Backroom vs PV Secret Photo Album

PV offers free unlimited local storage, a fake password, cloud options and a photo editor. Backroom offers pattern vaults and no ads, with limits on its free plan.

PV gives you free unlimited local storage, a fake password, recovery by email and paid cloud backup, with ads unless you upgrade. Its listing mentions data encryption without naming a cipher. Backroom, coming soon to the App Store, has a capped free plan, no ads, and vaults opened by patterns.

Side by side

BackroomPV Secret Photo Album

AvailabilityComing soon to the App Store. iPhone.On the App Store.

What opens itA pattern of at least 6 dots on a 5 by 5 grid.Passcode, Touch ID and Face ID.

EncryptionAES-256-GCM on each file, with a random key for each vault."Data encryption" and encrypted transfer, per its listing. No cipher named.

Where files liveOn your iPhone, and in your device backups in encrypted form if you make them. No cloud sync.On the device. Paid Cloud Sync and third-party cloud backup.

AccountNone.A recovery email is optional, set in the app.

Forgotten codeA 12-word recovery phrase for each vault. Lose the pattern and the phrase, and nobody can open that vault.A recovery email you set in the app.

If someone pressures youA different pattern opens a different vault, and the app shows no list of vaults. No duress mode.Fake password, and an Emergency Switch that jumps to another app when the phone faces down.

DisguisePaid plan: alternate icons and a working calculator screen. The name under the icon stays Backroom.Custom app icon and a calculator theme, per its FAQ.

Ads and dataNo ads and no analytics.Ads unless upgraded. Apple label: identifiers and usage data used to track you. Contact info and identifiers linked to you.

Code and reviewSource code is unpublished.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

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. Pro: $3.99 monthly, $17.99 yearly, $41.99 permanent. Super 20G $29.99 and 100G $79.99 yearly.

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

PV’s strong points

Its free plan stores as many photos as your phone can hold, which beats Backroom’s capped free plan. It also bundles a photo editor, tags and search, slideshows, a trash folder and Nearby Drop for moving photos between phones. Paid members get cloud sync or third-party backup through services such as Dropbox and Google Drive. Backroom has none of these.

Getting back in

PV lets you set a recovery email for a forgotten passcode. Backroom gives each vault a 12-word phrase for you to write down. Email is easier to keep and adds an account into the picture. Paper is more private and easier to lose.

Fake password or second pattern

PV’s fake password is a purpose-built feature. Backroom simply opens whichever vault matches the pattern you draw, so you can keep ordinary pictures under a second one. Backroom has no duress mode, and a forensic examination of a phone could still estimate how much data the app stores.

Ads and data

PV removes ads when you upgrade, and its Apple label lists contact info and identifiers linked to you. Backroom has no ads or analytics on any plan, which is part of why its free plan is limited.

Frequently asked questions

Is PV's free storage bigger than Backroom's?

Yes. PV's listing offers free unlimited storage, limited by your phone. Backroom's free plan holds 50 photos and files, 5 videos and 10 notes per vault.

Will deleting either app delete my photos?

PV's listing warns that deleting the app deletes its data unless you backed it up. Apple says the same about apps generally, so it applies to Backroom too.

Does Backroom have an email reset?

No. Backroom has no account and no email. It gives you a 12-word phrase per vault.