Alternatives to AES Crypt
A file encryption program that protects individual files with a password using AES. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
AES Crypt
A file encryption program that protects individual files with a password using AES.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as AES Crypt.
AxCrypt
A file encryption app that protects files and folders with AES-256 before sharing or cloud storage.
AxCrypt is also paid after a trial, but adds iOS apps, encryption of files in cloud storage, and sharing with other AxCrypt users, with no command-line version listed.
Encrypto
A free drag-and-drop app for Mac and Windows that encrypts files with AES-256 before sharing.
Encrypto is free and adds password hints for recipients, but it runs only on Windows and macOS, and recipients need Encrypto to open the files.
Picocrypt
A tiny, single-purpose file encryption tool using XChaCha20 and Argon2id. Archived by its author, but still working.
Picocrypt is free and open source under GPL-3.0 and uses XChaCha20 and Argon2id, but it has been archived since September 2025 and will get no further releases.
age
File encryption with one small key, no options to get wrong, and a command you can remember.
age is free and open source under BSD-3-Clause and supports public keys and SSH keys, but it is command line only with no official graphical front end.
ccrypt
A command-line utility for encrypting and decrypting files and streams with the Rijndael cipher.
ccrypt is free and open source and encrypts files and streams with a passphrase from the terminal, but it has no graphical interface and Windows builds rely on Cygwin.
hat.sh
An open-source web app that encrypts and decrypts files locally inside your browser.
hat.sh is a free open-source web app that encrypts files locally in the browser, so nothing is installed, though details on algorithms and size limits are sparse.
Kryptor
Command-line file encryption and signing using modern cryptography.
Kryptor is free and open source under GPL-3.0 and adds public-key encryption and signing, but it works from the command line and uses its own file format.
scrypt
A simple command-line tool for password-based file encryption built on the scrypt key derivation function.
scrypt is free and uses passphrase encryption with a key derivation function designed to resist hardware brute-force attacks, but it runs only on the command line.
Also worth comparing
These listings name AES Crypt as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
EncryptPad
A text editor and file encryptor that uses OpenPGP-compatible symmetric encryption.
AES Crypt password-protects single files on desktop, Android and the command line, but it is paid after a trial and has no built-in editor.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
VeraCrypt
Disk encryption that creates encrypted containers, encrypts whole partitions, and can encrypt the drive Windows boots from.
Cryptomator
Encrypts a folder inside your existing cloud storage, so Dropbox or OneDrive holds files it cannot read.
GnuPG
Complete free implementation of the OpenPGP standard.
WinZip
A commercial archiver for Windows and Mac that zips, unzips, encrypts and shares files.
PowerArchiver
A commercial archive manager for Windows and macOS that opens over 60 formats and encrypts archives.
