Passit vs Psono
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted password managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Passit | Psono |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 200 | ★ 700 |
| First released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Replaces | LastPass, 1Password | 1Password, LastPass |
What are Passit and Psono?
Passit
Passit is a self-hosted, open-source password manager with browser extensions. It encrypts credentials client-side before syncing them to your own Django-based server and supports group sharing.
- Client-side encrypted vault
- Browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox
- Group password sharing
- Self-hosted Django backend
Psono
Psono is a self-hosted, open-source password manager focused on secure secret sharing for teams and enterprises. It targets organizations needing granular credential management. It is deployed via Docker.
- Granular secret sharing
- Client-side encryption
- LDAP and SAML support
- Browser extensions and apps
Passit vs Psono: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Passit versus Apache-2.0 for Psono. Passit is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Psono. Psono has the considerably larger community, at 700 GitHub stars versus 200.
Why pick each one
Choose Passit if…
- Simple sharing model
- Open and auditable
Watch out for
- Limited recent development
Choose Psono if…
- Strong sharing controls
- Enterprise auth support
- Open source
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Setup takes effort
Frequently asked questions
Is Passit or Psono better?
Neither is universally better. Psono has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Passit and Psono free and open-source?
Yes. Passit is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Psono under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Passit and Psono with Docker?
Passit: yes. Psono: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Passit or Psono?
Passit has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Psono. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.