Password Gorilla vs pass
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted password managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Password Gorilla
Cross-platform password vault compatible with Password Safe
VS
pass
The standard Unix password manager built on GPG and git
| Feature | Password Gorilla | pass |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Tcl | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 425 | ★ 4,200 |
| First released | 2005 | 2012 |
| Replaces | LastPass, Password Safe | 1Password, LastPass |
Why pick each one
Choose Password Gorilla if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Tcl
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Password Gorilla or pass better?
Neither is universally better. pass has the larger community, while Password Gorilla is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Password Gorilla and pass free and open-source?
Yes. Password Gorilla is licensed under GPL-2.0 and pass under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Password Gorilla and pass with Docker?
Password Gorilla: check the project docs for container support. pass: check the project docs for container support.