gopass vs Yopass
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted password managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Yopass
Securely share secrets with encrypted one-time links
| Feature | gopass | Yopass |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal, source | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,220 | ★ 3,148 |
| First released | 2017 | 2016 |
| Replaces | 1Password, LastPass | 1Password, Doppler |
What are gopass and Yopass?
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
Yopass
Yopass is an open-source tool for sharing secrets in a quick and secure manner. Secrets are encrypted in the browser and shared via links that expire after a set time or a single view.
- Client-side encrypted secrets
- One-time and time-limited links
- Tiny resource footprint
- Memcached or Redis backend
gopass vs Yopass: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Gopass is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 64 MB for Yopass. Gopass has the considerably larger community, at 7,220 GitHub stars versus 3,148. Yopass 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 Yopass if…
- Very lightweight
- No persistent database needed
Watch out for
- Focused on sharing, not storage
Frequently asked questions
Is gopass or Yopass better?
Neither is universally better. gopass has the larger community, while Yopass is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are gopass and Yopass free and open-source?
Yes. gopass is licensed under MIT and Yopass under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run gopass and Yopass with Docker?
gopass: check the project docs for container support. Yopass: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, gopass or Yopass?
gopass has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 64 MB for Yopass. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.