head to head · open source
keepass2android vs Purse
keepass2android has 6,269 GitHub stars, 479 forks, 1,174 open issues and last shipped 16 days ago. Purse has 615 stars, 43 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. keepass2android leads on adoption by 919% (6,269 vs 615 stars). keepass2android is written in C# under GPL-3.0; Purse is written in Shell under MIT. keepass2android has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Purse 7%. keepass2android was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (password-manager), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| keepass2android | Purse | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 6.3K | ★ 615 |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C# | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-07-26 |
| Forks | ⑂ 479 | ⑂ 43 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick keepass2android if
- You weight community size — 6.3K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Purse if
- You want the Purse feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and Purse fits your workflow better
About keepass2android
Keepass2Android is a free, GPL 3.0 licensed password manager for Android that stores passwords and other sensitive information in an encrypted database file readable by KeePass 2.x and KeePassXC on desktop, making it the mobile client for people who already keep their credentials in a KeePass compatible file.
read the full keepass2android overview →
About Purse
Purse is a Bash script that stores passwords and secrets in GnuPG encrypted files, unlocking them with a YubiKey instead of a passphrase, for people who manage their own credentials on the command line.
read the full Purse overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is keepass2android or Purse more popular?
keepass2android has 6,269 GitHub stars and Purse has 615. keepass2android has the larger community by that measure.
Are keepass2android and Purse free?
Both are open source. keepass2android is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Purse under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between keepass2android and Purse?
keepass2android is written in C# and Purse in Shell. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, keepass2android or Purse?
Choose keepass2android if you want the larger community (6,269 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Purse if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.