Short answer: if nobody, not even the company behind the app, may be able to read your memories, choose an end-to-end encrypted service: Ente for photos and videos, Day One or Apple Journal for a journal, or iCloud Photos with Advanced Data Protection. If you want your photos, your voice and the story together in rooms you walk through, choose The Memory Palace: private by default, encrypted in transit and at rest, but not end-to-end encrypted. Many people use one of each.
This guide is about your own memories: the photos, voice notes and stories you keep for yourself first. It compares the options on one question, who can read what you keep, and says plainly where we stand. Every fact about another service was checked on 20 October 2026 on its own website or help pages; the sources are at the bottom.
Three kinds of private
- Private by default. Nobody sees your memories in the app until you share them. Almost every option below does this.
- Encrypted in transit and at rest. Nobody can read along on the way, and a stolen disk is useless. The company holds the keys, so technically its staff could access the data. This is how most clouds work, and how The Memory Palace works.
- End-to-end encrypted. Only your own devices hold the key. The company cannot read your memories, and it also cannot recover them if you lose the key.
At a glance
| Option | Best for | Encryption | Who holds the key | Voice and story | Export | Devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ente Photos | A private backup of all your photos and videos | End-to-end | Your devices | Photos and videos | Desktop app or command line | Android, iOS, web, Mac, Linux, Windows; 10 GB free |
| Day One | A daily journal with photos | End-to-end, on by default for new journals | Your devices | Text, photos; audio and more photos on paid plans | PDF, JSON with media, text | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, web |
| Apple Journal | A journal on Apple devices | End-to-end in iCloud | Your devices | Text, photos, video, audio | One ZIP with media; PDF | iPhone, iPad, Mac; free |
| iCloud Photos with Advanced Data Protection | Backing up every photo on Apple devices | End-to-end (Shared Albums excepted) | Your devices | Photos and videos | Download from iCloud | Apple devices; 5 GB free |
| iCloud Photos, standard | The same, without extra setup | In transit and on the server | Apple | Photos and videos | Download from iCloud | Apple devices; 5 GB free |
| Google Photos | Backing up every photo, on any phone | In transit and at rest | Photos and videos | Google Takeout | Android, iPhone, web; 15 GB free, shared with Gmail and Drive | |
| The Memory Palace | Chapters of your life as rooms, with your voice and story next to the photos | In transit and at rest, not end-to-end | Us and our storage providers | Photos, voice recordings, video, written stories | Full ZIP with a page that opens offline, on every plan | iPhone, iPad, Android, browser; free plan with 1 GB |
The end-to-end encrypted options
Ente Photos
Ente describes its photo app as end-to-end encrypted, also for uploads through shared album links. It runs on Android, iOS, the web, Mac, Linux and Windows, its apps are open source, and the free plan has 10 GB; paid plans start at 50 GB. You export with the desktop app (Export Data) or a command line tool. Best for: a private copy of every photo and video. It is a photo library, so the story and your voice live elsewhere.
Day One
Day One is a journal where you add photos, videos, drawings or audio recordings to an entry. End-to-end encryption is on by default for new journals, and it covers the media in them. Day One does not keep your private key: if you lose it, the encrypted journal cannot be decrypted. The free Basic plan allows 1 photo per entry on 1 device, without audio; Silver and Gold add more. Export as PDF, JSON with your media, or text. Best for: writing often, ordered by day.
Apple Journal
Journal is free on iPhone and iPad (iOS 17.2 or later) and syncs to the Mac. You add photos, videos and audio recordings. Apple lists Journal data as end-to-end encrypted even with standard data protection. You export all entries as one ZIP file with the media, or save entries as PDF on iOS 18 or later. Best for: a journal when all your devices are Apple.
iCloud Photos with Advanced Data Protection
With standard data protection, Apple encrypts iCloud Photos in transit and on its servers and keeps the keys. When you switch on Advanced Data Protection, Photos, Notes, Voice Memos, iCloud Drive and iCloud Backup become end-to-end encrypted. You need two-factor authentication, up-to-date devices and a recovery contact or recovery key, because Apple can no longer help you recover that data. Shared Albums are not end-to-end encrypted. Best for: people who already use iCloud and want the strongest protection for all their photos.
The mainstream clouds
Google Photos says your backed-up photos and videos are private and viewable only by you unless shared. Google describes encryption in transit and at rest; it does not describe end-to-end encryption for Google Photos. Each Google Account has up to 15 GB, shared across Gmail, Drive and Photos, and Google Takeout exports your data. iCloud Photos without Advanced Data Protection works the same way: private, encrypted, with the keys at Apple. Both are excellent backups. Neither keeps the story or your voice next to a photo.
The Memory Palace, honestly
The Memory Palace is your own 3D memory palace: your photos, voice recordings and stories each get a room you can walk through. It is private by default, and you invite family and friends into a room when you choose. It is not a social platform and not a memory trainer.
- Encrypted, not end-to-end. Every connection uses HTTPS with TLS 1.2 or higher. The database is in Frankfurt and your files are with Cloudflare R2 in Western Europe, both encrypted at rest. Our servers can read what you store: that is how one shared room, thumbnails, the ZIP export and optional AI features work. We do not look at the content of your palace except when you ask, when illegal content is reported, or when the law requires it. The full answer is on who can see your memories.
- Optional AI is off. AI features are off for every new account, and only run on what you use them on.
- Leave with everything. With one click you download your whole palace as a ZIP, on every plan including the free one, with a page that opens without internet and without an account. See what happens if we stop.
- Practical. A free plan with 1 GB; Keeper EUR 49 a year, Guardian EUR 79 a year. On iPhone, iPad, Android and in the browser, in five languages. Made by a small team in Leuven, Belgium.
What it lacks: end-to-end encryption, and an automatic backup of your phone. If something needs zero-access secrecy, such as passwords or a scan of your passport, keep it in an end-to-end encrypted service. Have a look at the app.
Who should pick what
- Nobody but you may ever be able to read it: pick an end-to-end encrypted service, Ente for photos, Day One or Apple Journal for a journal, iCloud with Advanced Data Protection on Apple devices. Keep your recovery key safe.
- You want every photo backed up and nothing more: Google Photos or iCloud Photos, or Ente if you want that backup end-to-end encrypted.
- You want rooms you walk through, with voice and stories: The Memory Palace, private by default, knowing it is not end-to-end encrypted.
- Both: an end-to-end encrypted backup of everything, plus a palace for the chapters that matter. That is a common and sensible pair.
Five questions to ask any app
- Is it private by default, or do I have to switch sharing off?
- Is it end-to-end encrypted, and if not, who holds the key?
- What happens if I lose my password or key?
- Can I take everything out, media included, in one export?
- Can I share one part with chosen people and keep the rest private?
Read on: where to keep your own memories, apps to keep your own memories, compared, a private alternative to social media, and all guides on your own memories.
Sources
- Ente, product page (end-to-end encrypted photos; 10 GB free; Android, iOS, web, Mac, Linux, Windows; open source): ente.com
- Ente, pricing (free 10 GB; paid plans from 50 GB): ente.com/pricing
- Ente Help, export your data (desktop app Export Data, continuous sync, CLI): ente.com/help/photos/migration/export
- Day One, product page (photos, video, audio, end-to-end encryption, export): dayoneapp.com
- Day One, plans and pricing (Basic: 1 photo per entry, 1 device, no audio): dayoneapp.com/pricing
- Day One, end-to-end encryption FAQ (on by default for new journals since version 4.2, includes media; a lost key cannot be recovered): dayoneapp.com/guides/day-one-sync/end-to-end-encryption-faq
- Day One, exporting entries (PDF, JSON with media, plain text): dayoneapp.com/guides/tips-and-tutorials/exporting-entries
- App Store, Journal by Apple (free; iPhone with iOS 17.2 or later, iPad, Mac; photos, videos, audio recordings): apps.apple.com/us/app/journal/id6447391597
- Apple Support, back up, export and print Journal entries on iPhone (one ZIP file with photos and media; PDF with iOS 18 or later): support.apple.com/en-us/121822
- Apple Support, iCloud data security overview (Journal end-to-end encrypted with standard protection; Photos, Notes, Voice Memos and iCloud Backup only with Advanced Data Protection): support.apple.com/en-us/102651
- Apple Support, turn on Advanced Data Protection for iCloud (recovery contact or key required; Apple cannot help recover end-to-end encrypted data; Shared Albums not end-to-end encrypted): support.apple.com/en-us/108756
- Apple Support, iCloud storage (5 GB free): support.apple.com/en-us/HT201238
- Google Photos Help, back up photos and videos (private and viewable only by you unless shared; Android, iPhone, iPad, web): support.google.com/photos/answer/6193313
- Google Safety Center, Google Photos (encryption in transit and at rest): safety.google/photos
- Google One Help, how your Google storage works (15 GB shared across Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos): support.google.com/googleone/answer/9312312
- Google Account Help, how to download your Google data (Google Takeout): support.google.com/accounts/answer/3024190