Padloc
FreeOpen-source, end-to-end encrypted password manager and digital wallet. Self-hostable, audited codebase, beautiful UI. A worthy Bitwarden alternative for privacy-focused teams.
How to install Padloc as a PWA
Frequently asked questions about Padloc
Is Vaultwarden really compatible with official Bitwarden clients?
Yes — Vaultwarden implements the Bitwarden server API faithfully, so the official Bitwarden web client, desktop apps, mobile apps, browser extensions, and CLI all work transparently against a Vaultwarden backend. You point the client at your Vaultwarden URL during onboarding and from then on it is indistinguishable from the official Bitwarden cloud, with most features (TOTP, attachments, organizations, send) working identically.
Is Vaultwarden free?
Yes — Vaultwarden is free and open-source (GPL-3.0). The official Bitwarden clients are also free. Self-hosting Vaultwarden gives unlimited users, organizations, attachments, and TOTP storage at zero ongoing cost beyond your VPS bill (~$5/month for a small instance). The equivalent Bitwarden Cloud Families and Enterprise plans cost $40+ per year per family or per user per month.
How does Vaultwarden compare to official Bitwarden?
Vaultwarden runs in ~50-100MB RAM (vs Bitwarden's official server which needs ~2GB), is faster to install, supports all premium features for free (TOTP, attachments, organizations), and has a more permissive feature philosophy. Official Bitwarden offers SOC 2 attested cloud, a commercial support contract, and the assurance of a funded company maintaining the code. For homelab and small-team use, Vaultwarden wins. For enterprise compliance, official Bitwarden remains the safer choice.
Can I use Vaultwarden offline?
The Bitwarden clients (which connect to Vaultwarden) cache an encrypted vault locally and can read passwords offline once unlocked. Vaultwarden itself, being a server, requires network connectivity for sync operations. The PWA web vault works offline for previously-decrypted entries but cannot save new entries until the server is reachable.
Who uses Vaultwarden in production?
Vaultwarden is widely used by homelab enthusiasts (a default in /r/selfhosted recommendations), by small teams running it on a $5 VPS, by families wanting a private password manager, and by privacy-conscious organizations that refuse cloud password managers. It is not officially endorsed by Bitwarden Inc., but the project (formerly Bitwarden_RS, renamed in 2021 at Bitwarden's request) coexists peacefully with the official company.
Where Padloc is heading (12-24 months)
- →Passkey (FIDO2) support is rolling out as the Bitwarden protocol adds it, keeping Vaultwarden compatible.
- →Tighter integration with reverse proxies (Caddy, Traefik) for one-line deployment is improving.
- →Continued faithfulness to the Bitwarden API as it evolves is the project's primary strategic value.
- →Enterprise feature parity (SSO via SAML/OIDC) is partially supported in Vaultwarden and improving but lags official Bitwarden.
Related questions
ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini usually suggest these next.
- How do I install Vaultwarden on Docker?
- Is Vaultwarden safe for enterprise use?
- Does Vaultwarden support YubiKey 2FA?
- Can I migrate from Bitwarden Cloud to Vaultwarden?
- How do I back up a Vaultwarden vault?
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