What AI assistants actually recommend when buyers ask about open-source personal password managers — measured on a rolling 4-week window across 3 engines, published as open data.
Updated 2026-09-18 · 21 sampled answers · rolling 4-week window · methodology
Rankings are measured from sampled AI answers — never editorial, never paid. Orbator builds AI-visibility tooling; when Orbator itself appears in any category, it is measured by the same rules as everyone else.
Measured by Orbatormethodology owner Henrik Tellewindow ends Sep 18, 2026
Sample: 21 AI answers · Window: Aug 21, 2026 – Sep 18, 2026 (4-week rolling) · trend vs prior 4 weeks (97 answers)
Samples by engine: GEMINI 7 (last run Sep 8, 2026) · CHATGPT 7 (last run Sep 8, 2026) · PERPLEXITY 7 (last run Sep 8, 2026) · GROK 0 (last run Aug 20, 2026 — stalest) · CLAUDE 0 (last run Aug 21, 2026)
How these numbers are made: sampling design · prompt provenance · what counts as a mention · what we cannot see
On the record: This ranking is frozen as a dated snapshot every day. View this category's history to see what entered and left the ranking and when, or read what the engines actually said on a given day.
Across 21 sampled AI answers from 3 engines, Vaultwarden is recommended most often — appearing in 81% of recommendations, followed by Bitwarden (81%) and KeePassXC (71.4%).
This is a measurement of share of voice across 3 AI engines — not an editorial pick. See the full ranking below.
Orbator asked Gemini, ChatGPT and Perplexity buyer questions about open-source personal password managers and sampled 21 answers between Aug 21, 2026 and Sep 18, 2026. Recommendation share counts the answers that recommended or listed a product, so a passing mention or a warning adds nothing to it. A category publishes once it holds at least 20 independently sampled answers in the window. Read the full methodology or download this ranking as CSV.
Buyers in this window asked seven prompts, mostly about self-hosting a vault for one person and syncing it across desktop and mobile. The two largest intents are best_in_category and recommendation, at 18 runs each. Bitwarden and Vaultwarden each led best_in_category with 100% of 18 runs. KeePassXC led the recommendation intent at 94.4% of 18 runs, and also led comparison at 66.7% of 9 runs. Bitwarden led problem_solving at 100% of 9 runs and alternatives at 100% of 8 runs.
Two products over-index on the setup prompt about a Raspberry Pi or VPS, Docker and Raspberry Pi, each recommended in 100% of those 9 runs. Docker lists Pro pricing of $11 a month, $9 a year, with a free tier available, last verified 2026-09-05. No other product in the top five carries a pricing fact.
| # | Product | Share | Trend | Engines | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vaultwarden.net | 81% 95% CI 60–92.3% 17 mentions · avg pos 1.7 first pick 58.8% | — | GEMINI 85.7%CHATGPT 71.4%PERPLEXITY 85.7% | Claim |
| 2 | bitwarden.com | 81% 95% CI 60–92.3% 17 mentions · avg pos 3.2 first pick 35.3% | — | GEMINI 71.4%CHATGPT 85.7%PERPLEXITY 85.7% | Claim |
| 3 | keepassxc.org | 71.4% 95% CI 50–86.2% 15 mentions · avg pos 4.2 first pick 20% | — | GEMINI 71.4%CHATGPT 71.4%PERPLEXITY 71.4% | Claim |
| 4 | docker.com | 42.9% 95% CI 24.5–63.5% 9 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 22.2% | — | GEMINI 42.9%CHATGPT 57.1%PERPLEXITY 28.6% | Claim |
| 5 | keepass.info | 33.3% 95% CI 17.2–54.6% 7 mentions · avg pos 5.1 first pick 14.3% | — | GEMINI 57.1%CHATGPT 28.6%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 6 | passbolt.com | 28.6% 95% CI 13.8–50% 6 mentions · avg pos 8.3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 42.9%CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 28.6% | Claim |
| 7 | raspberrypi.com | 23.8% 95% CI 10.6–45.1% 5 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 40% | — | GEMINI 28.6%CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 28.6% | Claim |
| 8 | syncthing.net | 23.8% 95% CI 10.6–45.1% 5 mentions · avg pos 5.8 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 28.6%CHATGPT 28.6%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 9 | psono.com | 23.8% 95% CI 10.6–45.1% 5 mentions · avg pos 11.3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 28.6%CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 28.6% | Claim |
| 10 | caddyserver.com | 14.3% 95% CI 5–34.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 7 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 11 | 1password.com | 9.5% 95% CI 2.7–28.9% 2 mentions · avg pos 1 first pick 50% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 12 | lastpass.com | 9.5% 95% CI 2.7–28.9% 2 mentions · avg pos 1 first pick 50% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 13 | git.zx2c4.com | 9.5% 95% CI 2.7–28.9% 2 mentions · avg pos 3.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 14 | proton.me | 9.5% 95% CI 2.7–28.9% 2 mentions · avg pos 3.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 15 | Raspberry Pi OS | 9.5% 95% CI 2.7–28.9% 2 mentions · avg pos 3.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 16 | padloc.app | 9.5% 95% CI 2.7–28.9% 2 mentions · avg pos 6.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 17 | nextcloud.com | 9.5% 95% CI 2.7–28.9% 2 mentions · avg pos 7.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 18 | nginx.org | 9.5% 95% CI 2.7–28.9% 2 mentions · avg pos 8 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 19 | KeePassDX | 9.5% 95% CI 2.7–28.9% 2 mentions · avg pos 11 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 28.6% | Claim |
| 20 | pwsafe.org | 4.8% 95% CI 0.8–22.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 2 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3% | Claim |
| 21 | ubuntu.com | 4.8% 95% CI 0.8–22.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3% | Claim |
| 22 | WebDAV | 4.8% 95% CI 0.8–22.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 23 | letsencrypt.org | 4.8% 95% CI 0.8–22.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 6 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3% | Claim |
| 24 | lesspass.com | 4.8% 95% CI 0.8–22.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 8 first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 25 | NGINX Proxy Manager | 4.8% 95% CI 0.8–22.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 10 first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 26 | Strongbox | 4.8% 95% CI 0.8–22.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 13 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3% | Claim |
| 27 | UFW | 4.8% 95% CI 0.8–22.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 13 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3% | Claim |
| 28 | hashicorp.com | 4.8% 95% CI 0.8–22.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 16 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3% | Claim |
| 29 | HashiCorp Vault | 4.8% 95% CI 0.8–22.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 16 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3% | Claim |
| 30 | Infisical | 4.8% 95% CI 0.8–22.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 21 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3% | Claim |
| 31 | Fail2ban | 4.8% 95% CI 0.8–22.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 44 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3% | Claim |
Reading the numbers: Share is a point estimate on 21 sampled answers, so each row also shows its 95% CI — the Wilson score interval around that share. When two products' intervals overlap, the gap between them isn't statistically meaningful at this sample size. First pick is the share of a product's recommending answers where it was named first, which separates “always mentioned” from “usually the top recommendation”. Full methodology.
Independence: Orbator customers are badged for disclosure. Customer status does not affect prompts, sampling, extraction, or ranking — see the methodology. Your product on this list? Claim it to see the prompts behind your rank and track it weekly.
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Head-to-head pages for products ranked in Open-source personal password managers. Each one sets out sourced facts side by side, plus which product AI assistants recommend more, engine by engine.
Bitwarden ranks first, recommended in 85.5% of 62 sampled answers in the 4-week window to 2026-09-05, and recommended in 100% of the 9 runs on the prompt about the best open-source password manager for personal use that can be self-hosted. The mention breakdown splits 44 recommended against 9 listed, with 5 in context and 1 warned against. Gemini recommended it in 92.3% of its 13 answers, ChatGPT in 78.6% of its 14.
Vaultwarden ranks second at 82.3% of 62 answers, and shares the same lead prompt, recommended in 100% of those 9 runs. Its breakdown is 45 recommended against 6 listed, with 5 in context. Claude, Grok and Perplexity each sat at 85.7%, on 14, 7 and 14 answers, and ChatGPT was lowest at 71.4% of its 14 answers.
KeePassXC ranks third at 71% of 62 answers, recommended in 100% of the 9 runs on the prompt about a self-hosted personal vault for storing passwords and secrets securely. The split is 36 recommended against 8 listed, with 7 in context and 1 warned against. Grok recommended it in 85.7% of its 7 answers, Claude in 57.1% of its 14.
Docker ranks fourth at 46.8% of 62 answers, and was recommended in 100% of the 9 runs on the setup prompt about a Raspberry Pi or VPS. That is a narrow prompt, so it is not a vault choice for a buyer who does not intend to run a container. The breakdown is 16 recommended against 13 listed, with 9 in context. Grok recommended it in 71.4% of its 7 answers, Perplexity in 28.6% of its 14. Pro pricing is $11 a month, $9 a year, with a free tier available, last verified 2026-09-05.
Raspberry Pi ranks fifth at 33.9% of 62 answers, also recommended in 100% of the 9 runs on the same setup prompt, so it sits outside the shortlist for anyone not hosting on their own hardware. Its split is 17 recommended against 4 listed, with 8 in context. Grok recommended it in 71.4% of its 7 answers, ChatGPT in 14.3% of its 14.
All five engines recommended the same product most among the top five. Claude, on 14 answers, led with Bitwarden. Gemini, on 13 answers, led with Bitwarden. Grok, on 7 answers, led with Bitwarden. ChatGPT, on 14 answers, led with Bitwarden. Perplexity, on 14 answers, led with Bitwarden. No engine put a different name at the top this window.
The widest gap between engines belongs to Raspberry Pi. ChatGPT recommended it in 14.3% of its 14 answers and Grok in 71.4% of its 7 answers, a spread of 57.1 points. Grok also sits at the high end for Docker at 71.4% of its 7 answers, against Perplexity at 28.6% of its 14. Agreement is tightest on Vaultwarden, where three engines land on 85.7%.
This is the first measured window on record for open-source personal password managers. It runs 2026-08-08 to 2026-09-05, 28 days, and covers 62 sampled answers across 5 engines. There is no prior window to compare against, so no entries, exits or share moves are reported yet.
Bitwarden leads it now, recommended in 85.5% of 62 answers, first in the answer in 25 runs. Vaultwarden follows at 82.3% of 62 answers, first in 22 runs. KeePassXC sits third at 71% of 62 answers. Docker and Raspberry Pi round out the top five at 46.8% and 33.9% of the same 62 answers. 52 products were ranked in total. The next window will show which of these shares hold.
Every number on this page is measured from sampled answers, and those answers are kept. The archive holds dated excerpts of what each engine answered, never full answers. Read the answer archive for open-source personal password managers to see the excerpts by date and engine, or view the ranking history to see what entered and left this ranking and when.
Across 21 sampled AI answers from 3 engines (Aug 21, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026), Vaultwarden is recommended most often for open-source personal password managers, appearing in 81% of recommendations, followed by Bitwarden (81%). This is a measurement of what AI assistants recommend, not an editorial verdict.
ChatGPT recommends Bitwarden most often for open-source personal password managers. It appears as a recommendation in 85.7% of ChatGPT's sampled answers in this window (Aug 21, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026). Other engines answer differently. The per-engine breakdown in the ranking shows each one.
Orbator samples AI answers to buyer questions across 3 engines and counts how often each product is recommended. No product pays for placement. The open-source personal password managers ranking is based on 21 answers in the current 4-week window (Aug 21, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026). Full methodology is published at https://www.orbator.io/ai-index/methodology.
Verified facts for the most-recommended products — each sourced and dated. No editorial scoring, just the data side by side.
| Dockerdocker.com | Nextcloudnextcloud.com | Ubuntuubuntu.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Pro: $11 a month, $9 a year (free tier available) ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | — | — |
| Features | Docker Hardened Images ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Whiteboard ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Secure boot ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 |
| Platforms | Windows ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Android ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | API ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 |
| Integrations | — | Microsoft Exchange ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | IBM ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 |
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