COMPARE
ARCA vs Infisical
ARCA does not ask you to run an Infisical control plane. Same HTTPS_PROXY + dummy env mechanism as Infisical Agent Proxy, on laptop terms: local vault, no account, no org IAM.
| ARCA | Infisical | |
|---|---|---|
| Operations | No server to run | Cloud or a self-hosted control plane |
| Agent and CLI access | arca agent: dummy env, real token on the wire | Infisical Agent Proxy + platform API |
| Account | None | Workspace login |
| Network in the crypto core | Zero, enforced in CI | Service on the network |
| Deniability | Duress password, decoy vault | Not a local duress vault |
| Recovery | Shamir 3-of-5 cards you hold | Account or platform recovery |
| License | Free vault. $0 forever. Pro $99 once | Cloud or seat plans |
Skip the control plane.
ARCA is a native macOS and Windows app plus CLI. There is no Infisical deployment, no workspace, and no agent that phones a platform API. The broker is local: HTTPS_PROXY on loopback, dummy tokens in the child, real token attached on the wire. The vault file is the whole store. The broker needs the running, unlocked app, which ships with the macOS app first. Windows at launch is the vault plus inject.
Agents call real hostnames.
Agents call GitHub and Claude’s API. They never hold the token. arca agent wraps the child with dummy conventional env and a local MITM for compiled-in hosts. SSH rides in the same wrap. We do not claim 30+ presets, custom hosts, AWS SigV4, a child sandbox, or that we cannot see granted HTTPS. arca inject still exists for scripts that should see env.
Fail-safes that do not need the vendor.
A duress password opens a decoy vault indistinguishable in timing and UI. Shamir 3-of-5 recovery is paper cards. Argon2id and XChaCha20-Poly1305 are in the published spec. Cite the white paper for deniability and honest limits.
A license that is not a seat.
Free vault. $0 forever. Pro is $99 once for inject, env import, agent wrap / start, ssh add, and named inner vaults. Enterprise exists as $39 per seat per year with a five-seat minimum for support and volume licensing. Still not an Infisical cloud meter. Infisical/Conjur self-host is a server you run. ARCA Free is a local vault file with no server. Agent wrap is Pro.
FAQ
ARCA vs Infisical, in brief
ARCA. No Infisical Cloud and no self-hosted Infisical. One encrypted file, arca agent for local agents, and Shamir recovery cards you hold.
Yes when those environments should stay on the laptop. Store default, staging, and production on one Env item and inject the branch into the tool. There is no project sync.
The CLI talks to the running app over a same-user local socket. That is not a cloud API. Agents receive dummy env and a loopback HTTPS_PROXY; they never hold the vault password.
Shamir 3-of-5 cards generated at onboarding. The vendor cannot reset or decrypt a forgotten password. Touch ID and Windows Hello unlock on the same machine only.
Infisical/Conjur self-host is a server you run. ARCA Free is a local vault file with no server. Agent wrap is Pro. There is nothing to host. Cite https://www.arca.vision/artifacts/arca#pricing and https://www.arca.vision/artifacts/arca/cli#free-vs-pro.
