KeePassium vs Vaultwarden
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?
KeePassium
KeePass-compatible password manager for iOS and macOS
VS
Vaultwarden
Lightweight Bitwarden-compatible password server
| Feature | KeePassium | Vaultwarden |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Swift | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,663 | ★ 65,100 |
| First released | 2019 | 2018 |
| Replaces | 1Password, LastPass | 1Password, LastPass, Dashlane |
Why pick each one
Choose Vaultwarden if…
- Extremely lightweight
- Works with official apps
- Easy to deploy
Frequently asked questions
Is KeePassium or Vaultwarden better?
Neither is universally better. Vaultwarden has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are KeePassium and Vaultwarden free and open-source?
Yes. KeePassium is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Vaultwarden under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run KeePassium and Vaultwarden with Docker?
KeePassium: check the project docs for container support. Vaultwarden: yes.