KeePassium vs Strongbox (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Strongbox grades higher than KeePassium: 3.0 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
KeePassium grades higher on the free plan. Strongbox grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
KeePassium
KeePass-compatible password manager for iPhone, iPad and Mac
Strongbox
KeePass-compatible password manager for iPhone, iPad and Mac
Which one is for you
Pick KeePassium if
- Fits if you keep a KeePass database and use Apple devices
- Works for people who want to sync through their own cloud storage
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows or Android, as it is Apple only
- Tight if you keep more than one database, since the free version allows one
- Watch out: YubiKey support and password audit need Premium or Pro
- Watch out: prices on the maker's site are in euros, and the US App Store lists Premium at $19.99
- Watch out: with Intune, Password AutoFill is not supported and the managed edition runs on iOS only
Pick Strongbox if
- Fits if your passwords already live in a KeePass file and you want them on an iPhone and a Mac
- Works for keeping the file where you choose, including on the device and nowhere else
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you also use Windows or Android, as Strongbox itself is Apple only
- Not for you if you want sharing and sync handled for you, because storage is yours to arrange
- Tight if you need to know what's free before you start, since the App Store listing doesn't say what Pro holds back
- Pricey if you go lifetime, at $99.99, four years of the $24.99 yearly price
- Watch out: the code is published but isn't open source by the OSI definition, and yearly Pro is listed at both $24.99 and $19.99
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAKeePassiumGood | 3.0GPAStrongboxVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPremium is EUR 19.99 a year, inside the cheapest quarter of password managers. Pro is a EUR 79.99 lifetime licence, under two years of the typical subscription. | BPro is $24.99 a year on the US App Store, about $2.08 a month, inside the lowest-priced quarter of this category. Monthly is $2.99, the category's middle. Lifetime at $99.99 is four years of the yearly price, and the listing never itemizes what Pro includes. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree forever for one database, with synchronization, AutoFill, Face ID or Touch ID, one-time codes and attachments. One database is a cap few people reach. | BThe app is free with what Strongbox calls a basic feature set, and the developer reckons most people find that enough, so you could live on it. The catch is that the App Store listing never says which features are held for Pro. There's an optional 90-day trial. |
| Features | BKeePass database support, sync through your own storage, AutoFill, one-time codes, YubiKey, backups and history. Password audit and YubiKey are paid. | BNothing the category expects is missing: KeePass and Password Safe files read and written, Face ID, Touch ID or a YubiKey to unlock, a duress PIN, passkeys, two-factor codes, a Have I Been Pwned check and a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox. Storage is yours to pick, which also means yours to arrange. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You set up the storage that holds your database. | A4.73 from about 4,100 App Store ratings, the top band here. You do pick where the database lives first, but it's a choice from a list, and cloud databases keep working offline. |
| Platforms and integrations | CiOS and macOS only, with no Windows, Android or web version. | CApple only: iPhone, iPad and Mac. It stores to iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, WebDAV or SFTP, but on Windows, Linux or Android you'd need a different KeePass app to open the same file. |
| Best for | KeePass vaults on iPhone, iPad and Mac | KeePass password files on iPhone, iPad and Mac |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: KeePassium and Strongbox. How we grade
Price against what you get
KeePassium starts at about $1.86 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Strongbox starts at $2.08 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0.
Strongbox scores higher, and starts $0.22 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other password managers on the chart, 5 score higher than KeePassium for less, and 2 score higher than Strongbox for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- KeePassium is open source, according to its own site.
- Strongbox also covers passkeys.
At a glance
| KeePassium | Strongbox | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | €19.99 per year (Premium) | $2.99 per month or $24.99 per year (Pro, US App Store in-app price) |
| Free plan | Free forever: one database, synchronization, Password AutoFill, Face ID or Touch ID unlock, OTP codes and file attachments. | The app is free with a basic feature set on iPhone, iPad and Mac. The developer says most people find the free version adequate; Pro features are an optional upgrade. |
| Free trial | None listed | Optional 90-day free trial of all the Pro features |
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | KeePassium Labs | Phoebe Code Limited |
| Price read from | keepassium.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
KeePassium
- Apple platforms only: there is no Windows, Android or web version.
- The free version is limited to one database; YubiKey support and password audit need Premium or Pro.
- Prices on the maker's site are in euros; the US App Store listing shows Premium at $19.99.
- With Intune, Password AutoFill is not supported, and the managed edition runs on iOS only.
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.
Key features
KeePassium
- KeePass database support
- Reads kdb, kdbx3 and kdbx4 files using AES, ChaCha20, Twofish and Argon2, so databases move between KeePass apps.
- Sync with your own storage
- Works with offline files and with online databases, including two-way sync with almost any provider in the Files app.
- AutoFill and biometrics
- Fill logins in apps and websites with Password AutoFill, and unlock with Face ID or Touch ID.
- OTP codes and attachments
- Keeps time-based one-time codes, custom fields, custom icons and attached files inside the database.
- YubiKey support
- Premium can protect a database with a YubiKey over NFC or Lightning, using challenge-response that matches KeePassXC.
- Backups and history
- Each entry keeps its history, deleted entries go to a recycle bin, and each database is copied before saving.
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.
Plans
KeePassium
Free$0
One database with sync, AutoFill, biometric unlock, OTP codes and attachments; donations are optional.
Premium€19.99
per year (price shown in euros)
Unlimited databases, YubiKey support, quick AutoFill, password audit and field references, on iOS and macOS.
Pro€79.99
one-time, lifetime license (price shown in euros)
The Premium features as a lifetime license, covering iOS and macOS with one purchase.
Business & Intune€36
per user / year (price shown in euros)
For managed environments: MDM configuration and Microsoft Intune support; volume discounts apply.
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.
Ways to pay less
KeePassium
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, KeePassium or Strongbox?
As of Nov 12, 2026, KeePassium is cheaper to start with: about $1.86 a month, against $2.08 a month when paid by the year for Strongbox. KeePassium starts at €19.99 per year (Premium), and Strongbox starts at $2.99 per month or $24.99 per year (Pro, US App Store in-app price).
Which has a free plan, KeePassium or Strongbox?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both KeePassium and Strongbox have a free plan.
Which platforms do KeePassium and Strongbox run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Strongbox lists a browser extension. Both list macOS and iOS apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.