Guides/Compared with…
Elba vs Obsidian's encrypted vault plugins
Obsidian has plugins that encrypt individual notes inside a vault. Elba encrypts the whole vault folder — Obsidian's notes, attachments, and configuration — from the outside. The two approaches compose well.
Per-note vs per-vault
Per-note plugins protect specific notes but leak titles, tags, and attachments. Per-vault sealing hides everything until you unlock the folder and open Obsidian.
A workflow
Keep the Obsidian vault inside an Elba vault. Unlock, work in Obsidian, close Obsidian, re-seal the Elba vault before closing the laptop.
Questions people actually ask
- Does Obsidian Sync still work?
- You'd need to leave the Obsidian vault unsealed for Sync to work in real time. Choose one or the other, or accept manual sync.
- Does Elba corrupt Obsidian's index?
- No — Elba only writes when sealing. Obsidian reads its files as usual while unsealed.
Quick answers
Take the island
Elba is one HTML file. It runs locally in a Chromium browser, seals a folder with AES-256-GCM, never phones home, and becomes open source on 1 January 2030.
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- €39MMXXVII2027
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the price falls each year · free to all 1 jan 2030
pay once · no account · nothing leavesCompare Elba with other tools
- Elba vs VeraCrypt: two different jobs, honestly compared
- Elba vs Cryptomator: local folder vs cloud-transparent vault
- Elba vs Boxcryptor (or: what to do now Boxcryptor is gone)
- Elba vs 7-Zip encryption: when a zip is enough (and when it isn't)
- Elba vs BitLocker: disk vs folder, two layers of the same idea
- Elba vs FileVault: macOS full-disk plus folder-level fencing
- Elba vs age: a GUI for the ‘just encrypt this folder’ case
- Elba vs GPG: signing and PKI vs a small local fence
Related guides
- How to encrypt journal entries so nobody else can read them
A small, offline way to encrypt your journal. Elba seals a folder of daily entries with one password — no cloud, no account.
- Elba vs Standard Notes — encrypted notes app vs sealed folder
Standard Notes is an end-to-end encrypted notes app. Elba seals arbitrary files in a folder. Different tools for different content.