Enpass vs LastPass vs KeePass: real differences and which one to choose

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If you're looking for a password manager and are torn between Enpass, LastPass and KeePassIt's easy to feel overwhelmed with so many different security opinions, features, and models. Each one promises to protect your credentials and make your life easier, but the reality is that not all of them are equally well-suited to your needs, your workflow, or your company's policies.

In recent years, teleworking, remote access, and the increase in cyberattacks have made choosing the right password manager no longer just a convenience, but a critical security decisionBelow you will find an in-depth comparison of Enpass, LastPass and KeePass, along with the context of the different types of password managers that exist, so you can choose wisely and without getting lost in so much technical detail.

Why you need a good password manager today

Using the same key everywhere or recycling slight variations is, at this point, almost like leaving your front door open: more than 80% of data breaches are related to passwords Weak or filtered, according to recent industry studies such as Verizon's. Keeping dozens or hundreds of long, unique passwords in your head is simply impossible.

Password managers solve that problem by storing all your passwords in one place. encrypted vault Protected by a single master password. You only need to memorize that main password, and in return, you can use strong, different credentials on every website, service, or application you use.

Furthermore, many modern browsers include their own basic manager, but most users and businesses end up preferring specific solutions such as Enpass, LastPass or KeePass, which offer better controls, auditing, organization and multi-platform options on both desktop and mobile.

The rise of these managers is no coincidence: as their popularity grows, so do their features, from advanced password generators to security audits, breach alerts or support for Passkeys and multi-factor authentication.

Types of password managers: SaaS, self-hosted, offline, and hybrid approach

Before going into detail about Enpass, LastPass, and KeePass, it's important to understand that not all password managers are created equal. data architecture It completely changes the risk model, regulatory compliance, and the control you have over your information.

Most organizations and advanced users end up moving between four major categories: cloud-based SaaS solutions, self-hosted managers, classic offline applications, and a fourth approach that attempts to combine the best of all the above without their drawbacks.

1. Cloud-based SaaS password managers (LastPass and similar)

SaaS-based password managers are the most widespread. In this model, all sensitive user information is stored centrally in the provider serversWell-known examples include LastPass, 1Password, and Dashlane.

Their main appeal is convenience: they are accessible from anywhere with an internet connection, and offer administration panels, account recovery, secure password sharing and advanced corporate functions such as Single Sign-On (SSO) or integrations with identity providers.

The downside of this model is that the combined vaults of all users become a a very tempting target for the attackersSeveral public incidents, such as the LastPass breach in 2022, have shown that even with robust encryption, the exposure of vault copies can pose a problem and a headache for companies due to trust and compliance issues.

Furthermore, many organizations encounter limitations in privacy, data sovereignty and regulationssince critical employee information ends up being hosted outside their control environment, in external infrastructures and often in other jurisdictions.

2. Self-hosted password managers

To prevent all passwords from ending up in a third-party cloud, some companies opt for solutions that can be install and manage on your own infrastructure, such as the self-hosted editions of Bitwarden or Passbolt.

With this approach, the organization decides where the data is stored: on local servers, in a private cloud, or with providers like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud under its own administrative controlThis helps to comply with internal policies, privacy regulations, and sovereignty requirements.

The problem is that this control comes at a cost. It requires investing in server deployment, maintenance, and security, applying updates, managing compatibility, and ensuring the availability and performanceIn practice, it is only viable for companies with well-sized IT and security teams.

Although it improves control, the model still concentrates all vaults in a single point, so if the server is compromised, the attacker can attempt access the encrypted data of all usersJust like in a SaaS, only on your own infrastructure.

3. Offline password management applications (KeePass Classic)

The third group consists of managers who store everything in a local on the devicewithout cloud synchronization or central infrastructure. KeePass in its most traditional form fits here.

The major advantage is clear: data is never uploaded to third-party servers, reducing the attack surface and eliminating the risk of a massive breach affecting millions of users. Each user controls their own data. encrypted file on your computer.

However, this approach has many drawbacks in modern environments. The organization cannot monitor or enforce policies, there is no native sharing features There is no easy synchronization between devices, and if a device is lost or fails without a backup, the user may lose access to all their credentials.

In companies with many employees, this model makes it almost impossible to achieve a operational control and centrally manage good security practices, which clashes with current needs for auditing, reporting, and incident response.

4. “Best of all worlds” approach: the Enpass case

In recent years, a fourth category has emerged that attempts to offer the advantages of SaaS and self-hosted, offline solutions while minimizing their drawbacks. In this model, the provider does not store the vaults but allows users to... are synchronized through services trusted by the user or the company, such as Microsoft 365 or other cloud providers already adopted internally.

Enpass is one of the clearest examples of this approach, which they themselves describe as decentralized password managerThe user or organization chooses where the encrypted file is actually stored: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or even only locally, without any cloud storage.

This model allows you to enjoy many typical SaaS advantages (apps on all platforms, easy deployment, centralized policies, advanced management features) without the The provider's servers never store the vaultsThis reduces the risk of massive breaches and facilitates compliance with privacy and data sovereignty regulations.

LastPass vs KeePass vs Enpass: radically different approaches

Once you understand the context, it becomes clearer why comparing EnPass, LastPass, and KeePass isn't just about seeing who has more icons in the feature list. Each one follows a... security, synchronization and data control model very different, with important implications for both individual users and businesses.

LastPass is in the group of cloud-based SaaS managers, KeePass belongs to the family of offline and self-managed solutionsEnpass, on the other hand, adopts that fourth hybrid approach where data is stored in environments chosen by the user, maintaining encryption and control without the need for its own servers.

Maturity of mobile applicationsUser experience, autocomplete capabilities, browser extensions, and professional management features are other areas where key differences between these solutions are apparent.

LastPass: SaaS power, polished experience, and concentrated risk

LastPass has been one of the leading names in the industry for years, especially among companies that prioritize ease of use, centralized administration and rapid deployment. Their proposal revolves around an encrypted vault hosted on their servers, accessible from almost any device and browser.

For the average user, the most striking feature is its simplicity: you install the app, create a strong master password, and from then on LastPass takes care of everything. capture new logins, generate complex passwords and autofill forms with a single click. It's one of the most well-rounded and user-friendly managers for those who want a hassle-free experience.

In addition to basic functions, LastPass offers tools highly valued by businesses and teams: customizable policies, advanced MFA options (YubiKey-type keys, biometrics, smart cards, etc.), integrations with solutions such as Microsoft Entra ID or Okta, and a catalog of applications with SSO to simplify access.

Another strength is its ability to manage credential sharing. It allows you to create folders with granular access controls, share passwords with coworkers or family members without exposing them in plain text and control who can see or modify each item.

In terms of proactive security, LastPass includes robust key generationpassword auditing, Dark Web detection alerts and options for one-time passwords, which adds additional layers of defense against unauthorized access.

Transparent synchronization Mobile features and autofill compatibility in apps allow users to have their keys available at any time, without the need for tricks or complex configurations.

The biggest criticism of LastPass has less to do with usability than with its data model. The fact that it's a cloud-based payment platform, with a history of high-profile security incidentsThis makes many users and companies wary of storing their vaults there, even if they are encrypted locally before being uploaded.

KeePass: power, open source, and a very manual approach

KeePass, for its part, has gained a reputation as a solution free and open source, highly valued by advanced users who want maximum control, local storage and the ability to audit the code.

By default, KeePass works like a classic password manager: it creates an encrypted database file that is stored on your device. You can copy it wherever you want, make your own manual backupsYou can even manually sync it with services like Google Drive or Dropbox, but the application itself does not force the use of the cloud.

This approach offers a high level of independence and technical flexibilityHowever, it has clear drawbacks. The interface is spartan, somewhat outdated compared to modern alternatives, and its user experience can be unintuitive, especially for those who aren't very tech-savvy.

Features that are integrated into LastPass or EnPass, such as advanced autofill, official browser extensions, or a unified mobile app, in KeePass usually depend on external add-ons or derivative projectsThis involves investing time in searching for, installing, configuring, and maintaining third-party plugins.

Even advanced multi-factor authentication often requires pulling integration with Windows Hello or other additional extensions: for time-based OTPs, integration with Windows Hello or hardware keys, you have to rely on external modules that are not always maintained by the main project team.

Another notable limitation is the absence of a official mobile appThere are forks and unofficial clients for Android and iOS, but again, this forces you to rely on different developers, with varying experiences and without a clear line of centralized support, something that at a corporate level is often a deciding factor.

In large organizations, the lack of a central system for administration, reporting, and centralized support This makes KeePass a complex tool to manage at scale, although it can still be practical for highly technical individual users or highly controlled environments.

Enpass: a decentralized approach and control over where the vaults are stored

Enpass starts from a different idea: to offer an experience as complete and convenient as the major SaaS managers, but without forcing you to depend on the provider's cloudThe vault is always encrypted, and the user decides whether to synchronize it or not, and on which service it is stored.

One of its key features is that it can operate entirely locally. That is, your The password database remains on your deviceWithout uploading to any external server, this is highly valued by those who prioritize extreme privacy. Even so, if you want to sync with your mobile device or other computers, you can link it to services like Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or business solutions such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.

This allows you to replicate the type of experience many users have with LastPass (editing a password on your PC and seeing it immediately on your mobile) but without the data ever passing through Enpass serversIn practice, your vaults are stored in an environment you already use and manage, which fits better with the security and compliance policies of many companies.

Enpass also stands out for its modern and user-friendly interface. The application allows you to organize a wide variety of information, not just usernames and passwords: bank cards, licenses, secure notes, identity documents, travel tickets and other sensitive data, with specific templates for each type.

In terms of pure functionality, it more than meets the expectations of a modern manager: password generator, security audit that detects weak, repeated, or potentially compromised passwords, autofill in browsers and apps, support for 2FA and biometrics, and compatibility with Passkeys.

The internal organization is very flexible. You can create multiple vaults to separate, for example, personal life and work, or different projects. You also have tags and categories to quickly filter hundreds of entries, which is very practical when handling a large volume of credentials.

For those coming from LastPass or 1Password, the switch to EnPass is usually smooth. The learning curve is short, and it feels like an equally mature tool, but with a higher degree of control over storage of the information. Many users highlight precisely the peace of mind that comes from knowing that their vault does not reside on an external server.

In the business sphere, Enpass Business leverages this decentralized approach: organizations can use Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace as a synchronization environment, keeping data within their corporate ecosystem. In return, they gain audit dashboards, security policies, password health monitoring, breach monitoring and the ability to force changes or revoke access without having to set up your own servers.

All this gives them a infrastructure cost More controlled: the visibility and management tools of a SaaS, but without the infrastructure cost of a self-hosted or the risk of a massive breach in the provider's cloud.

Comparing use cases: individual user vs. enterprise

For a particular user, the priority is usually the combination of comfort, safety and priceIn that scenario, LastPass shines for its simplicity, KeePass for its zero cost and local philosophy, and Enpass for offering a good balance between control, multi-platform compatibility, and usability.

If you already use Enpass and sync with Google Drive, as many do, in practice you have a very similar experience to LastPass, but with the difference that the vault is in your own Google account, not in the cloud of the manager's provider. Switching to KeePass could give you even more control, but at the cost of a much more hands-on experienceespecially on mobile phones and in everyday life.

In corporate environments, priorities change: here, governance, regulatory compliance, and the ability to implement take precedence. centralized policies and risk managementLastPass offers a very complete solution in that area, but with recurring doubts about data concentration and incident history.

Except in very specific and controlled deployments, KeePass often falls short for large organizations because it does not provide native administration tools or a mature synchronization and sharing model that allows safe teamwork without too many fixes.

Enpass is precisely targeting that intermediate gap: it provides companies with a range of enterprise-level functionalities (dashboards, reports, policies, adoption control, breach monitoring) without the provider having to host sensitive information, leveraging infrastructures that the company already uses such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.

In terms of cost, both LastPass and Enpass are in the range of business solutions with scalable plansWhile KeePass remains a license-free alternative, ideal when the budget is very limited, it comes at the cost of more technical effort and less convenience.

Ultimately, the choice between Enpass, LastPass, and KeePass revolves around how much weight you give to the usability, centralization, data sovereignty, and technical complexityUnderstanding these components allows you to make an informed choice about the manager that best suits your work style, whether you are an individual user with limited resources or you manage the security of an entire organization.

This entire ecosystem of options confirms that it's no longer just about saving passwords, but about finding a reasonable balance between daily practicalityCompliance, information control and real security, and in that area Enpass, LastPass and KeePass represent three very different ways of tackling exactly the same problem.