How Arca compares

What to check before trusting any photo vault

The comparisons above run on the same 8 criteria. These are the ones that decide whether a vault holds up when it matters, rather than the ones that fit on a screenshot.

Does it encrypt, or only hide?

A lot of apps sold as vaults move photos somewhere the gallery does not look and put a PIN screen in front of it. The files themselves stay readable on disk. Anyone reaching the filesystem — a repair technician, a forensic tool, an unencrypted backup — reads them without touching your PIN. Hiding and encrypting are different claims, routinely marketed as the same one.

Who holds the key?

If an app can restore your access from an email link, it can read your photos. That is arithmetic rather than an accusation: recovering data without your secret means a usable key exists somewhere you do not control. Zero-knowledge means the key comes from something only you know, and the tradeoff is real — forget it and the photos are gone for good.

Does it require an account?

An account attaches your private collection to an email address, often a phone number, and a payment record. It also tends to mean a server-side copy of the exact thing you decided should not sit on a server.

What happens when you stop paying?

Some vaults put export behind the subscription. The photos are still yours in principle, but getting them back out costs money indefinitely. Test the export path before you move anything you would miss, not after.

Does it hold up with someone watching?

A vault earns its name in one specific situation: somebody is holding your phone and asking you to open it. A decoy vault on a second PIN and a log of failed unlock attempts are what address that moment. Most apps in this category do not attempt it.

Arca's own answers to all of them are documented in detail on the security page.