gopass vs KeePassium
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted password managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | gopass | KeePassium |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 70 · Good |
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Swift |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal, source | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,211 | ★ 1,696 |
| First released | 2017 | 2019 |
| Replaces | 1Password, LastPass | 1Password, LastPass |
What are gopass and KeePassium?
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
KeePassium
KeePassium is an open-source password manager for iOS and macOS that works with KeePass KDBX databases. It supports Face ID, Touch ID and AutoFill while keeping all data under user control.
- KDBX-compatible iOS and macOS app
- Face ID and Touch ID unlock
- Password AutoFill integration
- Hardware key support
gopass vs KeePassium: key differences
Gopass is written in Go, while KeePassium is built with Swift. Licensing differs — MIT for gopass versus GPL-3.0 for KeePassium. Gopass is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 64 MB for KeePassium. Gopass is the more established project (first released 2017), while KeePassium arrived in 2019. Gopass has the considerably larger community, at 7,211 GitHub stars versus 1,696.
Why pick each one
Choose gopass if…
- Great for teams using git
- Single static binary
Watch out for
- Still command-line focused
Choose KeePassium if…
- Polished Apple-platform experience
- Open source
Watch out for
- Apple platforms only
- Premium tier for some features
Frequently asked questions
Is gopass or KeePassium better?
Neither is universally better. gopass has the larger community, while KeePassium is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are gopass and KeePassium free and open-source?
Yes. gopass is licensed under MIT and KeePassium under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run gopass and KeePassium with Docker?
gopass: check the project docs for container support. KeePassium: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, gopass or KeePassium?
gopass has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 64 MB for KeePassium. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.