Cybersecurity · head to head
Passbolt vs Transmit Security
Passbolt
Cybersecurity
Open-source password manager for teams with self-hosted or cloud deployment
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Transmit Security
Cybersecurity
Customer identity platform built around passwordless and fraud signals
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
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.; Transmit Security pricing is not published, so it cannot be compared early against competitors that post per monthly active user rates, and the eventual quote often mixes per-user and per-transaction units.
- They diverge on capability: Passbolt covers Password sharing and folders, Transmit Security covers Passwordless authentication.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Passbolt and Transmit Security actually diverge.
| Attribute | Passbolt | Transmit Security |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | open-source | quote |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | web, windows, mac, linux, api | Web, iOS, Android |
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 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 Transmit Security
- Passwordless authentication
- Detection and response
- Identity verification
- Orchestration
- Account recovery
- Bot and automation detection
- Composable APIs
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 Transmit Security
- Provisioning vault access from an existing LDAP/AD directorynot Transmit Security
- Sharing credentials across engineering or IT teams via folders and groupsnot Transmit Security
- Automating credential retrieval through the CLI or open APInot Transmit Security
Transmit Security
- A bank moving a consumer base off passwords to passkeys without losing customers at the migration stepnot Passbolt
- An insurer whose account recovery flow is the main account takeover route and needs risk scoring inside itnot Passbolt
- A retailer that wants bot detection at login rather than only at checkoutnot Passbolt
- An organisation replacing an in-house customer login system that has become an unfunded engineering liabilitynot 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.
Transmit Security
- Pricing is not published, so it cannot be compared early against competitors that post per monthly active user rates, and the eventual quote often mixes per-user and per-transaction units.
- Migrating a live consumer identity base is a high risk project, and credential migration constraints mean some users must re-register, which shows up as measurable churn.
- The vendor is smaller than the identity incumbents, so the partner and systems integrator pool is thinner and staffing a large programme is harder.
- Workforce identity is not the focus, so an organisation wanting one vendor for employees and customers will still run two platforms.
- The fraud detection value depends on traffic volume feeding the models, so a smaller deployment gets less benefit from exactly the capability that justified choosing it over a plain identity provider.
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
Transmit Security
On request- Transmit Security Platform$undefined/year
- Priced per monthly active user or per transaction by service
- Services licensed individually or as a platform
- Free developer tier for evaluation
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.
Choose Transmit Security if
- You need passwordless authentication.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want detection and response.
Questions people ask
- Is Passbolt or Transmit Security better?
- Neither clearly leads. Passbolt starts at Free and Transmit Security at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Passbolt or Transmit Security?
- Passbolt has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Passbolt and On request for Transmit Security.
- Does Passbolt or Transmit Security run on more platforms?
- Passbolt runs on web, windows, mac, linux, api. Transmit Security runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use Passbolt for free?
- Yes. Passbolt has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Transmit Security starts at On request.
- 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 Transmit Security is typically brought in for.
- What can Passbolt do that Transmit Security cannot?
- Passbolt covers Password sharing and folders, Groups and role-based access, Browser extensions and CLI, Open API. Transmit Security covers Passwordless authentication, Detection and response, Identity verification, Orchestration.
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.
SourceTransmit Security: Do we have to replace our existing identity provider?
No. The services are composable, so detection and response or verification can be adopted alongside an existing provider such as Okta or Entra ID.
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.
SourceTransmit Security: Is fraud detection an extra licence?
It is a separate service, but it is designed to run inside the authentication flow rather than as a bolted-on second vendor. Confirm which services are in your quote.
Passbolt: What license is Passbolt distributed under?
All Passbolt editions, including Pro and Enterprise, are distributed under the AGPL v3 open-source license.
SourceTransmit Security: Is there a way to try it?
Yes, a free developer tier exists for evaluation, though production use is an enterprise agreement.
Related pages
More on Transmit Security
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