KeeWeb vs Passky Server
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted password managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | KeeWeb | Passky Server |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 64 · Good | 32 · At risk |
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | HTML | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 12,997 | ★ 244 |
| First released | 2015 | 2021 |
| Replaces | LastPass, 1Password | LastPass, Bitwarden |
What are KeeWeb and Passky Server?
KeeWeb
KeeWeb is a free, cross-platform password manager compatible with KeePass databases, usable in a browser or as a desktop app. It targets KeePass users who want web access to their vault. It is deployed via Docker or static hosting.
- Reads and writes KeePass files
- Browser and desktop versions
- No backend database needed
- Offline support
Passky Server
Passky is a simple and lightweight self-hostable password manager. The server component provides an encrypted backend that syncs with Passky web, desktop and mobile clients.
- Encrypted password sync server
- Lightweight PHP backend
- Web, desktop and mobile clients
- Two-factor authentication support
KeeWeb vs Passky Server: key differences
KeeWeb is written in HTML, while Passky Server is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for KeeWeb versus GPL-3.0 for Passky Server. KeeWeb is the more established project (first released 2015), while Passky Server arrived in 2021. KeeWeb has the considerably larger community, at 12,997 GitHub stars versus 244.
Why pick each one
Choose KeeWeb if…
- Works with KeePass files
- No server database
- Cross-platform
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- No team features
Choose Passky Server if…
- Very easy to set up
- Minimal footprint
Watch out for
- Smaller community and ecosystem
Frequently asked questions
Is KeeWeb or Passky Server better?
Neither is universally better. KeeWeb has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are KeeWeb and Passky Server free and open-source?
Yes. KeeWeb is licensed under MIT and Passky Server under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run KeeWeb and Passky Server with Docker?
KeeWeb: yes. Passky Server: yes.