COMPARE · 3 NOVEMBER 2026
Local vs cloud photo vaults
The difference in one table
| Local-only vault | Cloud vault | |
|---|---|---|
| Where files live | Only on your device | Your device and the developer's servers |
| Account | Usually none | Usually an email or phone number |
| Forgotten password | Usually unrecoverable | Often recoverable |
| Lost phone | Lost unless you made a backup | Restore from the cloud |
| Multiple devices | One device per vault | Sync across devices |
| Who else holds data | Nobody | The developer and its cloud provider |
| Typical business model | One-off purchase or subscription | Often a storage subscription |
When a cloud vault makes sense
Cloud vaults are convenient. If losing the photos would be worse than someone else being able to access them, or you need them on several devices, a reputable cloud vault with end-to-end encryption may suit you. Check whether the provider can read your files, how account recovery works, and where the servers are.
When a local vault makes sense
A local vault removes a whole category of risk: there is no account to phish, no server to breach, and no company that can be asked to hand files over. The cost is responsibility. You must remember the vault credential and keep your own backup.
Questions to ask a cloud vault
- Is it end-to-end encrypted, so the provider cannot open your files?
- If you reset your password by email, how is the vault still unreadable to the provider?
- What happens to your files if you stop paying?
- Can you export everything in one go?
Questions to ask a local vault
- Is the vault excluded from iCloud backup? If so, how do you back it up?
- How do you move it to a new phone?
- Is the key tied to the device, so a copied vault cannot be guessed offline?
Vaultage is local-only. It has no account and no server, the vault is excluded from iCloud backups, and an encrypted backup file you control is the way to move or protect it.