pass vs Spectre
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
Spectre
Stateless password manager that derives passwords on demand
| Feature | pass | Spectre |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Shell | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,200 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2012 | 2012 |
| Replaces | 1Password, LastPass | 1Password, LastPass |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is pass or Spectre 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 Spectre free and open-source?
Yes. pass is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Spectre under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run pass and Spectre with Docker?
pass: check the project docs for container support. Spectre: check the project docs for container support.