head to head · open source
vaultwarden vs KeePassXC
vaultwarden has 70,127 GitHub stars, 3,400 forks, 83 open issues and last shipped yesterday. KeePassXC has 29,711 stars, 2,003 forks, 910 open issues and last shipped yesterday. vaultwarden leads on adoption by 136% (70,127 vs 29,711 stars). vaultwarden is written in Rust under AGPL-3.0; KeePassXC is written in C++ under a custom or non-standard licence. vaultwarden has attracted 5% as many forks as stars, KeePassXC 7%. vaultwarden was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| vaultwarden | KeePassXC | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 70K | ★ 30K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Rust | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.4K | ⑂ 2.0K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick vaultwarden if
- You weight community size — 70K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick KeePassXC if
- You want the KeePassXC feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and KeePassXC fits your workflow better
About vaultwarden
An alternative server implementation of the Bitwarden Client API, written in Rust and compatible with official Bitwarden clients [disclaimer], perfect for self hosted deployment where running the official resource heavy service might not be ideal. %3D'svg'%5D%2F %5Blocal name()%3D'g'%5D%5B2%5D%2F %5Blocal name()%3D'text'%5D%5B4%5D&style=flat square&logo=rust&label=dependencies&color=005AA4) [!IMPORTANT] When using this server, please report any bugs or suggestions directly to us (see Get in touch), regardless of whatever clients you are using (mobile, desktop, browser...). DO NOT use the official Bitwarden…
read the full vaultwarden overview →
About KeePassXC
KeePassXC /statusIcon) KeePassXC is a modern, secure, and open source password manager that stores and manages your most sensitive information. You can run KeePassXC on Windows, macOS, and Linux systems. KeePassXC is for people with extremely high demands of secure personal data management. It saves many different types of information, such as usernames, passwords, URLs, attachments, and notes in an offline, encrypted file that can be stored in any location, including private and public cloud solutions. For easy identification and management, user defined titles and icons can be specified for entries. In…
read the full KeePassXC overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is vaultwarden or KeePassXC more popular?
vaultwarden has 70,127 GitHub stars and KeePassXC has 29,711. vaultwarden has the larger community by that measure.
Are vaultwarden and KeePassXC free?
Both are open source. vaultwarden is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and KeePassXC has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between vaultwarden and KeePassXC?
vaultwarden is written in Rust and KeePassXC 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, vaultwarden or KeePassXC?
Choose vaultwarden if you want the larger community (70,127 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose KeePassXC if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.