head to head · open source
keepass2android vs rowel
keepass2android has 6,247 GitHub stars, 481 forks, 1,174 open issues and last shipped 8 days ago. rowel has 944 stars, 80 forks, 24 open issues and last shipped today. keepass2android leads on adoption by 562% (6,247 vs 944 stars). keepass2android is written in C# under GPL-3.0; rowel is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. keepass2android has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, rowel 8%. rowel 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 | rowel | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 6.2K | ★ 944 |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C# | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-25 |
| Forks | ⑂ 481 | ⑂ 80 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick keepass2android if
- You weight community size — 6.2K 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 rowel if
- You want the rowel feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and rowel 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 rowel
Rowel is a free, offline first password manager for macOS, Windows and Linux that keeps logins, credit card details and secure notes in a locally stored, encrypted SQLite vault, built for individuals who would rather own their secrets than store them in a hosted service.
read the full rowel overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is keepass2android or rowel more popular?
keepass2android has 6,247 GitHub stars and rowel has 944. keepass2android has the larger community by that measure.
Are keepass2android and rowel free?
Both are open source. keepass2android is licensed under GPL-3.0 and rowel under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between keepass2android and rowel?
keepass2android is written in C# and rowel in TypeScript. 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 rowel?
Choose keepass2android if you want the larger community (6,247 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose rowel if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.