Free vs. Pro Tiers
Necron Vault Manager offers two tiers: Free and Pro. Both use the same encryption and vault features — the key difference is where your encryption key is stored.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $3.99/month or $39.90/year |
| Encrypted file limit | 1 GB at any one time | No limit |
| Number of vaults | 1 | Unlimited |
| Key storage | On your computer | On a Key Drive you control |
| Cloud mirroring | ✓ | ✓ |
| Self-healing vault | ✓ | ✓ |
| Per-file encryption | ✓ | ✓ |
| TOTP vault lock | ✓ | ✓ |
| Vault health check | ✓ | ✓ |
| Key Drive | ✗ | ✓ |
| Backup Key Drives | ✗ | ✓ (up to 5) |
| Key physically separated from data | ✗ | ✓ |
The Core Difference
Free tier: Your encryption key is stored securely on your computer, tied to your user account. It's convenient but means the key lives on the same machine as your data.
Pro tier: Your encryption key lives on a physical Key Drive that you control. It never resides on your computer's hard drive. This means even if your computer is stolen, your encrypted files remain protected — the attacker doesn't have the key.
Warning
If you reinstall your operating system or delete your user profile, your Free tier software key becomes inaccessible. Always keep backups of critical files when using the Free tier.
When to Choose Free
- Evaluating Necron Vault Manager before committing
- Casual encryption of non-critical files (up to 1 GB at any one time)
- Learning how vault-based encryption works
When to Choose Pro
- Sensitive personal data — tax records, medical documents, legal files
- Business data — client files, financial records
- Long-term archival — data you need to protect for years
- Anyone who wants backup Key Drives — insurance against key loss
Upgrading from Free to Pro
You can upgrade at any time without losing your encrypted data:
- Start the upgrade from the website or in the desktop app
- Complete payment through checkout
- Relaunch the app — insert a USB drive when prompted
- Follow the setup wizard — your existing key is copied to the Key Drive
- All your vaults continue working — nothing changes about your encrypted files
Note
After upgrading, the software key on your computer is no longer used. You can create backup Key Drives for redundancy.
Downgrading from Pro to Free
If you cancel your Pro subscription:
- Full Pro functionality continues until the end of your billing period
- After expiration, you'll be prompted to renew or continue in Free tier
- Files encrypted with the Key Drive still require the Key Drive to decrypt — keep it safe
Further Reading
- Creating an Account — sign up for Free or Pro
- Key Drive Setup — set up your Key Drive
- Security Overview — how Necron protects your data