SHSelfHostIndex

CryFS vs Cryptomator CLI

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
CR CryFS Encrypted filesystem for safely storing files in the cloud VS CR Cryptomator CLI Command-line client-side encryption for cloud files
FeatureCryFSCryptomator CLI
CategoryFile Sync & StorageFile Sync & Storage
LicenseLGPL-3.0GPL-3.0
LanguageRustJava
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM64 MB256 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, binarybinary, docker
GitHub stars★ 2,297★ 420
First released20152017
ReplacesBoxcryptorBoxcryptor

Why pick each one

Choose CryFS if…

  • Strong metadata protection
  • Pairs with any sync tool
CryFS details

Choose Cryptomator CLI if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in Java
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Cryptomator CLI details

Frequently asked questions

Is CryFS or Cryptomator CLI better?

Neither is universally better. CryFS has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are CryFS and Cryptomator CLI free and open-source?

Yes. CryFS is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and Cryptomator CLI under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run CryFS and Cryptomator CLI with Docker?

CryFS: check the project docs for container support. Cryptomator CLI: yes.

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