Buddy is a fast desktop password manager that keeps your encrypted vault on your computer. No account. No subscription. $49 once.
30 days · Full version · No credit card · Desktop-only today
Vault stays local
No hosted copy exists
$49 once
No recurring bill
Open where it matters
Crypto, format & recovery
Signed releases
Notarized Mac & signed Windows builds
The architecture is the feature
Cloud password managers can be built securely. They also have to hold millions of encrypted vaults, operate account recovery, and keep a sync service online forever. Buddy chooses a simpler boundary: your vault file stays with you.
Read the security modelBuddy has no database of customer vaults to breach, subpoena, sell, or accidentally expose. The app encrypts each entry before it is written to your own disk.
Open Buddy, enter your master password, and get to work. Your purchased license is verified separately from your vault and is not needed to decrypt it.
Choose any local folder. If that folder is already synced by iCloud Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or another tool, only the encrypted backup goes with it. Buddy never receives a copy.
Export at any time. The published vault specification and break-glass tool mean access does not depend on our company, our app, or our continued existence.
Daily use, not a feature checklist
A Rust core and the operating system's built-in webview keep the app responsive without shipping a second browser engine.
01 · Browser autofill
In final testingChrome and Firefox connect through the operating system's native messaging channel, with the Chrome build covering Edge, Brave and Arc too. The extension receives a credential only for the fill you approve, and never holds your vault. See where it stands.
02 · Generate
Generate random passwords or memorable passphrases, with entropy shown before you use one.
03 · Find
Titles, tags, URLs, and field values narrow instantly, even in a vault with hundreds of entries.
Take the full product tour →Don't take “trust us” for an answer
Buddy's desktop interface remains commercial software. The cryptography, the vault format, and the independent recovery path are public, so the security claims can be inspected and your data can outlive the product.
Explore the open-source projectsArgon2id, XChaCha20-Poly1305, HKDF key separation, and zeroization, with no UI, licensing, or networking attached.
The byte layout, KDF parameters, key hierarchy, compatibility rules, and test vectors.
A standalone command-line tool that decrypts and exports a Buddy vault without the desktop app.
Switching
Import from 1Password, Bitwarden, LastPass, Dashlane, Keeper, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or a generic CSV. Preview every change before Buddy writes it.
Use its standard export. Buddy recognizes the format automatically, including 1Password's richer 1PUX files. What transfers from 1Password.
The format is detected automatically. Preview changes before they're committed. Logins, two-factor secrets, and notes land in the right fields.
Keep both apps while you check the result. When you're comfortable, cancel the recurring plan. If you ever leave Buddy, export is one click.
Actual import flow. Demo credentials only.
A deliberately narrower product
We would rather tell you before the download than hide the tradeoffs in an FAQ.
Choose Buddy if
Choose something else if
Pricing
Subscription managers charge $36 to $60 a year, every year.
Buddy is $49 once, with a 7-day money-back guarantee.
Trial
Free
30 days, full access
Download BuddyPerpetual license
$49
One-time payment
Buy nowFor comparison, 1Password Individual cost $4.99 on its monthly plan in August 2026. At that rate, Buddy pays for itself in under ten months.
Built by someone you can reach
“A password manager should be boring in the best way: fast, understandable, and paid for once.”
Robert · Founder & developer
Robert has spent 15 years building production software. He built Buddy as the password manager he wanted to use, and develops and supports it himself.
FAQ
Yes. Buddy is $49 once. No subscription, no recurring payments. You'll receive a license key voucher you can redeem on a generous number of your own devices; if you ever run out of room, just ask and we'll raise it. This pricing model works for us because we don't have a large cloud compute bill to pay every month.
Your purchase includes support and updates for the current major version. Future major upgrades, if released, are optional.
No. If you decide to purchase Buddy, we'll need your email address for order processing, but creating an account is optional. You only need a valid license key to activate each installation of Buddy. No sign-in required.
Version 2.x isn't officially even on the roadmap yet. We're primarily interested in supporting and improving 1.x for the time being.
Your vault is still yours.
Buddy stores your passwords locally, not on a company server, and doesn't require an internet connection for ongoing use. License keys are opaque cryptographic tokens that are validated offline. You can export your data at any time. The vault format is publicly documented, and the open-source break-glass tool can decrypt and export a vault independently of the Buddy desktop app.
Not completely. Buddy is commercial desktop software. Its Rust cryptography core, versioned vault specification, and standalone break-glass recovery tool are open source. The desktop interface, updater, and licensing implementation remain closed. See the exact boundary and repositories.
Not yet. We publish the security model, exact cryptographic parameters, source for the security-sensitive core, and compatibility test vectors so the implementation can be inspected, but none of that is a substitute for a qualified independent audit. The audit report will be published when one is completed.
Buddy has no server-side reset or recovery path for a forgotten master password.
If Touch ID or Windows Hello is already configured on a device, the operating system may still let Buddy unlock there. Without the master password or an available biometric unlock, neither we nor anyone else can decrypt the vault. We recommend keeping the master password somewhere safe.
Yes. Buddy imports from 1Password, LastPass, Bitwarden, Dashlane, Keeper, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or a plain CSV, with the format detected for you, so you can switch without starting over.
Buddy runs on macOS and Windows. Browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox are in final testing and are not published to the stores yet; they arrive as a free update. There are no mobile apps, and none are in development today.
Feel free to contact us! Support goes directly to the people building Buddy. No chatbot maze, no outsourced ticket system.
Try Buddy free for 30 days. No credit card, no account, no catch.
Download BuddymacOS & Windows · 30-day trial · Every feature included