LifetimeMac

VeraCrypt

encrypted volumes that open on macOS, Windows and Linux alike

Open source

The catch

Installing on macOS requires macFUSE, a kernel-level dependency that has to be allowed as a system extension and that sometimes trails new macOS versions by weeks. For encrypting your Mac's own startup disk, FileVault is the simpler and better-integrated choice; VeraCrypt earns its place when volumes have to open on other operating systems too. The interface is utilitarian, and losing your password or your volume header backup means the data is gone for good.

VeraCrypt exists for one situation: you have files that must be encrypted, and the drive they live on has to be readable somewhere other than a Mac. Make a container of whatever size, mount it with your password, and it behaves like a disk in the Finder until you dismount it. Plug that drive into a Windows machine, install VeraCrypt there, and the same volume opens. That portability is the whole reason to bother.

There is no purchase to think about. The project is a continuation of TrueCrypt maintained by IDRIX, the source is public, and releases still arrive with real security fixes rather than cosmetic ones.

The cost is inconvenience rather than money. macOS support rides on macFUSE, so you approve a system extension and occasionally wait after a macOS upgrade before you can mount anything. The app looks like the security tool it is. And the honest advice for most people is that you do not need it: if you only want your own Mac's disk encrypted, turn on FileVault and stop, because it is already there and needs no extensions. Reach for VeraCrypt when the encrypted thing has to travel between operating systems, or when you want containers you can copy around like files.

The VeraCrypt page at veracrypt.io
Page capture from veracrypt.io, taken 2026-09-22. Images belong to their developers.
  • Encrypted containers that mount as ordinary virtual disks
  • Full partition and external drive encryption
  • The same volumes open on macOS, Windows and Linux
  • Hidden volumes for plausible deniability
  • Still shipping security releases; 1.26.29 added Argon2id for non-system volumes

The facts

Price
Free
What you get
No licence to buy, and the source is public.
Details
No licence fee and no paid tier. The project is funded by donations, and the full source is published alongside every release.
Free trial
No
On Setapp
No
Minimum macOS
not stated
Price checked
2026-09-22
Check it yourself
Price band
Free