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Silo vs locked notes and document apps
| Silo | Locked notes and document apps | |
|---|---|---|
| Best at | Photos, videos and files of any kind, kept private on the phone. | Text: account details, codes, short private notes. Document apps: scans and PDFs. |
| Photos and videos | Built for them: albums and favorites, with no decrypted copy written to storage. | A locked note can usually hold photos, but it isn't a photo library. In the notes app built into iPhone, notes with video, audio or PDFs can't be locked at all.How to check: Add a video to a note and see whether the lock option is still offered. |
| What it does to the files | Encrypts every photo, video and file on the phone before it is written to storage (XChaCha20-Poly1305, 256-bit keys). | Locked notes in the major phone notes apps are usually encrypted. Many document and scanner apps only add a lock screen in front of ordinary files.How to check: Search the app's help for "encrypted", and see whether it says the files themselves are encrypted or only the app is locked. |
| What opens it | A PIN of 6 or more digits, or a passphrase (Pro), plus optional face or fingerprint unlock. | Often your phone's screen lock or a separate notes password. Document apps usually have their own PIN or use the screen lock.How to check: Check the lock settings: if it's your screen lock, anyone who knows your PIN can open it. |
| Account needed | No. There is no sign-up, no email and no server account. | Usually tied to a cloud account for syncing. Many document apps need an account to use at all.How to check: Sign out of the account in a test, and see what you can still open. |
| Sync across devices | No. The vault stays on one phone. Encrypted backup to your own cloud storage arrives with launch. | Usually yes, and it's the main strength: the same note on your phone, tablet and computer. |
| If you forget the password | Your 12, 6 or 2-word recovery phrase gets you back in. Nobody at Silo can reset it for you. | Varies. With a separate notes password, the official help for iPhone notes says locked notes can't be opened if you forget it. Notes locked with the screen lock open as long as the phone does.How to check: Read what the app offers when you tap "forgot password". |
| Verified import | Yes. Each item is read back and compared before Silo offers to remove the original. | Usually not. Photos added to a note are copied in, and the originals stay in your gallery until you delete them.How to check: After adding a photo to a locked note, check whether it is still in your gallery. |
| Export everything | Yes, on any plan, including after a plan ends. | Often one note or document at a time. Some apps export everything, some only to their own format.How to check: Look for an export option that covers all locked items at once. |
| Published format and decrypt tool | Yes. The vault format is public, and a free independent decrypt tool reads a vault copy plus your phrase. | Usually no. Locked items open only in the app, signed in to the account. |
| Ads and tracking | No ads. The only data collected is described in the privacy policy, and diagnostics are off unless you agree in setup. | Built-in notes apps have no ads. Free document and scanner apps vary widely.How to check: Read the app's privacy label in your app store. |
| Price | Free for up to 100 photos and 10 videos. Pro from $1.99 a week, $19.99 a year or $39.99 once. | Built-in notes apps are free. Document apps are often free with limits, or by subscription. |
A lot of private things end up in a notes app. Door codes, account numbers, a photo of an insurance card, the details from a passport. It’s always open, it syncs to your other devices, and most notes apps can lock a note. Scanner and document apps fill a similar gap for paperwork. For many people that’s the right tool, and nothing more is needed.
Why people choose locked notes or a document app
- It’s already in use. No new app, no new habit.
- It syncs. The same note on your phone, tablet and computer.
- It’s quick for text. Typing a code is faster than taking a photo of it.
- Document apps are built for paperwork. Scanning, cropping and turning photos into PDFs.
When it’s enough
A locked note is a good home for short text you need on several devices: Wi-Fi passwords, membership numbers, the answer to a security question. If the notes app encrypts locked notes and you use a separate, strong notes password, it holds up well.
A document app is fine for paperwork you don’t mind being stored where the app stores it. That’s often the app’s own cloud.
Where it falls short
Not everything can be locked. Notes apps focus on text. The official help for the notes app built into iPhone lists what can’t be locked: notes with video, audio, PDFs, tags and some document types, as well as notes synced through some email accounts. Those stay unlocked.
A lock screen isn’t encryption. Many document and scanner apps put a PIN in front of the app while the files underneath stay ordinary files. Others upload scans to their own servers. Check the app’s help before trusting it with an ID document.
The originals stay behind. Adding a photo to a note makes a copy. The original is still in your gallery, and in your photo backup, until you delete it yourself.
Recovery can be all or nothing. Forget a separate notes password and those notes may be gone for good. Use the phone’s screen lock instead, and anyone who knows your PIN can open them.
It’s tied to an account. Syncing means your notes live in a cloud account. That’s convenient, and it also means the account’s security is the notes’ security.
What Silo changes
Silo is built for the things notes apps handle badly: photos, videos and files. Everything is encrypted on the phone under Silo’s own PIN, with no account. Imports are verified, then Silo offers to remove the originals from your gallery, so there’s no second copy left behind. A recovery phrase gets you back in if you forget the PIN, and you can export everything on any plan. With Pro, Silo keeps files of any kind, such as PDFs and scans.
For sending a single document to someone, the free file encryption tool locks it with a passphrase, using the same cipher and key-derivation method.
How to decide
- Is it text you need everywhere? Keep it in a locked note, with its own strong password.
- Is it a photo, a video or a scan? Put it in a vault, and remove the original from your gallery.
- Would losing it hurt? Know how you’d get it back if you forgot the password, before you need to.
Most people end up using both: a locked note for codes, a vault for pictures and papers.
Questions
Is a locked note secure enough for passwords and codes?
For a few codes, a locked note with its own strong password is reasonable. A password manager is better for many accounts, because it also fills them in and warns about reuse.
Why can't I lock a note with a video in it?
Some notes apps only lock certain kinds of content. In the notes app built into iPhone, notes with video, audio, PDFs and some documents can't be locked. Keep those files in a vault instead.
Are scanned ID documents safe in a scanner app?
Only if the app encrypts them, or keeps them only on your phone. Some scanner apps upload scans to their own servers. Check before you scan a passport.
Can Silo hold notes?
Silo has no notes editor. With Pro, you can keep files of any kind, including text documents and PDFs.