If you’re looking to move off 1Password, you have options. Real ones. Here are the 3 open-source, self-hostable alternatives I’ve tested, with honest notes on what each does well and where each falls short.
Why leave 1Password?
- Subscription-only pricing since v8 — no more standalone licenses.
- Your vault, even encrypted, lives on their infrastructure.
- Team plans scale linearly and get expensive fast.
The 3 best self-hosted alternatives to 1Password
Vaultwarden
Rust rewrite of the Bitwarden server. Runs in a tiny Docker container. Fully compatible with all Bitwarden apps and browser extensions.
Visit Vaultwarden website →Passbolt
Team-focused password manager. Better sharing model than Vaultwarden for organizations.
Visit Passbolt website →KeePassXC (local)
Not self-hosted server — a local password vault file. Sync via your own file sync tool.
Visit KeePassXC (local) website →Quick comparison
| Alternative | Difficulty | License |
|---|---|---|
| Vaultwarden | Easy | AGPL-3.0 |
| Passbolt | Medium | AGPL-3.0 |
| KeePassXC (local) | Easy | GPL-3.0 |
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to 1Password?
Yes. Every tool listed above is free and open source. Some, like Vaultwarden, also have optional paid hosted tiers if you don’t want to run the server yourself. Everything else is genuinely free to self-host — you pay only for your own hardware and time.
Which one should I pick if I’ve never self-hosted anything before?
Start with Vaultwarden. It’s the lowest-friction option here — realistic to have running in an afternoon on a small server or Raspberry Pi. If it doesn’t fit your workflow, Passbolt is a good second try.
Can I run these on a Raspberry Pi?
Most of them, yes — the tools marked Easy here will comfortably run on a Pi 4 or Pi 5 with 4GB+ of RAM. The Medium tools may work but appreciate a mini PC or a spare desktop. Hard-tagged tools generally want real server hardware.
What about mobile apps?
It varies. Tools like Vaultwarden and Immich have native iOS/Android apps that connect to your server. Others rely on the web UI through your phone browser — fine for occasional use, not a full app experience.