Compare / Vaultwarden vs Passbolt
Vaultwarden vs Passbolt
Pick Vaultwarden if the team already uses Bitwarden apps (the published LastPass/1Password stack). Pick Passbolt if you want sharing in a browser extension without the Bitwarden protocol.
Facts checked 17 Oct 2026. License, language, and GitHub activity come from the catalog or the project's own repo. "Not in the catalog row" means the public catalog dump does not store that number.
Vaultwarden in the catalog Passbolt in the catalogStart on Railway
How they compare
| Vaultwarden | Passbolt | |
|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0 (catalog) source | AGPL-3.0 (catalog) source |
| Language | Rust (catalog) | PHP (catalog) |
| GitHub activity | 69,182 stars in the catalog | 6,172 stars in the catalog |
| Self-host | Unofficial Bitwarden-compatible server. One container, persist /data. | Team password manager with sharing and a JSON API. |
| Best for | A team vault that speaks official Bitwarden apps. | Shared credentials with a browser extension, not a Bitwarden client. |
Self-hosting and resource needs
Vaultwarden is one Rust container: persist /data, set DOMAIN to the public HTTPS URL, disable public signups. Passbolt is a PHP/CakePHP API (passbolt_api). Official Bitwarden is a larger self-host — see /compare/vaultwarden-vs-bitwarden.
FAQ
- Is Vaultwarden official Bitwarden?
- No. It speaks the Bitwarden client protocol. Official Bitwarden can also be self-hosted; Vaultwarden is the small box. Clients are the official Bitwarden apps.
- Vaultwarden or Passbolt?
- Vaultwarden if the team already uses Bitwarden apps. Passbolt if you want sharing in a browser extension without the Bitwarden protocol.
- Are these free?
- Both catalog rows are AGPL. You pay hosting and treat the volume like production.
- How do I deploy Vaultwarden?
- Open /stacks/vaultwarden-passwords. Import a Bitwarden/LastPass CSV.
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