Comparison

DeadVault vs SecureZip

SecureZip encrypts files on your machine. DeadVault encrypts, delivers, and destroys them automatically. Two different approaches to the same problem.

Choose SecureZip if you need:

Local file encryption with zero cloud dependency, air-gapped environments, strict no-cloud compliance policies, or enterprise batch encryption workflows.

Choose DeadVault if you need:

End-to-end encrypted delivery with a client portal, automatic destruction, payment gates, audit trails, and zero software requirements for recipients.

Feature comparison

FeatureSecureZipDeadVault
ApproachLocal encryption softwareCloud delivery platform
Encryption standardAES-256AES-256-GCM
Per-file encryption keys✕✓
Automatic file destruction✕✓
Cryptographic erasure✕✓
Web-based client portal✕✓
No recipient software required✕✓
Payment gates✕✓
Audit trail✕✓
Works without cloud/internet✓✕
Branded portal✕✓
PricingOne-time or enterprise license$19/mo flat

Where they differ

Local encryption software and cloud delivery platforms solve the same problem differently.

SecureZip encrypts files. DeadVault delivers them.

SecureZip is desktop software that creates encrypted zip archives. You still have to figure out how to get the file to your client and how to share the password securely. DeadVault handles the entire workflow: encryption, delivery, access control, and automatic destruction.

SecureZip is local-first. DeadVault is cloud-first.

SecureZip runs on your machine or server with no cloud dependency. Files never leave your infrastructure unless you send them yourself. DeadVault is a cloud platform by design, files are encrypted and stored on our infrastructure until the deadline hits. These are fundamentally different trust models.

SecureZip requires software on both ends. DeadVault doesn't.

Your client needs compatible software to decrypt a SecureZip archive, or at minimum a zip tool that supports AES-256. DeadVault gives clients a secure link. They click it, enter a PIN if required, and download. No software installs, no accounts, no technical knowledge needed.

SecureZip is manual. DeadVault is automated.

With SecureZip, you encrypt, choose a password, email the file, then separately communicate the password through a different channel. DeadVault automates the entire chain: encrypt, host, deliver via secure link, enforce access controls, collect payments, and destroy everything at the deadline.

Where SecureZip is the better choice

SecureZip is the right tool when cloud isn't an option.

✓Zero cloud dependency: files never leave your infrastructure
✓Ideal for organizations with strict no-cloud or air-gapped policies
✓One-time license cost with no recurring subscription
✓Enterprise server deployment for batch encryption workflows
✓Established PKWARE standard with broad compatibility

Common questions

Not directly. SecureZip is desktop/server encryption software from PKWARE that creates encrypted zip archives. DeadVault is a cloud-based delivery platform. SecureZip handles one step (encrypting the file), while DeadVault handles the full workflow (encrypt, deliver, control access, destroy). They solve the same underlying problem, getting sensitive files to someone securely, but with completely different approaches.
No. SecureZip uses AES-256, which is strong encryption. DeadVault uses AES-256-GCM, which adds authenticated encryption (integrity verification built into the ciphertext). Both are solid. The difference is not encryption strength: it's everything around the encryption: key management, delivery, access control, and automatic destruction.
You can, and many professionals do. The challenges are operational: you need to share the decryption password through a separate channel, your client needs compatible software, there's no audit trail of who accessed what, files persist in email inboxes indefinitely, and there's no automatic destruction. If you're sending a few files a year, SecureZip plus email works fine. If it's a regular part of your practice, the manual overhead adds up.
It depends. Many modern zip tools can handle AES-256 encrypted archives, but not all. Windows' built-in zip support does not handle AES-256 encryption. Your client may need to install 7-Zip or a similar tool. With DeadVault, clients just click a link in their browser, no software required.
Yes. If your compliance requirements or organizational policy prohibit using cloud platforms for sensitive files, SecureZip is genuinely the better choice. DeadVault is a cloud service. Your files are encrypted on our infrastructure. SecureZip keeps everything local. No amount of encryption changes the fact that cloud means cloud.
DeadVault is $19/month. SecureZip offers one-time licenses or enterprise pricing that varies. For a solo practitioner sending files regularly, DeadVault's subscription covers encryption, delivery, client portal, payment gates, and automatic destruction. SecureZip gives you the encryption piece. You handle delivery and everything else yourself.

Want delivery, not just encryption?

DeadVault handles the entire workflow: encrypt, deliver, control access, and destroy. Try it in under 2 minutes.

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