AliasVault vs gopass
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted password managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
AliasVault
End-to-end encrypted password and email alias manager
VS
gopass
Team-oriented password manager compatible with pass
| Feature | AliasVault | gopass |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | binary, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,140 | ★ 7,211 |
| First released | 2024 | 2017 |
| Replaces | 1Password, SimpleLogin | 1Password, LastPass |
What are AliasVault and gopass?
AliasVault
AliasVault is a self-hosted, end-to-end encrypted password manager that also generates private email aliases to protect your real address. It combines credential storage with built-in alias mailboxes so you can sign up for services without exposing personal data.
- Zero-knowledge encrypted vault
- Built-in private email aliases
- Browser extensions
- Docker-based self-hosting
gopass
gopass is a feature-rich command-line password manager written in Go that is compatible with the standard Unix password store. It adds team features, multiple stores and improved tooling.
- pass-compatible encrypted store
- Multiple mounted stores
- Team and per-secret access control
- Browser and editor integrations
AliasVault vs gopass: key differences
AliasVault is written in TypeScript, while gopass is built with Go. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for AliasVault versus MIT for gopass. Gopass is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 512 MB for AliasVault. Gopass is the more established project (first released 2017), while AliasVault arrived in 2024. Gopass has the considerably larger community, at 7,211 GitHub stars versus 3,140. AliasVault lists first-class Docker deployment; gopass does not.
Why pick each one
Choose AliasVault if…
- Combines vault and alias mail
- Strong encryption model
Watch out for
- Young project
- Requires running mail components
Choose gopass if…
- Great for teams using git
- Single static binary
Watch out for
- Still command-line focused
Frequently asked questions
Is AliasVault or gopass better?
Neither is universally better. gopass has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are AliasVault and gopass free and open-source?
Yes. AliasVault is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and gopass under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AliasVault and gopass with Docker?
AliasVault: yes. gopass: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, AliasVault or gopass?
gopass has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for AliasVault. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.