LessPass vs Passbolt
| Tagline | Stateless password manager that derives passwords instead of storing them | Open-source password manager for teams with granular sharing and PGP encryption |
| Category | Password Managers & Secrets | Password Managers & Secrets |
| Replaces | 1Password, LastPass | 1Password, LastPass, Dashlane |
| GitHub stars | 6.1k | 6.1k |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Self-host difficulty | 2/5 Simple | 3/5 Moderate |
| Deploy options | Docker Manual | Docker Docker Compose Kubernetes Manual |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | 17 days ago | 13 days ago |
| View repo | View repo |
Where each falls short
The honest trade-offs — what you give up with each, versus the proprietary tools they replace.
LessPass
- If the master password is compromised, all generated passwords are at risk simultaneously
- Cannot store arbitrary secrets such as credit cards, notes, or SSH keys
- Changing a generated password requires incrementing a counter, which can be confusing
Passbolt
- Several features (SSO, directory sync, MFA policies, tags) are gated behind paid Pro/Cloud editions
- Relies on browser extensions; mobile app maturity lags 1Password/Dashlane
- Initial setup (GPG server keys, SMTP, HTTPS) is fiddly compared to consumer apps
- No personal/consumer focus — geared toward team credential sharing
Bottom line
Choose LessPass if you want the lower-effort setup; choose Passbolt for the larger community and ecosystem. Passbolt has seen more recent development. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.