KeePass vs Proton Pass
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Proton Pass
End-to-end encrypted password manager with email aliases
Where they differ
- KeePass is free. Proton Pass starts at $2.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($35.88); $4.99 billed monthly.
- Only Proton Pass lists a web app.
- Only Proton Pass lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Proton Pass lists a browser extension.
- Proton Pass is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Proton Pass also covers passkeys.
At a glance
| KeePass | Proton Pass | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $2.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($35.88); $4.99 billed monthly |
| Free plan | Free and open source under the GPL, for personal and company use, with no fees. The author accepts donations. | Proton Free: unlimited logins, notes and credit cards on unlimited devices, passkeys, 2 vaults, 10 hide-my-email aliases and alerts for weak and reused passwords. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Dominik Reichl | Proton AG |
| Price read from | keepass.info | proton.me |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
KeePass
- Windows users who want a free password manager that needs no account
- People who carry their password database on a USB stick
- Technical users who want to extend a password manager with plugins
Proton Pass
- People who want a free password manager with unlimited logins and devices
- Privacy-focused users who want email aliases for sign-ups
- Existing Proton customers, since Pass is part of Proton Unlimited
Worth knowing
KeePass
- The official program is built for Windows. On Linux and macOS it runs through Mono, and the Android and iOS apps are unofficial contributed ports.
- There is no hosted sync service: you keep copies of the database in step yourself, for example through a cloud-storage folder.
- Extras such as Windows Hello unlock, one-time-password keys and additional ciphers rely on third-party plugins.
- KeePass 1.x is in maintenance only; the site says to use 2.x if in doubt.
Proton Pass
- The free plan is limited to 2 vaults and 10 hide-my-email aliases.
- The 2FA authenticator, vault sharing, Dark Web Monitoring and file attachments are listed under Pass Plus, not the free plan.
- No free trial of the paid plans is advertised; Proton offers a 30-day money-back guarantee instead.
Key features
KeePass
- Encrypted database file
- All entries live in one database file encrypted with AES-256 or ChaCha20. The complete database is encrypted, including user names and notes, not only the passwords.
- Master password, key file or both
- A database opens with a master password, a key file or the two combined. KeePass 2.x can also lock a database to the current Windows user account.
- Auto-Type
- Types an entry's details into dialogs and web forms with a customizable sequence, and a global hot key finds the matching entry while KeePass runs in the background.
- Portable
- Runs from a USB stick without being installed, creates no registry keys and keeps its settings inside its own directory.
- Plugins
- A plugin architecture lets other developers add functions such as extra import and export formats, more encryption algorithms and additional key sources.
- Synchronization and import
- KeePass 2.x merges changes made in several copies of a database, including files reached over FTP, HTTP or WebDAV, and imports more than 35 formats out of the box.
Proton Pass
- End-to-end encrypted vaults
- Everything stored is end-to-end encrypted, and Proton says that no one else, not even Proton, can access it.
- Hide-my-email aliases
- Creates email aliases to hand out at sign-up so your real address stays private: 10 on the free plan and unlimited on Pass Plus.
- Passkeys and autofill
- Passkeys are supported on all devices, including on the free plan, and logins autofill on websites and in apps.
- Built-in 2FA authenticator
- Pass Plus can generate two-factor codes inside the password manager instead of in a separate authenticator app.
- Password monitoring
- Free accounts get alerts for weak and reused passwords. Pass Plus adds Dark Web Monitoring that warns when credentials appear in a leak.
- Sharing and Emergency Access
- Pass Plus adds secure vault sharing, shareable secure links, file attachments and Emergency Access. Pass Family extends these to up to 6 users with an admin panel.
Plans
KeePass
Free$0
Both editions, KeePass 1.x and 2.x, as an installer or a portable ZIP package, with the full source code.
Proton Pass
Proton Free$0
Unlimited logins, notes and cards on unlimited devices, passkeys, a password generator, 2 vaults and 10 hide-my-email aliases.
Pass Plus$2.99
per month, billed every 12 months ($35.88); $4.99 billed monthly
Unlimited aliases, built-in 2FA authenticator, secure vault sharing, Dark Web Monitoring, file attachments and Emergency Access.
Pass Family$4.99
per month, billed every 12 months ($59.88); $6.99 billed monthly
Everything in Pass Plus for up to 6 users, with an admin panel for the family.
Proton Unlimited$9.99
per month, billed every 12 months ($119.88); $12.99 billed monthly
Pass bundled with Proton Mail, Calendar, VPN and Drive in one subscription.
Ways to pay less
KeePass
No public discounts listed.
Proton Pass
- Annual discount
40% off Pass Plus on the yearly plan
Proton's pricing page lists Pass Plus at $2.99 a month when billed every 12 months ($35.88), against $4.99 billed monthly.
