TechRadar Verdict
CryptoExpert is quite a popular file encryption program. It performs basic file protection actions well, but it’s a little confusing to use and the lack of support resources is quite concerning.
Pros
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30-day free trial
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Choice of four encryption algorithms
Cons
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User guides and tutorials virtually absent
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Quite confusing to get started with
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The best encryption software is designed to help you securely store files and other data on your computer. In the modern world, it’s not all that uncommon for hackers and other malicious third-parties to gain access to personal and business computers. If files aren’t protected, it’s extremely easy for these people to steal them, which can raise serious problems if you’re dealing with sensitive personal or financial information.
- Interested in CryptoExpert? Check out the website here
Our CryptoExpert review takes a close look at a popular encryption program. It’s designed for Windows users who are looking for a simple yet powerful encryption solution. We analyze every aspect of the program to help you decide whether it’s as good as it appears on the surface.
- Also check out our roundup of the best ransomware protection
Plans and pricing
A 30-day free trial is available for those who would like to test CryptoExpert and its encryption solutions. There’s also the CryptoExpert 8 Lite option available for home users. It’s free forever, but it lacks 256-bit AES encryption.
A premium CryptoExpert lifetime license comes in at $59.95, adding full AES encryption capabilities. Significant discounts are available with bulk license purchases, with more than 25% off in some cases. Educational and non-profit organizations will also benefit from a special discount, with prices starting from 30% lower than the base price.
One thing worth noting here is that there aren’t any site or enterprise licenses available. Instead, you will need to speak with the CryptoExpert team about further bulk discounts if you require more than 100 licenses.
Features
At its simplest, CryptoExpert provides simple file encryption solutions for everyone from personal to business users. However, it also boasts a few neat features, the most noteworthy of which we’ve listed below.
One particularly useful feature is the ability to store your file unlock keys on a USB flash drive. This removes them completely from your computer, providing an extra layer of security if anyone does gain access. All keys can be protected with a master password on your USB drive, reducing the risk of them being stolen even if your USB is compromised.
Another neat feature is CryptoExpert’s secure vaults. Basically, you can create virtual local drives on your computer that you can use to store all files. These can be as big as you need them to be, which makes them particularly useful for storing and organizing large files.
CryptoExpert also enables you to modify encrypted files in a fast and efficient manner. You don’t need to decrypt files before you edit them, which is a handy little time-saving feature.
Interface and in use
To get started with CryptoExpert, simply follow the links on the website to download the program. Enter a license key or take advantage of the 30-day free trial to get started.
Actually using CryptoExpert was very straightforward—once we finally figured out how it worked. There’s no getting started guide and we couldn’t even find a simple user manual on the company website, so learning how the program worked basically involved trial and error.
Create a new vault to store encrypted files in, set a solid password to ensure unauthorized users can’t access it, and add files to protect them. When you want to access your files, head to your vault, enter your password, and there they will be.
Support
Unfortunately, CryptoExpert offers very limited support services. You can reach out to the team via email, but there’s no live chat, phone, or even online ticket support. The company doesn’t even have social media accounts that you could use to get in contact. There aren’t any notable self-help resources to speak of, and you will basically need to troubleshoot any problems on your own.
Security
As a popular file encryption program, CryptoExpert naturally provides excellent security services across the board. For one, you can choose to use AES, BLOWFISH, CAST, or 3DES encryption to protect your files. Only those with your passphrase can access your secure vaults.
You can also specify an automatic locking time for your vaults. There’s even an option to have all vaults lock when your computer hibernates.
The competition
CryptoExpert is a surprisingly popular file encryption program, especially considering the fact that there’s no user guide or tutorial resources.
If you’re looking for something that’s a little easier to get started with, we’d recommend giving CryptoForge a try. It also offers a free trial, and is extremely straightforward to download and set up.
Alternatively, you might like to try AxCrypt, which is one of the most popular premium encryption programs in the world. It’s mainly targeted at mobile users, and it uses full 256-bit AES encryption where required. What’s more, it’s available in numerous different languages and can be used to protect files on cloud storage platforms such as Dropbox or Google Drive.
Final verdict
At the end of the day, there’s nothing particularly bad to note about the CryptoExpert file encryption software. But there’s nothing that stands out as particularly noteworthy either.
You will be able to protect files by placing them in CryptoExpert’s secure vaults. Unlock keys can be stored securely on a USB flash drive for added security. However, the platform is quite confusing to get started with, and there are no self-help resources or tutorials to speak of.
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