Passbolt vs Yopass
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
Yopass
Securely share secrets with encrypted one-time links
| Feature | Passbolt | Yopass |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,136 | ★ 3,148 |
| First released | 2017 | 2016 |
| Replaces | 1Password, LastPass | 1Password, Doppler |
What are Passbolt and Yopass?
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
Yopass
Yopass is an open-source tool for sharing secrets in a quick and secure manner. Secrets are encrypted in the browser and shared via links that expire after a set time or a single view.
- Client-side encrypted secrets
- One-time and time-limited links
- Tiny resource footprint
- Memcached or Redis backend
Passbolt vs Yopass: key differences
Passbolt is written in PHP, while Yopass is built with Go. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Passbolt versus MIT for Yopass. Yopass is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Passbolt.
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 Yopass if…
- Very lightweight
- No persistent database needed
Watch out for
- Focused on sharing, not storage
Frequently asked questions
Is Passbolt or Yopass better?
Neither is universally better. Passbolt has the larger community, while Yopass is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Passbolt and Yopass free and open-source?
Yes. Passbolt is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Yopass under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Passbolt and Yopass with Docker?
Passbolt: yes. Yopass: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Passbolt or Yopass?
Yopass has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Passbolt. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.