Comparison
Sealed and Darkbox, side by side
Pick Darkbox if you want the developer’s cloud space bundled with the vault, and Sealed if the backup should sit in an account of yours, encrypted first. Darkbox’s listing advertises 100G of cloud storage and doesn’t say whether files are encrypted before upload ([listing](https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=1259156494&country=us)). Both have a second password that opens other photos. Files, names, notes and record fields are encrypted on your iPhone before they are uploaded, so iCloud receives only ciphertext.
On this page
Disclosure. Sealed is made by Loopware LLC. We did not install Darkbox. Its rows come from its listing and store page, read on 13 November 2026. The privacy policy it links showed only “loading…” that day, so this page says nothing about it.
About the other app
Darkbox is sold as Photo Vault - Darkbox; the store names the seller as 璐 江. It first came out in July 2017, and its latest version, 2.6.5, shipped on 10 December 2025 (store record). Prices are US prices. Prices are shown in US dollars and may vary by country.
Side by side
| Sealed (facts checked 13 Nov 2026) | Darkbox (source, read 13 Nov 2026) |
|---|---|
| Opening the app. You can open Sealed with Face ID or Touch ID, a 4-, 6- or 9-digit passcode, a password or a pattern. | A password lock, Touch ID or Face ID you can switch on or off, and a lock on single albums. Listing. |
| A second password. A decoy vault opens with a second passcode, and it is part of Sealed Pro. The decoy passcode opens a separate vault with its own content, and you fill it yourself: unlock with the decoy passcode and add items. | A fake password that opens a completely different set of photos. Listing. |
| Face down. Sealed can lock when you shake the phone or set it face down. | A FaceDown Action that switches to another app. Listing. |
| Encryption. Sealed encrypts every file with AES-256-GCM before it is saved. Each file gets its own random 256-bit key, and that key is sealed with your vault key. | Password lock, Touch ID and album lock are called “triple-encryption technology”; no cipher is named. Listing. |
| Cloud. Backup goes to your own iCloud account, not to a server of ours. Files, names, notes and record fields are encrypted on your iPhone before they are uploaded, so iCloud receives only ciphertext. | 100G of cloud storage, about 20,000 photos and videos. Listing. |
| Videos. On the free plan you can add photos. Videos, documents, notes and records need Sealed Pro. | A video player for formats such as mov and mp4, and an in-app camera for photo and video. Listing. |
| Deleted items. Recently Deleted keeps anything you remove for 30 days before it is gone for good. | Recently Deleted for photos and videos. Listing. |
| Data collected. Sealed contains no analytics or tracking SDKs, and it collects no data. | The label lists diagnostics as used to track you, and crash data as not linked to you. Store page. |
| Price. Sealed Pro Yearly costs $39.99 a year, and new subscribers get a 7-day free trial. Sealed Pro Lifetime costs $79.99, paid once, with no subscription and nothing to renew. | VIP $13.49, SVIP $28.49 and SSVIP $124.99; a free trial renews as VIP at $9.49 a year. Store page and listing. |
| Devices. Sealed needs iOS 17.0 or later. | iOS 12.0 or later, on iPhone and iPad. Store record and store page. |
Where Darkbox is ahead
- Video in the feature list. Its listing names a video player and an in-app camera that films (listing). On the free plan you can add photos. Videos, documents, notes and records need Sealed Pro.
- Cloud space from the app. The 100G is storage the app advertises as its own, so it doesn’t draw on your iCloud plan (listing). Backup uses your iCloud storage, and when it is full Sealed says so and stops adding new items.
- Older phones. It asks for iOS 12.0 or later (store record). Sealed needs iOS 17.0 or later.
Whose cloud, and what it can read
“100G of cloud” and “backup to your iCloud” sound like the same thing. They are not. With a vault’s own cloud, your files sit with the developer, and what protects them is whatever the developer does before upload. Darkbox’s listing doesn’t say (listing), and its privacy policy didn’t load for us, so ask the developer before you trust it with copies of ID or private photos.
With Sealed the files go to an account you already hold, sealed first. Backup goes to your own iCloud account, not to a server of ours. Files, names, notes and record fields are encrypted on your iPhone before they are uploaded, so iCloud receives only ciphertext. The cost is that they use your storage. Backup uses your iCloud storage, and when it is full Sealed says so and stops adding new items. Our comparison of vaults that back up to your own cloud puts other apps on the same scale, and how backup and restore work shows the steps.
One more thing worth a look on any vault is how often it ships. Darkbox’s latest version came out in December 2025 (store record). Version 1.0.2 added Find Private Photos, the Lock Screen camera and a Sealed control, Shortcuts and Back Tap, key guardians, the open copy, evidence and time-sealed stacks, the Security Checkup and layouts for iPhone Duo. The questions to ask a photo vault list more checks like this one.
Where Sealed helps, and where it doesn’t
It helps if you want your backup in an account you control, encrypted before it leaves. Backup goes to your own iCloud account, not to a server of ours. Files, names, notes and record fields are encrypted on your iPhone before they are uploaded, so iCloud receives only ciphertext.
It helps if the second password should open a vault you fill yourself. The decoy passcode opens a separate vault with its own content, and you fill it yourself: unlock with the decoy passcode and add items. See the decoy vault.
It doesn’t include cloud space of its own. Backup uses your iCloud storage, and when it is full Sealed says so and stops adding new items.
It doesn’t keep videos on the free plan. On the free plan you can add photos. Videos, documents, notes and records need Sealed Pro.
It doesn’t offer the decoy for free. A decoy vault opens with a second passcode, and it is part of Sealed Pro.
Questions and answers
Is Darkbox’s cloud encrypted?
Its listing doesn’t say whether files are encrypted before they upload, and it names no cipher (listing). We tried to read its privacy policy on 13 November 2026, and the page showed only a loading message. Files, names, notes and record fields are encrypted on your iPhone before they are uploaded, so iCloud receives only ciphertext.
Does my Sealed backup cost anything?
Encrypted iCloud backup is free. Backup uses your iCloud storage, and when it is full Sealed says so and stops adding new items.
Sources
What this page says about Sealed was checked against the app on .
- Apple store record for Photo Vault - Darkbox (id 1259156494), US storefront — the listing text, seller, release dates and minimum iOS, read 13 Nov 2026
- Photo Vault - Darkbox on the US App Store — the store page (this address opens it), read 13 Nov 2026 for the in-app purchases, the privacy label and the devices
- Sealed on the App Store — the listing for the app this page is about
Get Sealed
Sealed is free to download, and Sealed Pro is an optional in-app purchase.
Sealed: Private Photo Vault
Sealed is free to download, and Sealed Pro is an optional in-app purchase.