Bitwarden vs KeeWeb

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted password managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureBitwardenKeeWeb
CategoryPassword ManagersPassword Managers
LicenseAGPL-3.0MIT
LanguageC#HTML
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM2,048 MB128 MB
Deploymentdockerdocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 19,782★ 12,977
First released20162015
Replaces1Password, LastPass, DashlaneLastPass, 1Password

Why pick each one

Choose Bitwarden if…

  • Audited and trusted
  • Apps everywhere
  • Open source
Bitwarden details

Choose KeeWeb if…

  • Works with KeePass files
  • No server database
  • Cross-platform
KeeWeb details

Frequently asked questions

Is Bitwarden or KeeWeb better?

Neither is universally better. Bitwarden has the larger community, while KeeWeb is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Bitwarden and KeeWeb free and open-source?

Yes. Bitwarden is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and KeeWeb under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Bitwarden and KeeWeb with Docker?

Bitwarden: yes. KeeWeb: yes.

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