Hi guys, Julie from Passbolt today. I have amazing news for you: the mobile app is finally there! I know, it's amazing, and it's there for iOS, Android, the free plans, the paid plans. It's like a Christmas gift, but at the beginning of the new year. Let's check it out.
Passbolt is an open-source password manager designed primarily for team collaboration, focusing on security and ease of use. It utilizes end-to-end encryption with individual PGP keys, ensuring that only you and the people you share with can access your passwords. Whether you choose the self-hosted Community Edition or the convenient Cloud plans, Passbolt aims to make secure password sharing simple for everyone.
Getting Started with the Mobile App
Before we dive into the features, let's first get the app. If you're using an iPhone, go to the App Store; for Android users, head to the Google Play Store. Simply enter "Passbolt," and you'll be prompted with the Passbolt Password Manager app. Download it.
Once it's downloaded, open the app and select "I have an existing account." For more convenience, it helps to have your existing account already open in your browser. You'll be prompted to go to your user settings within the web application. Navigate to Settings and then to the Mobile Setup section. The idea here is to transfer your existing account securely to your mobile phone.
Enter your Passbolt password again in the browser. Allow your mobile phone to use the camera. We use a set of QR codes to securely transfer the private key related to your user account to the mobile device. Passbolt is based on end-to-end public key cryptography, and a unique PGP private key is associated with each user account. Scan the codes, and voila, this is done!
Alright, focusing now on the mobile app alone. To access your account, you have to enter your passphrase again. But you know what? This is the only time you will have to enter your passphrase because, yes, we can use biometrics! So, yes, allow Face ID (or fingerprint unlock), and there you go. Here you have access to all your passwords.
Exploring the App's Capabilities
Before we get started exploring fully, let's do something that makes life a little bit easier: enabling the autofill of passwords. To do this, go to the app's Settings and then check the AutoFill option. You'll be guided to the settings of your phone. There, you simply authorize Passbolt for autofill.
The cool thing is that the app comes with a dark theme or a light theme, and it simply follows the default setting that you have set in your phone. So, if you're using the dark theme because you really love it, the app will be dark. But if you want to switch to the light theme, simply go to the settings in your phone, switch to light, and it's changing the app. Wow, isn't that great?
Now, let's see what the app can really do. Select an existing password. You can copy the username, you can see the password, but you can also edit it. Thanks to the three-dot menu on the top right, you can change the name, the username, the URL, or even the password itself, thanks to the built-in generator. Once you're happy with the password generated, simply save it.
Let's just say you want to create a password directly from your mobile. Hit the create button, give it a name, set a URL, a username, set a new password using the generator or your own, and when everything is ready, save it. The cool thing is that any action taken via the mobile app will be reflected instantly inside your web workspace. If you check your interface inside the browser, you can see the new password that you created.
If you created a password you no longer need (maybe it was kind of a stupid password!), just access the three-dot menu on the top right and simply hit the delete button.
If you have a lot of passwords and have difficulties finding the one you need, simply use the search function.
As mentioned earlier, you can enable autofill. Autofill works with the apps that you have installed on your mobile and for which you have existing credentials inside Passbolt. This also works if you want to connect to an existing account using a browser on your phone. To prompt autofill, click on the field, and when the keyboard appears, click on "Passwords" and select the Passbolt entry that is prompted at the top. No need to remember any password anymore! How cool is that?
Key Features
- ✅ End-to-end Encryption (PGP based)
- ✅ Open Source Platform
- ✅ Collaboration Focused (Secure Sharing)
- ✅ Self-Hosting Option Available
- ✅ Cloud Hosting Option Available
- ✅ Browser Extensions (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave)
- ✅ Mobile Apps (iOS & Android)
- ✅ Autofill Functionality
- ✅ Secure Password Generator
- ✅ Biometric Unlock (Mobile)
- ✅ Role-Based Access Control
- ✅ Audit Logs
Pros and Cons
Pros
- ✅ Strong focus on security with PGP encryption.
- ✅ Open-source and auditable code.
- ✅ Excellent for team collaboration and secure sharing.
- ✅ Flexible deployment (Self-hosted or Cloud).
- ✅ Free Community Edition for smaller teams or personal use.
- ✅ Intuitive mobile app with essential features.
- ✅ Responsive development team.
Cons
- ❌ Self-hosting requires technical expertise to set up and maintain.
- ❌ User interface might feel less polished than some commercial competitors for some users.
- ❌ Feature set might be less extensive than some large premium password managers in specific areas (e.g., digital legacy).
Availability and Pricing
Passbolt is available for download from the official website and respective app stores. You can get started with the free Community Edition (self-hosted) or choose from various paid plans like Passbolt Cloud, Business, or Enterprise, depending on your needs and team size. The mobile app works seamlessly with all versions.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find Passbolt useful. Now it's your turn to give it a try! Please let us know what you think.
