head to head · open source
pwd.sh vs Purse
pwd.sh has 1,564 GitHub stars, 135 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. Purse has 615 stars, 43 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. pwd.sh leads on adoption by 154% (1,564 vs 615 stars). pwd.sh is written in Shell under MIT; Purse is written in Shell under MIT. pwd.sh has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, Purse 7%. pwd.sh was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 12 topic tags (bash, bash-script, cryptography, encryption), 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
| pwd.sh | Purse | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 1.6K | ★ 615 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Shell | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-08-24 | 2026-07-26 |
| Forks | ⑂ 135 | ⑂ 43 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick pwd.sh if
- You weight community size — 1.6K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- 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 pwd.sh
pwd.sh is a Bash script that manages text secrets such as passwords by storing each one in a GnuPG symmetric encrypted file, and it is for people who work in a terminal and prefer to keep their own encrypted store rather than hand it to a hosted password service.
read the full pwd.sh 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 pwd.sh or Purse more popular?
pwd.sh has 1,564 GitHub stars and Purse has 615. pwd.sh has the larger community by that measure.
Are pwd.sh and Purse free?
Both are open source. pwd.sh is licensed under MIT and Purse under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between pwd.sh and Purse?
pwd.sh is written in Shell 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, pwd.sh or Purse?
Choose pwd.sh if you want the larger community (1,564 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Purse if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.