Comparison

The Vault vs Simpleum Safe Encryption

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The Vault

Securely store passwords, documents, photos, and more with robust encryption. Keep all your confidential information safe and easily accessible on your device, without subscriptions or ads.

Highlights
  • Password management
  • Secure document storage
  • Photo and GIF storage
  • 256-bit AES encryption
  • No subscriptions
  • Local device storage
  • Automatic backups
Read full description

◆ NO subscriptions - Free with optional One-Time charges ◆ Do you... ... have trouble remembering tens or hundreds of online passwords? ... write passwords down somewhere, even though you know this is not the safest thing to do? ... use the same ("cleverly" modified) password in multiple places, instead of using properly randomized passwords that offer the best security? ... sometimes wish you had a photo of a creditcard, passport or other document handy? ... want to securely store lots of other confidential information, photos, animated GIFs, office documents, you name it? ... want all this to be secure, but still very simple to use? Then ◆The Vault◆ is for you! The Vault provides straightforward, easy to use, secure storage for all your documents and other data, such as passwords, login credentials and any other confidential information. It can securely store any number of documents, images, screenshots or photos along with your confidential information. * 256-bit AES encryption * While storage and access is simple, The Vault uses rock-solid, industry standard encryption. [technical details below] ◆ ◆ ◆ WHY IS IT BETTER ? ◆ ◆ ◆ ▸ See all features: bit.ly/TheVault-Features ▸ The Vault is very simple to use, yet it employs industry-standard encryption to keep your data safe. (Some other - payed - apps do too, but some apps advertised as "secure" really do not, and for example save your data using a simple base-64 encoding: your information looks scrambled, but is as readable as plain text when you know how). ▸ The Vault will - never - show ad banners! We hate them too. ▸ The Vault stores information on * your * device. Not on some server somewhere on the net. ▸ Securely storing information is as simple as entering free text! ▸ The Vault can securely store photos and pictures from your camera or photo library; for example a copy of your passport, credit card, or just the serial numbers of some equipment you own. Anything. ▸ The Vault can securely store - and play - animated GIFs. ▸ The Vault can securely store *any* office or other document. ▸ Many secured documents can be viewed directly from The Vault, including PDFs, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, Powerpoint, Excel and Word files. ▸ You can optionally import data exported from your previous password app (or any other source that can provide the data). ▸ Automatically and securely backups your data! ◆ ◆ ◆ TECHNICAL DETAILS ◆ ◆ ◆ This is the part that matters. This is the part that is hard to get right. This is the part that makes the difference between actual security and insecurity. Claiming “military-grade” (or “industry standard” ;-) encryption is meaningless. Even claiming “256-bit AES encryption”, in itself is not very meaningful. Example: Claiming “military-grade” encryption and subsequently simply hashing a master passcode - e.g. using SHA, or MD5 is NOT good. What ís good is to use a proper key derivation algorithm such as PBKDF2, scrypt or bcrypt. Another example: AES is better than older algorithms such as Blowfish, Twofish or 3DES. But even for AES: an app that does not combine encryption with authentication... is doing it wrong. Currently there is some consensus that the best construct is to first encrypt a message and then calculate a message-authentication code, instead of the other way around. These things matter. ◆ ◆ ◆ The Vault uses PBKDF2 key derivation with an HMAC-SHA512 PRF, and HMAC-SHA256 Encrypt-then-MAC authenticated 256-bit AES encryption, using CommonCrypto functionality only. All cipher and MAC worker keys, as well as all salts and IVs, are purely random data. Keys and IVs are never reused. Each singular piece of data is encrypted with a unique random encryption key, and authenticated with a unique random HMAC key. Your Master Passcode is never stored; and neither are the derived cipher keys. ◆ ◆ ◆ THE ONLY THING ●YOU● HAVE TO DO? Choose a long master passcode. Make it long, and make it random!

About

Simpleum Safe Encryption

Securely store and organize your sensitive documents, photos, and videos with bank-grade encryption. Access your data locally without an internet connection and sync across devices. Offers a free download with in-app purchase options for full functionality.

Highlights
  • AES-256 encryption
  • Local data storage
  • Encrypted viewing and editing
  • Document archiving and organization
  • Encrypted photo and video capture
  • Text file creation and editing
  • Document scanning
Features
Read full description

SimpleumSafe – Simple. Secure. Encrypted. Your data is valuable. With SimpleumSafe, it stays protected like a digital safe – and neatly archived. Protected by AES-256 encryption and developed in Germany. Important documents like taxes, insurance, and contracts are secure and quick to find. Protection does not stop at storage: content stays encrypted even when viewing or editing. You stay in control: no separate registration, no server login. Data is stored locally on your device and access remains possible even without internet. Your Benefits on iPhone and iPad • Capture encrypted photos and videos directly • Import files from your photo library, camera, or other apps • Document archive – store important documents neatly and find them quickly • Securely organize with tags, favorites, and a search function • Full-screen image viewer and slideshows • Create, edit, and comment on text files • Scan documents with your camera – instantly saved encrypted • Accessible via the Files app • Encrypted full-text search Security without compromise • AES-256 encryption – bank-grade protection • Continuous protection – content stays encrypted even when viewing or editing • Files remain encrypted even in iCloud backups • Face ID and Touch ID for quick access • Background protection and recovery password Synchronized and available anywhere • Sync safes between iPhone, iPad, and Mac • Optionally via iCloud or wirelessly – even without an internet connection Perfect for • For private individuals who want to securely archive important documents – taxes, insurance, contracts • For people who want to keep personal memories private – photos, videos, diaries • For professionals and self-employed who must store confidential data in compliance with GDPR Flexible subscription and one-time purchase options: SimpleumSafe offers both monthly and annual subscription plans tailored to your needs: • Monthly subscription • Annual subscription with a 7-day free trial to get you started. • One-time purchase Free to download. Purchase in the app. Your subscription includes continuous updates and improvements to ensure your data remains protected against evolving digital threats. A one-time purchase option is also available for those who prefer. INVEST IN SECURE ORGANIZATION FOR YOUR DOCUMENTS Download SimpleumSafe and begin your journey to comprehensive digital security on your iPhone and iPad. Further details about our terms and conditions and privacy policy: • Terms of Use: https://simpleum.com/en/safe/simpleumsafe-terms-of-use/ • Privacy Policy: https://simpleum.com/en/about-us/privacy-policy/ Secure your digital world with SimpleumSafe – the secure encryption solution and your document archive for iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

The Vault4 screens
Simpleum Safe Encryption4 screens

Verdict

The call

The Vault and Simpleum Safe Encryption both sit at 3.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 65% of The Vault's written reviews are positive against 20% of Simpleum Safe Encryption's. The Vault also leads on ratings volume (160 vs 13) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. The Vault sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Simpleum Safe Encryption sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.7 for The Vault against 3.8 for Simpleum Safe Encryption. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Vault has 160 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of The Vault's written reviews are positive against 20% of Simpleum Safe Encryption's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Vault ships an update every 5 days, Simpleum Safe Encryption every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
The Vault versus Simpleum Safe Encryption: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe VaultSimpleum Safe Encryption
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (160 ratings)3.8 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.0% of reviews — better20.0% of reviews
Number of ratings160 — better13
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB178 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBestApps BVSimpleum Media GmbH

Customer experience

The Vault

All ratings160 ratings
Positive62.5%
Neutral4.4%
Negative33.1%
Written reviews386 reviews
Positive65.0%
Neutral6.5%
Negative28.5%

Simpleum Safe Encryption

All ratings13 ratings
Positive69.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative30.8%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative60.0%

In-app purchases

11 purchases

The Vault

One-time11
  • theVault Import$1.99
  • theVault Export$1.99
  • theVault Secure Backup & Restore$1.99
Show 8 more
  • Rich Text Formatting$1.99
  • Light & Dark Mode Appearance$3.99
  • theVault securePDF$4.99
  • The Vault - Password AutoFill$4.99
  • Hidden Folders$4.99
  • SecureShare$4.99
  • Automatic Bulleted List$4.99
  • The Vault Secure Synchronization$9.99
5 purchases

Simpleum Safe Encryption

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Subscription2 variants$0.991 Month
  • Annualy1 Year trial$6.991 Year
  • Annual Subscription7 Days trial$6.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Annual Family Subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • One time purchase$22.99

Questions

Is The Vault free?
The Vault is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simpleum Safe Encryption free?
Simpleum Safe Encryption is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Vault or Simpleum Safe Encryption?
Simpleum Safe Encryption is rated higher. The Vault averages 3.7 out of 5 from 160 ratings, while Simpleum Safe Encryption averages 3.8 from 13 ratings.
Do The Vault or Simpleum Safe Encryption have ads?
Neither The Vault nor Simpleum Safe Encryption shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Vault or Simpleum Safe Encryption?
The Vault ships an update every 5 days, and Simpleum Safe Encryption every 2 weeks. Most recently, The Vault was updated on September 19, 2026 and Simpleum Safe Encryption on September 23, 2026.

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