pass vs pass-otp
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted password managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | pass | pass-otp |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Shell | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,200 | ★ 1,498 |
| First released | 2012 | 2017 |
| Replaces | 1Password, LastPass | Authy, 1Password |
What are pass and pass-otp?
pass
pass is a minimalist password manager that stores each secret in a GPG-encrypted file, optionally versioned with git. It follows the Unix philosophy and works entirely from the command line.
- GPG-encrypted password files
- Optional git versioning and sync
- Scriptable command-line workflow
- Many compatible GUI and mobile clients
pass-otp
pass-otp is an open-source extension that adds TOTP one-time-password support to the standard Unix password manager. It generates two-factor codes directly from secrets stored in the pass tree.
- TOTP code generation
- Integrates with pass
- Offline two-factor
- Command-line based
pass vs pass-otp: key differences
Both projects are written in Shell. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for pass versus GPL-3.0 for pass-otp. Pass is the more established project (first released 2012), while pass-otp arrived in 2017. Pass has the considerably larger community, at 4,200 GitHub stars versus 1,498.
Why pick each one
Choose pass if…
- Simple and transparent storage
- Composes well with other tools
Watch out for
- Command-line oriented
- Requires GPG knowledge
Choose pass-otp if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in Shell
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is pass or pass-otp better?
Neither is universally better. pass has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are pass and pass-otp free and open-source?
Yes. pass is licensed under GPL-2.0 and pass-otp under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run pass and pass-otp with Docker?
pass: check the project docs for container support. pass-otp: check the project docs for container support.