Sync.com and Sealed, side by side

Disclosure. Sealed is made by Loopware LLC. We read Sync.com’s listing, pricing and privacy policy on 13 November 2026, and did not install the app.

A cloud drive and a phone vault

Sync.com is a cloud drive with end-to-end encryption. You keep files there, reach them from your computers and phone, upload photos and videos, and send big files as links (listing). Its listing says it can’t read your files.

Sealed keeps photos, videos and documents inside an app on the iPhone. Sealed is a private photo vault for the photos, videos and documents you’d rather not keep in your camera roll. The cloud only comes in for its backup, which goes to your own iCloud as ciphertext. 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. Apple says the data an app keeps in a user’s CloudKit private database is accessible only to that user by default, isn’t visible in the developer portal, and counts toward the user’s iCloud storage.

One is storage you visit. The other is a locked room in your pocket.

Side by side

Where Sync.com is ahead

• Every computer. Your files are reachable from all your computers and devices (listing). Sealed runs on iPhone and iPad.
• Big storage. Plans run to 1 TB, 5 TB and an unlimited plan (pricing). On the free plan you can add photos. Videos, documents, notes and records need Sealed Pro.
• Sending large files. Links let someone download a big file without an account (listing).
• Teams. Shared folders for working with others (listing).

The price after the first year

Sync.com’s pricing page shows promotional prices for the first year, and says plans then renew at the regular price (pricing). That is normal for cloud storage, but it is worth a note in your calendar. Storage is also a cost that grows: the more you keep, the more you pay.

A vault prices differently. You pay for features, not gigabytes, and the room for a backup comes from your own iCloud plan. Backup uses your iCloud storage, and when it is full Sealed says so and stops adding new items. Apple says the data an app keeps in a user’s CloudKit private database is accessible only to that user by default, isn’t visible in the developer portal, and counts toward the user’s iCloud storage. Sealed Pro Yearly costs $39.99 a year, and new subscribers get a 7-day free trial. Sealed Pro Monthly costs $12.99 a month, with no free trial. If you would rather not rent at all, there is a one-time option. Sealed Pro Lifetime costs $79.99, paid once, with no subscription and nothing to renew. Our page on subscriptions and one-time purchases weighs the two.

Which one for your camera roll

If what you want is a private backup of your whole library, a cloud drive is closer to that job. Our guide to backing up iPhone photos privately compares the ways to do it.

If what you want is a short list of photos and papers kept apart from the camera roll, a vault does that and backs it up too. Photos and videos are sealed the moment they arrive, and afterwards you can remove the originals from Photos if you like. Encrypted iCloud backup is free. How backup and restore work in Sealed explains the recovery key that a new phone needs. We also compared a team-first service.

Where Sealed helps, and where it doesn’t

It helps if you want no account and no data collected. Sealed has no account, so there is nothing to sign up for. Sealed contains no analytics or tracking SDKs, and it collects no data.

It helps if you want to pay once instead of renting storage. Sealed Pro Lifetime costs $79.99, paid once, with no subscription and nothing to renew.

It doesn’t back up your whole photo library: only what you add. Sealed imports only the photos and videos you choose, and deletes the originals in Photos only when you ask.

It doesn’t open your files on a computer. Sealed runs on iPhone and iPad.

It doesn’t bring storage of its own: the backup uses your iCloud space. Backup uses your iCloud storage, and when it is full Sealed says so and stops adding new items. Apple says the data an app keeps in a user’s CloudKit private database is accessible only to that user by default, isn’t visible in the developer portal, and counts toward the user’s iCloud storage.