cryptomator.orgcontributed by Samuele Ongaro
The value is the network, the data or the infrastructure. Keep paying.
Client-side encryption for files kept in cloud storage: it makes an encrypted vault inside your Dropbox or Drive folder, so the provider stores only ciphertext.
Do not build this. The vault format has been audited, and the failure mode of getting encryption wrong is not a bug — it is files you cannot open, or files anybody can. File names and contents encrypted independently, so a vault stays usable as it grows; a documented format so a future version can still read today's files; applications that mount a vault as a drive on every platform. That combination costs about a euro a month and is one of the best values in this catalogue. WHAT TO DO INSTEAD - Keep it. Or use age or gocryptfs, both free and both reviewed, if you prefer command-line tools - Never write your own file encryption format. Not because it is hard to encrypt a file, but because it is hard to encrypt a directory tree in a way that stays consistent, recoverable and usable across devices for years WHAT YOU CAN BUILD, AND SHOULD **A verification and hygiene tool over your encrypted storage**, which nobody else will build for you: - Check that every file in the vault decrypts. A backup you have never restored from is not a backup, and a vault you have never verified is not either. Run it monthly - Compare the vault against a manifest of expected files, so a silent sync failure that dropped a directory is visible - Report vault size, file count and growth, and warn before your cloud storage fills — which is how a sync quietly stops and nobody notices - A restore rehearsal script: take the vault to a clean machine, mount it, open a file, and time it. Write the time down AND THE THING PEOPLE GET WRONG The passphrase is the whole security, and losing it means losing everything with no recovery. Write it down, put it somewhere physical, and test that the written version actually works. A passphrase you are confident about and cannot reproduce is the most common way people lose an encrypted vault. THE ONE-LINE VERSION Never write the crypto. Build the thing that proves your vault still opens, and go and test your passphrase.
What you lose
- An audited, documented vault format — file names and contents encrypted independently, so a vault stays usable as it grows
- Apps on desktop and mobile that mount a vault as a normal drive
- A file format other people can open years from now, which home-made encryption never is
If you would rather not build
- age, for encrypting individual files
- VeraCrypt, for whole encrypted volumes
What it costs
as published on their pricing page
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | Last read |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | $1.25/mo | — | — |
Their pricing page is where these came from. Seeing a different price? Tell us.
The escape hatch
open source · no votes, no paid placement
Cryptomator
$0The desktop app itself is free and open source; only mobile is paid.
cryptomator/cryptomatorfree · open source
gocryptfs
$0An encrypted overlay filesystem with a documented, reviewed format.
rfjakob/gocryptfsfree · open source
Why this verdict
our own opinion · changed only by a person
22/100
Verdict no at 22. Not because it is hard to encrypt a file, but because a home-made format is one you will not be able to read when it matters.
History
tracked since 10 Aug 2026 · nothing is ever overwritten
Questions about Cryptomator
answered from the record above
Is Cryptomator free?
No — the plan we track is $1.25 a month. Desktop is free and open source; the mobile apps are a one-off purchase of around $15, shown here spread over a year.
Can you replace Cryptomator by building your own?
KEEP IT. The value is the network, the data or the infrastructure. Keep paying. Replacement score 22 out of 100, build time longer than it saves. Read what you lose before you decide.
How much does Cryptomator cost?
$1.25 a month on Mobile app — $15 a year. Recorded 10 Aug 2026.
What do you lose by replacing Cryptomator?
An audited, documented vault format — file names and contents encrypted independently, so a vault stays usable as it grows; Apps on desktop and mobile that mount a vault as a normal drive; A file format other people can open years from now, which home-made encryption never is. If any of those carry weight for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Cryptomator?
Yes: Cryptomator, gocryptfs. The prompt on this page is for when you want it your way instead.
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