VeraCrypt syncs the entire container when one file changes.
MyCryptFS encrypts each file individually — sync only what changed.
VeraCrypt is container-based: one encrypted volume file holds everything. Edit a single note inside a 10 GB container and your cloud client must re-upload all 10 GB — the whole file is marked dirty. MyCryptFS maps each plaintext file to its own encrypted counterpart; only that one file syncs. Ten seconds, not ten minutes.
VeraCrypt on macOS requires macFUSE — a kernel extension that must be explicitly approved by an administrator in System Settings. macFUSE has broken on Ventura, Sonoma, and Sequoia, each requiring a reinstall and re-approval. MyCryptFS uses Apple's native filesystem APIs: no kernel extension, no admin dialog, no compatibility lottery.
MyCryptFS is compiled natively for arm64 — no Rosetta translation layer, no emulation overhead. VeraCrypt's macFUSE dependency routes filesystem calls through a compatibility shim that sits outside Apple's native stack, adding latency and breaking with security policy changes on each major macOS release.
VeraCrypt containers are cloud-hostile: the sync client treats the whole .vc file as a single unit. MyCryptFS was designed around iCloud Drive, Dropbox, and Google Drive from day one — ciphertext is a folder of ordinary files, each syncing independently. Pause a sync mid-way and only the transferred files are updated; no corruption, no partial state.
VeraCrypt requires you to choose a fixed container size before creating it. Underestimate and you must create a new container and migrate everything. Overestimate and you waste cloud storage from day one. MyCryptFS folders grow with your files — no pre-allocation, no migration, no wasted space.
VeraCrypt requires launching a separate application, selecting the .vc container file, entering your password, and waiting for the volume to mount before you can access a single file. MyCryptFS surfaces each encrypted folder as a named volume directly in the Finder sidebar — the same UX as any external drive.
VeraCrypt: one password per container. Separate containers mean separate .vc files to manage and track. MyCryptFS: each folder carries its own independent password. Lock your client project without touching your personal archive. Compromise one folder and the others are unaffected.
Both tools are open source. MyCryptFS is built on gocryptfs (MIT-licensed, independently audited in 2017 — no critical vulnerabilities found). Encrypted files are individually accessible from the command line on any platform gocryptfs supports. There is no single monolithic vault to lose, corrupt, or fail to open after a macOS upgrade.
MyCryptFS encrypts folders on macOS
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