AlbumVault vs Hide it Pro

Hide it Pro has more than 50 million downloads on Google Play, and its appeal is easy to see: it is free, it hides in plain sight, and it has a trick for when someone catches you using it. Here is how it compares with AlbumVault, using only what each publishes.

What Hide it Pro does well

As seen on 24 October 2026, Hide it Pro was rated 4.7 from 1.28 million reviews on Google Play, with more than 50 million downloads, and 4.7 from about 25,000 ratings in the US App Store.

• Free on Android. The Google Play description calls it “COMPLETELY FREE and UNLIMITED.” The listing does show ads and in-⁠app purchases.
• A disguise on Android. On Android, the app appears as “Audio Manager” in the app drawer, and you can hide the icon entirely.
• An escape code. A separate unlock code makes the app look empty, for the moment someone finds out about it.
• A fake crash screen on iPhone. You can make the app look as if it has crashed when anyone tries to open it.
• Several lock types on Android. PIN, password or pattern.
• Backup and export. Android offers free cloud backup; on iOS, an optional monthly Cloud Storage subscription gives unlimited space. On iPhone you can export all files in one tap over USB.
• A short App Store privacy label. The US App Store label lists only crash and performance data, not linked to you, for app functionality.

It runs on Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac with M1 or later and Apple Vision.

What is published about encryption and data

Hide it Pro’s website says “Your data is encrypted and safely stored on your device.” The Google Play listing mentions a built-⁠in encryption tool to secure your most important files. The iOS description does not mention encryption. None of them names an algorithm, and who holds the keys for cloud backups is not stated. That does not mean files are unprotected; it means you can’t check how.

The website also says your data never leaves your device, while both store listings offer cloud backup. The vendor does not explain the difference.

Google Play’s Data safety section for Hide it Pro shows “No data collected” alongside “may share” location and device or other IDs with third parties, plus “Data isn’t encrypted” and “Data can’t be deleted.” Google defines the encryption line as data in transit, not files stored on the phone.

AlbumVault Every photo and video is encrypted on your phone before it is saved. Files are encrypted in 1 MB pieces with AES-⁠256-⁠GCM; each file gets its own key, and every piece is checked so a changed or reordered piece is refused. The apps contain no analytics, ad or tracking SDKs. Purchases use Apple’s or Google’s own in-⁠app purchase.

Where they differ

Disguise and the escape code

Hide it Pro poses as “Audio Manager” on Android, offers a fake crash screen on iPhone, and has an escape code that shows an empty app.

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. 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.

Unlocking and password reset

On Android, Hide it Pro locks with a PIN, password or pattern. On iPhone, the App Store lists Password Reset as a $4.99 in-⁠app purchase.

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. 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.

Backup

Hide it Pro lists free cloud backup on Android and a $9.99 monthly Cloud Storage subscription on iPhone.

AlbumVault 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.

Break-⁠in photos

We did not find an intruder or break-⁠in photo feature in Hide it Pro’s store listings or website.

AlbumVault 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.

Who makes it

The App Store lists the seller as Anuj Tenani, and Google Play lists the developer as Goaffpro, with hideitpro.com as the developer site.

Prices and ratings

As seen on 24 October 2026 in the US stores:

• App Store: free with in-⁠app purchases. Listed purchases: Cloud Storage $9.99, described as an optional monthly subscription, and Password Reset $4.99. Rating 4.7 from about 25,000 ratings.
• Google Play: contains ads and in-⁠app purchases; the description calls it completely free. Rating 4.7 from 1.28 million reviews.

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 to choose

Pick Hide it Pro if:

1. You are on Android and want a vault its Play listing calls “completely free and unlimited”.
2. You want the app to pass as “Audio Manager”, or to hide its icon.
3. You want an escape code that shows an empty app.
4. You want to export everything over USB in one go on iPhone.

Pick AlbumVault if:

1. You want published details of how files are encrypted.
2. You want a backup that only your recovery phrase opens.
3. You would rather have no ad or analytics code from other companies in the app.
4. You want break-⁠in photos, which Hide it Pro’s listings don’t describe, or several vaults, each opened by its own pattern (both Pro features).

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).