gopass vs Vaultwarden
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted password managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Vaultwarden
Lightweight Bitwarden-compatible password server
| Feature | gopass | Vaultwarden |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,220 | ★ 68,080 |
| First released | 2017 | 2018 |
| Replaces | 1Password, LastPass | 1Password, LastPass, Dashlane |
What are gopass and Vaultwarden?
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
Vaultwarden
Vaultwarden is a lightweight, unofficial Bitwarden-compatible server written in Rust that works with all official Bitwarden clients. It targets self-hosters who want Bitwarden without heavy resource use. It is deployed via Docker.
- Compatible with all Bitwarden clients
- Tiny resource footprint
- Organizations and sharing
- Includes premium-equivalent features
gopass vs Vaultwarden: key differences
Gopass is written in Go, while Vaultwarden is built with Rust. Licensing differs — MIT for gopass versus AGPL-3.0 for Vaultwarden. Gopass is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Vaultwarden. Vaultwarden has the considerably larger community, at 68,080 GitHub stars versus 7,220. Vaultwarden lists first-class Docker deployment; gopass does not.
Why pick each one
Choose gopass if…
- Great for teams using git
- Single static binary
Watch out for
- Still command-line focused
Choose Vaultwarden if…
- Extremely lightweight
- Works with official apps
- Easy to deploy
Watch out for
- Unofficial, community project
- Self-hosting security is on you
Frequently asked questions
Is gopass or Vaultwarden better?
Vaultwarden is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider gopass if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are gopass and Vaultwarden free and open-source?
Yes. gopass is licensed under MIT and Vaultwarden under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run gopass and Vaultwarden with Docker?
gopass: check the project docs for container support. Vaultwarden: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, gopass or Vaultwarden?
gopass has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Vaultwarden. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.