Passbolt 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.
Passbolt
Open-source password manager built for teams
VS
One-Time Secret
Share sensitive credentials with self-destructing links
| Feature | Passbolt | One-Time Secret |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,136 | ★ 2,942 |
| First released | 2017 | 2012 |
| Replaces | 1Password, LastPass | 1Password, Doppler |
What are Passbolt and One-Time Secret?
Passbolt
Passbolt is an open-source password manager designed for teams, built around end-to-end encryption and OpenPGP. It targets organizations sharing credentials securely. It is deployed via Docker or packages.
- OpenPGP-based encryption
- Team-oriented sharing and roles
- Browser extension and apps
- Audit logs
One-Time Secret
One-Time Secret is an open-source service for sharing passwords and other sensitive information through links that can only be viewed once. After the secret is read or expires, it is permanently deleted.
- Self-destructing secret links
- Optional passphrase protection
- Configurable expiration times
- Simple REST API
Passbolt vs One-Time Secret: key differences
Passbolt is written in PHP, while One-Time Secret is built with Ruby. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Passbolt versus MIT for One-Time Secret. One-Time Secret is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Passbolt. One-Time Secret is the more established project (first released 2012), while Passbolt arrived in 2017. Passbolt has the considerably larger community, at 6,136 GitHub stars versus 2,942.
Why pick each one
Choose Passbolt if…
- Built for team sharing
- Strong encryption model
- Good admin controls
Watch out for
- Setup is involved
- Some features in paid tiers
Choose One-Time Secret if…
- Great for one-off credential sharing
- Easy to self-host
Watch out for
- Not a long-term vault
Frequently asked questions
Is Passbolt or One-Time Secret better?
Neither is universally better. Passbolt 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 Passbolt and One-Time Secret free and open-source?
Yes. Passbolt is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and One-Time Secret under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Passbolt and One-Time Secret with Docker?
Passbolt: yes. One-Time Secret: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Passbolt or One-Time Secret?
One-Time Secret has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Passbolt. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.