When comparing EncFS vs Disk Utility, the Slant community recommends EncFS for most people. In the question“What are the best file encryption tools?” EncFS is ranked 5th while Disk Utility is ranked 11th. The most important reason people chose EncFS is:
This makes it suitable for using with Dropbox or similar cloud storage platforms.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Encrypts on per-file basis
This makes it suitable for using with Dropbox or similar cloud storage platforms.
Pro Cross-platform
Works on Linux, OS X and experimentally on Windows.
Pro Configuration is stored in the working directory
The configuration for EncFS is in the form of a dotfile (.encfs6.xml) and it's stored in the working directory. This way you only have to remember the passphrase because all the other metadata is stored in the configuration file.
Pro Native OS X support
It offers the best integration, ease of use and support with OS X.
Pro Disk image and volume encryption
You can create a disk image that requires a password to mount. It can use a different filesystem than OS X, like exFAT, that can be used to move files between Windows and OS X. Additionally, you can encrypt file volumes by right-clicking and selecting encrypt.
Cons
Con Not up to speed with modern cryptography practices
From some audits in the past, EncFS has had some issues with being up-to-date as far as cryptography practices go. For example, it uses the same key for encryption and authentication or file holes not being authenticated.
Con Mac only
Disk Utility is available for OSX only.