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Most cloud providers encrypt data only during transmission or keep the decryption keys for themselves. These keys can be stolen, copied or misused. With Cryptomator or Boxcryptor, only you have the key to your data in hand, thanks to end-to-end encryption.
These tools allow you to access your files from all your connected devices. They are easy to use and integrate seamlessly between your data and the cloud. However, this does not allow you to edit Office files in native cloud applications.
Cryptomator and Boxcryptor can also be used to encrypt your data locally on your phone or NAS.
Encrypt your data in the cloud
Zero knowledge
Encryption/decryption is done on your device. Both Cryptomator and Boxcryptor are zero-knowledge service providers, which means they have no knowledge of your password and do not store users’ passwords. Although they use different algorithms and processes, the principle of zero knowledge is the same.
Boxcryptor
Boxcryptor is a paid service ($48/year). And while Boxcryptor can be used for free when a single cloud storage is used on two devices, this is actually rarely the case. So consider Boxcryptor to be paid software.
Boxcryptor is proprietary, which means the code cannot be seen by the public.
Cryptomator supports Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, WebDAV-based cloud storage and more than 30 other cloud providers in total, such as iCloud and SharePoint. But it does not support pCloud.
Boxcryptor works on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
More information: https://www.boxcryptor.com
Cryptomator
Cryptomator is a free encryption tool. Unlike Boxcryptor, Cryptomator is completely free. You can choose to donate to the company, but it is not mandatory.
Cryptomator is open source software, which means that the code is accessible and available for free to everyone. The obvious advantage of this is that it is more difficult for the vendor to build in backdoors, as the community could discover them.
Cryptomator supports Dropbox, OneDrive, gDrive, pCloud and WebDAV based cloud storage.
Cryptomator runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Linux.
More information: https://cryptomator.org/
Cryptomator vs Boxcryptor
Here are some additional differences between the two apps:
Cryptomator works immediately without an account, while it is mandatory to register and create an account with Boxcryptor.
Boxcryptor allows you to share files, which is not the case with Cryptomator.
Conclusion
Both tools encrypt data on OneDrive, Dropbox, gDrive. Boxcryptor supports over 30 cloud storage providers but not pCloud. Cryptomator, on the other hand, supports pCloud.
Cryptomator is free, open source, runs on linux and does not require registration. Boxcryptor is not free, proprietary, does not run on linux and requires registration. We will choose Cryptomator.