NordPass vs Proton Pass
NordPass and Proton Pass are the consumer password managers here with free plans. NordPass, from Nord Security, uses XChaCha20 and lists ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2 for its business product, but is closed source. Proton Pass, from Proton AG in Geneva, publishes all its apps' code and puts email aliases in the vault. Certifications favour NordPass; open code favours Proton.
Choose NordPass if
you want a vault from a provider that lists ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2, a data breach scanner, XChaCha20 encryption, and a team product with Entra ID and Okta integration.
Read the NordPass reviewChoose Proton Pass if
you want open-source apps anyone can inspect, hide-my-email aliases generated with each login, a free plan on unlimited devices, or you already use Proton Mail, Drive or VPN.
Read the Proton Pass reviewNordPass and Proton Pass side by side
| NordPass | Proton Pass | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Nord Security | Proton AG |
| Headquarters | Vilnius, Lithuania | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Founded | 2019 | 2023 |
| Jurisdiction | EU (Lithuania) | Switzerland (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| Where the data sits | Europe | Switzerland, Germany |
| Pricing | Free tier / from about €1.49/month (Premium) | Free tier / from about €1.99/month (Pass Plus) |
| Free tier or trial | Free tier | Free tier |
| Certifications and checks | Independently audited, zero-knowledge | Open source, independently audited |
| Source code | Closed source | Open source |
| Usually replaces | LastPass, 1Password, Dashlane | LastPass, 1Password, Dashlane |
| Position in our Password Managers guide | #2 of 9 | #1 of 9 |
Both are listed in our European Password Managers guide. The table is built from the same directory data as those entries; how we check it is described in the editorial process.
Where NordPass and Proton Pass differ
Across the five points below, NordPass has the edge on 1 point, Proton Pass on 2 points and 2 are a tie. A count like that is a summary, not a verdict: the point that matters to you may be the one the other product wins.
Open source and audits
Proton says all Proton Pass apps are open source and have been audited by independent experts, with reports public and a bug bounty running. NordPass says it undergoes regular independent third-party audits and runs a bug bounty, but its code is not published. An audit examines a snapshot; published code can be read by anyone at any time, which matters when the client holds the keys.
Edge: Proton Pass
Certifications for business buyers
NordPass's pricing page lists ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2 certification and a Cure53 assessment, and the Enterprise plan adds sign-in through Entra ID, ADFS and Okta plus Splunk and Sentinel integrations. Proton's Pass security page makes its case through open code, public audit reports and a bug bounty instead. For a procurement checklist, NordPass has more to tick.
Edge: NordPass
Free plans
Proton's free plan covers unlimited logins, notes and cards on unlimited devices, with 10 hide-my-email aliases and passkey support. NordPass Free keeps autosave, autofill and no cap on stored passwords, but its pricing table reserves password health, the breach scanner, the authenticator and file attachments for paid plans; a 30-day Premium trial is included. For free use across a phone and a laptop, Proton is ahead.
Edge: Proton Pass
Encryption
NordPass encrypts the vault on the device with XChaCha20-Poly1305 and derives the master key with Argon2id and a 16-byte salt; it presents itself as the only major manager using XChaCha20. Proton says usernames, passwords and all metadata are end-to-end encrypted so that Proton cannot read them. Both are zero-knowledge designs; the cipher choice is not what separates them in practice.
No clear winner on this point.
Jurisdiction
Proton Pass is operated by Proton AG, domiciled in Plan-les-Ouates near Geneva and governed by Swiss law; its main shareholder is the non-profit Proton Foundation. NordPass states it belongs to the Nord Security group. Switzerland sits outside the EU with an EU adequacy decision; a business that must document transfers should read each provider's current privacy terms.
No clear winner on this point.
When neither NordPass nor Proton Pass fits
Both are personal managers first. A company that wants a business-only product built in Europe for European data rules should look at Uniqkey, and an IT team that wants an open-source credential platform it can install on its own infrastructure should look at Passbolt.
NordPass vs Proton Pass: questions
Proton Pass. Its free plan runs on unlimited devices with unlimited logins and 10 hide-my-email aliases. NordPass Free stores unlimited passwords with autosave and autofill, but its pricing table lists password health, the breach scanner and the authenticator as paid features. NordPass Free includes a 30-day Premium trial.
No. NordPass uses XChaCha20-Poly1305 for the vault and Argon2id to derive the master key, and says it is the only major password manager using XChaCha20. Proton says all Proton Pass data, including metadata, is end-to-end encrypted. Both encrypt on your device before anything reaches their servers.
Yes. Proton states that all Proton Pass apps are open source and can be independently reviewed, that the service has been audited by independent third parties with reports published, and that a public bug bounty programme runs alongside. NordPass relies on independent audits and a bug bounty without publishing its code.
Yes. Proton's pricing page lists Emergency Access among the Pass Plus features, together with unlimited aliases, a built-in 2FA authenticator, vault and link sharing, dark web monitoring, file attachments and custom alias domains. Pass Family extends Pass Plus to six users with an admin panel.
Sources
Facts, prices and plan details on this page were checked on the vendors' own websites on . Prices and plans change; the vendor's current page is authoritative.
- NordPass pricing page: free versus Premium features, ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type 2, Cure53, Enterprise SSO and integrations (checked 30 September 2026)
- NordPass security page: XChaCha20-Poly1305, Argon2id, local encryption, third-party audits, bug bounty (checked 30 September 2026)
- NordPass password manager page: free plan with no limit on stored passwords (checked 30 September 2026)
- NordPass about page: part of the Nord Security group, independent audits (checked 30 September 2026)
- Proton Pass pricing page: free plan contents, Pass Plus features including Emergency Access, Pass Family (checked 30 September 2026)
- Proton Pass security page: open-source apps, independent audits, end-to-end encryption of metadata (checked 30 September 2026)
- Proton privacy policy: Proton AG, Plan-les-Ouates, Swiss law (checked 30 September 2026)
- Proton about page: Proton Foundation as primary shareholder, founded 2014 (checked 30 September 2026)
- Uniqkey home page: business password manager based in Europe (checked 30 September 2026)
- Passbolt home page: open-source credential platform for IT teams (checked 30 September 2026)