pass vs One-Time Secret
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
One-Time Secret
Share sensitive credentials with self-destructing links
| Feature | pass | One-Time Secret |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Shell | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,200 | ★ 2,894 |
| First released | 2012 | 2012 |
| Replaces | 1Password, LastPass | 1Password, Doppler |
Why pick each one
Choose One-Time Secret if…
- Great for one-off credential sharing
- Easy to self-host
Frequently asked questions
Is pass or One-Time Secret better?
Neither is universally better. pass has the larger community, while One-Time Secret is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are pass and One-Time Secret free and open-source?
Yes. pass is licensed under GPL-2.0 and One-Time Secret under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run pass and One-Time Secret with Docker?
pass: check the project docs for container support. One-Time Secret: yes.