Updated for 2026
Updated 6 August 2026: ratings, review counts, installs, prices and publisher names re-checked against each app's Google Play listing.
A good app lock puts a PIN, pattern, or fingerprint in front of anything private. On a recent Pixel or Samsung the strongest tool may already be built in: see the built-in options.
Price, vault, defenses and the catch for all 7, from each app's own Play listing, checked 6 August 2026. AppLock by PIPS Tech is the editor's pick.
| App | Price and ads | Vault | Disguise and defense | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AppLock by PIPS Tech | Free with ads, IAP $1.99 to $11.99 | Photos and video | Fake crash cover, fingerprint with PIN fallback | Ads in the free build |
| Smart AppLock | Free with ads, no IAP | No | Fake fingerprint prompt, snaps a photo on a wrong code | Setup takes patience |
| AVG AntiVirus (App Lock) | Free with ads, IAP to $119.99 | No | No disguise, malware shield lives with the lock | Pro lifts the app-lock cap |
| App Lock (BGN CAPITAL) | Free with ads, IAP to $149.99 | No | Hides notification content | Location unlock no longer reliable |
| Keepsafe Photo Vault | Free with ads, IAP to $299.99 | Yes, encrypted | Fake PIN opens a decoy album | Decoy PIN is premium |
| LOCKit | Free with ads, no IAP | Yes, plus intruder selfies | Intruder selfies, locks settings toggles | Pushes extras you can ignore |
| Vault (Hide Pics) | Free with ads, IAP to $30.99 | Casual hiding only | Second space for spare accounts | XOR history: a hider, not a safe |
Here is how each locker earns its place, and where it falls short, app by app.
Most people
AppLock is the pick for most people: locking the gallery, WhatsApp, and settings takes under a minute, fingerprint carries the daily load, and the fake crash cover really does fool curious hands. It is free with ads, removing them is a paid extra, and the 30 July 2026 build still updates regularly. Skip it if ads in a security tool bother you; choose it over Smart AppLock when you want a vault, not just a gate.
↑ Back to the comparisonPlayful privacy
Smart AppLock, listed under Smart Protect Mobile, is the best pick with no in-app purchases at all: the fake fingerprint prompt, the fake "app stopped" screen and the break-in photo on a wrong code all ship free, with ads. Time-based rules can keep social apps off-limits during work hours. The bluntest con: setup takes patience. Skip it if you need a vault, it has none; choose it over AppLock for disguises and alerts without paying.
↑ Back to the comparisonSecurity bundle
AVG's App Lock is the pick if you already run security software: it ships inside AVG AntiVirus FREE, so the malware shield and the lock share one dashboard. The free tier shows ads and caps how many apps you can lock; the Pro subscription lifts that cap rather than unlocking the feature. Skip it if all you want is a locker, a full antivirus is heavy for that job (compare our antivirus picks); choose it over AppLock when one dashboard beats disguises.
↑ Back to the comparisonLightweight phones
App Lock: Fingerprint, Pattern, published by BGN CAPITAL (formerly BGNmobi), is the lightweight pick: pattern, PIN, or fingerprint guarding plus hidden notification content, with barely any weight on battery. It is free with ads, and in-app purchases run up to $149.99, so mind what you tap. The bluntest con: the old unlock-by-location trick no longer works reliably. Skip it if you want a vault or disguises; choose it over LOCKit on a slow phone.
↑ Back to the comparisonHiding photos
Keepsafe is the specialist when what you really want hidden is photos: images move into a PIN-protected, encrypted vault that disappears from the regular gallery, and the 21 July 2026 build is actively maintained. It is free with ads; the Fake PIN decoy album is a premium feature, and in-app purchases reach $299.99 at the top. Skip it for locking whole apps, that needs a companion tool; choose it over Vault whenever the photos actually matter.
↑ Back to the comparisonGranular control
LOCKit, published by SuperTools Corporation, is the granular-control pick: app locking, a photo and video vault, intruder selfies, and locks on individual settings toggles like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, all free with ads and no in-app purchases. The bluntest con: it pushes extra tools you have to ignore. Skip it if upsells annoy you; choose it over Smart AppLock when you want toggle-level locking plus a vault.
↑ Back to the comparisonCasual hiding
Vault, now listed under Wafer Co., rolls hidden photos, videos, locked messages, and a second space for spare accounts into one free app with ads. The bluntest con is history: researchers showed years ago that its vault used trivial XOR scrambling rather than real encryption, so treat it as a casual hider, not a safe. Hide only things you would shrug off if they leaked, and keep a backup elsewhere; choose Keepsafe instead whenever the photos matter.
↑ Back to the comparisonBefore you compare features, understand what these apps actually do, because most promise more than they deliver.
Nearly every third-party app lock on Android runs as an accessibility-service overlay. It watches which app you open and slams a PIN screen in front of the ones you picked. That is a gate, not a wall: the locker encrypts nothing, so the protection only holds while Android is running normally, and the table below shows how quickly it falls.
Treat an app lock as a privacy curtain for casual snooping; the real protection is your device screen lock.
Most lockers are free and paid for with ads, and an app with accessibility access can see which apps you open and how often, so publisher trust matters more than price. Premium tiers buy ad removal, intruder selfies, a fake-PIN decoy, or cloud vault backup; the exact in-app purchase range for each pick is in its fact line above. Paid does not automatically mean safer.
Maybe not. Android 15 added Private Space, and Google's own documentation describes it plainly: "To keep your sensitive apps away from prying eyes, you can set up private space, a separate space on your Android device to hide and organize apps" (Android Help, checked 6 August 2026).
Samsung has Secure Folder and a system-level App Lock in One UI; Samsung's support pages say the folder "is protected by the defence-grade Samsung Knox security platform, which encrypts all data stored there" (Samsung support). Other skins from OnePlus and Xiaomi ship their own app lock in settings. These run at the OS level, so they are harder to bypass and hand no usage data to a third party. If your phone offers one, try it first.
Pair it with: an antivirus app and a VPN app.
Every locker here can be defeated by someone who knows Android well. What separates the good ones is how many of the common tricks they block:
| The trick | What happens | How to block it |
|---|---|---|
| Uninstalling the locker via the Play Store | Locker is gone in under a minute | Add the Play Store to your locked list, and turn on uninstall protection (AppLock calls it Advanced Protection) |
| Force-stopping it from Settings | The lock service dies until next reboot | Lock the Settings app itself; every locker in this lineup can |
| Rebooting into safe mode | Android disables all downloaded apps, locker included | Nothing third-party survives this. Private Space and Secure Folder do, because they are part of the system |
| Installing a fresh browser | New apps start unlocked | Enable the option to auto-lock newly installed apps |
If the person you are guarding against knows about safe mode, no overlay locker stops them; hence the built-in options below.
Open Settings, tap Security and privacy, then Private space. Confirm your screen lock, optionally sign in with a separate Google account so the space gets its own app data, and choose its own lock.
From then on, scroll to the bottom of the app drawer and tap Private to unlock it. Apps inside get separate storage, their notifications stay hidden while the space is locked, and safe mode does not expose them. Samsung phones skip this feature and use Secure Folder instead.
Open Settings, tap Security and privacy, then Secure Folder (on older One UI versions it sits under More security settings). Sign in with your Samsung account and choose a lock type. Samsung Knox then builds an encrypted space with its own copies of apps and its own gallery, and you can hide the Secure Folder icon from the app drawer entirely via Quick Settings.
Reputable ones are, but the app gets deep access to your phone, so it pays to stick with trusted names. We favor lockers from established security brands or developers with long track records and lots of reviews. Check what permissions an app requests and skip anything that wants far more than it needs to do the job.
Your screen lock protects the whole phone at startup, but it does nothing once the device is unlocked and in someone's hands. An app lock adds a second gate in front of specific apps, so you can let a friend borrow your phone for a game while your messages, photos, and banking app stay sealed.
A well-built locker sips very little power, since it mostly sits idle and only wakes when you open a guarded app. The lightweight options have no noticeable effect over a full day. If you do see heavy drain, it usually points to a poorly optimized app, and switching to a leaner one fixes it.
Most apps let you set a recovery email or a security question during setup, so do that before you need it. With that in place you can reset the PIN even if you blank on it. If you skip recovery setup, your only fallback is usually reinstalling the locker, which can mean losing anything stored in its vault.
Not always, so do not assume it. Some vaults move files into a hidden folder without real encryption, and one well-known app was caught using trivial scrambling that researchers cracked in minutes. Look for apps that clearly state they use proper encryption, keep a separate backup of anything important, and treat a weak vault as a curtain rather than a safe.
If your phone has one, often yes. Android 15's Private Space and Samsung's Secure Folder and App Lock run at the system level, which makes them harder to bypass than a third-party overlay and means your usage data stays on the device. Try the built-in option first, and only add a separate app if you need a feature it does not cover.