Buttercup vs gopass
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted password managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Buttercup | gopass |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 91 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,388 | ★ 7,220 |
| First released | 2015 | 2017 |
| Replaces | 1Password, LastPass | 1Password, LastPass |
What are Buttercup and gopass?
Buttercup
Buttercup is a free, open-source password manager available for desktop, mobile and browsers. Vaults are stored in an encrypted format and can sync through Dropbox, WebDAV, Google Drive or local files.
- Encrypted vaults with multiple backends
- WebDAV and cloud storage sync
- Browser extensions for autofill
- Cross-platform desktop and mobile apps
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
Buttercup vs gopass: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Buttercup's repository is archived and no longer developed, while gopass is actively maintained. Buttercup is written in TypeScript, while gopass is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Buttercup versus MIT for gopass. Gopass is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Buttercup. Buttercup is the more established project (first released 2015), while gopass arrived in 2017.
Why pick each one
Choose Buttercup if…
- Flexible storage options
- Clean modern UI
Watch out for
- Sync relies on third-party storage
Choose gopass if…
- Great for teams using git
- Single static binary
Watch out for
- Still command-line focused
Frequently asked questions
Is Buttercup or gopass better?
Neither is universally better. gopass has the larger community, while Buttercup is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Buttercup and gopass free and open-source?
Yes. Buttercup is licensed under GPL-3.0 and gopass under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Buttercup and gopass with Docker?
Buttercup: check the project docs for container support. gopass: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Buttercup or gopass?
gopass has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Buttercup. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.