Prive › Private Photo Vault alternative
A Private Photo Vault alternative without ads or tracking
Short answer: Private Photo Vault (Pic Safe) is one of the most popular vault apps, with decoy passwords, break-in reports and a paid encrypted Cloud Vault. Its App Store privacy label lists data used to track you and data linked to your identity, including identifiers, purchases and usage data, and the app shows ads. Prive collects no data, has no ads and no servers, and encrypts each file on your iPhone with AES-256-GCM.
Prive vs Private Photo Vault at a glance
Checked October 10, 2026 against each app's App Store listing. Privacy labels are provided by developers and can change.
| Private Photo Vault – Pic Safe | Prive | |
|---|---|---|
| Data used to track you | Usage data | None |
| Data linked to you | Includes identifiers (user ID, device ID), purchases, usage data, diagnostics, and photos or videos for app functionality | None. Data Not Collected |
| Ads | Yes | None |
| Backup | Cloud Vault (Premium), encrypted with a Cloud Vault password you create | Optional, to your own iCloud, encrypted before upload |
| Encryption | Cloud Vault backups are encrypted with your Cloud Vault password | AES-256-GCM for every file on the device |
| Break-in alerts | Yes, photo and GPS location | Yes, front-camera photo |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Mac (Apple silicon), Apple Vision Pro | iPhone (iOS 17 or later); runs on iPad as an iPhone app |
| Price | Free with in-app purchases | Free for up to 20 photos and videos; Premium (monthly or yearly) for unlimited |
The difference that matters: what leaves your phone
Both apps lock photos behind a PIN. The difference is in everything around the vault. A privacy label that lists tracking and data linked to you means information about how you use the app is connected to you and shared for advertising. Prive's label is “Data Not Collected”: there is no account, no analytics, no ad network and no server to send anything to.
When Private Photo Vault may suit you better
Private Photo Vault has been around for years, has around a million ratings, runs natively on iPad, Mac and Vision Pro, and has more disguise options. If those matter more to you than data collection, it is a reasonable choice.
How to switch to Prive
- In Private Photo Vault, export your photos and videos back to your Photos library.
- Install Prive, create your PIN and write down your Recovery Key.
- Tap + → Import from Photos, select the items and let Prive delete the originals. Empty Recently Deleted in Photos.
Read more: how Prive encrypts your photos · Prive vs Keepsafe.
Frequently asked questions
Does Private Photo Vault track you?
Its App Store privacy label lists usage data as “Data Used to Track You” and several data types linked to your identity, including identifiers and purchases. Check the current label on the App Store, as developers can update it.
Does Private Photo Vault have ads?
Yes. The App Store listing includes advertising, and the privacy label lists third-party advertising.
Is there a photo vault that collects no data?
Yes. Prive's App Store privacy label is “Data Not Collected”. It has no account, no analytics, no ads and no servers.
