The Best Encryption Software for 2024 (2024)

• Can easily edit encrypted files
• Secure sharing using public key cryptography
• Secure file deletion
• Supports Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS

• Can be risky if you don't ensure local account security

Some encryption tools are easy to use, others are highly secure. A few, including AxCrypt Premium, hit both targets. You initialize it with a single strong master password, and it takes care of complex tasks like encrypting files using the US-government-approved AES algorithm and sharing those files using PKI (Public Key Interface) technology. Those with whom you share encrypted files need their own AxCrypt account, but they can use its free tier.

Editing files encrypted by other tools can be tough, often requiring you to decrypt the file, make your changes, and then encrypt again. AxCrypt makes the process seamless, automatically decrypting the file when you open it and encrypting it again after you close it. It even includes secure storage for your passwords, though it won’t capture and replay them like a full-on password manager. When you’re creating and saving a new account, AxCrypt can help with its free random password generator.

Public Key Cryptography

Rate Password Strength

Two-Factor Authentication

Create Encrypted Storage

Encrypt Files/Folders

Encrypt Text

Create Self-Decrypting EXE

Secure Deletion of Originals

• Encrypted lockers protect files and folders
• Secure online backup
• Can lock files and folders, making them invisible
• File shredding
• Free space shredding
• Self-decrypting files
• Many useful bonus features

• Product serial number stands in for master password by default
• Locked files are not encrypted
• Secure backup requires separate subscription

The name Folder Lock suggests that this product simply locks folders behind an encryption system, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Folder Lock does have the ability to encrypt files and folders and can even “lock” them without encryption (meaning it hides them from view by all other programs). But it can also create encrypted vaults, storage containers that look and act like an ordinary folder when open but become completely inaccessible when locked. For an extra fee, you can set up secure online backup and syncing.

It’s always important to securely delete unencrypted original files after encrypting them or putting them in secure storage. Folder Lock goes beyond that basic approach, allowing you to securely overwrite your drive’s empty space, effectively applying secure deletion to all deleted files. You can safely store credit cards and identity documents in its encrypted Wallet. It even provides a simple history cleaner, wiping out traces that a snoop could use to reconstruct your computer and browsing activities.

Public Key Cryptography

Rate Password Strength

Two-Factor Authentication

Create Encrypted Storage

Encrypt Files/Folders

Encrypt Text

Create Self-Decrypting EXE

Secure Deletion of Originals

• Most features available for free
• Premium edition is inexpensive
• Easy secure sharing
• No cloud, no servers, no internet required
• YubiKey authentication option
• Runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows

• Potential risk if you don’t properly secure your Windows account

An encryption tool that's too complicated won't get used. The same is true of a tool that's too expensive for the average user. Xecrets Ez Premium sidesteps both those problems. With a straightforward user interface and no installation required, it could hardly be simpler. And you can get the full power of its encryption without paying a penny, or pop for an inexpensive subscription to gain even more ease of use. Encrypt files, decrypt them, edit them in place, share them securely...Xecrets does everything you need.

Under the hood, it's precisely the same powerful encryption system used by AxCrypt Premium. The two products have the same developer and can decrypt each other's files. Xecrets places a stronger emphasis on simplicity, with no servers or internet connection required and no added features to distract from the all-important encryption.

Public Key Cryptography

Rate Password Strength

Two-Factor Authentication

Create Encrypted Storage

Encrypt Files/Folders

Encrypt Text

Create Self-Decrypting EXE

Secure Deletion of Originals

• Offers 17 encryption algorithms
• Supports PKI
• Secure deletion
• Password generator
• Encrypts text to/from the clipboard
• Command-line operation

• Awkward, dated user interface
• Password generator doesn't work well
• Some features described in Help system are absent

Many encryption utilities stick with the US-government-approved AES encryption algorithm. Some offer a choice of AES or Blowfish. With Advanced Encryption Package, you can choose from 17 distinct encryption algorithms, vastly more than any competing product. You can use public-key cryptography to share encrypted items, though it’s up to you to manage the necessary key exchange. With this product, you even get choices for secure deletion of unencrypted originals, more than a dozen, most of them military in origin.

This tool offers an unusual option to encrypt or decrypt the contents of the clipboard. Copy text to the clipboard, press the hotkey, and paste the encrypted result into an email or other messaging system. A password generator is built in, though without any associated password management. Admittedly, the user interface is seriously dated, referencing events and products that have been gone for 10 to 15 years. But it offers an amazingly broad selection of encryption options.

Public Key Cryptography

Rate Password Strength

Two-Factor Authentication

Create Encrypted Storage

Encrypt Files/Folders

Encrypt Text

Create Self-Decrypting EXE

Secure Deletion of Originals

• Uncomplicated encryption
• Just one password to remember
• Free version includes essential features
• Upgrade adds MFA, secure sharing, and file shredding
• Inexpensive Pro edition

• Sharing files between PCs is confined to Pro users
• File shredding system is somewhat limited

Encryption can be a daunting topic if you’re not technically inclined. How do I do it? Which encryption algorithm should I choose? Quite a few encryption utilities almost seem to revel in complexity. Not EncryptionSafe.

Want to encrypt a document? Just drop it on the app. Need to edit an encrypted file? All you do is launch it. EncryptionSafe decrypts it on the fly, so it loads right up. And when you’ve finished your edits, it reminds you to re-encrypt the file.

Public Key Cryptography

Rate Password Strength

Two-Factor Authentication

Create Encrypted Storage

Encrypt Files/Folders

Encrypt Text

Create Self-Decrypting EXE

Secure Deletion of Originals

• Very easy to use
• No limits on local encrypted storage
• Securely share encrypted files
• Advanced multi-factor authentication
• Free version available

• Secure deletion is Windows-only
• Some features absent from iOS app

The NordLocker encryption tool comes from the makers of NordVPN, an Editors’ Choice winner for virtual private networks. You use it to create lockers, encrypted storage containers that provide full access to files when open but make them completely inaccessible when locked. Opening a free account doesn't require a credit card and lets you create unlimited encrypted lockers on your local device. It also gets you 3GB of online storage for shareable cloud-based lockers. Subscribing at $2.99 per month (billed annually) raises your storage to 500GB and entitles you to priority tech support.

You can access your cloud lockers from the NordLocker app for Windows, macOS, Android, or iOS or log in directly to the online cloud console. Sharing lockers with other NordLocker users, including users of the free edition, is a snap. You just send the locker to the recipient’s email address, and NordLocker encrypts the sent version with the recipient’s key.

Public Key Cryptography

Rate Password Strength

Two-Factor Authentication

Create Encrypted Storage

Encrypt Files/Folders

Encrypt Text

Create Self-Decrypting EXE

Secure Deletion of Originals

• Can layer one to four encryption algorithms
• Simple, context-menu-based operation
• Can keep passphrase in memory
• Secure deletion
• Text encryption
• Filename encryption

• Passphrase memory can be a security risk for the careless
• Fewer features than some competitors

If encrypting your data once is good, encrypting it four times is even better, right? CryptoForge supports four encryption algorithms: AES, Blowfish, Triple DES, and the Soviet-era GOST. For each encryption activity, you can choose from one to four of these—multiple algorithms are applied sequentially. CryptoForge doesn’t have a big presence on your system; you mostly access it from the right-click menu or by using the command line.

This app also offers an unusual text-encryption ability. You create a document using its WYSIWYG editor (or import an RTF file), optionally add attachments, and click to encrypt. The result is an all-text encrypted document that you can use to transfer encrypted data via messaging systems that don’t support binary attachments. Don’t worry; the recipient can use CryptoForge’s free Decrypter tool to unlock what you sent.

Public Key Cryptography

Rate Password Strength

Two-Factor Authentication

Create Encrypted Storage

Encrypt Files/Folders

Encrypt Text

Create Self-Decrypting EXE

Secure Deletion of Originals

• Easy drag-and-drop encryption and decryption
• Supports both Windows and Mac
• Free

• No multi-factor authentication
• No secure deletion for plaintext originals

Sometimes, you encrypt files for local protection so nobody but you can access their important information. Other times, you want to share, but only with your correspondent and not with any passing spies or snoops. Kyiv-based MacPaw provides Encrypto for exactly that purpose, and it works on both macOS and Windows.

Drop a file on Encrypto, give it an encryption password and hint, and you get an encrypted copy, ready for sharing by email, USB drive, or whatever method you choose. Of course you’ll transmit the password to the recipient by a different method, perhaps an encrypted messaging service. All the recipient needs to do is drop the file onto Encrypto and supply the password.

Public Key Cryptography

Rate Password Strength

Two-Factor Authentication

Create Encrypted Storage

Encrypt Files/Folders

Encrypt Text

Create Self-Decrypting EXE

Secure Deletion of Originals

• Many options for encrypted file storage
• Easy to use
• Two-factor authentication
• Can hide existence of encrypted files
• Multi-faceted file shredder
• Price includes five licenses

• Portable encryption requires driver installation
• Safe-in-a-safe feature risks data loss

Many personal encryption products work by creating a secure container, often called a vault or safe, for sensitive files. That’s how Steganos Safe works, but it brings an unusual amount of flexibility to safe creation. You can create local safes, of course, but you can also easily put a mobile safe on a USB drive. There’s a cloud safe option that supports Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneDrive. You can even wipe an entire drive partition and make it into a safe.

Encryption hides the contents of your sensitive data; steganography hides the fact that there’s anything hidden. With safes below a certain size cutoff, Steganos can hide the safe inside a video, audio, or executable file. There’s also a slightly risky option to hide a safe inside of an existing safe. If you’re looking to put your files into encrypted storage, Steganos Safe offers a vast set of variations.

Public Key Cryptography

Rate Password Strength

Two-Factor Authentication

Create Encrypted Storage

Encrypt Files/Folders

Encrypt Text

Create Self-Decrypting EXE

Secure Deletion of Originals