Backroom

Backroom vs Calculator#

Calculator# packs in a browser, password manager, cloud backup and email password recovery behind a calculator. Backroom does less, with named encryption and no account.

Calculator# is a broad, inexpensive app: a calculator disguise holding photos, passwords, contacts and a browser, with cloud backup and password recovery by email. Backroom, coming soon to the App Store, focuses on encrypted photos, files and notes on your iPhone with a pattern and no account. Choose by whether you value features or a narrower design.

Side by side

BackroomCalculator#
AvailabilityComing soon to the App Store. iPhone.On the App Store, for iPhone and iPad.
What opens itA pattern of at least 6 dots on a 5 by 5 grid.Calculator, Touch or Face ID, PIN, pattern or password, per its listing.
EncryptionAES-256-GCM on each file, with a random key for each vault.The listing names no cipher. It says it hides and password-protects files.
Where files liveOn your iPhone, and in your device backups in encrypted form if you make them. No cloud sync.On the device, with optional backup to iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive.
AccountNone.A registered email is used for lost password recovery.
Forgotten codeA 12-word recovery phrase for each vault. Lose the pattern and the phrase, and nobody can open that vault.Retrieve a lost password through your registered email, per its listing.
If someone pressures youA different pattern opens a different vault, and the app shows no list of vaults. No duress mode.Panic switch that jumps to another app, and a fake crash message.
DisguisePaid plan: alternate icons and a working calculator screen. The name under the icon stays Backroom.Looks like a calculator, as its core design.
Ads and dataNo ads and no analytics.Free version has ads. Apple label lists contact info that may be used to track you.
Code and reviewSource code is unpublished. No outside review has been completed.No published source or audit is mentioned on its listing.
PriceFree: 50 photos and files, 5 videos and 10 notes in each vault. Paid: $1.99 a week, $19.99 a year or $39.99 once.Free with ads and limits. $4.99 a year.

Calculator# facts checked October 31, 2026 against its own listing or site, US prices. See Sources below. Apps change, so check before you buy.

Where Calculator# is ahead

It does far more. Its listing covers a password manager, secure notes and to-dos, contacts, audio, a built-in browser and Wi-Fi transfer from a computer. It backs up to the cloud service you choose and costs a quarter of Backroom’s annual price. It runs on iPad, too.

Backroom has none of those extras.

Disguise

Both open to a working calculator. Calculator# leans into the theme, with a fake crash message to put off snoopers and a record of failed unlock attempts. Backroom’s calculator is optional and part of its paid plan, and it does not attempt to hide its name in iOS.

Encryption and recovery

Backroom names AES-256-GCM, gives each vault a random key and has no way to reset your pattern for you: you hold a 12-word phrase. Calculator#’s listing does not name a cipher, and it offers recovery by email. That is a real convenience, and it points to a different design. Ask the developer if you need the details. Backroom has not had an outside review either, so treat its description as a design statement.

Tracking

Apple’s label for Calculator# lists contact info that may be used to track you across other companies’ apps and sites, and its free version carries ads. Backroom has no ads, analytics or account.

Frequently asked questions

Which has the better disguise?

Calculator# is built around one, and adds a fake crash message and a panic switch. Backroom's calculator screen is on the paid plan, and the name under its icon stays Backroom.

Which costs less?

Calculator# lists $4.99 a year. Backroom costs $19.99 a year or $39.99 once. Both have free tiers.

Does email recovery make an app less safe?

It is more forgiving if you forget. It also means whoever controls that email may be able to recover the password, so secure the mailbox.

Related pages

Sources