Alternatives to rbw

An unofficial command-line Bitwarden client that keeps keys in a background agent. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as rbw.

  • Bitwarden

    An open-source password manager with free cross-device sync, apps for every platform and optional paid plans.

    FreemiumOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOSWebBrowser extensionCommand lineSelf-hosted

    Bitwarden's official CLI and other clients are supported by Bitwarden itself, but lack rbw's background agent, so scripting involves manual lock and unlock steps.

  • Keyguard

    A third-party client for Bitwarden and KeePass files with autofill, passkeys, offline access and a watchtower.

    FreemiumProprietaryAndroid

    Keyguard is a third-party Android client for Bitwarden accounts and KeePass files with autofill and offline editing, rather than a terminal tool.

  • gopass

    Team-oriented password store built on GPG and Git.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    gopass is an open-source MIT command-line store using GPG and Git instead of a Bitwarden account, with multiple stores and built-in secret health checks.

  • pass

    The standard Unix password manager: one GPG-encrypted file per secret.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOSLinuxCommand line

    pass is an open-source command-line manager storing one GPG-encrypted file per secret with Git history, replacing a Bitwarden account with GPG key management.

  • prs

    A command-line password manager that stores secrets with GPG and syncs them between machines using Git.

    FreeOpen sourceCommand line

    prs is a GPL-3.0 command-line manager with GPG storage and automatic Git sync, compatible with pass stores instead of a Bitwarden vault.

  • passage

    A command-line fork of pass that encrypts the password store with age instead of GnuPG.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOSLinuxCommand line

    passage is an open-source command-line fork of pass that encrypts with age instead of GnuPG, with no account needed but manual setup.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.