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Cybersecurity · head to head

Passbolt vs RecDesk

Passbolt logo

Passbolt

Cybersecurity

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

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
RecDesk logo

RecDesk

Government

Parks and recreation management for municipalities with published annual pricing and no per-seat fee

From
$3835/year
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Passbolt has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Passbolt pro Edition requires a minimum of 10 users, making it costlier for very small teams.; RecDesk scope is recreation only, so a municipality wanting parks asset management, work orders or wider permitting must buy and integrate a second system.
  • They diverge on capability: Passbolt covers Password sharing and folders, RecDesk covers Activity registration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Passbolt and RecDesk actually diverge.

Attributes where Passbolt and RecDesk differ
AttributePassboltRecDesk
Starting priceFree$3835/year
Pricing modelopen-sourcePer year, all inclusive with unlimited users
Free tierYesNo
Platformsweb, windows, mac, linux, apiWeb
CategoryCybersecurityGovernment

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 Passbolt

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

Only in RecDesk

  • Activity registration
  • Facility reservations
  • Memberships and passes
  • League scheduling
  • Resident portal
  • Unlimited users
  • Financial reporting
  • Premium integrations

What people use each for

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

Passbolt

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

RecDesk

  • A town recreation director who needs a budget number for next year without running a procurement to get a quotenot Passbolt
  • A department with a dozen seasonal part-time staff who would each cost a seat on per-user municipal softwarenot Passbolt
  • A small city replacing paper facility permits and phone registrations with an online resident portalnot Passbolt
  • A recreation district running summer camps, pool passes and youth leagues on one household accountnot Passbolt

Where each one falls short

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

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.

RecDesk

  • Scope is recreation only, so a municipality wanting parks asset management, work orders or wider permitting must buy and integrate a second system.
  • The published prices are starting points and the premium integrations most departments actually need, such as financial system and access control links, are priced separately and not listed.
  • Customer concentration is regional, mostly in the north-eastern United States, so a department elsewhere will find fewer local references and less familiarity with its state reporting requirements.
  • The resident-facing portal is plain compared with commercial registration platforms, which matters when residents compare it with the private classes they book elsewhere.
  • As a smaller vendor it does not offer the procurement conveniences larger municipalities expect, such as cooperative contract vehicles across many states, which lengthens the buying process for some agencies.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

RecDesk

$3835/year
  • Essential$3835/year
    • Activity registration and household accounts
    • Resident portal
    • Unlimited staff users
  • Standard$6240/year
    • Adds facility reservations and memberships
    • Unlimited users
    • Financial reporting
  • Plus$10790/year
    • Adds league scheduling and expanded modules
    • Unlimited users
  • Enterprise$16250/year
    • Largest configuration
    • Premium integrations such as access control, GIS and financial system links priced separately

Which should you pick?

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

Choose RecDesk if

  • You need activity registration.
  • You also want facility reservations.
RecDesk review

Questions people ask

Is Passbolt or RecDesk better?
Neither clearly leads. Passbolt starts at Free and RecDesk at $3835/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Passbolt or RecDesk?
Passbolt has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Passbolt and $3835/year for RecDesk.
Does Passbolt or RecDesk run on more platforms?
Passbolt runs on web, windows, mac, linux, api. RecDesk runs on Web.
Can I use Passbolt for free?
Yes. Passbolt has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. RecDesk starts at $3835/year.
What is Passbolt best used for?
Passbolt is most often used for self-hosting a team password manager for data sovereignty, provisioning vault access from an existing ldap/ad directory, sharing credentials across engineering or it teams via folders and groups, automating credential retrieval through the cli or open api. Of those, self-hosting a team password manager for data sovereignty and provisioning vault access from an existing ldap/ad directory are not what RecDesk is typically brought in for.
What can Passbolt do that RecDesk cannot?
Passbolt covers Password sharing and folders, Groups and role-based access, Browser extensions and CLI, Open API. RecDesk covers Activity registration, Facility reservations, Memberships and passes, League scheduling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
RecDesk: Is the pricing really published?

Yes, which is unusual in municipal recreation software. Four tiers from $3,835 to $16,250 a year, described as all-inclusive with unlimited users. Premium integrations are extra.

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
RecDesk: Are there per-user charges?

No. Unlimited staff users on every tier, which is the main saving against per-seat municipal systems.

Passbolt: What license is Passbolt distributed under?

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

Source
RecDesk: Does it do parks maintenance and work orders?

No. It is registration, reservations, memberships and leagues. Asset and work order management needs another system.

RecDesk: Will it integrate with our finance system?

There is a premium financial system integration option, priced separately. Confirm your specific ERP is supported before assuming it.

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