Mavaul vs KYMS
Secret Photos - KYMS wants to be your whole private life: photos, videos, documents, passwords, contacts, a browser, a wallet, a decoy vault. Both apps encrypt with AES. The difference is everything around it. Mavaul does photos and videos only, has no ads and no tracking, and spends its effort on the part you do every day: opening the vault and looking at what's inside.
At a glance
| Mavaul | KYMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Keeping photos private and enjoying them | One encrypted place for photos, files, passwords and more |
| Encryption on the phone | AES-256 for every photo and video | AES, with real-time decryption |
| Account | None | None listed |
| Unlock | Face ID or passcode, or a calculator that really calculates | PIN, alphanumeric password, Face ID or Touch ID, or all of them together |
| Viewing | Tap the edges to flick through, timed slideshow with a progress hint | Plays videos while they decrypt, including MKV, AVI, WMV and FLV |
| 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 |
| Editing | Adjust light and colour, crop (Premium) | Photo editor with thousands of effects |
| Backup | Encrypted on the phone, to your Dropbox, Nextcloud or Files (Premium) | Not listed |
| Decoy and panic | Decoy mode: a working calculator in place of the lock screen. No panic gesture | Fake PIN with a decoy vault. Cover the screen to lock |
| Also stores | Photos and videos | Documents, passwords, contacts, audio, cards, tasks. Private browser |
| Ads | None | Sells a "Remove advertising" purchase |
| App Store privacy label | Data not linked to you: analytics and crash data. No tracking | Data used to track you: identifiers. Not linked to you: data for third-party advertising, analytics |
| 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 | $4.99 to remove ads, $4.99 for Premium features (US) |
| On the App Store since | 2026 | 2011, 4.7 stars from about 17,000 ratings (US) |
One job, done well
KYMS keeps adding rooms: a wallet, a task manager, a doc scanner, an audio recorder. Mavaul keeps one room and makes it nice to be in. It borrows what already works on the iPhone. Drag across the grid to select a dozen photos, like in Photos. Swap the icon for a calculator, a cat or a bottle of hot sauce. Turn on the calculator lock screen, and 2 + 2 really is 4. Type your passcode on the keypad to get in.
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, 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. Tap and hold to pause. 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: thumbnails first, full size right after, a slideshow and a full-screen viewer. Nothing leaves your Wi-Fi.
Ads in a vault
Both apps encrypt your files. But KYMS's App Store privacy label lists identifiers that may be used to track you across other companies' apps and websites, and data used for third-party advertising, and the app sells a purchase to remove ads. Mavaul has no ads. Its label lists anonymous analytics and crash data that isn't linked to you, and no tracking. Privacy has the long version.
Where KYMS wins
- It locks much more than photos: documents, passwords, contacts, audio and cards.
- It plays video formats the iPhone doesn't, like MKV, AVI and FLV, and starts them before decryption finishes.
- A fake PIN with a decoy vault, a panic gesture, and multi-factor unlock.
- A private browser with tabs and video downloads, and a heavy photo editor.
Which one to pick
Pick KYMS if you want one encrypted app for everything private, or you have videos in formats the iPhone can't play.
Pick Mavaul if your vault is for photos and videos, you don't want ads or tracking in it, and you want an app that feels like a good iPhone app and makes your photos nice to look at again, on the phone or on the TV.
Questions
Is Mavaul a good alternative to KYMS?
Yes, if you only need photos and videos and want a vault without ads or tracking. Stay with KYMS if you also lock documents and passwords, or play MKV and AVI files.
Does KYMS have ads?
It sells a $4.99 "Remove advertising" purchase on the US App Store, and its privacy label lists data for third-party advertising. Mavaul has no ads.
Do both encrypt photos?
Yes. KYMS describes AES encryption with real-time decryption. Mavaul encrypts every photo and video with AES-256 on the iPhone.
How do I move my photos from KYMS to Mavaul?
Export them from KYMS to the Photos app, import them into Mavaul, then delete them from Photos and from Recently Deleted so no copy is left in the library.
Sources
KYMS facts come from its US App Store listing and privacy label, checked on October 6, 2026. Prices and features change, so check the listing before you buy. Mavaul facts come from pricing, privacy and facts.json. Spot something out of date? hello@mavaul.com.