July 5, 2026

For the vast majority of people, the password manager in iOS/macOS or Android/Chrome is good. It's far better than using the same password on every site, they autofill properly and are included in the backups and sync setups attached to iCloud and Google accounts. Just don't try to leave or misbehave in the walled garden and you'll be fine.

But I'm a sadomasochistic computer toucher that likes to play this game on hard mode and the built-in password manager doesn't inflict enough pain or humiliation to fulfill my grotesque, pathetic desires. So that's why this blog post exists - what are the password manager options out there in 2026 that meet as many of these ultra-nerd requirements as possible:

• Cross-platform - I'm talking Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS & Android, the more the better, I'm an operating system slut.
• Native apps - bonus points if the app isn't just a web view (or at least does a good job pretending to be native).
• Android support without Google Play - this is probably the most obscure bit, but it's important to me as I love a de-Google'd device.
• Self-host the sync server - a server I control in my garage behind Tailscale is secure, right? I know how to do backups, yeah?
• Not owned by dickheads - tough to assess as it changes, so mostly just a vibe check.

I know I'm not going to get all those boxes ticked but is there anything that comes close?

1Password

Price: US$47.88/yr, approx A$70/yr

Apps: Electron apps on all platforms. Linux app available via many repos. Android app needs Google Play, no APK readily available.

Self-Hosting: No, none. Have to use their server for sync.

Vibes: multiple rounds of funding, looking to IPO eventually, getting comfy with AI/LLMs (but who isn't?)

Proton Pass

Price: Free for everything I'd use it for (~A$60/yr for extra features)

Apps: Electron apps on all platforms. Linux app is an RPM/DEB file, no repo. Android app available on F-Droid.

Self-Hosting: None, Proton controls it.

Vibes: Proton seem okay. I'm sure they have skeletons in their closet but they haven't shit on us (yet). Tim Berners-Lee is on the Proton Foundation board. Wish they were more transparent about the Foundation's role in running the company.

Bitwarden

Price: there's a free tier here too which is nice (US$19.80/yr for extra features)

Apps: Electron apps. Linux has RPM/DEB & Flatpack/Snaps. Android app is on F-Droid. Prizm is a nice native macOS client. Keyguard is another client app, multi-platform but mainly Android.

Self-Hosting: Yes! BitWarden is open source, has official options to self-host and there's VaultWarden too.

Vibes: the CEO was recently replaced with a new guy who touts experience in "all facets of mergers and acquisitions" and working with private equity, oof.

AliasVault

Price: free (plans to add non-free tiers as they develop the platform)

Apps: no desktop apps (I assume they expect you to primarily use browser extensions or the web app at least while it's in development), has open-source Android app

Self-Hosting: yes, well documented and seems designed to self-host

Vibes: small Dutch team, also have another business called SpamOK, which makes sense why AliasVault's workflow is centered around giving each password an email alias

KeePass variants

Price: depending on the client apps you use, some are free, some aren't

Apps: so many, of varying quality! This is a list of the main ones but is probably missing a few.

Self-Hosting: yes, kinda - there's no native sync like the others, KeePass is literally a file you shuffle around wheer you need it. Need to be careful of sync conflicts.

Vibes: because it's just a file and there's dozens of clients and it's all open source, the vibes don't really matter so much. I guess it's enshittification resistant?

Others

LastPass, Norton Password Manager, NordPass, Dashlane, Keeper, RoboForm, Enpass - all generally unimpressive

Thoughts

Password managers are very personal pieces of software. You interact with them multiple times a day and they store extremely sensitive information. How I use a password manager is likely different to how you use a password manager. Maybe you use it for TOTP/2FA purposes. I don't. Maybe you need passkey support - I don't. You probably just use one ecosystem like a sane person so not having a Linux app or an open-source Android app doesn't matter to you.

With that in mind:

1Password - nothing particularly wrong with it, I've been using it for almost 15 years. Maybe I just want a change for change's sake? It does feel like enshittification is imminent though.

ProtonPass - pleasantly surprised. Digging around the Proton ownership structure gives me a bit of confidence. The desktop apps are fine if you can deal with Electron. Browser plugin works well. Open-source Android app is nice. Costs $0 for what I need it for.

Bitwarden - it's good that VaultWarden exists so if shit hits the fan with BitWarden, there's the possibility to fork the project.

AliasVault - nice looking project. Still under heavy development but ticks a lot of boxes, particularly if you want to get into the habit of using a unique email alias for each online account. Would be awesome if they made it work with Fastmail's masked email feature.

KeePass - the idea of not having a central server with all my passwords seems like a good one. An encrypted file I shuffle around can't be that hard to live with? Just a matter of finding a smooth sync solution and some client apps that don't piss me off. I should write a blog post just on KeePass apps.

I've been using ProtonPass for a few days and gotta say, it's the least fucking around and least shady of all the paid options. My heart wants to use KeePass though. The idea of not having a 3rd party involved in my passwords feels nice.

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