Knox vs Passbolt
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?
Knox
Service for storing and rotating application secrets
VS
Passbolt
Open-source password manager built for teams
| Feature | Knox | Passbolt |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,268 | ★ 6,056 |
| First released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Replaces | HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager | 1Password, LastPass |
Why pick each one
Choose Passbolt if…
- Built for team sharing
- Strong encryption model
- Good admin controls
Frequently asked questions
Is Knox or Passbolt better?
Neither is universally better. Passbolt has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Knox and Passbolt free and open-source?
Yes. Knox is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Passbolt under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Knox and Passbolt with Docker?
Knox: yes. Passbolt: yes.