SECURITY · 3 NOVEMBER 2026
PIN vs password vs pattern for your vault
Quick comparison
| Six-digit PIN | Pattern | Password | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | Fast | Fast | Slower |
| Strength | 1 million combinations | Depends on grid and length | Strongest when long |
| Easy to watch over a shoulder | Moderately | Yes: patterns are easy to see and to leave smudges | Harder |
| Unlock from the Calculator cover | Yes, directly | Via the normal unlock screen | Via the normal unlock screen |
| Best for | Everyday use | Quick unlocks in private | The most sensitive material |
What protects a short PIN
A million combinations sounds small, but two things limit guessing:
- Delays in the app. After five wrong attempts Vaultage waits 30 seconds, rising to one hour after the ninth.
- A device-bound key. The vault key also depends on a secret held in the iPhone's Keychain that is not included in backups, so a copied vault cannot be guessed offline.
That makes a PIN a reasonable everyday choice.
When to choose a password
Choose a long password if you are worried about a determined attacker with forensic tools who could extract both the vault and the device secret. In that situation a PIN or pattern can be guessed offline; a long passphrase realistically cannot. A few unrelated words make a strong password that is still memorable.
Patterns
Vaultage offers pattern grids of 3×3, 4×4, and 5×5. Larger grids and longer patterns are stronger. Patterns are fast, but easy to see from across a room, and they can leave a smudge trail on the screen.
Changing your method
You can switch at any time in Settings → Change unlock method. Whatever you choose, remember it: nobody can reset it for you.