GPG vs Age Encryption

The cluster centers on debates comparing GPG/PGP's complexity and usability issues to simpler modern alternatives like age for encryption tasks, with users questioning the need for new tools or defending GPG's reliability.

📉 Falling 0.5x Security
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#6884
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Keywords

filippo.io UX GNUPG KDF GPGME PGP ARE encryption.org GPG github.com gpg pgp key keybase private key keys age password commands file

Sample Comments

NieDzejkob • Feb 29, 2020 • View on HN

There's a lot of complexity in gpg that's unnecessary for this usecase, I'd use age instead.https://age-encryption.org/

someguydave • Dec 28, 2021 • View on HN

age is hardly a complete replacement for GPG

k3vinw • Feb 19, 2023 • View on HN

Thanks for creating this. I was just thinking why not use gpg for this?

hghar • Apr 27, 2016 • View on HN

Seems interesting but why not to use GPG?

zx2c4 • Sep 8, 2012 • View on HN

GPG is well-vetted. The encryption here is GPG.

vbezhenar • May 7, 2020 • View on HN

GPG works, I don't know why anyone thought that anything else is needed.

seized • Feb 26, 2023 • View on HN

Such a profoundly helpful contribution.... How about detail on why it's not better than gpg?

nickpsecurity • Oct 8, 2015 • View on HN

GPG comes through again. Not ideally but acceptably for the paranoids. :)

ekianjo • Aug 17, 2025 • View on HN

pgp or gpg relies on you dealing with the keys.

cgag • Dec 17, 2019 • View on HN

Ensuring a gpg key isn't lost seems pretty obnoxious.