Mavaul vs Keepsafe
Keepsafe is one of the most used vaults on the App Store, with about 380,000 ratings since 2012. Its pitch is a vault that follows you: a Private Cloud, sync across phone and tablet, trash recovery. Mavaul goes the other way. Photos stay on the iPhone, encrypted with AES-256, with no account, no ads and no tracking, and the effort goes into opening the vault and looking at them.
At a glance
| Mavaul | Keepsafe | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Keeping photos private and enjoying them | A vault synced across devices through its cloud |
| Encryption on the phone | AES-256-GCM for every photo and video | "Military-grade encryption", not named |
| Account | None | Not stated in the listing |
| Unlock | Face ID, Touch ID or a 4-digit vault passcode | PIN, Touch ID, per-album PINs (Premium) |
| Decoy and disguise | Decoy mode: a working calculator in place of the lock screen. Calculator, cat or hot sauce icons | Not listed |
| Viewing | Tap the edges to flick through, pinch to zoom, timed slideshow with a progress hint | Full-screen viewing and slideshow |
| Big screen | Wi-Fi Share: QR code, then the vault opens in a browser on a TV, laptop or any device on the same Wi-Fi, with slideshow | Not listed |
| Backup | Encrypted on the phone, to your Dropbox, Nextcloud or Files (Premium). Mavaul hosts nothing | Private Cloud, up to 10,000 items (Premium) |
| Also stores | Photos and videos | Photos, videos, ID and card photos. Built-in camera |
| Ads | None | Yes on the free plan. Ad-free is a Premium feature |
| App Store privacy label | Data not linked to you: analytics and crash data. No tracking | Data used to track you: usage data. Not linked to you: data for third-party advertising |
| Free version | 20 photos and videos, all the locks, Wi-Fi Share | Yes, with ads |
| Premium | 1,99 € a month, 17,99 € a year, or 49,99 € once | $9.99 a month or $23.99 a year (US) |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone and iPad |
| On the App Store since | 2026 | 2012, 4.7 stars from about 384,000 ratings (US) |
Made to look at your photos, not just hide them
A vault is also where you go back to the photos. In Mavaul you tap the edges to flick through, pinch to zoom, or start a slideshow. A thin progress hint shows when the next photo is due, and if you swipe away, the show carries on from there. With Wi-Fi Share you scan a QR code and the vault opens on a TV, laptop or any device with a browser on the same Wi-Fi, with a slideshow and a full-screen viewer. Nothing leaves your Wi-Fi.
Privacy and encryption
Keepsafe's App Store label lists usage data that may be used to track you across other companies' apps and websites, and data used for third-party advertising. Its listing says "military-grade encryption" without naming it, and the free plan shows ads. Mavaul names AES-256-GCM, has no ads, and its label lists no tracking. How Mavaul's encryption works.
Where Keepsafe wins
- Sync across phone and tablet through Keepsafe's own cloud.
- Trash recovery for photos you deleted by mistake (Premium).
- Safe Send, for sharing a photo that expires.
- An iPad app and more than a decade on the App Store.
Which one to pick
Pick Keepsafe if you want one vault on several devices, synced through a cloud someone else runs.
Pick Mavaul if you want your photos encrypted on the phone, no tracking, a calculator decoy, and an app that makes your photos nice to look at again, on the phone or on the TV.
Questions
Is Mavaul a good alternative to Keepsafe?
Yes, if you want photos kept on the iPhone, encrypted, with no ads, no tracking and no account, and a vault that's nice to look through. Stay with Keepsafe if you need sync across devices.
Does Keepsafe track you?
Its App Store privacy label lists usage data that may be used to track you across other companies' apps and websites. Mavaul's label lists no tracking.
Does Keepsafe have ads?
The free plan does. Ad-free is part of Keepsafe Premium. Mavaul has no ads on any plan.
Sources
Keepsafe facts come from its US App Store listing and privacy label, checked on October 6, 2026. Privacy labels are filled in by each developer, who is responsible for keeping them accurate. Prices and features change, so check the listing before you buy. Mavaul facts come from features, pricing and privacy. App names and icons belong to their owners. Spot something out of date? hello@mavaul.com.