Cryptomator
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 invent an encryption format. Use one that exists. WHY NOT - The danger is not the cipher, it is everything around it: key derivation, filename handling, integrity, and a format you can still read in five years - Cryptomator's desktop app is already free and open source IF YOU WANT A COMMAND-LINE VERSION USE AN EXISTING FORMAT - age for single files, or gocryptfs for a mounted directory - Both are documented, reviewed, and readable by other tools A SMALL WRAPPER IS FINE - A script that encrypts a directory to a synced folder and decrypts it back - Keys from a passphrase through Argon2, never from a plain hash - Integrity checked on every decrypt; a silent corruption is worse than a loud failure WHAT TO TEST BEFORE TRUSTING IT - Restore an old vault into a clean machine with nothing but the passphrase. If that fails, you have a backup that does not exist Include the wrapper, the key derivation and the restore test.
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
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
Nothing recorded yet. This chart fills in once the page has visitors, votes or prompt copies — it will not draw a flat line to look busy.
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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