# Best photo vault app for iPhone without a subscription

**Short answer:** of the eight most-rated photo vault apps on the US App Store, as listed on November 14, 2026, two list an item named as permanent: **PV - Secret Photo Album** ("PV Permenent Membership", $41.99) and **Privault** ("Permanent Pro", $45.99). **Secret Photo Vault Lock Photos** lists a single "Pro Version" item at $6.99, and its description doesn't mention a subscription; the other five describe subscriptions. iPhone's own **Hidden** album is free and locked with Face ID, and Spaceclear's **Secret Space** (ours, not yet released) comes inside the one-time $8.99 Pro purchase.

**Disclosure:** Spaceclear is made by us, Simple Products Labs LLC, and its Secret Space is one of the vaults compared here, so we have an interest in the result. Everything below about the other apps is copied from their own App Store pages, linked in each row, so you can check it. We didn't test any vault and don't assess anyone's encryption or security: the features are quoted from each app's own description. We don't rate or rank the apps. Prices and labels change, and the links show the current version.

## What each vault says it does
As listed on the US App Store on November 14, 2026. The last column quotes each app's own description.

| App | Seller (as listed) | Rating | Security features, in its description's words |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Private Photo Vault - Pic Safe](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id417571834) | Legendary Software Labs LLC | 4.8 (1M) | "Pin Lock", "Pattern/Dot Lock", "Password Protected Photo Albums", "Break-in Report: Photo + GPS", "Decoy Password", and "Encrypted Cloud Backup" in its Cloud Vault |
| [Secret Photo Vault: Keepsafe](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id510873505) | KeepSafe Software, Inc | 4.7 (386K) | "PIN protection, fingerprint touch ID, and military-grade encryption"; Premium adds "Album Lock" and a "Private Cloud" for up to 10,000 items |
| [Privault - Private Photo Vault](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1186436980) | Binspir Technologies Co., Ltd. | 4.7 (77K) | "encrypted storage" opened with "your particular digit-passcode" behind a "locker keypad interface"; a "secondary Passcode" that opens a second folder; an "Erase-all Passcode" |
| [SPV - Secret Photo Vault](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1449239240) | MAPLE LABS COMPANY LIMITED | 4.6 (70K) | "PIN protection" for photos, contacts, passwords and a browser; "does not keep your photos or data on any kind of server" |
| [Secret Photo Album - SA](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1174964304) | BP Mobile LLC | 4.6 (39K) | "encrypted, PIN-protected storage"; "PIN,Touch and Face ID access"; "Decoy PIN"; "Break-in alerts and security reports with intruders' photos"; "Secure cloud backup" |
| [PV - Secret Photo Album](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id867586326) | Haibin Jiao | 4.7 (30K) | "passcode protect, fingerprint touch ID and data encryption"; "Password and Face ID protection"; "Fake password protection" |
| [Calculator# Hide Photos Videos](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1165276801) | Salman Ashraf | 4.4 (29K) | "It looks like a Calculator but it secretly hides" your files; "Calculator, Pin, Password, Pattern & Touch/Face ID"; "Panic Switch, Disguise Mode & Hack Monitoring" |
| [Secret Photo Vault Lock Photos](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id448033053) | 伟林 莫 | 4.6 (27K) | "dot lock, password lock, Touch ID & Face ID"; "decoy accounts"; "All of your data in this app is stored only in your device." |
| **Spaceclear Secret Space** (ours, not yet released) | Simple Products Labs LLC | not released | its own PIN and Face ID, a decoy PIN, a break-in photo, private notes and hidden contacts, and an optional encrypted iCloud backup |
| iPhone Hidden album | Apple, built in | — | Apple: "locked by default and requires authentication to unlock"; Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode |

Ratings are the average and the number of ratings as each listing shows them (Apple rounds both).

## One-time or subscription, and what a year costs
As listed on November 14, 2026, in US dollars before tax. A plan length appears only where the item's name or the app's description states it. "One year" is simple arithmetic: 12 times a monthly price, or the yearly item.

| App | In-app items as listed | One-time item | One year, by arithmetic | Data Used to Track You |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private Photo Vault | "Private Photo Vault Premium" $6.99, $12.99, $35.99 and $39.99; "Private Photo Vault Upgrade" $39.99 | none named; the description says "Premium will automatically renew" | can't be worked out: no item name gives a length | Usage Data |
| Keepsafe | "Keepsafe Monthly Premium" $9.99; "Keepsafe Yearly Premium" $23.99; "KeepSafe Premium" and "Keepsafe Premium" $4.99–$35.99; "Keepsafe Premium: Cloud Hider" $35.99 | none; the description lists subscriptions of "one month & one year" | $23.99 yearly; $119.88 monthly | Usage Data |
| Privault | "Pro Service/Month" $3.49; "Pro Service/Year" $24.99; "Permanent Pro" $45.99; "Remove ADs" $2.99 | "Permanent Pro" $45.99 (the description itself describes only monthly and yearly plans) | $24.99 yearly; $41.88 monthly | Usage Data |
| SPV | "Premium" at $4.99, $6.99, $12.99, $29.99, $35.99 and $39.99 | none named; the description lists 1-week, 1-month and 1-year subscriptions | can't be worked out: no item name gives a length | Identifiers, Usage Data, Diagnostics |
| Secret Photo Album - SA | "Premium" $1.99–$49.99; "Secret Album Premium" $9.99, $39.99 and $51.99; "Secret Calculator Photo Vault" $9.99 | none named; the description describes an auto-renewing subscription | can't be worked out: no item name gives a length | Purchases, Location, Identifiers, Usage Data, Diagnostics, Other Data |
| PV | "PV Pro - Monthly" $3.99; "PV Pro - Yearly" $17.99; "Super Member Yearly 20G" $29.99; "Super Member Yearly 100G" $79.99; "Auto cloud backup 20G yearly" $12.99; "Auto Cloud Backup 100G Yearly" $49.99; "PV Permenent Membership" $41.99 | "PV Permenent Membership" $41.99; the description says "a one-time payment will be offered if needed" | $17.99 yearly; $47.88 monthly | Identifiers, Usage Data |
| Calculator# | "Yearly Subscription" $4.99; "Premium Features Pack" $4.99 | none named; the description says "Annual: $4.99" | $4.99 | Contact Info |
| Secret Photo Vault Lock Photos | "Pro Version" $6.99 | one item, length not stated; the description doesn't mention a subscription | $6.99 if it is one-time (not stated) | none (Data Not Collected) |
| **Spaceclear** (ours) | "Spaceclear Pro Lifetime" $8.99, a one-time purchase that includes Secret Space | $8.99 | $8.99 once | none (our answer to Apple: Data Not Collected) |
| iPhone Hidden album | free | — | $0 | — |

An App Store page shows at most ten in-app items, and the pages of Private Photo Vault, Keepsafe, SPV and Secret Photo Album each showed ten, so they may sell more than are listed. The price offered inside an app can differ. Item names are the developers' own, spelling included. Spaceclear's row comes from our own App Store Connect setup, because it isn't on the App Store yet.

## Where the photos are kept, per each description
- **Private Photo Vault:** its Cloud Vault offers "Encrypted Cloud Backup", and "The free version of the app does not backup your files to Cloud Vault."
- **Keepsafe:** lists "Photo backup" and syncing "to all of your Keepsafe installations"; Premium's "Private Cloud" stores "up to 10,000 items".
- **Privault:** the description doesn't mention a backup; files go in and out "via iPhone camera roll or via an embedded WiFi server".
- **SPV:** "It uses the internal storage of your device only. If you delete the app, your photos & data saved in the app will also be deleted."
- **Secret Photo Album - SA:** Premium offers "unlimited cloud storage", synced between devices with an email you register.
- **PV:** "All the photos/videos stored in this app are stored in your local device′s storage"; paid plans add cloud sync and backup to "Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, One Drive".
- **Calculator#:** "Backup using Cloud Services like iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive."
- **Secret Photo Vault Lock Photos:** "All of your data in this app is stored only in your device."
- **Spaceclear Secret Space (ours):** on the iPhone, encrypted, with an optional encrypted backup to your own iCloud. Spaceclear has no server.
- **iPhone Hidden album:** the photos stay in your library, and Apple says "If you use iCloud Photos, the photos that you hide on one device are hidden on your other devices too."

## Privacy labels in full
From the "App Privacy" section of each listing on November 14, 2026. These are the developers' own answers to Apple, and Apple's page says the information "has not been verified by Apple". Photos and videos fall under Apple's User Content category; Apple explains each term in its [App privacy details](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/app-privacy-details/) guide. A dash means the label has no such section.

| App | Data Used to Track You | Data Linked to You | Data Not Linked to You |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private Photo Vault | Usage Data | Purchases, User Content, Identifiers, Usage Data, Diagnostics | — |
| Keepsafe | Usage Data | — | Usage Data |
| Privault | Usage Data | Usage Data | User Content, Usage Data |
| SPV | Identifiers, Usage Data, Diagnostics | — | Identifiers, Usage Data, Diagnostics |
| Secret Photo Album - SA | Purchases, Location, Identifiers, Usage Data, Diagnostics, Other Data | Purchases, Location, User Content, Identifiers, Usage Data, Diagnostics, Other Data | — |
| PV | Identifiers, Usage Data | Contact Info, Identifiers | Identifiers, Usage Data, Diagnostics |
| Calculator# | Contact Info | — | Contact Info, User Content |
| Secret Photo Vault Lock Photos | — (Data Not Collected) | — | — |
| Spaceclear (ours) | — (Data Not Collected) | — | — |

## The free option: iPhone's Hidden album
1. In **Photos**, tap **Select**, choose the photos, tap **•••** and then **Hide**.
2. Find them in **Photos › Collections › Utilities › Hidden**. On iOS 18, scroll down to **Utilities**.
3. Check that **Settings › Apps › Photos › Use Face ID** is on, so the album asks for Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.
4. To hide the album itself, turn off **Settings › Apps › Photos › Show Hidden Album**.

Apple says the Hidden album "is locked by default and requires authentication to unlock in Photos". It uses the same passcode as your iPhone, so anyone who knows it can open the album, and hidden photos still use iPhone and iCloud storage. More in [how to hide photos on iPhone](/guides/hide-photos-iphone).

## Spaceclear's Secret Space (ours)
Secret Space is the vault inside [Spaceclear](/), our app, which is in App Store review and not released yet. It has its own **PIN and Face ID**, separate from your iPhone passcode, and it's encrypted on the device and locks the moment you leave. It adds:
- a **decoy PIN** that opens an empty look-alike vault,
- a **break-in photo** taken with the front camera after two wrong PINs in a row,
- private **notes** and **hidden contacts**,
- an optional **encrypted iCloud backup**.

Secret Space is part of Spaceclear Pro, $8.99 once with Family Sharing, which also unlocks the storage cleaner. Spaceclear has no server, so nothing in the vault is sent anywhere except your own iCloud backup, if you turn it on. After you add photos, Spaceclear offers to delete the originals from Photos; they wait in Recently Deleted for 30 days, so empty it to remove them completely ([how](/guides/empty-recently-deleted-iphone)). Deleting something inside Secret Space can't be undone, and Spaceclear says so before you confirm.

## How to choose
- **No app and no cost:** the Hidden album with Face ID, if the people around you don't know your passcode.
- **Paying once:** Spaceclear Pro is $8.99 with Secret Space (ours); PV lists "PV Permenent Membership" at $41.99 and Privault "Permanent Pro" at $45.99; Secret Photo Vault Lock Photos lists one "Pro Version" item at $6.99, length not stated.
- **A decoy code:** Private Photo Vault ("Decoy Password"), Secret Photo Album ("Decoy PIN"), PV ("Fake password protection"), Secret Photo Vault Lock Photos ("decoy accounts"), Privault (a "secondary Passcode") and Spaceclear.
- **A photo of whoever tries to get in:** Private Photo Vault ("Break-in Report: Photo + GPS"), Secret Photo Album ("intruders' photos") and Spaceclear; Calculator#'s "Hack Monitor" logs wrong passwords.
- **Disguised as another app:** Calculator# "looks like a Calculator".
- **A backup if you lose the phone:** Private Photo Vault, Keepsafe, Secret Photo Album, PV and Calculator# describe cloud backups; Spaceclear backs up to your own iCloud if you turn it on.
- **No tracking:** the labels of Secret Photo Vault Lock Photos and Spaceclear (our own answer) have no "Data Used to Track You" section; the other seven do.

## FAQ
### Is there a photo vault app with no subscription?
Yes, a few list a one-time item. On the US App Store on November 14, 2026, PV - Secret Photo Album listed "PV Permenent Membership" at $41.99, Privault "Permanent Pro" at $45.99, and Secret Photo Vault Lock Photos a single "Pro Version" at $6.99 with no subscription in its description. Spaceclear's Secret Space comes with Spaceclear Pro, $8.99 once. iPhone's Hidden album is free.

### Is the iPhone Hidden album secure enough?
It keeps photos out of your library, Memories and widgets and asks for Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. But it uses your iPhone passcode, so anyone who knows the passcode can open it, and with iCloud Photos the photos are hidden, not removed, on your other devices. If you need a separate code, use a vault with its own PIN.

### What happens to vault photos if I delete the app?
They are deleted with the app unless they are backed up somewhere. SPV's description says "If you delete the app, your photos & data saved in the app will also be deleted", and PV's says the same about its local storage. Export your photos or turn on the vault's backup before you delete it or change phones.

### Do photo vault apps upload my photos?
Some offer cloud backups and some keep everything on the device; the list above quotes each description. The privacy label shows what the developer says it collects: User Content is the category Apple uses for photos and videos. Spaceclear has no server, and Secret Space leaves the iPhone only as your own encrypted iCloud backup, if you turn it on.

### What is a decoy PIN?
A second code that opens a different, harmless-looking vault, so you can open the app in front of someone without showing what's really in it. Private Photo Vault calls it "Decoy Password", Secret Photo Album "Decoy PIN" and PV "Fake password protection". Spaceclear's decoy PIN opens an empty look-alike vault.

### Which is the best photo vault app for iPhone?
We don't rank them, since we make one of the options. Decide on what matters to you, such as a one-time price, a code separate from your passcode, a decoy, a backup or the privacy label, and check the current listing before you buy.

## Related
- [How to hide photos on iPhone](/guides/hide-photos-iphone)
- [Best duplicate photo apps for iPhone, compared](/compare/best-duplicate-photo-app-iphone)
- [iPhone cleaner apps without a subscription](/compare/cleaner-apps-without-subscription)
- [What iPhone cleaner apps cost: November 2026 report](/iphone-cleaner-app-prices)
- [How to delete duplicate photos on iPhone](/guides/delete-duplicate-photos-iphone)
- [How to find and delete similar photos on iPhone](/guides/delete-similar-photos-iphone)
- [All comparisons](/compare)

## How we checked
- **When and where:** November 14, 2026, on the US App Store on the web (apps.apple.com/us), signed out. Prices are in US dollars, before tax.
- **Which apps:** we searched Apple's public iTunes Search API (US store) for "photo vault", "private photo vault", "secret photo album" and "hide photos", took the first 10 results of each (all of them were vault apps), and kept the eight with the most ratings. The API's order can differ from search in the App Store app.
- **Prices, privacy and ratings:** the "In-App Purchases", "App Privacy" and ratings sections of each listing. We call an item one-time only when its name or the app's description says so.
- **Security:** every security feature above is quoted from the app's own description. We did not install, buy or test any of these apps, and we don't assess their encryption or how hard they are to get into.

## Corrections
If anything here is wrong or out of date, email support [at] spaceclear.app with the app and a link, and we will fix it and note the change below. Developers of the listed apps are welcome to write too.

## Changes
- 2026-11-14: first version.