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.
Not the right match-up?
pass
The standard Unix password manager built on GPG and git
VS
pass-otp
One-time-password extension for the pass manager
| Feature | pass | pass-otp |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ★ 1,485 |
| First released | 2012 | 2017 |
| Replaces | 1Password, LastPass | Authy, 1Password |
Why pick each one
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.