Is 1Password or Passbolt better?

Neither clearly leads. 1Password starts at $2.99/month and Passbolt at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, 1Password or Passbolt?

Passbolt has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2.99/month for 1Password and Free for Passbolt.

Does 1Password or Passbolt run on more platforms?

1Password runs on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, Web. Passbolt runs on web, windows, mac, linux, api.

Can I use Passbolt for free?

Yes. Passbolt has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. 1Password starts at $2.99/month.

What is 1Password best used for?

1Password is most often used for password management, secure document storage, team credential sharing, identity protection. Of those, password management and secure document storage are not what Passbolt is typically brought in for.

What can 1Password do that Passbolt cannot?

1Password covers Password generator, Autofill, Secure notes, Credit card storage. Passbolt covers Password sharing and folders, Groups and role-based access, Browser extensions and CLI, Open API.

All industries · head to head

1Password vs Passbolt

1Password

All industries

The world's most-loved password manager

From: $2.99/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Passbolt

Security & Cybersecurity

Open-source password manager for teams with self-hosted or cloud deployment

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Passbolt has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: 1Password no free tier; all plans require paid subscription; Passbolt pro Edition requires a minimum of 10 users, making it costlier for very small teams.
They diverge on capability: 1Password covers Password generator, Passbolt covers Password sharing and folders.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which 1Password and Passbolt actually diverge.

Attributes where 1Password and Passbolt differ
Attribute	1Password	Passbolt
Starting price	$2.99/month	Free
Pricing model	Unknown	open-source
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, Web	web, windows, mac, linux, api
Category	All industries	Security & Cybersecurity
Founded	2006	Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in 1Password

Password generator
Autofill
Secure notes
Credit card storage
Document storage
Two-factor authentication
Watchtower security alerts
Travel mode

Only in Passbolt

Password sharing and folders
Groups and role-based access
Browser extensions and CLI
Open API
LDAP provisioning and SSO
Activity audit log

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

1Password

Password managementnot Passbolt
Secure document storagenot Passbolt
Team credential sharingnot Passbolt
Identity protectionnot Passbolt
Compliance managementnot Passbolt

Passbolt

Self-hosting a team password manager for data sovereigntynot 1Password
Provisioning vault access from an existing LDAP/AD directorynot 1Password
Sharing credentials across engineering or IT teams via folders and groupsnot 1Password
Automating credential retrieval through the CLI or open APInot 1Password

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

1Password

No free tier; all plans require paid subscription
Offline access requires prior device sync; cannot add new passwords while offline
Enterprise plan does not include free trial access

Passbolt

Pro Edition requires a minimum of 10 users, making it costlier for very small teams.
Community Edition lacks SSO and LDAP provisioning, which many organizations need for onboarding at scale.
Self-hosting the Community Edition requires infrastructure and maintenance effort compared to fully managed competitors.
Enterprise-tier support and HA consulting require custom, quote-based pricing rather than transparent rates.

Pricing, plan by plan

1Password

$2.99/month

No published plan breakdown. See the 1Password review.

Passbolt

Free

Community EditionFree
- Unlimited users
- Password sharing and folders
- Role-based access control
Pro Edition$4.9/month
- Minimum 10 users, billed annually
- LDAP/AD provisioning
- Single sign-on
Enterprise Edition$undefined/month
- High availability and disaster recovery consulting
- White-glove migration
- Custom feature development

Which should you pick?

Choose 1Password if

You need password generator.
You work on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, Web.
You also want autofill.

1Password review

Choose Passbolt if

You need password sharing and folders.
You want to start without paying.
You work on web, windows, mac, linux, api.
You also want groups and role-based access.

Passbolt review

Questions people ask

Is 1Password or Passbolt better?: Neither clearly leads. 1Password starts at $2.99/month and Passbolt at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, 1Password or Passbolt?: Passbolt has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2.99/month for 1Password and Free for Passbolt.
Does 1Password or Passbolt run on more platforms?: 1Password runs on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, Web. Passbolt runs on web, windows, mac, linux, api.
Can I use Passbolt for free?: Yes. Passbolt has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. 1Password starts at $2.99/month.
What is 1Password best used for?: 1Password is most often used for password management, secure document storage, team credential sharing, identity protection. Of those, password management and secure document storage are not what Passbolt is typically brought in for.
What can 1Password do that Passbolt cannot?: 1Password covers Password generator, Autofill, Secure notes, Credit card storage. Passbolt covers Password sharing and folders, Groups and role-based access, Browser extensions and CLI, Open API.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

1Password: Does 1Password offer a free tier?

No. 1Password offers no free tier as of July 2026, but provides a 14-day free trial with no credit card required for all plans except Enterprise.

Source

Passbolt: Is Passbolt free to use?

Yes. The Community Edition is free forever with unlimited users, including password sharing, folders, groups, role-based access, browser extensions, a CLI, and an open API.

Source

1Password: Can I access 1Password offline?

Yes. The desktop app allows for offline access to your vault once you have synced your passwords to the device.

Source

Passbolt: What does the Pro Edition cost and add?

Pro Edition costs $4.90 per user per month billed annually, with a 10-user minimum, and adds LDAP/AD provisioning, single sign-on, account recovery escrow, activity audit logs, and next-business-day support.

Source

1Password: What is the pricing for individuals and families?

Individual plan costs 2.99 USD per month or 35.88 USD annually. Families plan costs 59.88 USD per year and includes five licenses with the ability to add more for 1 USD per month each.

Source

Passbolt: What license is Passbolt distributed under?

All Passbolt editions, including Pro and Enterprise, are distributed under the AGPL v3 open-source license.

Source

1Password: What platforms does 1Password support?

1Password is available on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, with browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, and Safari.

Source

1Password vs Passbolt

1Password

Passbolt

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in 1Password

Only in Passbolt

What people use each for

1Password

Passbolt

Where each one falls short

1Password

Passbolt

Pricing, plan by plan

1Password

Passbolt

Which should you pick?

Choose 1Password if

Choose Passbolt if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on 1Password

More on Passbolt

Keep looking

Other head to heads