Passky Server vs Vaultwarden
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted password managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Vaultwarden
Lightweight Bitwarden-compatible password server
| Feature | Passky Server | Vaultwarden |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 32 · At risk | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 244 | ★ 68,080 |
| First released | 2021 | 2018 |
| Replaces | LastPass, Bitwarden | 1Password, LastPass, Dashlane |
What are Passky Server and Vaultwarden?
Passky Server
Passky is a simple and lightweight self-hostable password manager. The server component provides an encrypted backend that syncs with Passky web, desktop and mobile clients.
- Encrypted password sync server
- Lightweight PHP backend
- Web, desktop and mobile clients
- Two-factor authentication support
Vaultwarden
Vaultwarden is a lightweight, unofficial Bitwarden-compatible server written in Rust that works with all official Bitwarden clients. It targets self-hosters who want Bitwarden without heavy resource use. It is deployed via Docker.
- Compatible with all Bitwarden clients
- Tiny resource footprint
- Organizations and sharing
- Includes premium-equivalent features
Passky Server vs Vaultwarden: key differences
Passky Server is written in PHP, while Vaultwarden is built with Rust. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Passky Server versus AGPL-3.0 for Vaultwarden. Vaultwarden is the more established project (first released 2018), while Passky Server arrived in 2021. Vaultwarden has the considerably larger community, at 68,080 GitHub stars versus 244.
Why pick each one
Choose Passky Server if…
- Very easy to set up
- Minimal footprint
Watch out for
- Smaller community and ecosystem
Choose Vaultwarden if…
- Extremely lightweight
- Works with official apps
- Easy to deploy
Watch out for
- Unofficial, community project
- Self-hosting security is on you
Frequently asked questions
Is Passky Server or Vaultwarden better?
Neither is universally better. Vaultwarden has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Passky Server and Vaultwarden free and open-source?
Yes. Passky Server is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Vaultwarden under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Passky Server and Vaultwarden with Docker?
Passky Server: yes. Vaultwarden: yes.