head to head · open source
lesspass vs passwall-server
lesspass has 6,082 GitHub stars, 363 forks, 34 open issues and last shipped 25 days ago. passwall-server has 768 stars, 100 forks, 14 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. lesspass leads on adoption by 692% (6,082 vs 768 stars). lesspass is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0; passwall-server is written in Go under AGPL-3.0. lesspass has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, passwall-server 13%. 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 | passwall-server | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 6.1K | ★ 768 |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-10-21 | 2026-10-10 |
| Forks | ⑂ 363 | ⑂ 100 |
| 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 passwall-server if
- You want the passwall-server feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and passwall-server fits your workflow better
About lesspass
LessPass LessPass is a stateless password manager. Stop wasting your time synchronizing your encrypted vault. Remember one master password to access your passwords, anywhere, anytime. No sync needed. Try the demo at How to use LessPass Web extensions Install the web extension on Chrome or Firefox. When you need to generate a password, click on the password field on the web site you want to generate a password for. Hit Ctrl + Shift + L or Command + Shift + L on mac to open the web extension. Fill the login and master password and hit Enter . Your password is now copied in the clipboard. Hit esc key and paste the…
read the full lesspass overview →
About passwall-server
PassWall Server PassWall Server is the core backend for open source password manager PassWall platform. Using this server, you can safely store your passwords and access them from anywhere. 📋 Table of Contents Features Quick Start Development Makefile Commands Docker Deployment Environment Variables API Documentation Security Support ✨ Features 🔐 Secure Password Storage AES GCM encryption 🌐 RESTful API Well documented API endpoints 🐳 Docker Support Easy deployment with Docker Compose 🔄 Auto Migration Database schema management 📦 Multiple Storage Types Passwords, credit cards, bank accounts, notes, emails…
read the full passwall-server overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is lesspass or passwall-server more popular?
lesspass has 6,082 GitHub stars and passwall-server has 768. lesspass has the larger community by that measure.
Are lesspass and passwall-server free?
Both are open source. lesspass is licensed under GPL-3.0 and passwall-server under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between lesspass and passwall-server?
lesspass is written in TypeScript and passwall-server in Go. 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 passwall-server?
Choose lesspass if you want the larger community (6,082 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose passwall-server if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.