Cryptomator vs Filen (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Filen grades higher than Cryptomator: 3.4 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Filen grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Cryptomator
Open-source encryption for the files you keep in any cloud
Filen
End-to-end encrypted cloud storage from Germany with open source apps
Which one is for you
Pick Cryptomator if
- Fits if you already have a cloud drive and want your files encrypted before they reach it
- Works for people who would rather pay once than rent more storage
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want storage, as you still have to bring your own cloud account
- Pricey if you want it on both phones: full access is EUR 29.99 on Android and EUR 29.99 on iOS
- Tight if you're a business: Hub Standard is $12 a seat billed yearly with a 3-seat minimum
- Watch out: Hub Enterprise starts at EUR 10,000 a year for at least 50 seats, and desktop dark mode is a paid upgrade
Pick Filen if
- Fits if you want every file encrypted on your device, even on the free plan
- Works for Linux users and command-line fans, with .deb, .rpm and AppImage builds, a CLI, SDKs and a documented API
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you'd park files on a free account and forget it, as 3 months without a login wipes them
- Not for you if you were hoping to pay once, since Filen no longer sells lifetime plans
- Not for you if you want a price in dollars, because everything is listed in euros only
- Watch out: WebDAV and S3 access need a server you host through the desktop app or CLI
- Watch out: the free plan is 10 GiB, Starter is sold yearly only, and no ready-made app integrations are listed
How we grade them
| 2.6GPACryptomatorGood | 3.4GPAFilenVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe desktop program is free for personal use and anyone can download it. Phones are extra at EUR 29.99 each, which is still under a year of the category's middle subscription. | APro I is €1.99 a month for 200 GiB, and the cheaper quarter of this category starts at $3.99, so Filen comes in under 60% of that. Starter is €11.99 for a whole year of 100 GiB. Encryption is in every plan, not an upsell. Prices are euros only. |
| Free plan and trial | BIndividual use on desktop is free with unlimited vaults and community support. Phones, dark mode and Hub are paid. | B10 GiB free with the encryption and every feature switched on, which one person's documents could sit in for years. It's not photo-library room, and a free account's data is deleted after 3 months without a login, so don't park files and forget them. |
| Features | DIt encrypts and nothing else: no storage, no sync, so it is useless without a cloud account from another product. | BDevice-side encryption on every plan, folder sync in five modes, the cloud mounted as a drive, public links, version history, phone camera upload, and encrypted notes and chats. Nothing in the listing points at missing storage work. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You make a vault and point it at a cloud folder before it does anything. | BNo store rating on record, but there's nothing to set up: install the desktop app, sign in, and your storage appears as a drive in the file explorer with no server to run. Picking between five sync modes is the only decision it asks of you. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android apps are listed, but only 1 integration and no web app. | AWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, with the Linux build as .deb, .rpm and AppImage, plus a documented API and TypeScript, Rust and Go SDKs. No ready-made hook-ups to other apps are listed, but the API covers the A. |
| Best for | encrypting files before they go to your own cloud | encrypted storage with open source apps |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Cryptomator and Filen. How we grade
Price against what you get
Cryptomator starts at $12 a month for each person and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Filen starts at about $1.12 a month and scores 3.3.
Filen scores higher and starts $10.88 a month lower. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, 28 score higher than Cryptomator for less, and none scores higher than Filen for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Cryptomator is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Cryptomator can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Filen is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Filen also covers notes, file sync and file sharing.
At a glance
| Cryptomator | Filen | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12.00 per seat / month, billed yearly (Cryptomator Hub Standard) | €11.99 per year for 100 GiB, or €1.99 per month for 200 GiB |
| Free plan | Individual: free for personal use on desktop, unlimited vaults, community support. Hub Community is free for 5 seats, self-hosted. | 10 GiB of storage with encryption and every feature included. Data on free accounts is deleted after 3 months without a login. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of Cryptomator Hub Standard | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Skymatic | Filen Cloud Dienste UG (haftungsbeschränkt) |
| Price read from | cryptomator.org | filen.io |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Cryptomator
- It does not store files itself; you still need a cloud storage account.
- Full access on Android and iOS is a separate purchase of EUR 29.99 each, and the desktop dark mode is a paid upgrade.
- Hub Standard is billed per seat excluding VAT, with a 3-seat minimum.
- Hub Enterprise starts at EUR 10,000 per year for at least 50 seats.
Filen
- Prices are listed in euros only; Filen says taxes and transaction fees are included in them.
- Free accounts lose their data after 3 months without a login, following reminder emails.
- Lifetime plans are no longer sold: the pricing FAQ says they were removed for an indefinite period.
- WebDAV and S3 access require a server that the user hosts through the desktop app or CLI, because files are encrypted on the device.
Key features
Cryptomator
- Vaults in any cloud
- Vaults sit inside the folder of a cloud storage service you already use, and the files are encrypted before they sync.
- Desktop and mobile apps
- Apps run on Windows 10 and later, macOS 11 and later, Linux, Android 8 and later, and iOS 14 and later.
- Open-source code
- The project is published on GitHub and the pricing page calls the individual app open source and free forever.
- Team management with Hub
- Cryptomator Hub adds user and group management and audit logs, and runs as a managed service or on your own infrastructure.
Filen
- Zero-knowledge encryption by default
- Files are encrypted on the device with AES 256-bit before upload, and Filen states that it cannot access them. Encryption is part of every plan, the free one included.
- Sync and network drive
- Desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux sync folders in five modes, with one-way and two-way among them, and can mount the cloud as a network drive in the file explorer.
- Encrypted sharing
- Files and folders are shared with other Filen users or through public links, and the shared content stays encrypted. Earlier versions of files can be restored from version history.
- Notes and chats
- Encrypted notes support rich text, markdown, checklists and code and can be edited with other users in real time. Encrypted chats carry messages and files between Filen users.
- Open source apps and developer tools
- Filen says all of its apps are open source. Developers get a documented API, TypeScript, Rust and Go SDKs, and a CLI that can run a local WebDAV or S3 server.
- Mobile camera upload
- The iOS and Android apps upload photos and videos from selected albums automatically, with optional compression, and can keep chosen files available offline.
Plans
Cryptomator
Individual$0
Desktop app, unlimited vaults, any cloud storage, community support. Mobile apps are one-time purchases of EUR 29.99 each.
Hub Community$0
Free, open source and self-hosted, with 5 seats for small teams.
Hub Standard$12.00
per seat / month, billed yearly, excl. VAT
Managed or self-hosted, 3 seats and up, with user and group management, audit logs, mobile apps and email support.
Hub EnterpriseFrom EUR 10,000
per year, from 50 seats, excl. VAT
Everything in Standard plus emergency access, training, a dedicated account manager and priority email support.
Filen
Free€0
10 GiB with encryption and every feature included. Data is deleted after 3 months without a login.
Starter€11.99
per year, billed annually
100 GiB of storage, offered on annual billing only.
Pro I€1.99
per month, or €19.99 billed annually
200 GiB with unlimited bandwidth, syncing, network drive, file sharing, and unlimited notes and chats.
Pro II€3.99
per month, or €39.99 billed annually
500 GiB of storage with the same features as Pro I.
Pro III€8.99
per month, or €89.99 billed annually
2 TiB of storage with the same features as Pro I.
Pro X€39.99
per month, or €399.99 billed annually
10 TiB of storage. Plans stack on one account, so two Pro X plans give 20 TiB, with no upper limit.
Ways to pay less
Cryptomator
- Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly Hub billing
The pricing page shows a 20% saving when Cryptomator Hub is billed yearly instead of monthly.
Filen
- Annual discount
About 16% lower with annual billing
Annual prices of €19.99, €39.99, €89.99 and €399.99 compare with €23.88, €47.88, €107.88 and €479.88 for twelve monthly payments on Pro I, Pro II, Pro III and Pro X.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Cryptomator or Filen?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Cryptomator starts at $12.00 per seat / month, billed yearly (Cryptomator Hub Standard), and Filen starts at €11.99 per year for 100 GiB, or €1.99 per month for 200 GiB. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Cryptomator or Filen?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Cryptomator and Filen have a free plan.
Which platforms do Cryptomator and Filen run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Filen lists a web app. Both list macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.