SHSelfHostIndex

Nextcloud Passwords vs Psono

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?
NE Nextcloud Passwords Encrypted password manager app for Nextcloud servers VS PS Psono Self-hosted password manager for teams
FeatureNextcloud PasswordsPsono
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
CategoryPassword ManagersPassword Managers
LicenseAGPL-3.0Apache-2.0
LanguagePHPPython
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker
GitHub stars★ 249★ 700
First released20182017
ReplacesLastPass, Bitwarden1Password, LastPass

What are Nextcloud Passwords and Psono?

Nextcloud Passwords

Nextcloud Passwords is a feature-rich password manager that runs as an app inside a Nextcloud instance, with client-side encryption and browser extensions. It integrates with existing Nextcloud users and sharing.

  • Client-side encryption
  • Browser extensions
  • Password sharing
  • Security audits

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

Nextcloud Passwords vs Psono: key differences

Nextcloud Passwords is written in PHP, while Psono is built with Python. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Nextcloud Passwords versus Apache-2.0 for Psono. Psono has the considerably larger community, at 700 GitHub stars versus 249.

Why pick each one

Choose Nextcloud Passwords if…

  • Integrates with Nextcloud
  • Strong feature set

Watch out for

  • Requires Nextcloud
  • Tied to PHP stack
Nextcloud Passwords details

Choose Psono if…

  • Strong sharing controls
  • Enterprise auth support
  • Open source

Watch out for

  • Smaller community
  • Setup takes effort
Psono details

Frequently asked questions

Is Nextcloud Passwords or Psono better?

Neither is universally better. Psono has the larger community, while Nextcloud Passwords is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Nextcloud Passwords and Psono free and open-source?

Yes. Nextcloud Passwords is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Psono under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Nextcloud Passwords and Psono with Docker?

Nextcloud Passwords: yes. Psono: yes.

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