VeraCrypt

Full-disk and container encryption for your own machine.

veracrypt.jp

Price: FreeFree and open source; the project accepts donations, including Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Works on: Windows, macOS, Linux
Based in: Japan
Source code: Open source
Encryption: End-to-end encrypted
Payment: Accepts crypto

VeraCrypt is the successor to TrueCrypt and remains the reference tool for full-disk and container encryption. It can turn a single file into a mounted encrypted drive, encrypt a whole partition, or protect a system drive with pre-boot authentication and it supports hidden volumes for plausible deniability. The code is open source and was independently audited by QuarksLab (via OSTIF) in 2016, with the findings fixed in the following release; development continues and version 1.26.29 added Argon2id hashing in June 2026. Its developer, Mounir Idrassi, moved the project from France to Japan in 2025. It is powerful rather than gentle: the many options reward care and can punish mistakes so read the docs before you encrypt anything important. Choose it when you want serious, battle-tested encryption for the data that lives on your own machine.

If you made a hidden volume inside a file container with VeraCrypt 1.26.6 to 1.26.28 on Windows, update to 1.26.29 or later and recreate that container. A flaw fixed in 1.26.29 can weaken its plausible deniability.