Password Gorilla vs HashiCorp Vault
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
HashiCorp Vault
Secrets management and data protection for infrastructure
| Feature | Password Gorilla | HashiCorp Vault |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | GPL-2.0 | BUSL-1.1 |
| Language | Tcl | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 425 | ★ 36,086 |
| First released | 2005 | 2015 |
| Replaces | LastPass, Password Safe | AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault |
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
Choose HashiCorp Vault if…
- Industry standard for secrets
- Powerful policy engine
Frequently asked questions
Is Password Gorilla or HashiCorp Vault better?
Neither is universally better. HashiCorp Vault 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 HashiCorp Vault free and open-source?
Yes. Password Gorilla is licensed under GPL-2.0 and HashiCorp Vault under BUSL-1.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Password Gorilla and HashiCorp Vault with Docker?
Password Gorilla: check the project docs for container support. HashiCorp Vault: yes.