AgePony vs Cryptomator
Send a file vs guard a vault.
These get compared, but they barely overlap. Cryptomator wraps a whole folder in encryption so it's safe to keep in Dropbox or iCloud. AgePony takes one file and seals it to one recipient so you can hand it over. One is a vault; the other is an envelope.
the short version
Different problems. Want a cloud folder that stays encrypted while you use it? Cryptomator. Want to send a specific file to a specific person, encrypted to their key? AgePony. They pair nicely.
At a glance.
| AgePony | Cryptomator | |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | Seal a file to a recipient | Encrypt a folder for cloud sync |
| Unit of work | A single file (or a bundle) | A whole vault of files |
| Built for sending | Yes — that's the point | No — built for storing |
| Recipient encryption | Encrypt to someone else's key | Passphrase to a vault you own |
| Cloud-folder model | No | Yes |
| Signing | Yes (SSHSIG) | No |
| Open standard output | Standard age files | Its own vault format |
| Price | Free | Free desktop; paid mobile |
Honest tradeoffs.
Where Cryptomator wins
- Living in a folder. If you constantly read and write a set of files and want them encrypted at rest in the cloud, a vault is the right shape. AgePony's per-file model would be tedious for that.
- Transparent access. Mount the vault, work normally, files re-encrypt as you go. No manual encrypt step each time.
- Provider-agnostic storage. It's designed to sit on top of Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, and the rest.
Where AgePony wins
- Sending to other people. Cryptomator protects your own vault; it can't seal a file to someone else's key. AgePony's whole reason to exist is that hand-off.
- Standard, portable output. What AgePony produces is a plain age file the recipient can open with the CLI or AgePony — no shared vault software required.
- Signing. AgePony can also vouch that a file came from you. Cryptomator doesn't sign.
- Free on mobile. No paywall on the phone.
The verdict.
- Choose Cryptomator if you want an encrypted folder you keep using, synced through a cloud provider.
- Choose AgePony if you want to send a specific file to a specific person, encrypted to their key, or sign a file so they know it's from you.
- Use both if you store working files in a vault and occasionally need to send one out — encrypt that copy with AgePony on the way.
Try AgePony
Free. No accounts. No tracking. Bit-for-bit compatible with the age command line.