sigil. vs Privault

Short answer: choose Privault if you want a familiar keypad passcode, an app that also runs on iPad, and you don't mind ads or a subscription for Pro. Choose sigil. if you want a vault without ads or an account, where a sign you draw unlocks the encryption key and a decoy pattern opens a decoy vault while the real ones stay hidden.

Both apps keep photos and videos out of your regular Photos library and both take the "someone forces me to open it" problem seriously. They differ in how the lock works, what the company learns about you, and how they make money.

sigil.

Privault

Price

Free · Pro €39.99 once or €19.99/yrUS App Store: Pro $3.49/mo or $24.99/yr; Remove Ads $2.99

Lifetime option

€39.99 once, no subscriptionPermanent Pro $45.99

Free tier

100 photos and documents + 10 videos per vault, 1 vault + decoy vaultFree download with ads; Pro by subscription

Account required

No account at all—

Encryption

256-bit encryption; key unlocked by your pattern (Argon2id, bound to the secure chip)Describes 'encrypted storage'; 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 themPrimary and secondary passcode open separate folders

Decoy vault

Free: a decoy pattern opens a decoy vault with harmless photos and erases nothingSecondary passcode to disclose under threat; Erase-all passcode wipes files

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—

Unlock

Only the pattern you draw — no Face ID or Touch ID, by designDigit passcode on a locker keypad

Break-in alerts

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

Platforms

iPhone onlyiPhone, iPad

sigil. compared with Privault

Feature	sigil.	Privault
Price	Free · Pro €39.99 once or €19.99/yr	US App Store: Pro $3.49/mo or $24.99/yr; Remove Ads $2.99
Lifetime option	€39.99 once, no subscription	Permanent Pro $45.99
Free tier	100 photos and documents + 10 videos per vault, 1 vault + decoy vault	Free download with ads; Pro by subscription
Account required	No account at all	—
Encryption	256-bit encryption; key unlocked by your pattern (Argon2id, bound to the secure chip)	Describes 'encrypted storage'; 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	Primary and secondary passcode open separate folders
Decoy vault	Free: a decoy pattern opens a decoy vault with harmless photos and erases nothing	Secondary passcode to disclose under threat; Erase-all passcode wipes files
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	—
Unlock	Only the pattern you draw — no Face ID or Touch ID, by design	Digit passcode on a locker keypad
Break-in alerts	No intruder photos; optional self-destruct after too many wrong patterns	—
Platforms	iPhone only	iPhone, iPad

Security model

Privault's lock, per its listing: Digit passcode on a locker keypad. On encryption, the listing says: Describes 'encrypted storage'; no cipher named. We could not find a description of how the passcode relates to the encryption key, so we can't tell you whether a guessed passcode decrypts anything or just opens a screen in front of the files. That is a common gap with keypad-style vaults, which we cover in are calculator vault apps safe?

sigil. has no passcode stored anywhere to check against. You draw a sign on a 5×5 grid; that sign is hardened with Argon2id and bound to the phone's secure chip, and the result unlocks the 256-bit key that decrypts the vault. A wrong sign doesn't fail a check, it simply unlocks nothing. Details in pattern encryption, and why a sign beats a short numeric code in pattern lock vs PIN vs password.

Recovery follows from that design. If you lose your sign, the only way back is your written recovery phrase. Nobody has the key, not even us.

Privacy

Privault's free version is: Free download with ads; Pro by subscription. Its App Store privacy label reads: App Store privacy label: Data Used to Track You (Usage Data). That label is the developer's own declaration to Apple; it doesn't mean your photos are shared, but it does mean the app collects usage data that can be linked with data from other companies.

sigil. has no account, no server and no ads. We don't know who you are, how many vaults you have or what's in them. The app sends no usage statistics.

Features

Decoy and erase. This is where Privault is closest to sigil. Privault describes Secondary passcode to disclose under threat; Erase-all passcode wipes files. sigil. has a decoy vault, opened by its own decoy pattern, while the other vaults stay hidden because the app never lists them. Erasing is separate: the optional self-destruct below. Both are free, not part of Pro.

Multiple vaults. Privault offers Primary and secondary passcode open separate folders. 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).

Self-destruct. sigil. can erase all vaults after too many wrong signs (self-destruct). It's free and off by default.

Disguised icon and camera. The Privault listing we checked doesn't say whether it offers an alternate icon or an in-app camera, so we left those cells empty. sigil. can show a neutral icon that doesn't say vault (disguised icon), and the private camera writes straight into the vault so photos never touch the Camera Roll.

Unlock. sigil. has no Face ID or Touch ID, by design: biometrics can be forced by holding the phone to your face. It also takes no intruder photos.

Price

Privault on the US App Store: US App Store: Pro $3.49/mo or $24.99/yr; Remove Ads $2.99. Lifetime option: Permanent Pro $45.99.

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 Privault is better

• iPad. Privault runs on iPhone, iPad. sigil. is iPhone-only today.
• Maturity and user base. Privault is an established app with 77K ratings on the US App Store. sigil. is new.
• Familiarity. A numeric keypad is something everyone already knows. Drawing a sign takes a minute to get used to.
• Separate decoy and wipe codes. If you prefer two distinct codes, one to show a decoy folder and one to wipe, Privault gives you that split. sigil. has no erase code: its decoy pattern erases nothing, and erasing happens only through self-destruct after too many wrong signs.

The Privault listing we checked doesn't describe a cloud backup. sigil. is local-first with no cloud backup yet, so read how to securely back up private photos before you rely on it.

How to switch from Privault to sigil.

1. In Privault, open the folder you want to move, select the items and export them to your iPhone's Photos library.
2. Install sigil., draw a sign and write the recovery phrase down on paper.
3. Import the exported items into your vault. sigil. strips location and EXIF data on import.
4. Open a few items in sigil. to check they are there and readable.
5. Delete the exported copies from Photos, then empty Recently Deleted (how to delete Recently Deleted photos).
6. Once everything has moved, delete the items from Privault and cancel any subscription in your App Store settings.

Verdict

Privault is an established keypad vault with a real answer to coercion: a secondary passcode and an erase code. sigil. covers similar ground with a decoy vault and an optional self-destruct, and adds a key derived from what you draw, no ads, no account and vaults the app never lists. If you need iPad or prefer a numeric code, Privault is fine. If you want the lock to be the encryption, not a screen in front of it, sigil. is the better fit.

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