The free plan: what you get without paying

The short version

The free plan is a complete vault for photos, not a trial. It does not expire, and it does not show ads. Sealed has no ads and no tracking.

The free plan holds up to 100 photos. On the free plan you can add photos. Videos, documents, notes and records need Sealed Pro.

What the free plan includes

The free plan includes passcode and Face ID lock, the recovery key, Recently Deleted, encrypted iCloud backup, stacks, the photo editor, the private browser and the USB drop box.

On the free plan you can make up to 3 sub-stacks, and Sealed Pro has no limit.

The recovery key and key guardians are free for everyone. The Security Checkup is free for everyone. Find Private Photos is free, and the photos it seals follow the same free-plan rules as any import.

The parts that matter most are free

The biggest risk with any vault is not a stranger opening it. It is losing what is inside. That is why the pieces that keep your photos safe from loss are on the free plan.

• Backup. Encrypted iCloud backup is free. The first time you save your recovery key, Sealed also turns on iCloud Backup, which is free.
• The recovery key. The recovery key is the only way to decrypt an iCloud backup on a new iPhone. The recovery key page explains where to keep it.
• Getting out. Viewing and exporting your own photos is always free. If you ever leave, the export guide shows the steps.

The encryption is the same on both plans. 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.

What happens at the limit

The limit counts the photos in your vault.

When the vault is full, new photos wait instead of being lost:

• Shortcuts and the Lock Screen camera. If a free vault is full, photos taken this way wait, sealed, until it has room, and none of them go to Photos.
• The share sheet and the USB drop box. On the free plan, files that come in through the share sheet or the USB drop box follow the free rules: photos only, while the vault has room, and the rest wait with a message.
• Find Private Photos still finds photos, but sealing them follows the same limit. Find Private Photos is free, and the photos it seals follow the same free-plan rules as any import.

You can make room by deleting photos you no longer need, or move to Sealed Pro.

Ways in that are free

You can bring photos in from several places on the free plan:

1. Photos, through the plus button in the vault. Sealed imports only the photos and videos you choose, and deletes the originals in Photos only when you ask.
2. The share sheet of another app. Sealed appears in the share sheet of other apps, and what you share to it is saved and then sealed into your vault the next time you unlock Sealed.
3. A Mac, with the USB drop box. A USB drop box folder shows up in Finder when you connect your iPhone to a Mac, and it is free.
4. Shortcuts and Back Tap. Seal Last Screenshot and Seal Last Photo take photos only, work on the free plan, and count toward the free plan’s limit when they reach the vault.

Some ways in need Pro on any plan. Wireless transfer sends files from your computer to your iPhone over your own Wi-Fi, and it is part of Sealed Pro. The private camera is part of Sealed Pro.

Moving to Pro later

Nothing changes in your vault when you upgrade: the same photos, the same key, the same backup. The Pro plans page lists what Pro adds and what each plan costs.

If a Pro plan ends, you keep what is already in the vault. Viewing and exporting your own photos is always free. If your Sealed Pro plan ends, backup keeps running.

Where Sealed helps, and where it doesn’t

It helps you keep up to 100 photos sealed, backed up and recoverable, without paying and without an account. Sealed has no account, so there is nothing to sign up for.

It doesn’t do these things on the free plan:

• Keep videos, documents, notes or records. On the free plan you can add photos. Videos, documents, notes and records need Sealed Pro.
• Offer the privacy extras. Sealed Pro adds privacy tools including the decoy vault, a duress code, break-in photos, Dual Lock, Location Lock, Maximum Security, locked stacks and seven lock screens.
• Free up space on your iPhone. Space Saver, part of Sealed Pro, keeps originals in your encrypted iCloud backup and frees space on your iPhone.
• Clean up your camera roll for you. Until you delete them, the originals stay in Photos, outside the vault. The move photos guide covers deleting the originals.