Today, most password managers are either closed-source, hybrid or open-source. While closed-source password managers don’t publicly share their codes for users to modify, open-source password managers do share their codes with a community of users to revise or update over time.
SEE: Brute Force and Dictionary Attacks: A Guide for IT Leaders (TechRepublic Premium)
If you’re an open-source enthusiast and run your PCs and desktops on the Windows operating system, you may find one of these open-source password managers reviewed in this article helpful.
The table below summarizes the key features that can be found on each open-source password manager for Windows.
Bitwarden is arguably the most popular open-source solution for managing passwords. Despite its Windows version lacking intuitiveness, it boasts an extensive feature list that earns it a top spot on our selection.
SEE: Best Mac Password Managers (TechRepublic)
With the Bitwarden Windows application, integration with several single sign-on providers such as Azure Active Directory and Okta, is a breeze. It affords you the convenience of bringing a comprehensive vault experience from your browser straight to your Windows environment. You can be logged in to a maximum of five accounts simultaneously which allows you to toggle between personal and work accounts as needed. Yet another notable feature on the Windows variant of Bitwarden is “unlock with biometrics,” enabling seamless access via Windows Hello with PIN, facial recognition, or any other hardware compatible with Windows Hello biometric standards.
Due to its capacity to provide virtually all password management functions while remaining economical, Bitwarden has earned itself the position of our top-rated open-source password manager for Windows users. An additional benefit, especially for individual or enterprise users, is that Bitwarden can be self-hosted or cloud-hosted.
Bitwarden offers two pricing plans: Personal and Business.
The Personal plan is divided into three packages:
The Business plan is split into two packages:
For comprehensive details, read the complete Bitwarden review.
Keeper is an open-source password manager that values security, utilizing a zero-trust architecture and zero knowledge to protect your information from cybercriminals.
View: How Do Password Managers Work and Why Should You Use One? (TechRepublic)
With the Windows version of Keeper, you can enjoy numerous security features like multi-factor authentication, SSO authentication, “BreachWatch”, conditional access policies, Fast IDentity Online 2, WebAuthn hardware security keys, passkeys, and biometric login options such as Windows Hello. Additionally, Keeper provides SSO Connect On-Prem, a self-hosted integration needing a Windows-hosted application server.
What makes us admire Keeper more is their openness in making every aspect of their encryption model known to the public.
Keeper offers two pricing plans: Organizations and Personal & Family.
Organizations plan has three packages:
Personal & Family plan has two packages:
For more information, read the full Keeper review.
Enpass, with its focus on user convenience, offers a superb solution for anyone requiring a password manager that permits local data storage or integration with cloud services such as Dropbox, iCloud, OneDrive or Google Drive.
READ: Is It Secure to Use Password Managers? (TechRepublic)
Choosing a safer direction, Enpass stores and coordinates encrypted vaults across various cloud accounts, reducing the potential of unauthorized access to a centralized data repository. Furthermore, the tool provides the convenience to synchronize across multiple devices over Wi-Fi, keeping your vaults completely offline. A significant feature that will draw Windows users is the function to import passwords and other data from different applications into Enpass using a Windows computer. Enpass also includes breach monitoring, password creation, password audit and autofill via extension.
In addition to making their source codes accessible, Enpass found its way onto our list due to its offline management features and the ability to synchronize encrypted vaults across various user cloud accounts.
Enpass provides two payment alternatives: Personal/Family and Business plan.
The Personal/Family plan comes with these packages:
The Business plan offers the following packages:
For more details, check out our comprehensive Enpass review.
Similar to Enpass, Proton Pass is an open-source tool that provides offline capabilities, thereby enabling users to access their vault at any time without the need for an internet connection.
Proton Pass offers a seamless user experience through its easy integration with the Windows operating system. It also interfaces with ProtonMail, thereby allowing users to create email aliases for their online accounts by replacing their official email addresses. In its free version, Proton Pass allows unlimited storage of passwords across various devices. However, one of its unique security features is Sentinel, which prevents intruders from accessing your data, even if they have the correct password. This feature, though, is only available in the paid version of Proton Pass.
The ability of Proton Pass to offer unlimited password storage and safeguard user data using its Sentinel feature were the reasons for our recommendation.
Proton Pass is available both in free and paid versions.
The premium package includes two packages: Plus Pass and Proton Unlimited.
KeePass is a password manager that offers a completely free service for its desktop users. Despite being less feature-rich than some competitors, its open-source design allows users to tailor features to their needs through the KeePass plugin architecture. This range of plugins and extensions empowers users to add or alter existing features or functionality, such as implementing autofill or transforming the interface.
An exclusive feature of this password manager is its portability, able to be carried on a USB stick and run on Windows systems without needing installation. The Windows interface also enables users to establish, adapt, and remove groups, whereby passwords can be organised.
KeePass has made our list due to its cost-effectiveness for any Windows user. Most of its open-source rivals, like Bitwarden and Proton Pass, offer free versions but are not entirely free — the range of features in their free plans is less comprehensive compared to their premium counterparts.
KeePass is an entirely free service, absent any paid options or subscriptions. Crucial password management features for a satisfactory Windows use aren’t given as default. However, thanks to KeePass’s open-source nature, tailoring your KeePass client’s functionalities to your liking through plugins downloadable from the KeePass website is possible.
To gain more insight, check out the comprehensive KeePass review.
Passbolt is an open-source password manager, crafted with team collaboration in mind. It includes plenty of features in its Windows version. It’s designed keeping teams in perspective, providing real-time password sharing, role-based access control, and nested permissions for shared passwords. Storing, retrieving and sharing passwords programmatically using the JSON API on Passbolt Windows is a breeze.
Likewise, Passbolt provides competent user management ability by letting you delete seats and establish security norms for every user. Features like SSO integration, event logs, and options for account recovery are also customized for corporate environments.
We chose Passbolt for our list due to its ability to expand password collaboration among team members. Additional benefits include it being self-hosted, and that it is focused on API, privacy, and developers.
Passbolt’s cost is based on whether it is cloud or self-hosted.
Both cloud and self-hosted have similar package options, with the exception that the self-hosted option provides a free plan that supports an unlimited number of users.
Open-source password managers are recognized for their transparency in sharing their source code, however, their functions and uses can differ. It is important to take into account your business needs before you decide on a password manager.
For example, if your organization requires a password manager with zero-trust and zero-knowledge security framework, yet maintaining an open-source environment, Keeper might be a great option. If you prioritize team collaboration, Passbolt or Bitwarden might be fitting solutions as their Windows applications are crafted with teamwork in mind.
Additionally, cross-check if the password management traits cater to your specific necessities and can be integrated into your present software stack. If you’re utilizing Windows, confirm that the application of the selected software supports your Windows version.
For compiling this list of top-notch open-source password managers for Windows, I performed a thorough investigation and assessment of every product. I scrutinized the protection functionalities, interface, team collaboration, user-friendliness, community assistance and storage alternatives of all the managers. I executed hands-on trials of Passbolt, Keeper and Bitwarden on my Windows PC, during which I analyzed their installation procedures, user interface, password generating capabilities, hosting choices and interaction with third-party SSO. I furthermore watched visual demonstrations and studied documents available on each vendor’s website to comprehend the client reviews of their functionalities.
In conclusion, I examined various external evaluations to comprehend the user opinions about each product.
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6 Best Open Source Password Managers for Windows in 2024
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