sigil. vs Proton Drive

Short answer: choose Proton Drive if you want end-to-end encrypted cloud storage and photo backup from a privacy-focused company, accessible from your other devices. Choose sigil. if you want certain photos hidden on your iPhone behind a separate drawn sign, with no account and no copy in any cloud. They are complementary more than competing.

sigil.

Proton Drive

Price

Free · Pro €39.99 once or €19.99/yrproton.me (USD): Drive Plus 200 GB $4.99/mo, Unlimited 500 GB $12.99/mo

Lifetime option

€39.99 once, no subscriptionNo lifetime plan listed

Free tier

100 photos and documents + 10 videos per vault, 1 vault + decoy vault5 GB free, no credit card required

Account required

No account at allYes: Proton account

Encryption

256-bit encryption; key unlocked by your pattern (Argon2id, bound to the secure chip)End-to-end encrypted, files and names encrypted on device (vendor-stated)

Zero-knowledge

Yes — no server, we never see anything"Not even Proton can access your files" (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 yetiOS auto-backup of photos and videos in original quality

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, Android, web, macOS, Windows; Linux via CLI

sigil. compared with Proton Drive

Feature	sigil.	Proton Drive
Price	Free · Pro €39.99 once or €19.99/yr	proton.me (USD): Drive Plus 200 GB $4.99/mo, Unlimited 500 GB $12.99/mo
Lifetime option	€39.99 once, no subscription	No lifetime plan listed
Free tier	100 photos and documents + 10 videos per vault, 1 vault + decoy vault	5 GB free, no credit card required
Account required	No account at all	Yes: Proton account
Encryption	256-bit encryption; key unlocked by your pattern (Argon2id, bound to the secure chip)	End-to-end encrypted, files and names encrypted on device (vendor-stated)
Zero-knowledge	Yes — no server, we never see anything	"Not even Proton can access your files" (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	iOS auto-backup of photos and videos in original quality
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, Android, web, macOS, Windows; Linux via CLI

Security model

Proton describes Drive as End-to-end encrypted, files and names encrypted on device (vendor-stated), and states: "Not even Proton can access your files" (vendor-stated).

sigil. encrypts each vault on the iPhone with a 256-bit key unlocked by a sign drawn on a dot grid, hardened with Argon2id and bound to the phone's secure chip (pattern encryption). The design goal is different: Proton protects your files from the provider and from anyone who intercepts them; sigil. also protects specific photos from someone who has your unlocked phone in hand. Cloud storage apps are built to show your files once you are signed in. In sigil., a vault stays closed until its sign is drawn, and other vaults stay invisible.

Background reading: what is end-to-end encryption for photos.

Privacy: account and server

Proton Drive needs a Proton account: Yes: Proton account. Your encrypted files live on Proton's servers, which is what makes backup possible.

sigil. has no account and no server. That is ideal when the existence of the data is itself sensitive — for journalists and sources or at border crossings — but it means no cloud backup.

Features

Proton Drive's strengths: iOS auto-backup of photos and videos in original quality, plus access from iOS, Android, web, macOS, Windows; Linux via CLI.

sigil.'s strengths:

• Hidden vaults — each sign opens its own vault, with no list of how many exist (multiple hidden vaults).
• Decoy vault — its own decoy pattern opens a harmless vault while the others stay hidden (decoy vault).
• Disguised icon — a neutral utility icon that doesn't say vault (disguised icon).
• Private camera — new photos skip the Camera Roll entirely (private camera).
• Metadata stripping — EXIF and location removed on import and export.

Price

Proton Drive on its website: proton.me (USD): Drive Plus 200 GB $4.99/mo, Unlimited 500 GB $12.99/mo. Free: 5 GB free, no credit card required. Lifetime: No lifetime plan listed.

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.

Proton charges for storage and an ecosystem; sigil. charges once (if you like) for vault features and stores nothing.

Where Proton Drive is better

• Backup. Losing your phone does not mean losing your files. With sigil., it does, unless you keep your own backup (how to securely back up private photos).
• Cross-device access. See the platforms row above. sigil. is iPhone-only.
• Documents. General file storage, not just photos.
• Track record. Proton is an established privacy company; sigil. is a single, new app.

Using both

1. Keep general photo backup in Proton Drive (and consider turning off iCloud Photos — how to stop photos syncing to iCloud).
2. Install sigil., draw a sign, and write down the 12-word recovery phrase.
3. Move the photos that should not be visible on your phone into sigil. Delete them from Photos, Recently Deleted and Proton Drive if they should exist only in the vault.
4. Use sigil.'s camera for future sensitive shots, so they never reach your library or backup.

Which one should you choose?

• You want encrypted storage for documents and photos and access from a computer: Proton Drive.
• You already use other Proton services and want everything under one account: Proton Drive.
• You want photos hidden on the phone itself, behind a secret that is not your phone passcode: sigil.
• You need to be able to deny a vault exists, or show a harmless one under pressure: sigil., with multiple hidden vaults and the decoy vault.
• You cannot afford to lose the photos: make sure at least one encrypted copy lives off the phone. sigil. does not do this yet, so pair it with an encrypted backup.

Keep in mind that a backup is also a copy. For the most sensitive images, decide deliberately whether a second copy should exist at all.

How we checked

Every fact about Proton Drive on this page comes from Proton's website and its 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

Proton Drive is a strong choice for encrypted cloud storage. It is not trying to hide photos from someone holding your phone. sigil. is, and it does that with no account and nothing in the cloud. Decide which risk you are addressing — losing data, or exposing it on the device — and pick accordingly, or use both. For a self-managed alternative, see sigil. vs Cryptomator.