Velcrypt vs Keepsafe
Last checked: October 2026. Product details change; check each app's App Store listing for the current version.
Keepsafe and Velcrypt both keep private photos out of your main camera roll, but they are built on different ideas. Keepsafe leans on an account and an optional cloud, so your photos can survive a lost phone. Velcrypt keeps everything on the iPhone, with no account, and treats that as the point. This page lays out the differences as neutrally as we can.
The short version
Velcrypt is a local-only vault: encryption, keys and files all stay on your device, and you unlock it by drawing a pattern. Keepsafe, according to its App Store listing, pairs an on-device vault with an account and an optional “Private Cloud” backup that comes with its premium subscription.
Neither approach is universally better. One trades convenience for minimal exposure; the other trades some exposure for recoverability.
Feature comparison
| Velcrypt | Keepsafe | |
|---|---|---|
| On-device encryption details published | Yes: AES-256-GCM, PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA512 key derivation (see encryption) | Not stated publicly in detail |
| Account required | No account, no email | Yes, according to its listing |
| Cloud backup | No (v1); encrypted backup planned | Optional “Private Cloud” with premium |
| Unlock method | Pattern on a 5×5 grid | PIN or passcode |
| Biometrics (Face ID / Touch ID) | Not offered, by design | Supported, according to its listing |
| Decoy / multiple vaults | Every pattern is its own vault | Fake/decoy PIN in premium |
| Duress pattern | Coming soon (Premium) | Not stated publicly |
| Break-in alerts | Not offered | Offered in premium |
| Recovery if you forget the code | None; vault cannot be recovered | Varies; account-based recovery may be available |
| Business model | Free version plus optional Premium (see pricing) | Free tier plus premium subscription |
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 17+) | iOS and Android |
Account and cloud: the core difference
An account is a convenience feature. It lets an app restore your vault on a new phone and sync it across devices. It also means a company holds an identifier for you, and, if you use cloud backup, a copy of your files sits on servers you don’t control, protected by whatever encryption and access policies that service uses.
Velcrypt takes the opposite position. There is no sign-up, no email and no server, as explained on offline, no account. In version 1, vault data is excluded from iCloud and Finder backups. The honest consequence is that nobody can restore it for you: not Apple, not Velcrypt, not you. If that worries you, read forgot your vault pattern before you decide.
Unlocking: pattern versus PIN and biometrics
Keepsafe uses a PIN-style code and, according to its listing, can use Face ID or Touch ID for convenience.
Velcrypt uses a drawn pattern on a 5×5 grid: one continuous line through at least six dots with at least one change of direction. It intentionally skips Face ID and Touch ID, because a face or finger can be used without your consent, while a pattern exists only in your memory. The comparison in pattern lock vs PIN vs Face ID goes deeper on the trade-offs.
Decoys and deniability
Many vault apps offer a second, fake code that opens a harmless vault. Keepsafe has offered a decoy PIN as a premium feature.
Velcrypt’s model is structural rather than an add-on. Every pattern is its own vault, there is no list of vaults, and a pattern the app has never seen simply opens an empty vault with no error. Nothing on screen proves other vaults exist. That is what hidden vaults and plausible deniability mean in practice. A duress pattern, which would open a chosen vault and silently remove access to the others, is planned for Premium and is coming soon.
When Keepsafe may suit you better
- You want backup and sync. If losing your phone must not mean losing your photos, an account-based cloud backup is the simpler answer today. Velcrypt v1 does not offer it.
- You use Android too. Keepsafe is available on more than one platform, according to its store listings; Velcrypt is iPhone-only.
- You prefer Face ID. If biometric convenience matters more to you than the compelled-unlock concern, Velcrypt deliberately won’t offer it.
- You want break-in alerts. Velcrypt does not take intruder photos.
When Velcrypt may suit you better
- You don’t want an account. Nothing ties your vault to an email address or identity.
- You want nothing to leave the phone. No uploads, no servers, no analytics on vault content.
- You want deniability. Separate, unlisted vaults where an unknown pattern reveals nothing.
- You want published crypto details. Velcrypt documents its algorithms on the security page.
Whatever you pick, remember that importing a photo into any vault usually copies it. Delete the original from Photos and empty Recently Deleted afterwards; the steps are in delete original photos after import.
What neither app can fix
No vault protects against someone watching you enter your code, a phone handed over while the vault is open, or copies that still live in iCloud Photos, chat threads or someone else’s phone. A vault is one layer of privacy, not the whole plan. If you are weighing several apps, the roundup of private photo vault apps and the Keepsafe alternative page may help.
Frequently asked questions
Does Keepsafe require an account?
According to its App Store listing at the time of writing, Keepsafe uses an account tied to an email address, which supports features like cloud backup. Velcrypt has no account at all; nothing about you or your vault leaves the phone.
Can Velcrypt back up my vault like Keepsafe’s cloud?
Not in the first version. Velcrypt excludes vault data from iCloud and computer backups, so a lost phone or forgotten pattern means the vault is gone. An encrypted backup option is planned, without a set date.
Which one has a decoy vault?
Both offer a form of decoy. Keepsafe has described a fake or decoy PIN as a premium feature. In Velcrypt, any pattern can be its own vault, so you can keep a harmless decoy vault, and unknown patterns simply open an empty vault.
Can I switch from Keepsafe to Velcrypt?
Yes, in general terms: export your photos from Keepsafe back to the Photos app or Files, import them into Velcrypt, then delete the exported copies and empty Recently Deleted. The exact export steps depend on the current Keepsafe version.