KeePass vs Knox
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?
KeePass
Original free and open-source password manager
VS
Knox
Service for storing and rotating application secrets
| Feature | KeePass | Knox |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C# | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,000 | ★ 1,268 |
| First released | 2003 | 2016 |
| Replaces | 1Password, LastPass | HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is KeePass or Knox better?
Neither is universally better. Knox has the larger community, while KeePass is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are KeePass and Knox free and open-source?
Yes. KeePass is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Knox under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run KeePass and Knox with Docker?
KeePass: check the project docs for container support. Knox: yes.