Privacy passport
- No tracking
- Yes
- Open source
- Yes
- Only you can read it
- On device
- No account
- Yes
- Free
- Free plan
5 of 5 checks
- Android
- iPhone
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Private file encryption tools
13 apps, each with a privacy passport
File encryption tools scramble your data with a password or key before it leaves your control, so a lost laptop or a cloud provider sees nothing useful. Some encrypt a whole drive or container, others encrypt folders file by file for cloud sync, and command-line tools encrypt single files to send to someone.
If you only try two
Easiest way to encrypt files you keep in the cloud
Privacy passport
- No tracking
- Yes
- Open source
- Yes
- Only you can read it
- On device
- No account
- Yes
- Free
- Yes
5 of 5 checks- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Proven, free encryption for whole drives
All 13 file encryption tools
Works on
13 of 13 apps
CryptomatorPick
App16.3k
Encrypts files one by one inside a vault folder before they sync to Dropbox, Google Drive or any other cloud.
- No tracking
- Open source
- Stays on device
- No account
- Free plan
- Android
- iPhone
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
VeraCryptPick
App11.9k
Creates encrypted containers or encrypts whole drives and USB sticks, including the system disk on Windows.
- No tracking
- Open source
- Stays on device
- No account
- Free
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Photok
App993
Encrypted photo vault for Android that hides private pictures behind a password, stored only on the phone.
- No tracking
- Open source
- Stays on device
- No account
- Free
- Android
age
App24.1k
Small command-line tool that encrypts files to a short public key or a passphrase, with no settings to get wrong.
- No tracking
- Open source
- Stays on device
- No account
- Free
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Gpg4win
App
Windows bundle of GnuPG and the Kleopatra app for encrypting and signing files and email with OpenPGP.
- No tracking
- Open source
- Stays on device
- No account
- Free
- Windows
GnuPG
App
The standard OpenPGP tool for encrypting and signing files, used under the hood by many other apps.
- No tracking
- Open source
- Stays on device
- No account
- Free
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
GPG Suite
App
Mac package that adds OpenPGP encryption and key management to Finder and other apps.
- No tracking
- Open source
- Stays on device
- No account
- Free plan
- Mac
Picocrypt NG
App486
Tiny drag-and-drop app that encrypts files with a password, a maintained fork of the original Picocrypt.
- No tracking
- Open source
- Stays on device
- No account
- Free
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Kryptor
App508
Simple command-line file encryption and signing tool using modern cryptography and passphrases or keys.
- No tracking
- Open source
- Stays on device
- No account
- Free
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Tomb
App1.6k
Linux command-line tool that keeps files in encrypted folders you open with a separate key file.
- No tracking
- Open source
- Stays on device
- No account
- Free
- Linux
The standard Linux tool for full-disk encryption with LUKS, used by most distribution installers.
- No tracking
- Open source
- Stays on device
- No account
- Free
- Linux
Photok
App993
Android photo safe that keeps chosen pictures encrypted on the device behind a password.
- No tracking
- Open source
- Stays on device
- No account
- Free
- Android
7-Zip
App
Free file archiver that can lock archives with AES-256 and hide file names behind a password.
- No tracking
- Open source
- Stays on device
- No account
- Free
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
What to check in file encryption tools
- 1 It uses well-known encryption and the code is open to review
- 2 It has had an independent audit, or is small enough to check
- 3 It works offline and needs no account or online service
