head to head · open source
pwd.sh vs QtPass
pwd.sh has 1,563 GitHub stars, 134 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. QtPass has 1,150 stars, 172 forks, 6 open issues and last shipped today. pwd.sh leads on adoption by 36% (1,563 vs 1,150 stars). pwd.sh is written in Shell under MIT; QtPass is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. pwd.sh has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, QtPass 15%. QtPass was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (gpg, 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
| pwd.sh | QtPass | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 1.6K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Shell | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-08-24 | 2026-10-11 |
| Forks | ⑂ 134 | ⑂ 172 |
| 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 QtPass if
- You want the QtPass feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and QtPass 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 QtPass
QtPass is a multi platform graphical front end for pass , the standard Unix password manager, aimed at people who want to manage encrypted credentials with GPG without living in a terminal.
read the full QtPass overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is pwd.sh or QtPass more popular?
pwd.sh has 1,563 GitHub stars and QtPass has 1,150. pwd.sh has the larger community by that measure.
Are pwd.sh and QtPass free?
Both are open source. pwd.sh is licensed under MIT and QtPass under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between pwd.sh and QtPass?
pwd.sh is written in Shell and QtPass in C++. 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 QtPass?
Choose pwd.sh if you want the larger community (1,563 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose QtPass if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.