gopass vs pass-tomb
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted password managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | gopass | pass-tomb |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 46 · Fair |
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,220 | ★ 437 |
| First released | 2017 | 2017 |
| Replaces | 1Password, LastPass | 1Password, KeePass |
What are gopass and pass-tomb?
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
pass-tomb
pass-tomb is an open-source extension for the standard Unix password manager that keeps the password store inside an encrypted Tomb container. It hides the directory structure of secrets when the store is locked.
- Encrypted Tomb container
- Hides store structure
- Integrates with pass
- Command-line workflow
gopass vs pass-tomb: key differences
Gopass is written in Go, while pass-tomb is built with Shell. Licensing differs — MIT for gopass versus GPL-3.0 for pass-tomb. Gopass is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 64 MB for pass-tomb. Gopass has the considerably larger community, at 7,220 GitHub stars versus 437.
Why pick each one
Choose gopass if…
- Great for teams using git
- Single static binary
Watch out for
- Still command-line focused
Choose pass-tomb if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in Shell
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is gopass or pass-tomb better?
gopass is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider pass-tomb if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are gopass and pass-tomb free and open-source?
Yes. gopass is licensed under MIT and pass-tomb under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run gopass and pass-tomb with Docker?
gopass: check the project docs for container support. pass-tomb: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, gopass or pass-tomb?
gopass has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 64 MB for pass-tomb. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.