Cybersecurity · head to head
Netwrix vs Passbolt
Netwrix
Cybersecurity
Data access governance and change auditing across Active Directory, file shares and Microsoft 365
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Passbolt
Cybersecurity
Open-source password manager for teams with self-hosted or cloud deployment
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Passbolt has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Netwrix the portfolio is assembled from acquisitions, so consoles, agents and licensing metrics differ between products and the platform story is ahead of the engineering reality.; Passbolt pro Edition requires a minimum of 10 users, making it costlier for very small teams.
- They diverge on capability: Netwrix covers Change auditing, Passbolt covers Password sharing and folders.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Netwrix and Passbolt actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).
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 Netwrix
- Change auditing
- Effective permissions
- Data classification
- Access remediation
- Threat detection
- Group policy management
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.
Netwrix
- An organisation that cannot tell an auditor who has access to a sensitive file share and needs an answer with evidencenot Passbolt
- A security team reducing ransomware blast radius by removing Everyone and Domain Users permissions from sensitive datanot Passbolt
- An IT team investigating an unexplained Active Directory change and needing the exact account, time and previous valuenot Passbolt
- A company responding to GDPR data subject access requests that must first locate personal data scattered across legacy sharesnot Passbolt
Passbolt
- Self-hosting a team password manager for data sovereigntynot Netwrix
- Provisioning vault access from an existing LDAP/AD directorynot Netwrix
- Sharing credentials across engineering or IT teams via folders and groupsnot Netwrix
- Automating credential retrieval through the CLI or open APInot Netwrix
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Netwrix
- The portfolio is assembled from acquisitions, so consoles, agents and licensing metrics differ between products and the platform story is ahead of the engineering reality.
- Licensing metrics vary by product, per enabled user for some and per managed asset for others, which makes assembling a multi-product quote unusually difficult to compare against a single-vendor competitor.
- Auditing agents and collectors add load to domain controllers and file servers, and large estates need careful sizing to avoid degrading the systems being monitored.
- It reports and remediates but does not enforce access decisions at request time, so it complements rather than replaces identity governance and buyers still need an IGA tool for certification workflows.
- Coverage is strongest on Microsoft estates; Linux, NAS appliances and non-Microsoft SaaS are supported unevenly and often need additional modules or trail behind on feature parity.
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
Netwrix
On request- Netwrix Platform$undefined/year
- Priced per enabled user or per managed asset depending on the product
- Auditing, data classification, privileged access and threat products licensed separately
- Netwrix 1Secure SaaS console with a 14-day free trial
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 Netwrix if
- You need change auditing.
- You work on Windows, Web.
- You also want effective permissions.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Netwrix or Passbolt better?
- Neither clearly leads. Netwrix starts at On request and Passbolt at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Netwrix or Passbolt?
- Passbolt has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Netwrix and Free for Passbolt.
- Does Netwrix or Passbolt run on more platforms?
- Netwrix runs on Windows, 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. Netwrix starts at On request.
- What is Netwrix best used for?
- Netwrix is most often used for an organisation that cannot tell an auditor who has access to a sensitive file share and needs an answer with evidence, a security team reducing ransomware blast radius by removing everyone and domain users permissions from sensitive data, an it team investigating an unexplained active directory change and needing the exact account, time and previous value, a company responding to gdpr data subject access requests that must first locate personal data scattered across legacy shares. Of those, an organisation that cannot tell an auditor who has access to a sensitive file share and needs an answer with evidence and a security team reducing ransomware blast radius by removing everyone and domain users permissions from sensitive data are not what Passbolt is typically brought in for.
- What can Netwrix do that Passbolt cannot?
- Netwrix covers Change auditing, Effective permissions, Data classification, Access remediation. Passbolt covers Password sharing and folders, Groups and role-based access, Browser extensions and CLI, Open API.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Netwrix: Does it replace identity governance?
No. It shows you who has access and lets you fix it, but recertification campaigns and access request workflow are an IGA product.
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.
SourceNetwrix: Is there a SaaS option?
Netwrix 1Secure is the cloud console covering data and identity visibility, with a 14-day free trial including full access.
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.
SourceNetwrix: How is it priced?
Per enabled user or per managed asset depending on the product, quoted rather than published. Assume separate line items per module.
Passbolt: What license is Passbolt distributed under?
All Passbolt editions, including Pro and Enterprise, are distributed under the AGPL v3 open-source license.
SourceRelated pages
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