Guides/Compared with…
Elba vs Signal ‘Note to Self’ — private chat vs sealed folder
Signal's ‘Note to Self’ conversation is a fine encrypted scratchpad. Elba is a proper file vault. They complement each other: quick thoughts to Signal, folders and documents to Elba.
Where Signal wins
Fast entry on your phone, sync between your Signal-linked devices, and no separate password to remember beyond your Signal PIN.
Where Elba wins
Arbitrary file types, folder-scale archives, and independence from any account or vendor.
Questions people actually ask
- Is Signal's Note to Self really encrypted at rest?
- Yes, tied to your device's storage encryption and Signal's own protections.
- Should I keep passwords in Signal notes?
- For a scratch one-liner, maybe. For a real list, use Elba (or a password manager).
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.
- €49MMXXVI· now ·
- €39MMXXVII2027
- €29MMXXVIII2028
- €19MMXXIX2029
- FreeMMXXX2030
the price falls each year · free to all 1 jan 2030
pay once · no account · nothing leavesRelated guides
- Encrypt a password list without a password manager
For people who keep a plain-text password file: Elba seals it with AES-256-GCM so a lost laptop doesn't become a lifetime of breaches.
- 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.