Passbolt vs Passky (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Passky grades higher than Passbolt: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Passbolt grades higher on the free plan. Passky grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Passbolt
Open-source password manager for teams, self-hosted or cloud
Passky
Open-source password manager with a self-host option
Which one is for you
Pick Passbolt if
- Fits if your team has someone who runs servers and wants open-source code
- Works for data that must stay in the EU, or secrets pulled into pipelines through an API
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're one person, because no paid plan is aimed at individuals
- Pricey if you're a team of three or four, as every paid plan bills for at least 10 users
- Not for you if nobody wants to maintain a server and you won't pay, since free means self-hosted
- Tight if you stay free, as single sign-on, LDAP, account recovery and the activity log are paid
- Watch out: the browser extension is required, the desktop app is Windows only, and offline mode is beta
Pick Passky if
- Fits if you want an open-source manager with a cheap paid tier
- Works for people on Android, Windows, Mac or Linux
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use an iPhone or iPad, as no iOS app is listed
- Tight if you store over 100 passwords on the free plan
- Too light for businesses: no plan beyond bulk license keys is listed
- Watch out: Premium bills yearly at $24, and the pricing page lists no team features
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAPassboltFair | 2.4GPAPasskyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro and Cloud Business are both $4.90 a user a month billed annually, above the $3.99 where this category's dear quarter begins, and every paid plan bills for at least 10 users, so a team of three pays $588 a year. The free Community Edition costs nothing, if you host it. | BPremium is $2 a month billed yearly, inside the cheapest quarter of password managers. Bulk is $1.60 for 5 or more keys. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe Community Edition is free for unlimited users, with sharing, folders, groups, mobile apps and the API, so a team could really live on it. You have to install and maintain it yourself, and single sign-on, account recovery and the activity log are paid. | CA free plan with hardware and software two-factor sign-in, but capped at 100 passwords, which many people pass. |
| Features | CSharing covers passwords, one-time codes and notes shared with users and groups under fine-grained permissions, plus an API and CLI that feed secrets into pipelines. But its own pages name the rough edges. The browser extension is required, the desktop app is Windows only, and offline mode is still beta. | CTwo-factor sign-in, import and export, self-hosting and themes. There's no team plan or sharing named on the pricing page. |
| Ease of use | DNo rating on record, and the free route is a Linux server, a Docker container or a virtual machine that someone has to keep running. Paying to have it hosted means at least 10 seats, and either way everyone has to install the browser extension before anything works. | CNo rating on record. Apps to install on each device, and a self-host option for those who want it. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone, Android, browser extensions, an open API and a CLI, with hooks into Active Directory, OpenLDAP and OpenID. The desktop app is Windows only, though, so Mac and Linux people live in the browser. | BWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and a browser extension. No iPhone or iPad app is listed. |
| Best for | open-source team passwords you can host yourself | a free, open-source password manager with a self-host option |
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: Passbolt and Passky. How we grade
Price against what you get
Passbolt starts at $4.90 a month for each person and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Passky starts at $2 a month and scores 2.3.
Passky scores higher and starts $2.90 a month lower. Of the other password managers on the chart, 29 score higher than Passbolt for less, and 6 score higher than Passky 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
- Passbolt is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
At a glance
| Passbolt | Passky | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4.90 per user / month, billed annually (Pro, 10-user minimum) | $2 per month, billed annually ($24) |
| Free plan | Community Edition: free and open source under AGPLv3 for unlimited users, self-hosted on your own server, with password sharing, folders, users and groups, mobile apps and community support. | Up to 100 stored passwords, software and hardware two-factor sign-in, and the self-host option. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the self-hosted Pro Edition; 7-day free trial of Cloud Business | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Passbolt SA | Rabbit Company LLC |
| Price read from | passbolt.com | passky.org |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Passbolt
- Every paid plan has a 10-user minimum, and there is no paid plan aimed at individuals.
- The free Community Edition has to be installed and maintained on your own server and comes with community support only.
- The browser extension is required to use Passbolt, the desktop app is listed for Windows only and offline mode is labeled beta.
- Single sign-on, LDAP provisioning, account recovery and the activity log are not part of the Community Edition.
Passky
- The free plan stops at 100 stored passwords.
- The download page lists an Android app but no iPhone or iPad app.
- The pricing page lists no business or team plan beyond bulk license keys.
Key features
Passbolt
- Granular credential sharing
- Shares passwords, TOTP codes and encrypted notes with individual users and groups, organized in private and shared folders under role-based access control.
- End-to-end encryption
- Passbolt says secrets are end-to-end encrypted through a public-private key architecture, and it requires its browser extension in order to guarantee that.
- Self-hosted or cloud
- Install it on your own Linux server with packages, a Docker container or a virtual machine, or use Passbolt Cloud, which the company hosts in the EU.
- Open source, paid editions included
- The Community, Pro and Enterprise editions are all distributed under AGPLv3, so the entire source code is available to inspect and modify.
- API and command line interface
- An open API and a CLI let DevOps teams create, retrieve and rotate secrets and inject them into CI/CD pipelines as environment variables.
- SSO, directory sync and audit log
- Paid editions add single sign-on with Microsoft, Google and OpenID, LDAP and Active Directory provisioning, account recovery and an activity log.
Passky
- Two-factor sign-in
- Software authenticator apps and hardware keys such as a YubiKey can both be used for sign-in, and the pricing page lists them under the free plan.
- Import and export
- Passwords can be imported from other major password managers and exported again to move to a different one.
- Self-hosting
- Passky Server can be run on your own hardware, and the site encourages it over its free public servers.
- Apps on most platforms
- Desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux, an Android app, a web vault, and extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge and several other browsers.
- Themes and languages
- The interface is translated into 25 languages through community contributions, and users can pick or build a theme.
Plans
Passbolt
Community Edition$0
Self-hosted and open source with unlimited users: sharing, private and shared folders, groups, browser extensions, CLI, open API and community support.
Pro Edition$4.90
per user / month, billed annually
Self-hosted, minimum 10 users. Adds LDAP provisioning, single sign-on, account recovery, an activity log, tags and next-business-day support.
Cloud Business$4.90
per user / month, billed annually ($5.40 billed monthly)
Hosted by Passbolt in Belgium and Germany, minimum 10 users, with a yearly database backup and next-business-day email support.
Cloud Sovereign$8
per user / month, billed annually
Hosted in a sovereign private data center in Luxembourg with ISO 27001 certified hosting. Minimum 10 users.
Enterprise EditionCustom
Self-hosted, with high-availability and disaster-recovery consulting, custom feature development and a 4-hour support SLA.
Cloud EnterpriseCustom
Isolated hosting in Luxembourg with a custom domain, custom backup policies, 24/7 SOC monitoring and a 4-hour support SLA.
Passky
Free$0
Core features, up to 100 passwords, software and YubiKey two-factor sign-in, and the self-host option.
Premium$2
per month, billed annually ($24)
Everything in Free, with unlimited passwords and the self-host option.
Bulk$1.6
per month, for 5 or more license keys
Premium at 20% off when you buy at least 5 license keys.
Ways to pay less
Passbolt
- Annual discount
10% off Cloud Business with yearly billing
Cloud Business costs $5.40 per user a month billed monthly or $4.90 billed annually; the pricing page labels yearly billing as 10% off.
- Nonprofit
Discounts for non-profits and education
Non-profits, charities, foundations, associations and educational institutions can request a discount on Passbolt Pro or Cloud. The amount is at Passbolt's discretion.
- Other savings
Discounts for open source projects
Maintainers and contributors of public open source projects and communities can request a discount through the same form.
- Other savings
Volume discounts above 100 users
The Pro Edition pricing notes that volume discounts apply after 100 users, arranged through a quote.
Passky
- Other savings
20% off bulk license keys
The pricing page lists a Bulk plan at $1.6 per month, 20% below Premium, when at least 5 license keys are bought.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Passbolt or Passky?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Passbolt starts at $4.90 per user / month, billed annually (Pro, 10-user minimum), and Passky starts at $2 per month, billed annually ($24). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Passbolt or Passky?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Passbolt and Passky have a free plan.
Which platforms do Passbolt and Passky run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Passbolt lists an iOS app and only Passky lists macOS and Linux apps. Both list a web app, Windows and Android apps and a browser extension. 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.