En­cryp­tion software and tools in com­par­is­on

En­cryp­tion software makes it simple to protect files, folders, or entire hard drives from prying eyes. There are paid and free en­cryp­tion software options available. These differ mainly in their operation, setting options, which data can be encrypted and how, and other ad­di­tion­al features.

En­cryp­tion programs encrypt data on your computer and assign a key. Only in­di­vidu­als who know the key can access the data. It is possible to encrypt in­di­vidu­al files, for example, a Word document or a PDF, or al­tern­at­ively, entire folders, drives and par­ti­tions. Different en­cryp­tion methods and keys are used depending on the en­cryp­tion software and security re­quire­ments. The most common key is a password. However, it is also common to have a file or device where the password is stored, or even an image which must be pieced together correctly.

Operating systems usually come with several pre­in­stalled tools, so you may not ne­ces­sar­ily need another program to encrypt ZIP files or encrypt Mac folders. However, there are programs which can sup­ple­ment these pre­in­stalled tools and can be down­loaded free of charge.

VeraCrypt, the successor to the open-source tool TrueCrypt, is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and can be used com­pletely free of charge. In addition to the basic functions such as en­crypt­ing in­di­vidu­al files and folders, users can choose between many different en­cryp­tion methods, encrypt complete system par­ti­tions, and hide operating systems. This makes the freeware VeraCrypt more efficient than some paid services for data en­cryp­tion software. However, setup and usability are not so intuitive and it may be more suitable for advanced users.

The Rohos Mini Drive tool was developed to encrypt USB flash drives. It is very easy to use and is mainly suitable for trans­fer­ring data securely from one PC to another. After in­stalling the program, you set up an en­cryp­tion container on a USB stick, which you can protect with a password. You can change various para­met­ers through settings, such as the size. In terms of dis­ad­vant­ages, the range of features is very limited and the en­cryp­tion software is only available for Windows.

Users with admin ex­per­i­ence can use ProxyCrypt to encrypt files, folders, and drives with the command line in Windows. According to the provider, a virtual drive is required for this, which can be created with the ImDisk Virtual Disk Driver tool. Both programs are available as free open source solutions. There is a lot of freedom with this type of en­cryp­tion and there is a large choice of en­cryp­tion methods once it has been set up. The software even offers pro­tec­tion against key­log­gers.

There are also paid en­cryp­tion tools which are suitable for busi­nesses in case you have more extensive en­cryp­tion re­quire­ments or VeraCrypt is too com­plic­ated. Many of these options are usually connected directly to a cloud and data can be stored there in encrypted form.

The en­cryp­tion software Box­cryptor is developed by a German man­u­fac­turer and spe­cial­ises in the en­cryp­tion of data in the cloud. Over 30 cloud providers can be easily connected, which makes this a good option for companies who want to safely share a lot of data with de­cent­ral­ised teams. Various en­cryp­tion methods and other important basic functions are also available. Operation is simple, and Windows users benefit from perfect in­teg­ra­tion with Explorer.

Box­cryptor also runs on Mac and it is also available for Android and iOS. Private users can get a re­stric­ted license for free or unlock ad­di­tion­al features starting from around £3 per month. Companies can sign up for a team license, which starts at just over £2,000 for 25 users per year.

Folder Lock for Windows is one of the most down­loaded en­cryp­tion tools in the world, however it is not available for Mac. Setup and operation is simple. Files can be stored in an encrypted virtual drive, and in­di­vidu­al folders and files can also be backed up by right-clicking. Un­for­tu­nately, hiding data or en­crypt­ing an entire system partition is not possible. The en­cryp­tion method is based on AES. There are no plans to connect to known clouds, however, the man­u­fac­turer’s cloud is available in the paid full version for around £30.

In terms of en­cryp­tion, CryptBox leaves nothing to be desired. In­di­vidu­al files, folders, par­ti­tions, and system par­ti­tions can be encrypted with AES, but un­for­tu­nately, there are no other methods to choose from. On the positive side, cloud services can be directly in­teg­rated and there is an option to protect data with a password, picture password, or key device. However, data cannot be hidden and the tool is also only available for Windows. CryptBox is an af­ford­able and user-friendly en­cryp­tion software which costs just over £20 for the full version.

The tool you choose should depend largely on your re­quire­ments. The free en­cryp­tion tools or the pre­in­stalled tools on your operating system are usually suf­fi­cient if you just want to protect in­di­vidu­al files or folders from un­au­thor­ised access.

It may be worth investing in one of the paid options if you want to encrypt entire areas of your computer or want in­di­vidu­al settings for en­cryp­tion and access methods. The operation in paid options is more intuitive or explained in detail, when compared to VeraCrypt, for example. Companies who work with de­cent­ral­ised teams and need to have their data secure usually choose the tool which can be connected to a cloud solution.