Backroom vs Keepsafe

Keepsafe offers cloud backup, sync across devices and timed sharing. Backroom stays on one iPhone with a pattern and no account or ads.

Keepsafe is an established app with a cloud, sync across platforms and timed sharing, and its free version is supported by ads. Backroom, coming soon to the App Store, keeps files encrypted on your iPhone behind a pattern, with no cloud, ads or account. Choose by whether you want your photos in a cloud.

Side by side

BackroomKeepsafe

AvailabilityComing soon to the App Store. iPhone.On the App Store. Also on Android, per its site.

What opens itA pattern of at least 6 dots on a 5 by 5 grid.PIN and Touch ID, per its listing.

EncryptionAES-256-GCM on each file, with a random key for each vault."Military-grade encryption." The listing and homepage name no cipher.

Where files liveOn your iPhone, and in your device backups in encrypted form if you make them. No cloud sync.On the device, with photo backup and sync across Keepsafe installations. Premium Private Cloud stores up to 10,000 items.

AccountNone.The listing and homepage do not say whether one is required.

Forgotten codeA 12-word recovery phrase for each vault. Lose the pattern and the phrase, and nobody can open that vault.The listing and homepage do not say.

If someone pressures youA different pattern opens a different vault, and the app shows no list of vaults. No duress mode.Premium Album Lock sets separate PINs for albums.

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.Keepsafe Basic is ad supported. Apple label: usage data used to track you and collected unlinked.

Code and reviewSource code is unpublished. No outside review has been completed.No published source or audit is mentioned on its listing or homepage.

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. Premium: $9.99 monthly or $23.99 yearly. Other Premium entries run $4.99 to $35.99.

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

Where Keepsafe is ahead

Keepsafe has been around for years and covers things Backroom does not attempt. If your phone is lost, its backup can bring your photos back. Its sync reaches your other Keepsafe installations, including on Android. Safe Send lets you share a picture for a limited time, and Space Saver stores originals in its cloud to free up room on your phone.

Backroom has no cloud, no sharing and no Android version, and it is yet to reach the App Store.

Backup or no cloud

Keepsafe protects you from losing photos by keeping a copy in its cloud. Backroom keeps files on your iPhone and in your own device backups. Keepsafe’s design guards better against a dropped phone. With Backroom, no company server holds your files, and there is no account to sign in to.

Ads and data

Keepsafe’s listing says its Basic version is ad supported, and Apple’s privacy label lists usage data used to track you. Backroom has no ads or analytics. It also makes less money from free users, which is why the free plan has limits: 50 photos and files, 5 videos and 10 notes in each vault.

How much detail each one publishes

Keepsafe’s listing and site say “military-grade encryption” without naming a cipher. Backroom names AES-256-GCM, with a random key for each vault that your pattern unlocks. A named cipher tells you the design. Backroom has not had an outside review, so treat that as a description of the design for now.

Frequently asked questions

Does Keepsafe have features Backroom lacks?

Yes. Keepsafe has cloud backup, sync between devices, Android support, Safe Send for time-limited sharing, trash recovery and quick fingerprint unlock. Backroom has none of these.

Which costs less?

Keepsafe's listing shows $23.99 a year for Premium. Backroom's paid plan is $19.99 a year, or $39.99 once. Backroom has no cloud storage, so the two plans pay for different things.

Is Keepsafe safe to use?

We have no evidence otherwise and make no such claim. Its public pages describe encryption in general terms, so ask the developer if you need specifics.