GnuPG (GPG) is the free, GPL-licensed implementation of the OpenPGP standard, and the encryption engine that countless other tools build on. From the command line it encrypts and signs files and email, verifies signatures, and manages public and private keys. It has been maintained since the late 1990s by Werner Koch’s g10 Code in Germany, funded largely by donations and it is the trusted backbone of the wider PGP ecosystem. It is powerful but unapologetically technical and most people meet it through a friendlier front-end rather than raw commands. Choose it when you need standards-based public-key encryption and interoperability with everyone else who uses PGP.
GnuPG
The standard open-source implementation of OpenPGP.
gnupg.org
FreeOpen SourceE2E EncryptedWindowsmacOSLinuxGermany
Pricing Free and open source under the GPL, funded largely by donations.
Strengths
- The reference OpenPGP implementation
- Encrypts files, email and manages keys
- Long track record, actively maintained
- Free and open source
Considerations
- Command-line tool with a steep curve
- Key management is notoriously fiddly
Listed in File Encryption
