pro €39.99 once or €19.99/yr | One-time packs: Pro Bundle $34.99; single packs $4.99–$14.99 (US App Store) |
| Lifetime option | €39.99 once, no subscription | Pay once: Pro Bundle $34.99, Lifetime $99.99, no subscription |
| Free tier | 100 photos and documents + 10 videos per vault, 1 vault + decoy vault | 2 spaces, 50 photos, no ads |
| Account required | No account at all | No account |
| Encryption | 256-bit encryption; key unlocked by your pattern (Argon2id, bound to the secure chip) | ChaCha20-Poly1305 on device (vendor-stated) |
| Zero-knowledge | Yes — no server, we never see anything | "Not even we can access it" (vendor-stated) |
| Multiple vaults | Up to 7 vaults with Pro, one pattern each; the app never lists them | Separate spaces, each with its own lock |
| Decoy vault | Free: a decoy pattern opens a decoy vault with harmless photos and erases nothing | Panic PIN opens a decoy space (paid pack) |
| Disguised icon | Neutral utility icons that don't say vault. | Can look like Calculator, Notes, Settings or Clock (paid pack) |
| 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 | Optional iCloud sync, encrypted on device first (paid pack) |
| Unlock | Only the pattern you draw — no Face ID or Touch ID, by design | Face ID or PIN; each space can have its own lock |
| Break-in alerts | No intruder photos; optional self-destruct after too many wrong patterns | — |
| Platforms | iPhone only | iPhone, iPad |
Security model
Inner Gallery states that it uses ChaCha20-Poly1305 on device (vendor-stated), and on access says: "Not even we can access it" (vendor-stated). Unlocking is by Face ID or PIN; each space can have its own lock.
sigil. does not 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 the device, and only then is the 256-bit key unlocked that decrypts the vault. A wrong sign is not compared with anything stored: it simply opens nothing, and attempts come with growing waits. Read pattern encryption for the details.
The design difference is biometrics. Face ID is convenient, and Inner Gallery offers it. sigil. leaves it out because someone holding your phone can hold it up to your face. A sign has to come from you.
Neither app can reset a forgotten secret. In sigil., the way back is your recovery phrase.
Privacy
Inner Gallery states No account. Its App Store listing shows App Store privacy label: User Content and Identifiers, not linked to you.
sigil. has no account and no server and does not know who you are. It sends no usage statistics. Vault contents never leave the phone unless you export them, which also means there is no cloud copy yet.
Features
Decoy vault. Inner Gallery: Panic PIN opens a decoy space (paid pack). sigil. has a decoy vault too, opened by its own decoy pattern, while your other vaults stay hidden. It is free.
Multiple vaults. Inner Gallery offers Separate spaces, each with its own lock. In sigil., every sign opens its own vault and the app never lists them, so nothing in the app shows how many exist (multiple hidden vaults).
Disguised icon. Inner Gallery: Can look like Calculator, Notes, Settings or Clock (paid pack). sigil. takes another route: sigil. can show a neutral icon (free) that doesn't say sigil., instead of imitating a built-in app (disguised icon). An app that pretends to be a utility but opens a vault is a pattern many people already know to look for; we cover this in are calculator vault apps safe?
Self-destruct. sigil. can erase its vaults after too many wrong signs in a time window (self-destruct). Free, off by default. We did not find an equivalent in Inner Gallery's listing.
Camera. Inner Gallery's listing did not let us confirm a built-in camera. sigil.'s private camera writes straight into the encrypted vault.
Intruder photos. sigil. does not photograph whoever enters a wrong sign. No alerts, no counter shown.
Price
Inner Gallery on the US App Store: One-time packs: Pro Bundle $34.99; single packs $4.99–$14.99 (US App Store). Lifetime: Pay once: Pro Bundle $34.99, Lifetime $99.99, no subscription. Free tier: 2 spaces, 50 photos, no ads.
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.
The models differ: Inner Gallery sells features in packs, including the decoy; sigil. keeps the protection features free and charges only for capacity.
Where Inner Gallery is better
- Backup and sync. Optional iCloud sync, encrypted on device first (paid pack). sigil. is local-first with no cloud backup yet; see how to securely back up private photos.
- iPad. Inner Gallery runs on iPhone, iPad. sigil. is iPhone-only today.
- Pay-once flexibility. No subscription at all, and you can buy only the pack you need.
- Per-space locks. Each space can use its own lock, including Face ID, if you value speed over resistance to coercion.
How to switch from Inner Gallery to sigil.
- In Inner Gallery, open each space you want to move, select the items 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 Inner Gallery, including any synced copies.
Verdict
Inner Gallery is a well-built, no-subscription vault with modern on-device encryption, iCloud sync and a panic PIN. sigil. makes different choices: sign-only unlock, a free decoy vault, uncounted hidden vaults and a neutral icon, with the protective features free. If you want sync and iPad today, choose Inner Gallery. If you worry about being forced to open the app, choose sigil.
More options in the best private photo vault apps for iPhone and sigil. vs Obscura.
Frequently asked questions
Is sigil. a good Inner Gallery alternative?
Yes, if you want a free decoy vault with its own pattern, hidden vaults the app never lists, and an unlock that cannot be done with your face. If you want iCloud sync and an iPad app, Inner Gallery covers those and sigil. does not yet.
What is the difference between a panic PIN and a decoy pattern?
Inner Gallery says its panic PIN opens a decoy space. In sigil., the decoy pattern opens the decoy vault and erases nothing; your other vaults stay hidden because the app never lists them.
Do Inner Gallery and sigil. need an account?
No. Inner Gallery says it works without an account, and sigil. has no account and no server.
Does sigil. have a disguised icon that looks like another app?
No. sigil. can show a neutral icon that doesn't say sigil., rather than copying a built-in app.
How do I move photos from Inner Gallery to sigil.?
Export the items 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.