KeePassium vs KeePassXC

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?
FeatureKeePassiumKeePassXC
CategoryPassword ManagersPassword Managers
LicenseGPL-3.0GPL-3.0
LanguageSwiftC++
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM64 MB128 MB
Deploymentbinarybinary, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 1,663★ 28,301
First released20192017
Replaces1Password, LastPassLastPass, 1Password, Dashlane

Why pick each one

Choose KeePassium if…

  • Polished Apple-platform experience
  • Open source
KeePassium details

Choose KeePassXC if…

  • Fully offline and private
  • No subscription
  • Mature and trusted
KeePassXC details

Frequently asked questions

Is KeePassium or KeePassXC better?

Neither is universally better. KeePassXC has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are KeePassium and KeePassXC free and open-source?

Yes. KeePassium is licensed under GPL-3.0 and KeePassXC under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run KeePassium and KeePassXC with Docker?

KeePassium: check the project docs for container support. KeePassXC: check the project docs for container support.

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