Short answer
Pick by why you are leaving. For nothing on anyone's server and one payment, use AlterVault at $24.99 once, on Android and iPhone. To keep a cloud copy the provider cannot read, use Ente Photos, which is open source with 10 GB free. For a free app whose code you can read, use Photok on Android. If you only want photos out of your gallery, Google Photos Locked Folder is free. Keepsafe itself documents AES-256 encryption, but its help centre says it is not a zero-knowledge app, and one email code signs you in on a new device and resets your PIN.
On this page
AlterVault vs Keepsafe
Keepsafe facts from its help centre and US App Store listing, linked below. AlterVault facts from the app source.
AlterVault
KeepsafeUS list prices, checked November 2026.
What Keepsafe does well
- A cloud copy that just works
- Drop your phone in a lake and your backed-up items come back when you log in on a new device. Most on-device vaults, ours included, cannot offer that without you making a file.
- Sync across devices
- A phone and tablet stay in step with no effort. If you view your vault on two devices, a local app is a downgrade.
- A named cipher
- Keepsafe says files are protected with 256-bit AES as soon as they are added, and that they stay encrypted at rest. Its App Store listing still says "military-grade", but the help centre is specific.
- Years of use
- The listing claims more than 70 million users and shows a 4.7 rating from about 386,000 reviews. It was updated in October 2026, so it is not abandoned.
Sources: Keepsafe Help: How does Keepsafe protect my data?, App Store: Secret Photo Vault, Keepsafe (US)
Why people leave Keepsafe
- It is not zero-knowledge
- Keepsafe's help centre says it "is not currently designed as a completely zero-knowledge app", and that it can "technically view or share your personal data in limited cases": when you ask for support, when required by law, and when it has concerns about a violation of its terms. Otherwise it says staff need your consent. That is a promise about behaviour. A zero-knowledge design would make it a limit of the system.
- Your inbox is the way in
- Keepsafe documents that signing in on a new device takes an access code from your account email, and that the same process resets a forgotten PIN. We have not tested this end to end, but read plainly it means your email account is what guards the vault. If you stay, protect that inbox with two-factor sign-in.
- The yearly price
- $9.99 a month or $23.99 a year on the US listing. About $120 over five years. Decoy Vault, Intruder Alerts, Album Lock and the larger cloud allowance all sit behind Premium, and the subscription pays for cloud storage whether you want it or not.
- The backup limit
- Basic backs up your first 200 items and Premium up to 10,000. Keepsafe warns that without a backup, items on a lost device "will be gone forever". Some App Store reviews describe backups that stopped syncing. That is anecdotal, but it is worth checking your own count.
- Ads and tracking
- Basic carries ads, and the App Store privacy label declares usage data used to track you. It lists no data linked to your identity.
- An old lock-screen finding
- IOActive bypassed KeepSafe's lock screen on a jailbroken iPhone in 2015. That is eleven years and many versions ago, so treat it as history rather than a current flaw. No public test of today's version exists that we know of.
Sources: Keepsafe Help: Can Keepsafe see any of my content?, Keepsafe Help: How does Keepsafe protect my data?, Keepsafe Help: What does Keepsafe Premium include?, App Store: Secret Photo Vault, Keepsafe (US), IOActive: Breaking into and Reverse Engineering iOS Photo Vaults (2015)
The seven alternatives
We make the first one, so weigh that entry accordingly. We have not lab-tested the others. These facts come from each vendor's own pages and store listings, and each is linked below.
- AlterVault: nothing on a server, one payment
Android and iPhone. Files sealed with XChaCha20-Poly1305 on the device, key from your code, no account and no cloud. $24.99 once or $4.99 a month, with 10 items free. A decoy gallery opens with a shake. The catch is that you own the backup: there is no copy unless you save the file. The source is not published.
- Ente Photos: the cloud, without the provider reading it
Android, iPhone, web and desktop. End-to-end encrypted photo storage, open source and self-hostable, with a password-protected Hidden folder and an app lock. 10 GB free, then from $2.49 a month for 50 GB. If the cloud is what you like about Keepsafe, start here. It beats us on backup and sync. It has no decoy.
- Proton Drive: encrypted storage from a privacy company
Android, iPhone, web and desktop. End-to-end encrypted storage with automatic photo backup. 5 GB free, 200 GB for $4.99 a month. Good if you already use Proton, or want documents and photos in one place. It is a drive with albums rather than a vault, and we found no hidden album or decoy.
- LockMyPix: the same shape as Keepsafe, without the cloud
Android and iPhone. Its listing describes AES in CTR mode on the device, says private data is not sent anywhere, and offers a fake vault with a separate code. It is a subscription, with the yearly plan at $29.99, and its privacy label declares identifiers used for tracking.
- Photok: free, and you can read the code
Android 9 and later. Open source under Apache 2.0, AES-256 on the device, no ads. It beats us if verifying the code matters most, because ours is not published. The Google Play build has telemetry on by default and the F-Droid build does not, so choose F-Droid if that matters. Backups are your job.
- Vaultaire: iPhone only, with an iCloud option
iPhone and iPad on iOS 17 or later. AES-256-GCM with PBKDF2, separate vaults by pattern, and a Duress Mode. 100 photos free, then $19.99 a year or $39.99 once. Encrypted iCloud backup is on by default. Good on iPhone if you want a cloud copy inside Apple's system.
- Google Photos Locked Folder: free, and good enough for some
Android and the Google Photos app on iPhone. Free, and by default its contents stay on the device. It opens with your screen lock, holds photos and video only, and has no decoy. On a Samsung phone, Secure Folder fills the same role with its own PIN.
Sources: Ente: Pricing, F-Droid: Ente Photos, Proton Drive: Pricing, App Store: LockMyPix Secret Photo Vault (US), GitHub: Photok, Vaultaire, Google Photos Help: Locked Folder
Pick by what you want to fix
- "I do not want a company able to reach my photos"
- AlterVault or Photok, with nothing on a server. Ente or Proton if you still want a cloud copy.
- "I am tired of paying every year"
- AlterVault or Vaultaire's lifetime plan, once. Photok or Locked Folder, free.
- "I want my photos to survive a lost phone"
- Ente or Proton do it automatically. In AlterVault, you save a backup file and keep it somewhere else.
- "I just want them out of my gallery"
- Locked Folder on Android, Secure Folder on Samsung, the Hidden album on iPhone. All free.
What AlterVault does instead
- Encrypted on the phone
- Every file is sealed with XChaCha20-Poly1305 before it is written, thumbnails included. The key comes from your code through Argon2id, so a stolen email account opens nothing.
- Nothing on a server
- No account, no sync, no email reset. Nobody at AlterVault can open your library, and there is no database of your files to breach.
- A shake instead of a second PIN
- Shake once and the vault becomes an ordinary gallery. Nobody watches you type a second code.
- $24.99 once
- Free up to 10 items, enough to test a move before paying. Pro lifts the cap and adds more vaults, each behind its own code.
What you give up: automatic cloud backup, sync between devices, and intruder alerts. AlterVault's backup is a file you save yourself, and it has no break-in log. The app also sends anonymous usage events and checks purchases online. Photos, file names and your code never touch the network.
Leaving Keepsafe without losing anything
Do this in order, and do not delete anything until the count matches.
- Turn off cloud photo sync first
Exported photos land in your gallery unencrypted. If Google Photos or iCloud Photos is syncing, they upload to it. Pause the sync until you have finished and cleaned up.
- Turn off Space Saver
Space Saver keeps compressed copies on the phone and originals in Keepsafe's cloud. Exporting a compressed copy loses quality, so turn it off and let the full-size files download first. Keep the app open with the screen on.
- Export from Keepsafe
On iPhone, open an album, tap Select, choose photos, tap Send, then move to camera roll. On Android, open an album, tap Select, choose photos, then tap the export icon. Exporting decrypts each file. Photos return to the date they were taken, so scroll back to find them.
- Verify
Compare the count album by album. Open several photos and videos at random and confirm they are full resolution.
- Import into the new vault
In AlterVault, use the system picker to bring them in, and check the count again. The free tier holds 10 items, which is enough to test the route before paying.
- Clear the plain copies
Delete the exported files from your gallery, then from Recently Deleted or Trash, then turn cloud sync back on.
- Remove your data from Keepsafe
Empty Keepsafe's Trash, which stays in the cloud until you do. Keepsafe has an account-deletion process, so use it if you want the cloud copy gone rather than just the app.
- Cancel, in the right place
Deleting the account or the app does not cancel Premium. Cancel in Google Play or the App Store, at least 48 hours before renewal according to Keepsafe.
- Make your first backup
In AlterVault: Settings, Encrypted Backup, Save a Backup. Keep the file off the phone.
Sources: Keepsafe Help: Exporting photos from Photo Vault, Keepsafe Help: How does the Keepsafe backup work?, Keepsafe Help: What to expect when my subscription expires, Keepsafe Help: How do I unsubscribe from Premium?, Keepsafe Help: Permanently deleting your account
Questions
What is the best alternative to Keepsafe?
It depends why you are leaving. AlterVault suits people who want nothing on a server and one $24.99 payment. Ente Photos suits people who want an end-to-end encrypted cloud copy. Photok suits people who want free, open-source code on Android. Google Photos Locked Folder is enough if you only want photos out of your gallery.
Is Keepsafe safe?
For keeping photos from someone who picks up your phone, yes. Keepsafe documents 256-bit AES at rest and a PIN lock. It is not designed as zero-knowledge by its own account, and an email access code can sign you in on a new device and reset your PIN, so your email security matters as much as your PIN.
Can Keepsafe see my photos?
Technically, yes. Keepsafe says it is "not currently designed as a completely zero-knowledge app" and can view or share your data in limited cases: when you ask for support, when required by law, and when it has concerns about a violation of its terms. Otherwise it says staff need your consent, so policy limits access, not the system.
Does Keepsafe encrypt photos?
Yes, by its own documentation: 256-bit AES as soon as files are added, encrypted at rest. Older pages, including an earlier version of this one, said otherwise. What Keepsafe does not publish is how its key is derived, and its email PIN reset shows the key does not depend on your PIN alone.
How much does Keepsafe cost?
$9.99 a month or $23.99 a year on the US App Store listing as of November 2026, or about $120 over five years. Keepsafe's help pages mention a Lifetime plan, but no item on the current US listing is labelled lifetime. AlterVault is $24.99 once, with 10 items free.
What happens if I cancel Keepsafe Premium?
Keepsafe says you keep Premium until the period ends, then move to Basic. All items stay in the app, but only 200 stay backed up. If Space Saver was on, it is turned off and full-size files download to the phone. Uninstalling or deleting your account does not cancel the subscription.
What does Keepsafe do that AlterVault does not?
Automatic cloud backup, sync across devices, intruder alerts and time-limited sharing through Safe Send. If a copy that survives a destroyed phone without any effort is what you need, Keepsafe or Ente fit better. AlterVault keeps nothing on a server, so the substitute is a backup file you save yourself.
Can I move my photos from Keepsafe to AlterVault?
Yes. Pause cloud photo sync, turn off Space Saver, export from Keepsafe to your gallery, check the count, and import into AlterVault with the system picker. Then delete the plain copies from your gallery and Recently Deleted, and only then cancel Premium in the store.
Is AlterVault open source?
No, so the cipher is our word rather than something you can read. What you can check in a minute is the permission list: on Android, photo, video, camera, microphone and biometric permissions are removed from the build. If reading the code matters most, Ente and Photok are open source.