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Comparison · Collab

CryptPad vs Passbolt

A side-by-side editorial comparison of CryptPad and Passbolt — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

CryptPad vs Passbolt: at a glance

FeatureCryptPadPassbolt
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score6.35.0
Sparks · 30d10
Top themesself-hosting, encryption, office-suite, server-rewritepassword-manager, passkeys, autofill, quick-access
Last editorial update2d ago1d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is CryptPad?

CryptPad rebuilt its server and swapped its office engine; now it is patching the fallout.

CryptPad just shipped its largest architectural change in years: a rewritten server published as a standalone npm package, and office apps moved from OnlyOffice to Euro-Office 9.3. Three weeks later a fix release followed with team-deletion, sharing and eviction-script repairs plus security fixes rated up to CVSS 7.3. The product is an end-to-end encrypted suite whose release rhythm is seasonal: one feature drop, then one or two fix releases.

Read the full CryptPad trajectory →

What is Passbolt?

Passbolt 5.18 puts secure notes and custom fields into Quick Access.

Passbolt 5.18 "Superstylin" adds two themes and brings Secure Notes and Custom Fields into Quick Access, where they can be searched, previewed and copied, suggested by URL and read in Offline Mode. It also improves autofill on high-resolution displays and speeds up sharing. The previous release, 5.17, added passkeys as a second factor and rebuilt autofill detection; 5.16 brought a read-only Offline Mode in beta.

Read the full Passbolt trajectory →

CryptPad vs Passbolt: editorial side-by-side

C
CryptPad
COLLAB
6.3

CryptPad rebuilt its server and swapped its office engine; now it is patching the fallout.

◆ Current state

CryptPad just shipped its largest architectural change in years: a rewritten server published as a standalone npm package, and office apps moved from OnlyOffice to Euro-Office 9.3. Three weeks later a fix release followed with team-deletion, sharing and eviction-script repairs plus security fixes rated up to CVSS 7.3. The product is an end-to-end encrypted suite whose release rhythm is seasonal: one feature drop, then one or two fix releases.

◆ Where it's heading

The office suite is the recurring pressure point: nearly every release since 2025 carries OnlyOffice corruption, history or pinning fixes, and the Euro-Office swap is the team taking ownership of that dependency. Splitting the server into its own package points toward easier self-hosting and embedding, which matches the openDesk integration builds and Integration API work seen earlier in the year.

◆ Prediction

Expect another fix release within weeks addressing new-server and Euro-Office edge cases, then a winter feature release built on the new server. Whether the server package gets third-party adoption is not visible from these entries.

P
Passbolt
COLLAB
5.0

Passbolt 5.18 puts secure notes and custom fields into Quick Access.

◆ Current state

Passbolt 5.18 "Superstylin" adds two themes and brings Secure Notes and Custom Fields into Quick Access, where they can be searched, previewed and copied, suggested by URL and read in Offline Mode. It also improves autofill on high-resolution displays and speeds up sharing. The previous release, 5.17, added passkeys as a second factor and rebuilt autofill detection; 5.16 brought a read-only Offline Mode in beta.

◆ Where it's heading

The last three releases have moved from security controls towards daily convenience: offline access, better autofill, and now every resource type in the browser extension's quick view. The passwordless login the 5.17 notes pointed to has not shipped yet.

◆ Prediction

Expect more autofill and Quick Access work, and passkey sign-in without a password as the next major step the 5.17 notes promised.

Alternatives to CryptPad and Passbolt

Other Collab products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either CryptPad or Passbolt.

See all CryptPad alternatives → · See all Passbolt alternatives →

Recent activity from CryptPad and Passbolt

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 1d agoPassbolt5.18 adds themes and secure notes in Quick Access
  2. 3d agoCryptPad🍂🩹 Autumn fix release (2026.10.1)
  3. 23d agoCryptPad🍂 Autumn Release (2026.10.0) ⚡
  4. 24d agoPassbolt5.17 adds passkeys for MFA and a rebuilt autofill engine
  5. 1mo agoPassbolt5.16 adds read-only Offline Mode in beta
  6. 2mo agoPassbolt5.15 adds database sessions and closes shared-tag permission bypasses
  7. 3mo agoPassbolt5.14.3 limits the permission dialog to actual secret changes
  8. 3mo agoCryptPadopenDesk build stops asking for donations when embedded
  9. 3mo agoPassbolt5.14 adds confirmation prompts before shared-resource edits
  10. 5mo agoCryptPad🌷🩹 Spring fix release (2026.5.1)
  11. 6mo agoCryptPad🌷 Spring release (2026.5.0)
  12. 7mo agoCryptPad❄️🩹🩹 Winter fix release 2 (2026.2.2)

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between CryptPad and Passbolt?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. CryptPad is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is CryptPad better than Passbolt?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. CryptPad is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Collab products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to CryptPad?

Top CryptPad alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "CryptPad alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/cryptpad for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Passbolt?

Top Passbolt alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Passbolt alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/passbolt for the full list with editorial commentary on each.