Better Auth vs Proton Pass

Better Auth is an open-source authentication and authorization library for TypeScript, distributed under the MIT license. Instead of sending users to a hosted identity service, it runs inside your own backend and stores users, sessions and accounts in your own database through adapters for Drizzle, Prisma, Kysely, MongoDB and plain SQL drivers. It is framework-agnostic, with integrations for Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Astro, Hono, Express and others, and typed clients for React, Vue, Svelte, Solid and vanilla JavaScript.

The core covers email and password, social OAuth providers and session management; a plugin system adds two-factor authentication, passkeys, magic links, email OTP, username login, organizations with teams and roles, admin tools, multi-session, API keys, JWT, an OIDC provider and more. A CLI generates the schema and migrations each plugin needs. The library is free with no per-user pricing; an optional managed service (free Starter, $20/month Pro) adds a dashboard.

Better Auth suits TypeScript teams that want control over user data and login flows without writing auth from scratch. The trade-off is responsibility: you handle hosting, security updates and email delivery, and the core ships no prebuilt UI components. Clerk and Auth0 provide hosted UI, dashboards and enterprise SSO for a per-user fee; Supabase Auth is convenient if you already use Supabase; Auth.js (NextAuth) is the older open-source option with fewer built-in features.

The project grew quickly in 2024 and 2025 as Lucia was deprecated.

Proton Pass is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted password manager made by Proton, the Geneva-based company behind Proton Mail, Proton VPN and Proton Drive. Launched in 2023, it applies Proton's privacy-first approach to credentials: data is encrypted on your device, the code is open source and independently audited, and the company operates under Swiss privacy law.

Pass stores passwords, passkeys, credit cards, secure notes and identity details, with apps for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux and browser extensions for autofill. Its standout feature is hide-my-email aliases, inherited from Proton's 2022 acquisition of SimpleLogin: when you sign up for a website, Pass can create a unique email alias that forwards to your real inbox, so leaks and spam can be cut off per service. Paid plans add unlimited aliases, a built-in two-factor authenticator, vault sharing and monitoring for weak or breached passwords, and Proton Pass for Business adds team vaults, policies and admin controls. The free plan is generous, with unlimited logins and devices and a limited number of aliases, and Pass is also included in Proton's bundles such as Proton Unlimited.

Proton Pass suits privacy-conscious individuals, existing Proton users and small teams who want encryption and email privacy in one tool. It is younger than its rivals, so enterprise integrations, SSO provisioning and some autofill edge cases are less mature. Bitwarden is the open-source alternative with the longest track record and self-hosting, 1Password leads for polished team and enterprise features.