Comparison
Bunker vs Private Photo Vault
Private Photo Vault is a long-running, feature-rich photo locker: PIN, pattern or password locks, album passwords, break-in reports, a decoy password and a private web browser. Bunker does fewer things on purpose: every vault is encrypted on your device under a Pattern only you know, backup to your own iCloud is free, and there’s no account and no ad tracking, plus Legacy Vaults for your family.
The short verdict
- Pick Private Photo Vault if you want break-in reports, a built-in private browser, Face Down lock, or an app that still runs on iOS 15.
- Pick Bunker if you want free encrypted backup, separate vaults with no list of them anywhere, no cross-app tracking, a native Mac app, or a way for your family to reach a vault later.
Side by side
| Bunker | Private Photo Vault | |
|---|---|---|
| Encryption model | Every item encrypted on your device with keys from your Pattern | Cloud Vault backup encrypted with a Cloud Vault Password only you know |
| Account required | No account, no email | Not described on the listing |
| Unlock method | Pattern on a 5 × 5 dial, optional Passphrase | PIN, pattern (dot lock) or password; album passwords |
| Backup | Encrypted Backup to your own iCloud, free | Encrypted Cloud Vault; not in the free version |
| Multiple vaults / decoy | Unlimited Hidden Vaults, each with its own Pattern | Decoy password |
| Duress | Duress Vault (Bunker Pro) | Not listed |
| Family access / legacy | Legacy Vaults (Bunker Pro); Family Plans for up to 6 people | Not listed |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad and native Mac | iPhone and iPad (iOS 15); runs on Apple silicon Macs as an iPad app |
| Price model | Free; Bunker Pro weekly, yearly with a free trial, or lifetime | Free; Premium and upgrade in-app purchases |
Private Photo Vault details come from its App Store listing (developer: Legendary Software Labs LLC), checked Oct 24, 2026.
How Private Photo Vault works
You protect the app with a PIN, a pattern (dot lock) or a password, and you can add separate passwords to individual albums. If someone tries to get in, a break-in report records a photo and GPS location. A decoy password and a Face Down lock are included, and the app has its own private web browser that can save photos straight into the vault.
Its Cloud Vault backup is encrypted with a Cloud Vault Password that never goes to the developer’s servers, so the developer can’t see your photos, and if you forget that password your Cloud Vault data can’t be opened. The listing notes that the free version doesn’t back up to Cloud Vault.
The listing has about 1 million ratings, averaging 4.8. Its App Store privacy label says usage data may be used to track you across other companies’ apps and websites, and lists data linked to you, including identifiers and photos or videos for app functionality.
Where Bunker is different
Encryption starts at the Pattern. In Bunker, your Pattern is turned into the key for that vault with Argon2id, a memory-hard function, and every item is encrypted with AES-256-GCM before it’s stored. Thumbnails, file names and notes are encrypted too.
Free backup, to your iCloud. Encrypted Backup is free on every plan. Bunker encrypts each vault on the device before it goes to your own iCloud, and you restore it on a new iPhone with your Pattern or Recovery Phrase.
Separate vaults, not a decoy password. Bunker’s Hidden Vaults are all equal: each opens with its own Pattern, nothing marks one as the decoy, and there’s no list of them anywhere. With Bunker Pro, a Duress Vault opens normally and clears your other vaults from this device. Your iCloud backup still keeps them, and each comes back with its Recovery Phrase.
No intruder photos. Bunker never tells you, or anyone, that a Pattern was “wrong”. A Pattern that opens nothing shows “No vault opened”, exactly as a brand-new Pattern does. That design is why it can’t take break-in photos, and why the screen never confirms a hidden vault exists.
No ads, no tracking across apps. Bunker shows no ads, has no ad tracking, and asks once whether you’d like to share anonymous usage data, with off as the default.
Documents and family. Scan & Search scans papers with the document scanner and reads text on your device, so you can search inside scans. Legacy Vaults let your trusted contacts open a read-only copy of one vault together, with printed Legacy Cards. In v1, enough of them together can open it at any time, including while you’re alive.
A native Mac app. Bunker is built for the Mac, and with Bunker Pro your vaults sync between iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Choose Private Photo Vault if…
- You want break-in reports. It records a photo and GPS location on a failed attempt. Bunker has nothing like it, by design.
- You want a private browser inside the vault app. Bunker has none.
- You want a Face Down lock or separate passwords on individual albums.
- Your device is on iOS 15, 16 or 17. Private Photo Vault supports iOS 15 and later; Bunker needs iOS 18.
- You prefer a PIN or a typed password as the everyday lock.
- You value a long track record. It’s one of the most-reviewed apps in its category.
Its US App Store in-app purchases range from $6.99 to $39.99, with several Premium options. Prices were checked Oct 24, 2026 and can change.
Choose Bunker if…
- You want backup included on the free plan.
- You want the vault’s key to come from your Pattern, with no account.
- You want separate vaults with no list of them, or a Duress Vault.
- You’d like no ad tracking.
- You use a Mac, or want a plan for your family.
Bunker’s Free plan holds 3 Vaults, with 100 photos, 10 videos and 20 documents and notes in total. Bunker Pro is $19.99 a year with a 7-day free trial ($1.67 a month), $1.99 a week, or $39.99 once.
Limits of both
No vault app protects a phone that’s already compromised. In Bunker, someone holding your unlocked phone who knows your Pattern sees that vault, and if you forget a Pattern and lose its Recovery Phrase, nobody can open the vault, including us.
Related
- Bunker vs Keepsafe and Bunker vs Vaultaire
- Secure Camera and Sync
- Security and limits
- Guides: how to choose a photo vault app and send private photos securely
Questions
Does Private Photo Vault back up for free?
No. Its App Store listing says the free version doesn't back up your files to its Cloud Vault. Bunker's Encrypted Backup to your own iCloud is free for everyone.
Does Private Photo Vault work on Mac?
Its iPad app can run on a Mac with Apple silicon; the App Store marks it as designed for iPad and not verified for macOS. Bunker has a native Mac app.
Can I switch from Private Photo Vault to Bunker?
There's no direct import. Export your photos and videos from Private Photo Vault to Photos, import them into a Bunker vault, then delete the exported copies from Photos and from Recently Deleted.
Why doesn't Bunker have break-in photos?
Because Bunker never decides that a Pattern is wrong. A Pattern that opens nothing looks the same as a new one, so there's no wrong attempt to photograph, and nothing on screen confirms that a vault exists.