head to head · open source
lesspass vs pass-import
lesspass has 6,065 GitHub stars, 364 forks, 34 open issues and last shipped 14 days ago. pass-import has 917 stars, 98 forks, 22 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. lesspass leads on adoption by 561% (6,065 vs 917 stars). lesspass is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0; pass-import is written in Python under GPL-3.0. lesspass has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, pass-import 11%. lesspass was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (password, 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
| lesspass | pass-import | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 6.1K | ★ 917 |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-13 | 2026-06-07 |
| Forks | ⑂ 364 | ⑂ 98 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick lesspass if
- You weight community size — 6.1K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick pass-import if
- You want the pass-import feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and pass-import fits your workflow better
About lesspass
LessPass is a stateless, open source password manager written in TypeScript and licensed under GPL 3.0 that generates passwords from a master password instead of storing them in a synchronized vault, built for individuals and self hosters who want the same passwords on every device without syncing an encrypted database.
read the full lesspass overview →
About pass-import
pass import is a GPL 3.0 Python extension for pass, the file based Unix password manager, that imports existing password databases from 63 different password managers into a pass password store and can also export credentials to other managers through its companion pimport script.
read the full pass-import overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is lesspass or pass-import more popular?
lesspass has 6,065 GitHub stars and pass-import has 917. lesspass has the larger community by that measure.
Are lesspass and pass-import free?
Both are open source. lesspass is licensed under GPL-3.0 and pass-import under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between lesspass and pass-import?
lesspass is written in TypeScript and pass-import in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, lesspass or pass-import?
Choose lesspass if you want the larger community (6,065 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose pass-import if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.