OpenBao 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?
OpenBao
Open-source secrets management forked from Vault
VS
Passbolt
Open-source password manager built for teams
| Feature | OpenBao | Passbolt |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | MPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,961 | ★ 6,056 |
| First released | 2024 | 2017 |
| Replaces | AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault | 1Password, LastPass |
Why pick each one
Choose Passbolt if…
- Built for team sharing
- Strong encryption model
- Good admin controls
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenBao or Passbolt better?
Neither is universally better. OpenBao has the larger community, while Passbolt is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are OpenBao and Passbolt free and open-source?
Yes. OpenBao is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Passbolt under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenBao and Passbolt with Docker?
OpenBao: yes. Passbolt: yes.