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6 apps · Ranking
Calculator# alternatives for iPhone
Calculator# (by Salman Ashraf) looks like a calculator and hides photos, videos, notes and passwords behind it. It is free with ads and limits, and the full version is $4.99 a year; its privacy label includes data used to track you. For the same trick of a vault inside an ordinary-looking app, Converter: Hidden Photo Vault (a currency converter, paid once). For the best-known vault with a decoy password, Private Photo Vault. For a fake password and a custom icon at a low price, PV - Secret Photo Album. For a calculator-looking icon with no account and nothing uploaded, Photo Vault.
If you only need photos out of your camera roll, iOS also has a locked Hidden album in Photos; see apps to hide photos.
At a glance
| App | Price (US) | How it hides, per listing | Backup | App Store privacy label | Version (date) | Rating (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Converter: Hidden Photo Vault | One-time purchase: Full Access $19.99 (offers at $9.99 and $14.99) | Looks like a currency converter | Encrypted, in your own iCloud | Data Not Collected | 3.0.7 (2 Dec 2025) | 4.9 (3,657 ratings) |
| Private Photo Vault - Pic Safe | Premium from $6.99 to $39.99; Upgrade $39.99 | Decoy password, face-down lock, break-in report with photo and GPS | Encrypted Cloud Vault (paid) | Data Used to Track You; Data Linked to You | 26.0 (2 Nov 2026) | 4.8 (1,018,919 ratings) |
| PV - Secret Photo Album | Pro $3.99 a month or $17.99 a year; lifetime $41.99; cloud backup from $12.99 a year | Fake password, custom app icon, face-down jump to another app | Paid cloud sync; third-party clouds with Pro | Data Used to Track You; Data Linked to You; Data Not Linked to You | 7.7.9 (26 Oct 2026) | 4.7 (30,298 ratings) |
| Photo Vault: Hide Pics Video | Premium $19.99 or $29.99 a year; lifetime $14.99 or $29.99 | Icon that looks like Calculator, Notes or Weather; face-down exit | Optional encrypted copy in your own iCloud | Data Not Collected | 1.3.1 (1 Nov 2026) | 4.2 (6 ratings) |
| Safe Lock - Hidden Photo Vault | Premium $4.99, $19.99 or $29.99 | Fake password that opens a fake gallery; custom icon; shake or flip to lock | Export to iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive or Box | Data Not Collected | 3.1 (17 Aug 2026) | 4.8 (24,930 ratings) |
| Hide Photos Video -Hide it Pro | Cloud Storage $9.99; Password Reset $4.99 | Disguise screen that looks as if the app crashed | Paid cloud storage | Data Not Linked to You | 6.3.0 (11 Jan 2026) | 4.7 (24,796 ratings) |
All six are free to download; prices are in-app purchases on each US App Store page on 3 November 2026 (pages list only some). For comparison, Calculator# 3.4.13 (30 October 2026): free with ads and limitations, Yearly Subscription $4.99 and Premium Features Pack $4.99; privacy label Data Used to Track You and Data Not Linked to You; rated 4.4 from 28,938 ratings.
Converter: Hidden Photo Vault
Best for: the closest idea to Calculator#: a vault hidden inside an ordinary-looking utility, paid once.
- Its listing says the vault sits inside a currency converter, and files are encrypted and kept on the phone and in your own iCloud.
- Sold as a one-time purchase, "without subscription", and its privacy label says Data Not Collected.
Limits: photos and documents only (no notes, passwords or browser like Calculator#), English only, needs iOS 18.2, and its last update was in December 2025.
Private Photo Vault - Pic Safe
Best for: the best-known vault, with a decoy password and a report of who tried to get in.
- About 1 million ratings, the most of any vault here, and updated on 2 November 2026.
- Its listing names a decoy password, a face-down lock, a break-in report with a photo and GPS, and a private browser.
Limits: the free version does not back up to its Cloud Vault, per its listing, and its privacy label includes data used to track you.
PV - Secret Photo Album
Best for: the most features per dollar: fake password, custom icon and an emergency switch.
- Its listing names a fake password, a custom app icon, and an Emergency Switch that jumps to another app when the phone faces down.
- Free unlimited storage on the phone, a trash folder and a photo editor; ads until you pay.
Limits: the fake password needs a paid plan, per its listing, and the privacy label is the widest here.
Photo Vault: Hide Pics Video
Best for: a calculator-looking icon with no account, no ads and nothing uploaded unless you choose.
- Its listing says you can make the icon look like Calculator, Notes or Weather, and flipping the phone face down jumps to Safari, Calendar or Messages.
- A separate password for each album; no account and no server; privacy label Data Not Collected.
- Optional end-to-end encrypted copy in your own iCloud, or an encrypted backup file you keep.
Limits: the icon looks like a calculator but the app does not work as one, the free version is limited (Premium adds unlimited photos and the iCloud copy), and it has only 6 ratings.
Safe Lock - Hidden Photo Vault
Best for: a decoy gallery and a custom icon with a privacy label of Data Not Collected.
- Its listing names a fake password that opens a fake gallery, a custom app icon, break-in reports with photos, and locking by shaking or flipping.
- Photos and videos are saved only on the device, per its listing; 13 languages.
Limits: no automatic cloud copy: you export to a cloud service yourself.
Hide Photos Video -Hide it Pro
Best for: the same fake-crash trick as Calculator#'s Disguise Mode.
- Its listing says a disguise screen makes the app look as if it crashed when someone opens it.
- Albums, USB export and an option to back up to cloud storage.
Limits: English only, and its last update was in January 2026.
Who should use what
- A vault inside a working-looking utility, paid once: Converter.
- Decoy password and break-in report: Private Photo Vault.
- Fake password and custom icon, cheapest yearly plan: PV - Secret Photo Album.
- Calculator-looking icon, no account, nothing uploaded: Photo Vault.
- A fake gallery behind a second password: Safe Lock.
- A fake crash screen: Hide it Pro.
Use cases
- Someone borrows your phone and asks you to open the app: a decoy password (Private Photo Vault, PV, Safe Lock) shows a different set of photos.
- You don't want a vault app on your home screen at all: Converter, or Photo Vault with the Calculator icon.
- You keep passwords and notes in Calculator# too: none of these six does all of it. Private Photo Vault adds a private browser and Safe Lock secret notes; for passwords, Apple's Passwords app.
How we checked
On 3 November 2026 we read each app's US App Store page and Apple's lookup data. An app is here only if its listing names a way to hide or disguise the vault and it was updated in the last 12 months. We did not test how well each disguise holds up.
Order: first the apps whose disguise is closest to Calculator#'s, then the rest. Left out: Calculator Lock - Secure Vault (last update December 2024). See also Private Photo Vault alternatives and photo vaults that collect no data.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Calculator#?
For the same idea of a vault hidden inside an ordinary-looking app, Converter: Hidden Photo Vault. For the biggest, best-known vault, Private Photo Vault. For a calculator-looking icon with no account, Photo Vault.
Is there a calculator vault app without ads?
Photo Vault shows no ads and can use a Calculator icon, but it does not work as a calculator. Converter works the same way with a currency converter and is paid once. Calculator# is free with ads until you pay $4.99 a year.
Which photo vault has a fake password?
Private Photo Vault (decoy password), PV - Secret Photo Album (fake password, paid plan) and Safe Lock (fake password that opens a fake gallery), per their listings.
Which of these collect no data?
Converter, Photo Vault and Safe Lock show Data Not Collected on their App Store privacy labels on 3 November 2026.
Related rankings
- Best apps to hide photos on iPhone in 2026
- Private Photo Vault alternatives for iPhone in 2026
- Best photo vault apps with no data collection for iPhone in 2026
Sources
- Converter: Hidden Photo Vault (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1536734125 (3 November 2026)
- Private Photo Vault - Pic Safe (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id417571834 (3 November 2026)
- PV - Secret Photo Album (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id867586326 (3 November 2026)
- Photo Vault: Hide Pics Video (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1532670722 (3 November 2026)
- Safe Lock - Hidden Photo Vault (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1195429570 (3 November 2026)
- Hide Photos Video -Hide it Pro (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id523488488 (3 November 2026)
- Calculator# Hide Photos Videos (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1165276801 (3 November 2026)
- Apple: Hide photos and videos on iPhone: https://support.apple.com/en-us/104987 (3 November 2026)