Developer Tools · head to head
Nixpacks vs Passbolt
Nixpacks
Developer Tools
Build system that turns a source directory into an OCI image, now in maintenance mode
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
Passbolt
Cybersecurity
Open-source password manager for teams with self-hosted or cloud deployment
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Nixpacks the project is in maintenance mode with no commits on the default branch since May 2026 and no release since October 2025, so support for new language versions arrives only if someone forks it.; Passbolt pro Edition requires a minimum of 10 users, making it costlier for very small teams.
- They diverge on capability: Nixpacks covers Automatic language detection, Passbolt covers Password sharing and folders.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Nixpacks and Passbolt actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Nixpacks
- Automatic language detection
- No Dockerfile required
- Nix toolchains
- Configuration escape hatches
- Docker layer caching
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.
Nixpacks
- Understanding the build behaviour of a platform that adopted Nixpacks before it was frozennot Passbolt
- Producing container images from a polyglot monorepo where nobody wants to own several Dockerfilesnot Passbolt
- Reproducing an existing Railway build locally while planning a migration to Railpacknot Passbolt
- Comparing what a Nix based builder does differently from a buildpack before choosing a successornot Passbolt
Passbolt
- Self-hosting a team password manager for data sovereigntynot Nixpacks
- Provisioning vault access from an existing LDAP/AD directorynot Nixpacks
- Sharing credentials across engineering or IT teams via folders and groupsnot Nixpacks
- Automating credential retrieval through the CLI or open APInot Nixpacks
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Nixpacks
- The project is in maintenance mode with no commits on the default branch since May 2026 and no release since October 2025, so support for new language versions arrives only if someone forks it.
- Build determinism is softer than it appears, because providers pin a nixpkgs archive commit and bumping that archive silently moves compiler and runtime versions underneath a build that looks unchanged.
- Caching is limited to Docker layers rather than a content addressed graph, so a small change early in the build invalidates everything after it, which is exactly the limitation Railpack was rewritten to fix.
- Images carry Nix store layers and come out larger than an equivalent tuned Dockerfile or buildpack output, which costs registry storage and slows cold pulls on scale-out.
- There is no specification, no vendor neutral governance and no third party provider ecosystem, so a single company was able to redirect strategy and leave every downstream user with a frozen build tool.
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
Nixpacks
Free- NixpacksFree
- MIT licensed, no usage limits
- No commercial edition and no support contract
- In maintenance mode, superseded by Railpack
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 Nixpacks if
- You need automatic language detection.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, macOS, CLI, Docker.
- You also want no dockerfile required.
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 Nixpacks or Passbolt better?
- Neither clearly leads. Nixpacks starts at Free and Passbolt at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Nixpacks or Passbolt?
- Nixpacks starts at Free and Passbolt at Free.
- Does Nixpacks or Passbolt run on more platforms?
- Nixpacks runs on Linux, macOS, CLI, Docker. Passbolt runs on web, windows, mac, linux, api.
- Can I use Nixpacks for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Nixpacks best used for?
- Nixpacks is most often used for understanding the build behaviour of a platform that adopted nixpacks before it was frozen, producing container images from a polyglot monorepo where nobody wants to own several dockerfiles, reproducing an existing railway build locally while planning a migration to railpack, comparing what a nix based builder does differently from a buildpack before choosing a successor. Of those, understanding the build behaviour of a platform that adopted nixpacks before it was frozen and producing container images from a polyglot monorepo where nobody wants to own several dockerfiles are not what Passbolt is typically brought in for.
- What can Nixpacks do that Passbolt cannot?
- Nixpacks covers Automatic language detection, No Dockerfile required, Nix toolchains, Configuration escape hatches. Passbolt covers Password sharing and folders, Groups and role-based access, Browser extensions and CLI, Open API.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Nixpacks: Should I start a new project on Nixpacks?
No. The documentation and README both say it is in maintenance mode and recommend Railpack. Choose Railpack, Cloud Native Buildpacks or a Dockerfile instead.
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.
SourceNixpacks: Will my existing Nixpacks builds stop working?
Not immediately. Pinned nixpkgs archives keep resolving, so builds continue. What you lose is support for new runtime major versions and any fix for a provider bug.
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.
SourceNixpacks: What replaces it?
Railpack, also from Railway and also MIT licensed, rebuilt as a BuildKit custom frontend for finer grained caching and parallel steps.
Passbolt: What license is Passbolt distributed under?
All Passbolt editions, including Pro and Enterprise, are distributed under the AGPL v3 open-source license.
SourceNixpacks: Is it still open source?
Yes, MIT, and the repository is not archived. Being open source does not help much when nobody is merging provider updates.
Related pages
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- Passbolt vs Cloud Native Buildpacks
- Passbolt vs Dagger
- Passbolt vs Nx Cloud
- Passbolt vs Tilt
- Passbolt vs Blacksmith
- Passbolt vs WarpBuild
- Passbolt vs Namespace
- Passbolt vs Rust
- Passbolt vs Ona (formerly Gitpod)
- Passbolt vs Bazel
- Passbolt vs ConfigCat
- Passbolt vs Cortex
- Passbolt vs Deep Code
- Passbolt vs Deno
- Passbolt vs Fig
- Passbolt vs Bitwarden
- Passbolt vs LastPass
- Passbolt vs authentik
- Passbolt vs 1Password
- Passbolt vs Authelia
- Passbolt vs Enpass
- Passbolt vs HashiCorp Vault
- Passbolt vs Infisical
- Passbolt vs Norton 360
- Passbolt vs Semgrep
- Passbolt vs Trivy
- Passbolt vs Chainguard
- Passbolt vs Trulioo
- Passbolt vs Unit21
- Passbolt vs Veracode
- Passbolt vs Very Good Security
- Passbolt vs VIVOTEK VAST Security Station
- Passbolt vs Windscribe