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Government · head to head

Municode vs Passbolt

Municode logo

Municode

Government

Municipal Code Publishing

From
$200/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Passbolt logo

Passbolt

Cybersecurity

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

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Passbolt has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Municode custom pricing model requires contacting sales, no published pricing tiers; Passbolt pro Edition requires a minimum of 10 users, making it costlier for very small teams.
  • They diverge on capability: Municode covers Code Codification, Passbolt covers Password sharing and folders.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Municode and Passbolt actually diverge.

Attributes where Municode and Passbolt differ
AttributeMunicodePassbolt
Starting price$200/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Mobileweb, windows, mac, linux, api
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity
Founded1951Unknown

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 Municode

  • Code Codification
  • Online Publishing
  • Code Supplements
  • Full-text Search
  • Mobile Access
  • Meeting Management
  • Document Systems
  • Public Portals

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.

Municode

  • Citizen Servicesnot Passbolt
  • Records Managementnot Passbolt
  • Public Safetynot Passbolt
  • Civic Engagementnot Passbolt

Passbolt

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

Where each one falls short

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

Municode

  • Custom pricing model requires contacting sales, no published pricing tiers
  • Full-service codification requires vendor management of code updates
  • Limited support for complex code structures without manual intervention

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

Municode

$200/month
  • Code Publishing$200/month
    • Online Code Hosting
    • Supplementation
    • Search

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 Municode if

  • You need code codification.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want online publishing.
Municode 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 Municode or Passbolt better?
Neither clearly leads. Municode starts at $200/month and Passbolt at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Municode or Passbolt?
Passbolt has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $200/month for Municode and Free for Passbolt.
Does Municode or Passbolt run on more platforms?
Municode runs on Web, Mobile. 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. Municode starts at $200/month.
What is Municode best used for?
Municode is most often used for citizen services, records management, public safety, civic engagement. Of those, citizen services and records management are not what Passbolt is typically brought in for.
What can Municode do that Passbolt cannot?
Municode covers Code Codification, Online Publishing, Code Supplements, Full-text Search. Passbolt covers Password sharing and folders, Groups and role-based access, Browser extensions and CLI, Open API.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Municode: Does Municode host codes or is it just self-publishing software?

Municode offers two options: MunicodeNEXT for full-service professional codification with expert editors, or Municipal Code Online for self-publishing where government workers update codes themselves with cloud-based software.

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
Municode: Can I track changes to my municipal code?

Yes. Municode shows version history with visible new and modified indicators, allows comparing previous versions, and links ordinances to code sections with full legislative history through OrdLink and OrdBank tools.

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
Municode: What search capabilities does Municode provide?

Municode includes advanced keyword search with Boolean operators available to both residents and staff, plus access to MuniPro for searching across thousands of hosted municipal codes.

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
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