head to head · open source
lesspass vs Strongbox
lesspass has 6,066 GitHub stars, 365 forks, 34 open issues and last shipped 10 days ago. Strongbox has 1,465 stars, 126 forks, 230 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. lesspass leads on adoption by 314% (6,066 vs 1,465 stars). lesspass is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0; Strongbox is written in Objective-C under AGPL-3.0. lesspass has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Strongbox 9%. 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 | Strongbox | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 6.1K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Objective-C |
| Last push | 2026-09-13 | 2026-07-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 365 | ⑂ 126 |
| 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 Strongbox if
- You want the Strongbox feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Objective-C
- You evaluated both and Strongbox 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 Strongbox
Strongbox is an AGPL 3.0 licensed, Objective C password manager built natively for iOS and macOS that opens and writes the portable KeePass and Password Safe file formats, and it is aimed at Apple users who already keep their secrets in an open vault file as well as at developers and security reviewers who want to read the cryptography behind the app.
read the full Strongbox overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is lesspass or Strongbox more popular?
lesspass has 6,066 GitHub stars and Strongbox has 1,465. lesspass has the larger community by that measure.
Are lesspass and Strongbox free?
Both are open source. lesspass is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Strongbox under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between lesspass and Strongbox?
lesspass is written in TypeScript and Strongbox in Objective-C. 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 Strongbox?
Choose lesspass if you want the larger community (6,066 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Strongbox if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.