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Passbolt

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Open-source, end-to-end encrypted password and secret management for teams of any size.

SecurityDeveloper ToolsProductivity
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Reviews onG2Capterra
47 reviews tracked

The Bottom Line

Entry price

Free plan available, paid tiers above

Biggest pro

Open-source nature provides transparency and auditability.

Biggest con

Minimum user count for paid plans (10 users).

TL;DR - Passbolt

  • Open-source, end-to-end encrypted password manager for teams.
  • Offers password, privileged access, and secret management.
  • Available self-hosted or cloud-managed with robust security and audit features.
Pricing: Free plan available
Best for: Growing teams
4.5/5 across review platforms

What is Passbolt?

Editorial review
Passbolt is an open-source, hybrid credential platform designed for modern IT teams and accessible enough for all users. It provides robust password and secret management with end-to-end encryption, ensuring secure sharing through its unique public-private key architecture. The platform is sovereign and battle-tested, suitable for teams ranging from 5 to 5000 users, and can be installed on-premise or used as a cloud-managed service. Passbolt caters to various organizational needs, offering features for general workforce password management, privileged access management for IT teams with fine-grained permissions and JIT access, and secret management for DevOps teams through API, CLI, and SDK integrations. It emphasizes control and audit capabilities for IT managers, including user provisioning, SSO, multi-layer authentication, and real-time activity monitoring. The platform also facilitates secure collaboration, allowing users to organize, search, and share credentials with granular access controls, supported by native mobile and desktop applications.

Available on: Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome

how we evaluateSourcepassbolt.com ↗

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Open-source nature provides transparency and auditability.
  • Strong security with end-to-end encryption and unique key architecture.
  • Flexible deployment options: self-hosted or cloud-managed.
  • Comprehensive features for various team roles (workforce, IT, DevOps).
  • Supports fine-grained access control and audit trails.

Cons

  • Minimum user count for paid plans (10 users).
  • Subscription key required for Pro version, even though it's open source.
  • Cloud hosting for Business tier is on GCP, which might not suit all sovereignty requirements (Enterprise offers sovereign cloud).

Ratings Across the Web

4.5(47 reviews)
G212 reviews
4.3/5
Capterra35 reviews
4.7/5

What people say

“The only flaw on Passbolt is pricing which is a bit high compared to alternatives such as Zoho Vault.”via G2
“Passbolt is highly customizable and is an open-source password manager which allows me to generate, store and share passwords in real-time.”via Capterra

Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more

Preview

Key Features

End-to-end encryption with public-private key architecturePassword auto-fill, auto-save, and generationPrivileged Access Management (PAM) with Just-In-Time (JIT) accessSecret management for DevOps with API, CLI, and SDKsGranular access controls and real-time activity monitoringSingle Sign-On (SSO) and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)Native mobile and desktop applicationsUser and group provisioning (LDAP/AD)

Pricing Plans

Pricing checked Aug 6, 2026

Free

  • Unlimited users
  • Open source under AGPLV3 license
  • Passwords management & sharing
  • Private and shared folders
  • Users and groups management
  • Secret key authentication (2FA)
  • Additional factor authentication (3-step verification)
  • Browser extensions & CLI

Business

$4.86 / month per user

  • Everything in Community +
  • Tags management
  • Ldap provisioning (AD / OpenLdap)
  • Single Sign On (SSO) with Microsoft, Google & OpenID
  • Account recovery (Escrow)
  • Activity log (audit changes)
  • VM appliance
  • Next business day support

Enterprise

Contact us

  • Everything in Business +
  • High availability consulting
  • Disaster recovery consulting
  • White glove migration & hosting
  • Custom features development
  • 4 hours SLA phone & email support
Calculate your costView full pricing

Is Passbolt worth the price?

85/100

Passbolt offers a very generous free tier with unlimited users and core password management features, making it highly accessible.

The Business tier at $4.86/month per user is competitively priced for essential team features like SSO and LDAP. This pricing structure is fair and provides excellent value, especially for small to medium-sized teams looking for robust open-source password management.

Hidden Costs & Gotchas

Business tier requires yearly billing.

Enterprise tier pricing is custom, potentially high.

Self-hosting requires internal IT resources.

Support for Free tier is community-only.

How Passbolt Compares to Competitors

Compared to LastPass Business ($4/user/month, billed annually) or 1Password Business ($7.99/user/month, billed annually), Passbolt's Business tier at $4.86/month per user is competitive, especially considering its open-source nature. The free tier is a significant advantage over most proprietary solutions that offer limited free trials or no free tier for teams.

How Passbolt's pricing compares

At $4.86/mo, Passbolt is mid-range of its 5 direct competitors ($0.5 to $18/mo across the set).

HashiCorp Vault
$0.5
Zoho Mail
$1
Bitwarden
$1.65
1Password Developer
$2.99
Passbolt
$4.86
Infisical
$18

Entry paid plan, monthly. Pricing checked Aug 6, 2026.

Reviews

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4.5/5

Across 47 verified user reviews on Capterra, G2

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Still deciding?

Most buyers shortlist 2 or 3 tools before committing. Pull a side-by-side comparison or browse the full alternatives shortlist below.

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Passbolt FAQ

How does Passbolt help a DevOps team manage secrets?

Passbolt supports DevOps teams through API, CLI, and SDK integrations for secret management. These tools allow automated credential rotation and secure access within CI/CD pipelines. The platform's end-to-end encryption ensures secrets remain protected during automated workflows.

How does Passbolt compare to HashiCorp Vault?

Passbolt is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted password manager with a public-private key architecture, while HashiCorp Vault is a secrets management tool focused on dynamic secrets and encryption as a service. Passbolt emphasizes ease of use for teams with a web interface and mobile apps, whereas Vault is more infrastructure-focused and requires more setup. Both support on-premise deployment, but Passbolt also offers a cloud-managed service.

What are the main limitations or trade-offs of using Passbolt?

Passbolt's paid plans require a minimum of 10 users, which may not suit very small teams. The Pro version, though open source, requires a subscription key for full functionality. Additionally, the Business tier's cloud hosting is on GCP, which may not meet all sovereignty requirements, though the Enterprise tier offers a sovereign cloud option.

Which teams benefit most from using Passbolt?

Passbolt is designed for teams of any size, from 5 to 5000 users, including workforce, IT, and DevOps teams. IT teams benefit from fine-grained permissions, JIT access, and audit trails, while DevOps teams use API, CLI, and SDK integrations. General workforce users gain secure password sharing and organization through native mobile and desktop apps.

How is Passbolt priced?

Passbolt offers a free tier with basic features, and paid plans unlock more usage and advanced capabilities. The pricing model is subscription-based, with a minimum of 10 users for paid plans. The Pro version requires a subscription key, even though the software is open source.

Can Passbolt be deployed on-premise for full data sovereignty?

Yes, Passbolt can be installed on-premise as a self-hosted solution, giving organizations full control over their data. It also offers a cloud-managed service for those who prefer not to manage infrastructure. The Enterprise tier provides a sovereign cloud option for additional compliance needs.

Does Passbolt support single sign-on (SSO) and multi-layer authentication?

Yes, Passbolt includes SSO and multi-layer authentication as part of its IT manager controls. These features enhance security while simplifying user access. The platform also provides user provisioning and real-time activity monitoring for comprehensive oversight.

How does Passbolt ensure secure credential sharing among team members?

Passbolt uses a unique public-private key architecture with end-to-end encryption to secure credential sharing. Users can organize, search, and share passwords with granular access controls. Native mobile and desktop applications enable secure collaboration from any device.

Source: passbolt.com

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