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 likely the most widely recognized open-source solution for password management. Although its interface is not the most user-friendly on the Windows platform, its broad set of features still position it at the top of our recommendation list.
VISIT: Top Mac Password Managers (TechRepublic)
The Windows version of Bitwarden effortlessly integrates with numerous single sign-on systems like Azure Active Directory and Okta. It offers a comprehensive vault experience from your web browser straight to your Windows operation system. It allows simultaneous login to up to five accounts, facilitating seamless switching between personal and professional accounts. One popular feature is the “unlock with biometrics” that provides hassle-free access using Windows Hello with PIN, facial recognition, or any other equipment satisfying Windows Hello biometric prerequisites.
Bitwarden secured its position as our first pick for an open-source password manager for Windows users because of its capacity to deliver most password management functions at an affordable price. In addition, Bitwarden allows users to either self-host or operate in the cloud, making it an attractive advantage for independent as well as organizational use.
Bitwarden offers two main pricing options: Personal and Business.
The Personal plan is broken down into three separate packages:
Meanwhile, the Business plan consists of two different packages:
To delve deeper into this topic, you can refer to our comprehensive Bitwarden review.
Keeper is a password management tool that is built on open-source technology. It prioritizes security by making use of zero-trust architecture and zero knowledge principles. These features help to safeguard your sensitive information and reduce the risk of cybercriminals gaining access to your data.
Get More Info: Understanding Password Managers and Why They are Necessary (TechRepublic)
Including a multitude of security features, the Windows version of Keeper covers most bases. This includes multi-factor authentication, SSO authentication, ‘BreachWatch’ function, conditional access policies, FIDO2, hardware security keys using WebAuthn, passkeys and biometric login capabilities including Windows Hello. Additionally, Keeper provides an option for SSO Connect On-Prem. This is an integration that can self-hosted, requiring a Windows-hosted application server.
We commend Keeper for their transparency in making the complete details of their encryption model available 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 user-focused methodology to password management, is an optimal choice for those in need of an offline password manager capable of storing data locally or within cloud platforms such as Dropbox, iCloud, OneDrive or Google Drive.
REFERENCE: Are Password Managers Safe to Utilize? (TechRepublic)
Instead of creating a potential security risk, Enpass decides for a more secure option by saving and syncing encrypted vaults on varying cloud accounts, lessening the threat of cyber attackers gaining access to a central cloud filled with user data. This tool also provides device syncing through Wi-Fi, keeping your vaults entirely offline. An additional feature that would be valuable to Windows users is the option to shift passwords and other details from different apps into Enpass using a Windows computer. Furthermore, Enpass offers breach monitoring, password creation, password audit and autofill via extension.
Apart from unveiling its source codes, Enpass secures a spot on our list because of its offline management functionality and the feature to sync encrypted vaults on multiple cloud accounts of a user.
Enpass provides two types of payment options: Personal/Family and Business plan.
The Personal/Family plan includes these packages:
The Business plan comprises of the following packages:
For additional details, check out our comprehensive Enpass review.
Just like Enpass, Proton Pass is an open-source tool that offers offline functionality, which ensures users have access to their vault anytime without needing an internet connection.
Proton Pass has a smooth user experience that seamlessly integrates with the Windows operating system. The tool also connects with ProtonMail, a feature that enables users to generate email aliases for online accounts by substituting their actual email addresses. The free tier of Proton Pass offers unlimited password storage across unlimited devices but one unique Windows security feature of this open-source tool is Sentinel, a feature that blocks attackers from gaining access to your data, even if the attackers have the correct password. Sentinel is available with the paid version of Proton Pass.
We picked Proton Pass because of its unlimited password storage and the ability to protect user data via its Sentinel feature.
Proton Pass has free and paid plans.
The paid plan has two packages: Pass Plus and Proton Unlimited.
KeePass is a password manager that offers a completely free service for its desktop users. Despite its deficiencies in several features, its open-source attribute makes it simpler for users to personalize any function they wish through the KeePass plugin architecture. This repository of plugins and extensions makes it more straightforward to introduce or alter an existing feature or functionality, such as incorporating autofill or modifying the interface.
This password manager has the distinctive ability to be stored on a USB stick and operate on Windows systems without needing to be installed. The Windows interface also enables you to produce, adjust, and remove groups, which can be utilized to categorize passwords.
KeePass earned a spot on our list due to its cost-effectiveness for any Windows user. Most of its open-source rivals, such as Bitwarden and Proton Pass, which offer free versions, are not fully free — their complimentary plans have limited features compared to their paid alternatives.
KeePass provides a complete free-of-charge service, lacking any paid subscriptions or tiers. Notwithstanding, a good number of password management features crucial for a great Windows experience are not packaged with it by default. However, you can utilize KeePass’s open-source feature to tailor your KeePass client features by downloading plugins from their website.
To gain more insight, you can peruse the detailed KeePass review.
Passbolt is designed as an open-source password manager with a focus on team collaboration, and it offers an extensive set of features for its Windows version. Passbolt is aimed at teams and provides real-time password sharing, role-based access control, and multi-level permissions for shared passwords. Furthermore, it enables the retrieval, storage, and sharing of passwords in a programmatic way using the Passbolt Windows’ JSON API.
Through allowing you to enforce security policies for all users or remove seats, Passbolt offers an excellent user management capability. Its Single Sign-On (SSO) integration, event logs, and options for account recovery are also ideally suited for business settings.
We opted for Passbolt in our line-up due to its capability for comprehensive password collaboration within teams, in addition to it being self-hosted, API-driven, privacy-centric and developer-oriented.
Passbolt’s pricing can be understood as being reliant on either a cloud or self-hosted basis.
The cost structuring for both cloud and self-hosted models provide similar plans, however, the self-hosted alternative presents a complimentary plan which accommodates an unlimited number of users.
While open-source password managers often gain recognition through the transparency of their source codes, their competencies and application use cases can differ. It is essential to consider the requirements of your business prior to determining a password manager.
For example, if your company requires a password manager that provides zero-trust and zero-knowledge security framework while maintaining its open-source essence, Keeper could be a suitable choice. If your chief concern is team collaboration, then you might find Passbolt or Bitwarden favorable, given their Windows apps have been designed considering teams.
Furthermore, ensure if the password management functionalities align with your unique requirements and if they can easily integrate into your pre-existing suite. In case you’re using Windows, verify if the client’s application is compatible with your Windows version.
In order to compile this list of finest open-source password managers for Windows, I carried out extensive research and analysis on each application. I examined every manager’s defensive features, user interface, team collaboration capabilities, their intuitiveness, community assistance, and storage choices. I personally tested Passbolt, Keeper, and Bitwarden on my Windows PC to evaluate their set-up procedures, user interface, password generating abilities, hosting choices, and integration with third-party SSO tools. I watched video demonstrations and read through the documentations provided on each vendor’s website to get a sense of what clients felt about their features.
Finally, I sifted through numerous external reviews to gain a deeper understanding of user experiences with each product.
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6 Best Open Source Password Managers for Windows in 2024
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