One-Time Secret vs Vaultwarden
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?
One-Time Secret
Share sensitive credentials with self-destructing links
VS
Vaultwarden
Lightweight Bitwarden-compatible password server
| Feature | One-Time Secret | Vaultwarden |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,894 | ★ 65,100 |
| First released | 2012 | 2018 |
| Replaces | 1Password, Doppler | 1Password, LastPass, Dashlane |
Why pick each one
Choose One-Time Secret if…
- Great for one-off credential sharing
- Easy to self-host
Choose Vaultwarden if…
- Extremely lightweight
- Works with official apps
- Easy to deploy
Frequently asked questions
Is One-Time Secret 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 One-Time Secret and Vaultwarden free and open-source?
Yes. One-Time Secret is licensed under MIT and Vaultwarden under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run One-Time Secret and Vaultwarden with Docker?
One-Time Secret: yes. Vaultwarden: yes.