Vaultwarden vs KeePassXC

Both keep your passwords encrypted somewhere you control, without an account on another company's service. The difference is where they live: Vaultwarden is a server that the official Bitwarden clients connect to; KeePassXC is an app that keeps everything in a .kdbx file of your own.

By Jorge Aguilar · Checked against the official documentation; not a lab test · Updated October 30, 2026

Guide: Vaultwarden Guide: KeePassXC GitHub Vaultwarden (opens in a new tab) GitHub KeePassXC (opens in a new tab)

Side by side.

Comparison of Vaultwarden and KeePassXC, with data from their guides
Item	Vaultwarden	KeePassXC
Who it is for	For anyone who already uses, or wants to use, the Bitwarden clients but keep their passwords on a lightweight server of their own instead of a hosted one.	For anyone who wants a local password manager, with no account or server, and does not mind deciding on their own where to back up the file.
Systems	Docker or Podman containers (the recommended route) or your own build. The clients are the official Bitwarden ones: browser, desktop and mobile.	Windows 10 and 11 (x64 and ARM64), macOS 12 or later (Apple Silicon; an Intel version is also available) and Linux (Flatpak recommended, AppImage, Snap and your distribution's packages).
License	AGPL-3.0 Open source with copyleftAGPL-3.0: strong copyleft. If you modify the server and offer it to others over a network, you must publish your changes under the same license.	GPL-2.0 or GPL-3.0 Open source with copyleftGPL-2.0 or GPL-3.0 for the KeePassXC code; third-party files carry their licenses in the COPYING file. Copyleft: if you distribute modified versions, you share the code.
RAM	Not documented	Not documented
CPU	Not documented	Not documented
Disk	Not documented	Not documented
Install	3 steps (1 with a command) see steps	4 steps (3 with a command) see steps
Repo and docs	GitHub (opens in a new tab) · Documentation (opens in a new tab)	GitHub (opens in a new tab) · Documentation (opens in a new tab)
On this site	Full guideNot in the server calculator	Full guideNot in the server calculator

The figures come as-is from each repo's documentation and are never added across different scopes. A dashed label means that figure is not the total (per process, per user, from an example…): the guide explains each one. "Steps" counts the steps in the guide, not how long it takes.

Which one fits you.

Pick Vaultwarden if…

You want to use the official Bitwarden clients (browser, desktop and mobile) pointed at your own server.
You want to share passwords with other people: organizations with collections, groups and policies.
You prefer a server that syncs your passwords across devices instead of copying a file around.
You are willing to take care of the domain, the HTTPS certificate, updates and backups.

Watch out with Vaultwarden

It does not work without HTTPS: the web vault uses the Web Crypto API.
It is not a Bitwarden product: bugs go to Vaultwarden, not to official Bitwarden support.
It is an almost complete implementation of the Bitwarden API, not an identical copy of the official service.

Pick KeePassXC if…

You want a local manager: no account, no server, no domain and no HTTPS.
A KeePass-compatible .kdbx file is enough, and you decide how and where to copy it.
You want integration with Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave and other browsers (with passkeys), YubiKey, an SSH agent and a command line.
You are coming from another manager: it imports from CSV, 1Password, Bitwarden, Proton Pass and KeePass1.

Watch out with KeePassXC

Its feature list does not include syncing between devices: you do that yourself.
Everything lives in a single file: lose it without a copy and it is all gone.
You have to turn on the browser integration and install its extension.

What they share.

They keep your passwords encrypted in a place you choose: your server (Vaultwarden) or your computer (KeePassXC).
Both are open source with copyleft.
With both, backups are on you.

What neither does.

Neither backs you up: with Vaultwarden the maintainers take no responsibility for data loss, and with KeePassXC the .kdbx file is your only store.
Neither guide is a security test: they only collect what the official documentation says.

In short.

If it is one person, a couple of computers and zero servers, KeePassXC. If you want automatic syncing or to share passwords with other people and you already know how to run a server with HTTPS, Vaultwarden.

This is guidance based on what the guides say, not a score or a test. If your case is critical, read the official documentation of both.

Where all of this comes from.

Checked against the official documentation; not a lab test. This comparison was put together on October 30, 2026 from each repo's guide, which were checked on October 29, 2026. Nothing was installed or measured. If something has changed, the project's documentation is the authority.