Backroom vs Ente Photos

Ente is an end-to-end encrypted, open-source photo cloud across every platform. Backroom is a private vault on one iPhone, with no account. They solve different problems.

Ente Photos backs up your whole library with end-to-end encryption across phones, computers and the web, and its code is open source and audited by third parties, per its listing. Backroom, coming soon to the App Store, keeps a small private set on one iPhone behind a pattern, with no account or cloud. Many people could use both.

Side by side

BackroomEnte Photos

AvailabilityComing soon to the App Store. iPhone.On the App Store, with apps on other mobile, desktop and web platforms.

What opens itA pattern of at least 6 dots on a 5 by 5 grid.Account login. Optional app lock with a PIN or biometrics. Hidden folder protected by default.

EncryptionAES-256-GCM on each file, with a random key for each vault.End-to-end encrypted, per its listing. See its site for the design.

Where files liveOn your iPhone, and in your device backups in encrypted form if you make them. No cloud sync.Encrypted on your device, then backed up to its cloud, in 3 locations per its listing.

AccountNone.Required.

Forgotten codeA 12-word recovery phrase for each vault. Lose the pattern and the phrase, and nobody can open that vault.Trusted contacts can get access through its Legacy feature. See its site for account recovery.

If someone pressures youA different pattern opens a different vault, and the app shows no list of vaults. No duress mode.Hidden folder. No separate decoy described on its listing.

DisguisePaid plan: alternate icons and a working calculator screen. The name under the icon stays Backroom.None listed.

Ads and dataNo ads and no analytics.Listing text mentions no ads. We could not read its Apple privacy label when we checked.

Code and reviewSource code is unpublished. No outside review has been completed.Open source and audited by third-party security experts, per 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.10 GB free. Paid from $2.49 monthly for 50 GB, per its site.

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

Where Ente is ahead

For most people replacing a big cloud, Ente is the stronger choice. It works on all your devices. It survives a lost phone, because copies live on servers in three locations. It lets you share albums, and its code can be inspected by anyone. It has free storage and low prices.

Backroom is iPhone only, has no sharing and nothing in a cloud.

What Backroom does differently

Ente is built for a whole library, so it needs an account and uses your internet connection. Backroom has no sign-up, and it makes no network requests of its own to store your files. A different pattern opens a different vault, with no list shown. It offers an optional calculator screen. It also has a much smaller job.

How they could fit together

Use a cloud like Ente or iCloud for your library, and keep a short list of truly private items in a vault. Decide where each thing goes, and check for leftover copies in the other place.

Frequently asked questions

Does Ente replace iCloud Photos?

It can. It is built as a full library backup with sharing and search, which Backroom does not attempt.

Which protects against someone holding my phone?

Both have a lock inside the app. Ente offers an app lock and hidden folder, while Backroom has patterns that open separate vaults. Your library in Photos stays exposed unless you delete it, whichever you choose.

Which has been checked by outsiders?

Ente says its code is open source and audited. Backroom's code is unpublished and has had no outside review.