Padloc vs Proton Pass (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Proton Pass: it is second in our ranking of password managers, and it grades higher too, 3.2 against 2.8.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Proton Pass grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Padloc
Open-source, end-to-end encrypted password manager with team plans
Proton Pass
End-to-end encrypted password manager with email aliases
Which one is for you
Pick Padloc if
- Fits if you want a free vault across every platform
- Works for small teams that want shared vaults and directory sync
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you store files, as encrypted storage is 1 GB on Premium and Family, 5 GB on Team and 20 GB on Business
- Watch out: shared vaults are capped at 20 on Team and 50 on Business
- Watch out: the page does not say whether Team and Business prices are per user
- Skip it if you want customization, as it is Enterprise only, with no published price
- Watch out: the free plan lists encrypted file storage but not its size
Pick Proton Pass if
- Fits if you want a free password manager on every device you own, with no card
- Works for people who already use Proton Mail, as it's the same account and it comes with Proton Unlimited
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want two-factor codes in the same app for free, because that needs Pass Plus
- Pricey if you only want the paid basics, at $35.88 a year when Bitwarden Premium is $19.80
- Tight if you use lots of vaults or aliases, as free stops at 2 vaults, sharing with 2 people and 10 aliases
- Not for you if you'd rather your passwords had a login of their own, apart from your Proton email
- Watch out: there's no trial of the paid plans, only a 30-day refund, and the iPhone app doesn't offer to save new passwords
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAPadlocGood | 3.2GPAProton PassVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPremium is $34.90 a year, about $2.91 a month, level with the middle of password managers. Family is $59.50 a year. | CPass Plus is $2.99 a month on the yearly plan, $35.88 a year, which is bang on this category's middle price. Bitwarden Premium does the same job for $19.80, and there's no trial here, only 30 days to ask for your money back. Pass Family is six people for $4.99 a month, billed yearly. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree means unlimited vault items and devices, shared vaults, multi-factor login, a security report and built-in one-time codes. The file storage size is not given. | AUnlimited logins on unlimited devices, passkeys, 10 email aliases and alerts for weak and reused passwords, with no card and no time limit. The caps are 2 vaults, sharing with 2 people and 10 aliases, and two-factor codes need Pass Plus. |
| Features | BEnd-to-end encryption, shared vaults, an authenticator, a security report, markdown notes and directory sync. Listing shows no gap in the core job. | BLogins, passkeys, cards, notes and autofill, and on Pass Plus the two-factor authenticator, sharing by link, Dark Web Monitoring, file attachments and Emergency Access. It also makes hide-my-email aliases, which NordPass does too. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You make an account and move your passwords in. | A4.84 from about 8,500 App Store ratings, the top band here. A Hacker News commenter moved over from 1Password in about 15 minutes. One wrinkle: on iPhone, a reviewer says it doesn't offer to save a new password as you sign up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android and a browser extension, but no API or integrations list. | BMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and the web, with extensions for Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge and Brave. What's missing is anything to connect it to: no integrations and no API are on record. |
| Best for | a password vault with a free plan | a free password manager with email aliases |
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: Padloc and Proton Pass. How we grade
Price against what you get
Padloc starts at $2.91 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Proton Pass starts at $2.99 a month and scores 3.3.
Proton Pass scores higher, and starts $0.08 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other password managers on the chart, 8 score higher than Padloc for less, and 2 score higher than Proton Pass 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
- Padloc also covers notes and Markdown.
- Proton Pass also covers passkeys.
At a glance
| Padloc | Proton Pass | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $3.49 per month, or $34.90 per year (Premium) | $2.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($35.88); $4.99 billed monthly |
| Free plan | Free: unlimited vault items and devices, shared vaults, multi-factor login, a security report, built-in one-time codes and markdown notes. | Proton Free: unlimited logins, notes and credit cards on unlimited devices, passkeys, 2 vaults that can be shared with 2 others, 10 hide-my-email aliases and alerts for weak and reused passwords. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial on paid plans | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | MaKleSoft UG | Proton AG |
| Price read from | padloc.app | proton.me |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Padloc
- Encrypted file storage is capped by plan: 1 GB on Premium and Family, 5 GB on Team and 20 GB on Business.
- Shared vaults are capped on Team (20) and Business (50); the page does not say whether prices are per user.
- Enterprise has no published price, and customization is only offered there.
- The pricing page lists encrypted file storage on the free plan but does not give its size.
Proton Pass
- The free plan is limited to 2 vaults, vault sharing with 2 others and 10 hide-my-email aliases.
- The 2FA authenticator, sharing of single items, 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
Padloc
- More than passwords
- Stores credit cards, banking details, rich-text notes with markdown, license keys and documents alongside logins.
- End-to-end encryption
- Data is encrypted before it leaves your device, and the vendor says neither it nor anyone else can read it.
- Shared vaults
- Share vaults with family, coworkers or clients. Team and Business plans add groups for permission management.
- Built-in authenticator
- Generates one-time passwords for two-factor logins inside the app, and supports multi-factor login to the account.
- Security report
- A report on stored logins, included on every plan, including the free one.
- Directory sync
- Team, Business and Enterprise plans support directory sync and automatic provisioning of users.
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
- Free accounts can share a vault with 2 others. Pass Plus raises that to 10 and adds sharing of single items, secure links, file attachments and Emergency Access. Pass Family covers up to 6 users.
Plans
Padloc
Free$0
Unlimited items and devices, shared vaults, encrypted file storage, one-time codes and a security report.
Premium$3.49
per month ($34.90 billed per year)
For one person: adds advanced multi-factor options and up to 1 GB of encrypted file storage.
Family$5.95
per month ($59.50 billed per year)
Shares data between up to 5 users, with up to 5 shared vaults and 1 GB of file storage.
Team$3.49
per month ($34.90 billed per year); per-user basis not shown
Up to 20 shared vaults, up to 10 groups, directory sync and 5 GB of file storage.
Business$6.99
per month ($69.90 billed per year); per-user basis not shown
Up to 50 shared vaults, up to 20 groups, directory sync and 20 GB of file storage.
EnterpriseCustom
Price on request: unlimited vaults, groups and file storage, plus customized appearance and features.
Proton Pass
Proton Free$0
Unlimited logins, notes and cards on unlimited devices, passkeys, a password generator, 2 vaults shared with up to 2 others 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, 50 vaults shared with up to 10 others, sharing of single items, 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
Padloc
- Annual discount
Yearly billing costs 10 months
On the plans shown, the yearly price is ten times the monthly price, such as $34.90 a year against $3.49 a month.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Padloc or Proton Pass?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Padloc is cheaper to start with: $2.91 a month when paid by the year, against $2.99 a month for Proton Pass. Padloc starts at $3.49 per month, or $34.90 per year (Premium), and Proton Pass starts at $2.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($35.88); $4.99 billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Padloc or Proton Pass?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Padloc and Proton Pass have a free plan.
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.