Passbolt vs Zoho Vault
We give Passbolt a 3.4 GPA and Zoho Vault a 4.0, out of 4.0. Zoho Vault grades higher on value for money, the free plan 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
Zoho Vault
Password manager for teams with a free plan for individuals
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAPassboltVery good | 4.0GPAZoho VaultExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPro and Cloud Business are both $4.90 a user a month billed annually, about what team password plans cost, and that includes single sign-on and an activity log. But every paid plan has a 10-user minimum, so a team of three pays for ten. | AStandard is $0.90 a user a month billed annually, or $1 monthly, where password managers typically start at about $2.99. That buys sharing, user roles and admin controls. Professional at $4.50 is where it gets ordinary. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe Community Edition is free for unlimited users, with sharing, folders, groups and mobile apps. But you have to install and maintain it on your own server. The hosted Cloud Business has no free plan, only a 7-day trial. | AFree Forever gives one person unlimited passwords and passkeys on unlimited devices, with autofill, offline access and a built-in authenticator. The only real gap is sharing, which starts on Standard. |
| Features | APasswords, one-time codes and encrypted notes shared with users and groups under fine-grained permissions, in private and shared folders. An open API and a command-line tool feed secrets into CI/CD pipelines. Paid editions add SSO, LDAP and account recovery. | APasswords, passkeys, autofill and a two-factor authenticator, plus sharing at several permission levels, password policies and audit trails of who opened what. Enterprise adds single sign-on and approval before anyone sees a critical password. |
| Ease of use | BNo App Store rating on record, so B is the ceiling, and that's for the cloud version, which is hosted for you. The free route means a Linux server, Docker or a virtual machine. Either way, everyone needs the browser extension. | A4.7 from about 880 App Store ratings. The vault opens with Touch ID, Windows Hello, a passkey or a YubiKey, so there's less master-password typing. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, iPhone, Android, browser extensions and a Windows desktop app, with an open API and a CLI. It hooks into Active Directory, OpenLDAP and OpenID. There's no desktop app for Mac or Linux, and offline mode is still labelled beta. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android and browser extensions. It connects to Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Okta, OneLogin and Zoho's own apps, and Professional adds a command-line tool and webhooks. No Linux desktop app. |
| Best for | open-source team passwords you can host yourself | cheap password sharing for small teams |
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 Zoho Vault. How we grade
Where they differ
- Passbolt starts at $4.90 per user / month, billed annually (Pro, 10-user minimum). Zoho Vault starts at $0.90 per user / month, billed annually (Standard).
- Only Zoho Vault lists a macOS app.
- Passbolt is open source, self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Zoho Vault also covers passkeys.
At a glance
| Passbolt | Zoho Vault | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4.90 per user / month, billed annually (Pro, 10-user minimum) | $0.90 per user / month, billed annually (Standard) |
| 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. | Free Forever plan for individuals: unlimited passwords, passkeys and storage on unlimited devices, with autofill, browser extensions, mobile and desktop apps and offline access. No password sharing. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the self-hosted Pro Edition; 7-day free trial of Cloud Business | 15-day free trial of the Enterprise plan for up to 5 users, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Passbolt SA | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | passbolt.com | zoho.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Passbolt
- Technical teams that want to self-host an open-source password manager
- Organizations with EU data residency or sovereignty requirements
- DevOps teams that need an API and CLI for secrets in their pipelines
Zoho Vault
- Individuals who want an unlimited free plan on all their devices
- Small teams that want low per-user pricing
- Companies already using Zoho apps such as Mail, Desk and Projects
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.
Zoho Vault
- The Free Forever plan has no password sharing; sharing starts with the Standard plan.
- Professional and Enterprise each require a minimum of 5 users.
- Shared folders, user groups and breached password alerts need Professional; single sign-on and Active Directory integration need Enterprise.
- File attachments are capped at 2 MB each, and the desktop app is listed for Mac and Windows only.
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.
Zoho Vault
- Unlimited free vault for individuals
- The free plan stores unlimited passwords, notes and documents, syncs across devices and includes browser extensions, mobile apps and a password generator.
- Password sharing with permissions
- Paid plans share passwords with individuals and groups at several permission levels, and can share once with third parties outside the organization.
- Passkeys and passwordless unlock
- Stores passkeys alongside passwords, and the vault itself can be unlocked with Zoho OneAuth, Windows Hello, Touch ID, a passkey or a YubiKey.
- Admin controls and audit trails
- Admins assign roles, transfer password ownership, enforce password policies and review audit trails of password access, user activity and admin actions.
- Access control workflow
- Enterprise adds a request-release workflow in which access to critical shared passwords needs admin approval and can be limited in time.
- Directory and single sign-on integrations
- Standard connects to Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. Enterprise adds Active Directory, Okta and OneLogin integration and single sign-on for cloud apps.
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.
Zoho Vault
Free Forever$0
For individuals: unlimited passwords and passkeys on unlimited devices, autofill, offline access and a built-in 2FA authenticator.
Standard$0.90
per user / month, billed annually ($1 billed monthly)
Adds password sharing with team members, one-time sharing with third parties, user roles, admin controls, cloud backup and IP restrictions.
Professional$4.50
per user / month, billed annually ($5 billed monthly)
Minimum 5 users. Adds user groups, shared folders, a break-glass emergency account, breached password alerts, a CLI and 10 webhooks.
Enterprise$7.20
per user / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly)
Minimum 5 users. Adds Active Directory integration, single sign-on for cloud apps, a request-release access workflow and SIEM integration.
Flex PlanCustom
Volume-based pricing for large organizations, with tailored onboarding and extended trial periods.
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.
Zoho Vault
- Annual discount
Save 10% with yearly billing
Zoho Vault's pricing page gives a 10% discount on annual subscriptions: Standard drops from $1 to $0.90 per user a month, Professional from $5 to $4.50 and Enterprise from $8 to $7.20.
- Other savings
Volume discounts on request
The pricing FAQ says discounts are offered based on the number of licenses purchased, through a custom quote from the sales team.
