Comparison

pwSafe 2 vs Pass

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

pwSafe 2

Securely manage all your passwords with this app. It offers autofill for websites and apps, biometric unlock, and syncs your data across devices via iCloud or Dropbox. Generate strong passwords and organize them with ease.

Highlights
  • Biometric unlock (Touch ID, Face ID)
  • Autofill for Safari and apps
  • iCloud and Dropbox sync
  • Password generation
  • Smart Pasteboard
  • Printable hardcopy
  • Organize entries in groups
Features
Read full description

pwSafe 2 offers Dark Mode, Touch ID, Face ID, Safari and apps autofill, iPhone landscape mode, adaptive text, a new design and much more on top of pwSafe 1. Easy, secure and full featured password management across devices and computers. pwSafe uses iCloud or Dropbox to keep your password databases backed-up and synced between your iOS devices and computers. It is compatible with open source Password Safe. No in-app purchases are needed for unlimited usage, including iCloud sync (see below). Now available for the Mac with iCloud Sync - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pwsafe-password-safe-compatible/id520993579?mt=12 This application is not related to any application developed and/or marketed by PSafe Tecnologia S/A, including PSafe Total. == What people are saying about pwSafe: ***** "Brilliant! - Passwords in sync at last!" -- Daddio1946 from Australia ***** "Great integration and support - PasswordSafe is great and this app makes it even better! Easy to setup and use. Their support for big fixes is great and the turn around time is short." -- Joeartz from the USA ***** "Very good, better than it's rivals, does what it's supposed to do AND the copy-feature is EX-CELLENT!" -- WaiWera from New Zealand ***** "I highly recommend this app for anyone who has a large number of usernames or hard-to-remember passwords." -- razor11401 from Canada ***** "Excellent tool for multiplatform password storage - Excellent tool that enhances my online security by creating complex and long passwords without the inconvenience of retyping them time and time again." -- AmberTiara from Neaderland == List of features: - TouchID unlocks - Safari and apps autofill (extension) - Smart Pasteboard: tilt your device face down to switch between username and password when using other apps - Can open safes from any cloud service with an iOS 8 Storage Provider Extension - Print a hardcopy of your data - New iPad with Retina display & iPhone 5 support - iCloud sync, realtime and bi-directional - Dropbox sync**, fully automatic and bi-directional - Password generation - Passcode protection - Universal binary - iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch optimized - Compatible with the famous open source Password Safe desktop app - Search all fields - Organize entries in groups - Single tap password copy to clipboard - Single tap password copy to clipboard and open website - Clear password from clipboard after one minute - Multiple fields (title, username, password, URL, email and notes) - Define custom fields - Full unicode support - iTunes file sharing - Receives safes as e-mail attachments (please name your safes with a .psafe3 extension) - Opens safes from Dropbox (free without sync, paid otherwise) - Export to PDF (encrypted, of course) - Password history (per safe and per entry settings) - Named password policies - Fully compatible with Password Safe version 3.31 file format - Multiple safes - Unlimited passwords - Unlimited password groups - Two-factor authentication using YubiKey security token - Generate TOTP authentication codes (two-factor authentication) - Create and use Passkeys for password-free authentication ** Syncing via Dropbox is an In-App purchase. Instead of trusting on a single developer security knowledge, pwSafe borrows all its encryption code directly from the famous Password Safe open source password manager (https://pwsafe.org). Password Safe has been originally created by security guru Bruce Schneier and nowadays is maintained by Rony Shapiro. Since it has been around as an open source project for more than two decades now, it has been extensively reviewed by many experts. Apple’s standard end user license agreement (EULA) applies to the pwSafe app (https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/) The (optional) services provided by pwSafe Cloud are subject to our Terms of Use (https://pwsafe.app/terms-of-use/)

About

Pass

Securely manage your passwords with this app. It allows you to view, add, and edit entries, encrypting them with PGP keys. Features include synchronization with Git repositories, one-time password support, and auto-fill capabilities.

Highlights
  • PGP encryption/decryption
  • Git repository synchronization
  • One-time password tokens
  • AutoFill in browsers and apps
  • YubiKey support
  • Search and copy functionality
Features
Read full description

- Compatible with the Password Store command line tool. - View, copy, add, and edit password entries. - Encrypt and decrypt password entries by PGP keys. - Synchronize with your password Git repository. - User-friendly interface: search, long press to copy, copy and open link, etc. - Support one-time password tokens (two-factor authentication codes). - AutoFill in Safari/Chrome and supported apps. - Support YubiKey.

Screenshots

pwSafe 24 screens
Pass4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Pass at Free against pwSafe 2's $2.99. Pass also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 7) and review sentiment (85% vs 72%). pwSafe 2's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (5.1K vs 135). On rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Pass is free to download; pwSafe 2 costs $2.99 up front. pwSafe 2 sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 3 months. Pass asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for pwSafe 2 against 4.7 for Pass. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: pwSafe 2 has 5.1K ratings behind it against 135, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of pwSafe 2's written reviews are positive against 85% of Pass's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

pwSafe 2 ships an update weekly, Pass every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
pwSafe 2 versus Pass: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterpwSafe 2Pass
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (5.1K ratings)4.7 (135 ratings)
Positive reviews71.8% of reviews85.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5.1K — better135
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHuvisoft B.V.Mingshen Sun

Customer experience

pwSafe 2

All ratings5,107 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral1.8%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews347 reviews
Positive71.8%
Neutral5.5%
Negative22.8%

Pass

All ratings135 ratings
Positive92.6%
Neutral2.2%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive85.3%
Neutral5.3%
Negative9.5%

User reviews

pwSafe 2

From 5.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Simple, no-frills app
  • 🔒 Secure password storage
  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 💡 Supports multiple safes and categories
  • 👍 Reliable syncing across devices

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Freezing and crashing issues
  • 🐛 Sync problems with cloud storage
  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
  • 🐛 Inability to edit password entries

Pass

From 135 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and quick basic interface
  • 🔒 Secure with PGP encryption
  • ☁️ Syncs with Git server
  • 🔗 Share sheet integration
  • 👍 Simple and useful

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Issues creating entries with YubiKey
  • 🐛 Auto-fill not working after updates
  • 🐛 Syncing to Git repo issues
  • 🐛 Fails to clone repo via HTTPS
  • 🐛 Pushing to repo fails often

Bugs and requests

pwSafe 2

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Sudden loss of password data
  • Inability to open external safes after updates
  • Frequent crashes when trying to copy/paste passwords

Requested features

3 requests
  • Google Drive/OneDrive integration
  • Improved UI/UX, especially for search and navigation
  • More customization options for password generation

Pass

Reported bugs

22 issues
  • Cannot add password with YubiKey as PGP-Key
  • Application doesn't work after last iOS update
  • Cannot auto-fill password after last update
  • Pushing to the repo tends to fail
  • Cannot clone the repo via https
Show 17 more
  • Updated entry doesn't push to git repository
  • App crashes whenever I try to open it
  • Latest update fails to open on iPad
  • Doesn't open on iPhone 6
  • App crashes after setting GPG keys
  • Fails to open on my iPhone SE
  • App crashes after setting gpg
  • Failed to import pgp keys
  • Private repo doesn’t work
  • Imported key will be lost after updates
  • The app crashes after setting gpg
  • Search not working
  • Auto fill breaks on iPhone 11
  • Missing TOTP feature
  • No support for yubikey Nfc
  • Import of gpg key doesn’t seem to work well
  • Error when trying to add ssh://user@my-host-ip-address:/srv/repos/myrepo.git

Requested features

23 requests
  • Keep app updated long-term
  • Support for multiple GPG IDs
  • Support for Intel-based MacBooks
  • French language support
  • FaceID/TouchID integration
Show 18 more
  • Ability to change Git URL without re-cloning
  • Support for macOS Ventura
  • Management of multiple repositories
  • Integration with security keys (Nitrokey, YubiKey)
  • Scan split QR code for longer keys
  • Multi-store support (private/work)
  • Key generation and Git server for ordinary users
  • Keybase repository support
  • Hardware authentication with YubiKey
  • Build password repository from scratch on phone
  • Face ID protection for the app
  • Keybase encrypted Git support
  • Auto copy TOTP after form fill
  • SSH key creation for cloning repos
  • Upgrade Git dependency to latest version
  • App icon redesign
  • Safari plugin 2FA support
  • Biometric support instead of passcode

In-app purchases

7 purchases

pwSafe 2

Subscriptions3
  • 3 Months1 Month trial$2.993 Months
  • 6 Months1 Month trial$4.996 Months
  • 1 Year1 Month trial$8.991 Year
One-time4
  • Dropbox Sync Support$2.99
  • Small Donation$4.99
  • Medium Donation$9.99
Show 1 more
  • Large Donation$19.99
None

Pass

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is pwSafe 2 free?
pwSafe 2 costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Pass free?
Pass is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, pwSafe 2 or Pass?
pwSafe 2 and Pass are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5.1K and 135 ratings respectively.
Do pwSafe 2 or Pass have ads?
Neither pwSafe 2 nor Pass shows ads.
Which is updated more often, pwSafe 2 or Pass?
pwSafe 2 ships an update weekly, and Pass every 3 months. Most recently, pwSafe 2 was updated on September 22, 2026 and Pass on September 13, 2026.

Other comparisons