VaultPony
download
Out now for Android, direct APK

Encrypted vaults
you control.

A vault is a single encrypted file holding a whole private filesystem. Only your password opens it. Open source, and compatible with VeraCrypt.

Get VaultPony View the source
VeraCrypt-compatible containers Rust core you can inspect Apache-2.0 open source No account, cloud or telemetry

One file. One password.
Nothing else knows it is a vault.

// get vaultpony

Available now as a direct download.

The signed APK from GitHub Releases is the live download today. The stores follow in order, and each one lights up here the day it goes live.

Available now
Android APK

The release APK, straight from GitHub. Free, no account, no in-app purchases.

Download the APK
Next
F-Droid soon

Built and signed by F-Droid straight from the public Apache-2.0 source. No Google account needed.

Submission in progress
Then
Desktop soon

The same Rust core behind a desktop app, for the machine where your VeraCrypt containers already live.

In development
Then
iOS soon

An iPhone shell over the same core, speaking the same container format.

In development
Last
Google Play soon

The same Android app, distributed through Play for people who prefer it.

Planned
// how it works

One file. One password. Everything inside.

A vault is not a folder the system politely hides. It is a single encrypted file, and without the password there is nothing in it but noise.

01

Create a vault

Pick a size and where the file lives. VaultPony writes one encrypted file, and nothing about it announces what it is.

02

Choose the crypto

Fifteen encryption schemes including cascades, five header hashes, and FAT or exFAT inside. Sensible defaults if you would rather not pick.

03

Unlock it

A password, and optionally keyfiles or a PIM. Biometrics if you turn them on. Nothing else opens it.

04

Use your files

Browse inside the app, or reach the unlocked vault system-wide from Files. It locks itself when you leave.

// what's inside

Built to keep things, not to collect them.

Every choice points the same way: your files stay yours, on your device, in a format you can open somewhere else.

VeraCrypt-compatible

Open the same container on your phone and on desktop VeraCrypt. Tested against real VeraCrypt fixtures, not assumed.

Open source, Rust core

Apache-2.0, with the cryptography in a shared Rust core you can read. Encryption you can inspect instead of taking a developer's word for it.

Fifteen ciphers, five hashes

AES, Serpent, Twofish, Camellia, Kuznyechik and ten cascades. SHA-512, SHA-256, BLAKE2s-256, Whirlpool, Streebog.

Keyfiles and PIM

Unlock with keyfiles alongside or instead of a password, and set a PIM for a custom iteration count.

Header backup and recovery

Export the header that holds your keys, and restore it from the embedded backup or a file. Restoring verifies the password first, so a wrong one changes nothing.

Change the password in place

Re-key the header under a new password without touching a single file inside the vault.

Hidden screen, auto-lock

Screenshots blocked and app contents hidden in Recents by default, and the vault locks itself when you background the app or the screen turns off.

No-trace mode

Turn it on and the app stops remembering which vaults exist or where they are. Nothing on the device points at them.

Six languages

English, German, Spanish, French, Russian and Brazilian Portuguese, switchable inside the app without a restart.

// plausible deniability

Hide a second vault inside the first.

Two passwords. The outer one opens an ordinary vault and gives no sign the hidden one exists, because unused space in an encrypted container is indistinguishable from random data.

  • Nothing to find. There is no flag, no header, and no size mismatch that reveals a hidden volume. Without its password it is noise, and noise is what an encrypted container is full of anyway.
  • A password you can give up. If you are ever compelled to open the vault, the outer password opens a real vault with real files in it.
  • Write protection built in. Unlock the outer volume with both passwords and VaultPony shields the hidden region: writes that would reach it are blocked and the vault turns read-only, so ordinary use cannot overwrite what is concealed.
  • Biometrics stay out of it. The app never offers to store a hidden volume's password behind your fingerprint, because a stored secret is a discoverable one.
Outer volume, outer password
Hidden volume, second password

Both regions are encrypted.
To anyone without the second password,
the lower one is just unused space.

// how it compares

Where VaultPony sits.

Container encryption on a phone is a narrow field. Here is an honest read of it, drawn from each project's own documentation.

  VaultPony VeraCrypt (desktop) EDS Lite Cryptomator Android device encryption
Runs on Android Yes No, desktop only Yes Yes Yes, built in
Opens VeraCrypt containers Yes Yes Yes No, own format No
Creates new containers Yes Yes Yes Yes, own format n/a
Hidden volumes Yes Yes Paid EDS only No No
Hidden-volume write protection Yes Yes Paid EDS only No No
Keyfiles Yes Yes Paid EDS only No No
Cipher cascades Yes, ten Yes Yes No, AES-256 No
Open source Yes, Apache-2.0 Yes Yes Yes, GPLv3 Partly, via AOSP
Cost Free Free Free Android needs a paid license key Free
Requires an account No No No No No

Third-party rows are taken from each project's own published documentation and were last checked in August 2026; features change, so check with the vendor before relying on any of it. Android device encryption is included because it is often mistaken for a substitute: it protects a powered-off or locked device, not individual files from someone holding an unlocked phone.

// technical specifications

The exact parts list.

Everything below is what the app actually offers, read straight out of the registry the core is built from.

Encryption schemes (15)

  • AES
  • Serpent
  • Twofish
  • Camellia
  • Kuznyechik
  • AES(Twofish)
  • AES(Twofish(Serpent))
  • Serpent(AES)
  • Serpent(Twofish(AES))
  • Twofish(Serpent)
  • Camellia(Kuznyechik)
  • Kuznyechik(Twofish)
  • Camellia(Serpent)
  • Kuznyechik(AES)
  • Kuznyechik(Serpent(Camellia))

Header hashes (5)

  • SHA-512
  • SHA-256
  • BLAKE2s-256
  • Whirlpool
  • Streebog

Container filesystems

  • FAT
  • exFAT

Format and mode

Container
VeraCrypt format, one file holding a whole filesystem
Mode
XTS over 512-byte data units
Key derivation
PBKDF2 over the chosen header hash, with optional PIM
Hidden volumes
Supported, with outer-volume write protection
Headers
Embedded backup, plus export and restore to a file
Implementation
Clean-room from published format documentation

App and platform

Platform
Android 8.0 and later
Package
dev.norsehorse.vaultpony
Permissions
USE_BIOMETRIC only, and it is optional. No internet, no storage permission.
File access
Storage Access Framework, plus a DocumentsProvider so unlocked vaults appear in Files
Core
Shared Rust core, bound to Kotlin through UniFFI
License
Apache-2.0, app and core

VeraCrypt is a registered trademark of IDRIX. VaultPony is an independent project, not affiliated with or endorsed by IDRIX. The container format is implemented clean-room from published format documentation; no VeraCrypt or TrueCrypt source is used or linked.

// privacy

There is nothing here to leak.

Not a policy promise. An architecture: no server exists, and the app has no permission to reach one.

  • No internet permission. The manifest does not declare INTERNET. There is no network access to trust, audit, or turn off.
  • No account, no server. Nothing to sign into and nothing on the other end. Vaults are just files.
  • No telemetry, no analytics. No crash reporting, no usage counters, no third-party SDKs.
  • One permission, optional. USE_BIOMETRIC, for the biometric unlock you have to turn on yourself. That is the whole list.
  • No storage permission either. Files are reached through the Storage Access Framework, so the app only ever sees what you hand it.
  • No-trace mode. Switch it on and the app keeps no record of which vaults exist or where they live.
Read the full security page
// the app

What it looks like.

Your vaults
Create a vault
Unlock
Hidden volume
Browse the files
// questions

Frequently asked.

Is VaultPony compatible with VeraCrypt?
Yes. A VaultPony vault is a VeraCrypt-format container: one encrypted file holding a whole filesystem. Vaults you create on your phone open in VeraCrypt on the desktop, and containers you already have open in VaultPony. The format is implemented clean-room from published documentation and tested against real VeraCrypt fixtures. VaultPony is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by IDRIX.
What is a hidden volume, and why would I want one?
A hidden volume is a second vault concealed inside the free space of the first one, with its own separate password. The outer password opens the outer vault and gives no sign that anything else is in there, because unused space in an encrypted container is indistinguishable from random data. If you are ever compelled to hand over a password, you have one you can hand over. VaultPony can also mount the outer volume with the hidden region shielded, so ordinary use cannot accidentally overwrite what is concealed.
Does VaultPony need an internet connection?
No, and it cannot use one. The app does not declare the INTERNET permission at all, so there is no network access to disable or trust. The only permission in the manifest is USE_BIOMETRIC, which backs the optional biometric unlock and is off by default. Everything happens on the device.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no sign-up, no login, no profile, and no server. Your vaults are ordinary files that live wherever you put them.
Which ciphers and hashes can I choose?
Fifteen encryption schemes: AES, Serpent, Twofish, Camellia and Kuznyechik on their own, plus ten cascades such as AES(Twofish(Serpent)) and Kuznyechik(Serpent(Camellia)). Five header key-derivation hashes: SHA-512, SHA-256, BLAKE2s-256, Whirlpool and Streebog. All of them run in XTS mode over 512-byte data units, the same as VeraCrypt.
What happens if I forget my password?
Nothing can be done, and that is the point. There is no recovery account, no reset link, and no back door. What VaultPony can recover is a damaged header: it keeps an embedded backup and can also export one to a file, and restoring always verifies the password first, so a wrong password changes nothing on disk.
Can I change a vault password without moving the files?
Yes. Changing the password re-keys the header in place, so the files inside are untouched. One current limitation: vaults protected with keyfiles cannot be re-keyed in the app yet, and need the command-line tool instead.
Is it really open source?
Yes, under Apache-2.0. Both the Kotlin Android app and the shared Rust core are public, so the cryptography is inspectable code rather than a black box. That is the whole idea: encryption you can inspect instead of taking a developer's word for it.
Which Android versions are supported?
Android 8.0 and later.
Which languages does it speak?
Six, switchable inside the app without restarting it: English, German, Spanish, French, Russian and Brazilian Portuguese.

Make your first vault.

One encrypted file, one password, and everything you put inside it stays yours.

Get VaultPony View the source