VeraCrypt
Free disk encryption for Linux, with graphical packages for Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora and openSUSE.
Our verdict
VeraCrypt is one of the cleanest parts of a switch, because the Linux version is the same program reading the same files. An encrypted container you made on Windows opens on Linux with the same password and no conversion step.
The download page lists graphical packages for named versions of Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS and openSUSE, as well as an AppImage that runs almost anywhere. Check your distribution version is on the list rather than assuming, because the packages are built per release.
One real difference: encrypting the whole drive your operating system starts from, with a password before boot, is offered on Windows only. On Linux that job belongs to the encryption option in your distribution's installer instead, and VeraCrypt handles containers and separate drives.
What's good
- The same app as on Windows, so your existing encrypted containers just open
- Official graphical packages for Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora and openSUSE, plus a portable AppImage
- Free and open source, with no account or subscription
- Also builds for Raspberry Pi, macOS and the BSDs
What to know first
- Encrypting the drive your system boots from is a Windows-only feature
- The interface is plain and dated compared with modern Linux disk tools
- Losing the password means losing the data, with no recovery service
- Packages are tied to specific distribution versions, so check yours is listed
The details
- Cost
- Free
- Open source
- Yes (VeraCrypt Licence, based on the TrueCrypt licence)
- How you install it
- .deb installer, .rpm installer, AppImage download
Windows apps it can replace
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