KeePass vs Strongbox

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

Strongbox

• iPhone, iPad and Mac users who keep passwords in KeePass-format files
• People who want to decide where their password database is stored
• Buyers who prefer a one-off lifetime purchase to a subscription

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.

Strongbox

• Strongbox runs on Apple devices only; using the same database elsewhere takes another KeePass-compatible app.
• The App Store listing does not itemize which features are limited to Pro. It describes the free version as a basic feature set.
• The source code is published for inspection, but the developers say it does not meet the OSI definition of open source and do not accept contributions.
• Prices here are from the US App Store; the listing says an upfront purchase option is also described on the Strongbox website.

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.

Strongbox

KeePass and Password Safe formats

Reads and writes the open KeePass (KDB and KDBX 3.1 and 4) and Password Safe 3 formats, so an existing database can be opened and stays portable to other apps.

Your choice of storage

Databases can live in iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive, on a WebDAV or SFTP server, or only on the device, and cloud databases stay usable offline.

Face ID, Touch ID and YubiKey

Unlocks with Face ID or Touch ID, or with a PIN code that has a duress PIN option, and can protect databases with a YubiKey hardware token.

Passkeys and one-time codes

Supports passkeys and generates two-factor TOTP codes, which can be set up from a QR code or entered manually.

Password audit

Checks a database for weak passwords automatically and includes a 'Have I Been Pwned?' check for passwords found in breaches.

Browser AutoFill extension

The Strongbox AutoFill extension for Chrome, Chromium and Firefox fills usernames, passwords and authentication codes from your Strongbox databases.

KeePass

• Free$0

  Both editions, KeePass 1.x and 2.x, as an installer or a portable ZIP package, with the full source code.

Strongbox

• Free$0

  The basic feature set of the freemium app. The App Store listing does not itemize which features are reserved for Pro.

• Strongbox Pro (Monthly)$2.99

  per month (US App Store in-app purchase)

  All the Pro features as an auto-renewing monthly subscription. A 3-monthly term is also mentioned in the listing.

• Strongbox Pro (Yearly)$24.99

  per year (US App Store in-app purchase)

  All the Pro features, billed yearly. The listing also shows a yearly entry at $19.99.

• Strongbox Pro (Lifetime)$99.99

  one-time (US App Store)

  A one-off purchase of Pro, either in the app or as the separate Strongbox Pro app, which supports Family Sharing.

• Strongbox Zero$99.99

  one-time (US App Store)

  A separate app for local-only databases, built without any of the networking code.

KeePass

No public discounts listed.

Strongbox

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Pro for a one-off $99.99

  Strongbox Pro (Lifetime) costs $99.99 once, as an in-app purchase or as the separate Strongbox Pro app, which supports Family Sharing. A macOS-only build is listed at $44.99.

• Annual discount

  About 30% less on the yearly plan

  Strongbox Pro is $2.99 a month or $24.99 a year on the US App Store. Twelve monthly payments come to $35.88, so the yearly plan costs about 30% less.