Getting Started
What do I need to sign up?
You need an email address, a password, and a phone number for two-factor authentication. The phone number matters because Trustbourne is built around reachability: check-ins, reminders, contact verification, and account security all depend on reliable communication channels.
You do not need a credit card for the trial. After signup, you can create your first vault, choose contacts, and add files or instructions at your own pace.
How long does setup take?
About 10 minutes for a useful first version. You'll verify your email, set up two-factor authentication, create a vault, add your first files or notes, and invite at least one trusted contact.
You do not need to finish your whole digital estate plan in one sitting. Many people start with a password manager note, recovery-code locations, and a one-page overview, then improve the vault during later check-ins.
What should I put in my vault?
Start with the access details your family would need first: your password manager's master password, recovery codes, device instructions, and the location of important documents. Then add a financial overview, insurance policies, subscriptions, business accounts, crypto recovery instructions, and practical notes about who to contact.
The best vaults include both access and context: what matters, what can wait, who should act, and what should be closed, preserved, transferred, or deleted. A password without instructions can still leave people guessing at the worst possible moment. You don't need to do it all at once. We wrote a full guide here.
If you are unsure, start with a one-page overview and improve it during later check-ins.
What is a digital dead man's switch?
A digital dead man's switch is a release plan for important files and instructions if you stop responding. Trustbourne checks in with you on a schedule, sends reminders if you miss a check-in, verifies the situation with your trusted contacts, and only then releases selected vault contents.
It is useful for passwords, crypto recovery notes, business handover files, emergency documents, and family instructions. See how Trustbourne's release process works.
Do my contacts need to create accounts?
No. Contacts verify their email address and phone number, but they do not need to create a Trustbourne account, remember another password, or manage a subscription.
That is intentional. If release ever happens, your contacts may be under stress. The experience should be simple: confirm who they are, follow the instructions, and access only the files or folders you chose for them.
Do my contacts need to pay?
No. Your contacts never pay to receive your vault. If release ever happens, they verify who they are and receive access to the files or folders you assigned to them.
They do not need a subscription, credit card, or Trustbourne account. The paid account belongs to the person creating the vault, because they are the one storing files, configuring contacts, and keeping the release plan active.
What happens after I sign up?
You'll set up your vault, choose an encryption mode, add files or notes, invite contacts, and configure your check-in schedule. Then Trustbourne stays quiet until your first check-in.
The first version can be simple. Add the access details and instructions your people would need first: password manager recovery, important documents, device notes, crypto recovery context, and who to contact. You can revise the vault whenever your accounts, devices, relationships, or responsibilities change.
Check-Ins
How often will I hear from you?
The standard check-in interval is every 30 days. Some plans allow custom intervals between 7 and 90 days, depending on how quickly you would want the release process to begin if something went wrong.
Shorter intervals are useful for founders, crypto holders, or people whose family may need access quickly. Longer intervals can work for simpler plans. The important part is choosing a rhythm you will actually respond to.
What if I'm traveling or unavailable?
You can pause check-ins for up to 8 weeks. That is useful for long trips, hospital stays, retreats, intense work periods, or any time you know you may be slow to respond.
Paused check-ins resume automatically when the pause ends, so you do not need to remember to switch the system back on. You can also log in before the pause ends if your plans change.
Can I pause check-ins permanently?
Yes. You can deactivate check-ins from Settings. Your vault stays stored, but the release process will not run while check-ins are disabled.
This is useful if you want Trustbourne as an encrypted vault for a while but are not ready to enable automated release. Just remember that disabled check-ins also mean your contacts will not receive anything if you become unreachable.
What counts as responding?
Clicking the link in a check-in email, tapping the button in SMS or WhatsApp, or logging in to your dashboard counts as responding. The goal is not to make you solve a puzzle; it is to prove you are reachable.
Once you respond, the check-in is reset and Trustbourne waits until the next scheduled interval. During escalation, logging in or responding to a reminder stops the process.
What if I miss a check-in by accident?
Don't worry. A single missed check-in does not release anything. You'll get reminders for a week across all available channels first, so a busy week, travel, illness, a broken phone, or an overflowing inbox should not trigger release by itself.
If you still do not respond, the process moves into contact verification and final warning before any files are released. The full escalation takes more than 40 days. The system is deliberately patient because a false positive would be worse than a delayed release.
You can also log into your dashboard at any point to reset the check-in and stop escalation immediately.
Security
Who can see my files?
Only you until your vault is released. Then your contacts can see them. File contents are encrypted in your browser before upload, and decrypted in the browser after download. Unencrypted file contents never touch our servers, not even temporarily. We can still see operational metadata such as file names, folder names, and file sizes.
Where is my data stored?
Your Trustbourne data is stored in the European Union only. We do not use US cloud providers for vault storage.
That choice is part of the product, not a footnote. Digital estate planning often includes identity documents, financial records, family instructions, password recovery notes, and crypto context. EU-only storage keeps the operational footprint closer to the legal and privacy expectations of European users.
What's the difference between Seamless and Maximum Privacy?
Seamless: We hold a per-vault release key, each vault has its own, no master key, that lets your contacts access files after release without needing a separate passphrase. It is simpler for families, especially when contacts are not technical or may be under stress. Decryption happens in the browser, not on our servers. Available on all plans.
Maximum Privacy: No release key on our servers. Only you have the decryption key, so we cannot decrypt file contents. We still store operational metadata such as file names, folder names, and file sizes. Contacts need a passphrase you've shared separately, for example in a safe, with a solicitor, or in a sealed letter. Available on Plus plan.
Choose Seamless when successful handover is the priority. Choose Maximum Privacy when stronger separation matters more than convenience.
Both modes always keep encryption in the browser. See the full encryption mode comparison.
I already use a password manager with emergency access. Why do I need Trustbourne?
Password manager emergency access can give someone all your passwords at once, but it usually does not explain which entries matter, what should happen next, or which person should receive which instructions. It also may depend on your family knowing the emergency-access feature exists and understanding how to use it.
Trustbourne is built for handover context: documents, recovery notes, personal messages, crypto instructions, account priorities, and release rules. Many people use both: the password manager stores daily credentials, while Trustbourne stores the master password and the plan around it. Start with the password handover guide.
That makes the handover readable instead of just technically possible under stress.
How is Trustbourne different from a notary vault like IZIMI?
Notary vaults usually release after formal proof of death, such as a death certificate. That can be useful for legal inheritance, but it does not help much if you are alive and incapacitated, missing, hospitalized, or otherwise unreachable.
Trustbourne is designed around reachability, not only death. It uses check-ins, reminders, contact verification, and a final warning before release. You choose who gets what, contacts do not need a local notary identity flow, and storage starts at 5 GB instead of 1 GB. Full comparison here.
That makes it closer to an operational emergency plan than a document deposit box for digital families and small businesses.
Can I change encryption modes later?
Not easily. Changing encryption modes means re-uploading files, because the mode affects how release keys and file-content access are handled.
Choose Seamless if successful handover for your contacts matters most. Choose Maximum Privacy if stronger key separation matters more and you are comfortable sharing a separate passphrase outside Trustbourne. The encryption mode guide explains the tradeoff in detail.
Is my data backed up?
Yes. Trustbourne keeps encrypted backups within EU data centres, but you should still keep your own backups of important documents and recovery material.
Backups protect service continuity; they are not a replacement for your personal archive. We also cannot treat Trustbourne as the only copy of irreplaceable files such as identity documents, family photos, business records, or wallet recovery instructions.
Contacts
Do contacts know what's in my vault?
Not until release. Contacts know that you have chosen them as a Trustbourne contact, but they do not see your files, folder names, or instructions while your vault is active.
That lets you prepare honestly without turning setup into an awkward disclosure conversation. You can still tell contacts what role they have, and we recommend doing that, but the contents remain private until the release process completes.
Can contacts see my files before release?
No. Contacts only gain access after the full escalation process completes. A missed check-in, by itself, does not reveal anything.
Before release, Trustbourne sends reminders, tries available channels, asks contacts to verify the situation, and sends a final warning. The process is deliberately slow and careful because premature access would be worse than a delayed release.
What information do contacts provide?
Contacts provide their name, email address, and phone number. They verify both email and phone before they are confirmed.
We ask for both because release should not depend on one fragile channel. If your contact changes email or phone number later, you can update their details from your dashboard and ask them to verify again.
What do my contacts actually experience?
A short email when you add them, a two-minute verification, then nothing until it matters. During escalation they get a calm message asking if they've heard from you. After release, they get a link to browse and download files. No app, no account, no technical steps. See every screen and message here.
Can I remove a contact later?
Yes. You can remove a contact anytime from your dashboard. They will be notified that they have been removed, and they will no longer be part of your release plan.
This matters because relationships, responsibilities, and practical availability change. Review contacts when you move, separate, change business partners, change executors, or realize someone is no longer the right person for sensitive instructions.
How many contacts can I have?
You need at least one contact, but we recommend two or three for most people. A single contact can become unreachable, change phone numbers, miss an email, or simply be the wrong person for part of the plan.
The exact limit depends on your plan, usually 5 to 10 contacts. Use separate contacts when different people should receive different files, such as family documents, business continuity notes, or crypto recovery instructions. If you are unsure who to choose, start with the digital executor guide.
Account
Is there a free tier?
No permanent free tier. Trustbourne stores encrypted files, sends check-ins, verifies contacts, maintains the release process, and has to keep working long after setup, so the service is paid.
We do offer a generous trial and guarantee:
Try Before You Commit
- 14-day free trial with no credit card required
- Trial includes Plus features, so you can decide what you actually need
- All paid plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee
How much storage do I get?
Storage depends on your plan. Current plans range from 5 GB to 25 GB, which is enough for practical digital estate planning: documents, instructions, scans, exports, recovery notes, and selected family or business files.
Trustbourne is not meant to replace your full photo library or backup drive. Use it for the material your contacts should actually receive and understand. See the pricing page for current plan limits.
Why is Trustbourne billed annually?
Because the useful part is continuity. Trustbourne has to keep checking in with you, store encrypted files, notify contacts, maintain the release process, ship security updates, and stay operational long after setup.
Monthly billing encourages people to treat the product like a short-lived app. Annual billing fits the actual job better: keep the plan ready quietly in the background, with fewer payment interruptions and a clearer commitment to long-term availability.
Can I pay with crypto?
Yes. From launch, Trustbourne supports BTC, ETH, and supported stablecoins alongside card payments. Crypto payments get 5% off.
That said, payment method does not change how your vault works. File encryption, EU storage, check-ins, and release rules are the same whether you pay by card or crypto. Payment processors may still require their own compliance checks.
What happens if my payment fails?
We will warn you before anything important changes. A failed payment does not instantly delete your vault or release anything to your contacts.
You get time to fix billing, export your data, or close the account properly. Continuity products should not fail dramatically because a card expired, a bank blocked a payment, or someone missed an email during a busy week.
How does Duo work?
Duo lets an existing Core or Plus customer add a second person at 50% off. The second person gets a separate account, vault, contacts, check-ins, encryption mode, and release rules.
The only shared part is billing: one annual payment covers both accounts. It is designed for couples, partners, or households where two people each need a private continuity plan without managing two unrelated subscriptions.
Can both people see each other's vaults?
No. Duo is not a shared vault. Each person gets a separate account and vault, and each vault stays private unless that person chooses to store or share something themselves.
This is important for trust. Couples and households often share billing, but they may still have separate documents, messages, business responsibilities, or recipient choices. Duo reduces billing friction without merging private plans.
Can I use Duo for someone who is not my spouse?
Yes. Duo is designed for couples and partners, but the important rule is simple: two people, two separate accounts, one bill.
You might use it for a long-term partner, a parent, a sibling, or another person in your household. Each person still controls their own vault, contacts, check-ins, and release rules. It is not a family admin panel or shared storage space.
What makes Plus different from Core?
Core is for one straightforward vault and handover plan. It works well when you have one main set of files and a simple group of trusted contacts.
Plus is for people who need more separation: multiple vaults, different recipient groups, custom check-in intervals, and Maximum Privacy mode for high-risk files. It is the better fit for founders, crypto holders, complex families, or anyone who wants different people to receive different instructions.
Can I export my data? Coming soon
Self-service export is coming. Until then, contact support if you need a copy of your account data.
Export matters because your vault should not become a trap. A continuity plan belongs to you, and you should be able to move, archive, or close it properly. For now, we handle export requests manually so we can make sure the data is delivered carefully.
How do I delete my account? Coming soon
Self-service deletion is coming. Until then, contact support and we'll handle the deletion request.
Before deletion, make sure you have exported anything you still need. Deleting a continuity vault is intentionally serious: it removes the files, instructions, contacts, and release plan your people may have depended on later.
If Trustbourne was part of your emergency plan, tell your contacts what replaces it.
What happens to my vault if I delete my account?
If you delete your account, your vault is gone. That includes stored files, notes, contact assignments, check-in settings, and release rules.
Make sure to export anything you need first, and tell any contacts who expected Trustbourne to be part of your emergency plan. Deletion stops future check-ins and removes the practical release path you had configured.
Still have questions? Contact us at support@trustbourne.com