KeePassXC vs Secrets
Both are bought outright, both sit in privacy, and both are bought by people leaving 1Password, Dashlane. Here is what actually differs — including what each price does not buy.
The short answer
- KeePassXC is free; Secrets costs $59.99.
- KeePassXC has the cleaner licence: free and open source, against own it, pay for major upgrades for Secrets.
Side by side
 KeePassXCFreeOpen source |  Secrets$59.99Paid upgrades | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | offline password manager with no account and no cloud | small apple-only password manager you unlock with a one-time purchase |
| Price | Free | $59.99 |
| Licence | Free and open source | Own it, pay for major upgrades |
| What you get | No licence to buy, and the source is public. | One payment, and the developer charges for major versions on a stated cadence. |
| The catch | No sync of its own, and the iOS app is a separate paid purchase from someone else | Editing and Sharing unlock separately; both together is $79.99, not $59.99 |
| Macs per licence | not established | not established |
| Account required | no | no |
| Works offline | yes | yes |
| Apple Silicon | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | No | Yes |
| On Setapp | No | Yes |
| Minimum macOS | not established | not established |
| App Store rating | not established | 4.6 from 186 |
| Last updated | not established | 2026-08-03 |
| Price checked | 2026-09-22 | 2026-09-22 |
Apple’s public API reports a rating for only a small minority of Mac apps, and returns zero for most of the rest even when the store page plainly shows reviews. A blank here means we could not read a number, never that an app is unrated or disliked.
In their own right
KeePassXC
Keeps your passwords in an encrypted KDBX file on your own disk, with browser integration, TOTP codes and hardware key support. No account, no server, no subscription, GPLv3.
Secrets
A native Mac, iPhone and iPad password manager from a tiny studio, synced over iCloud and unlocked with one-time in-app purchases rather than a subscription.