AlbumVault vs Encamera (2026 Review & Comparison)

Encamera Encrypted Photo Vault (published by Encamera LLC on the US App Store) started from a smart premise: instead of taking a private photo with the system iPhone Camera (where it immediately syncs to iCloud Photos and appears in your main grid) and then remembering to import and delete it later, shoot the photo straight into an encrypted vault from the start.

Here is our 2026 review of Encamera and how it compares side by side with AlbumVault.

Encamera review: what it does well

Checked on the US App Store on 26 October 2026, Encamera is one of the cleaner modern iOS vault apps:

• Camera-⁠first workflow: opens quickly to capture photos and videos directly into encrypted storage so they never touch Apple Photos or iCloud Photos.
• Flexible storage backend: lets you store encrypted albums locally on your iPhone or sync encrypted files through your own iCloud Drive or Google Drive.
• No ad-⁠network tracking: the US App Store privacy label lists only Data Not Linked to You, with no Data Used to Track You advertising section.

Where Encamera and AlbumVault differ

1. Unlock model and multiple vaults

Encamera uses a standard passcode/PIN and biometric unlock screen.

AlbumVault Unlock by drawing a pattern on a 5×5 grid of dots, using at least 6 dots. Prefer numbers? A PIN of 6 to 12 digits works too. Every pattern or PIN leads to exactly one vault, and a vault can have more than one way in. A pattern that belongs to no vault opens nothing. A guest vault (Pro) is a second pattern that opens a separate vault with only what you put there. Draw your emergency pattern and AlbumVault opens your chosen vault and permanently removes access to every other vault on this phone, with no prompt. It needs a second vault, which is part of Pro.

2. Cross-⁠platform support and cloud vs offline backups

Encamera is built for iOS only and offers optional folder sync with iCloud Drive or Google Drive so your encrypted photos follow you across Apple devices. That works smoothly if every phone and tablet you own runs iOS, though it ties your live vault directory to a cloud folder.

AlbumVault AlbumVault is built for iPhone and Android. Move a vault between them with an encrypted transfer file and its recovery phrase. Save an encrypted backup file of a vault to Files, a computer or a drive you trust. Only its 12-⁠word recovery phrase opens it. Each vault has its own 12-⁠word recovery phrase (BIP-⁠39), shown once. We never see it and cannot reset it. If you forget your pattern, the phrase gets you back in. Vault files are left out of your phone’s own iCloud or Google device backup. Backing up a vault is a separate, encrypted step you control. Because the backup file is a standalone encrypted bundle rather than an iOS-⁠only sync container, you can save it to Files, a USB drive or a computer and restore it on either an iPhone or an Android phone without needing a cloud account.

3. Disguise and break-⁠in photos

AlbumVault Icon disguise (Pro): make the app look like a calculator. A code you choose on the calculator brings up the unlock screen; it is a gate, not your key, so a vault still needs its pattern. Break-⁠in photos (Pro): after 3 wrong tries AlbumVault can take a front-⁠camera photo, encrypted so only your vault can open it. The phone’s camera indicator still lights up when the photo is taken, so the person may notice.

4. Pricing comparison

On the US App Store on 26 October 2026:

• Encamera: lists 1 Week $1.99, Premium Monthly $2.99 / 1 Month $3.99, Premium Yearly $17.99 / 12 Months $19.99, Limited Lifetime $49.99, and Lifetime $99.99.
• AlbumVault: Free: 1 vault, up to 100 photos and 10 videos, encrypted backup file included. Pro: as many vaults as you want, including the guest vault, with no limit on photos and videos.

Which one should you choose?

Pick Encamera if:

1. You only use an iPhone and want automatic background sync of your encrypted vault folder into iCloud Drive or Google Drive.

Pick AlbumVault if:

1. You prefer a 5×5 pattern unlock where each pattern leads to its own separate vault (including a guest vault and an emergency pattern).
2. You want a 12-⁠word offline recovery phrase per vault and a portable backup format that works across both iPhone and Android.
3. You want a full one-⁠time lifetime purchase at $39.99 (compared with $49.99 to $99.99 on Encamera’s App Store listing) and zero third-⁠party SDKs (The apps contain no analytics, ad or tracking SDKs. Purchases use Apple’s or Google’s own in-⁠app purchase.).

Limits to know on the AlbumVault side

AlbumVault does not hide that some private data exists: your phone’s storage settings, and a forensic examiner, can still show that. Deleting is not shredding: a lab that images the phone may recover deleted bytes. Use AlbumVault to keep people out of your photos, not to beat a forensics lab.

The hardware key cannot move to a new phone, so on a new phone, or a phone restored from a backup, a vault opens only with its recovery phrase. Keep the phrase safe before you switch phones.

AlbumVault cannot protect against malware or a jailbroken or rooted phone running code while the vault is open, against what is on screen or shared out once decrypted, or against someone deleting files they can reach (they can destroy data, not read it).