CredenShare vs Proton Pass
Proton Pass is a private, open-source password manager with secure links on its paid plans. CredenShare covers the handoffs those links aren't built for.
The short answer
- Keep Proton Pass to store your passwords, aliases and passkeys privately, and to share inside Proton.
- Proton Pass secure links (paid plans) share an item with anyone, end-to-end encrypted, for up to 30 days with an optional view limit.
- Add CredenShare for an access log of who opened a link, longer or first-open windows, Secure Requests to collect credentials, and Slack, browser, API and MCP workflows.
Who this page is for: Proton Pass users who exchange credentials with people outside Proton.
What problem does each tool solve?
Proton Pass is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted password manager in the Proton privacy suite, with hide-my-email aliases, vault sharing between Proton accounts, and business plans with SSO, SCIM and activity logs.
CredenShare is built for the handoff: sending a credential to someone outside through an encrypted link that expires, recording every view, and collecting credentials through Secure Requests.
How do Proton Pass secure links work?
On Proton's pages, secure links are available on paid plans. On the free plan you can share only with other Proton Pass users.
- Share an item with anyone, "even if they don't use Proton Pass".
- 7 days by default, 30 days at most, with an optional view limit.
- End-to-end encrypted on your device, with the key in the link, and you can remove a link.
That covers many outside shares well. What we didn't find: a per-link record of who opened it, a way to request a credential from someone, or a clock that starts at the first open.
What does CredenShare add?
Collecting credentials from outside
Secure Requests (Business and Enterprise) send someone a form with the fields you choose. Their browser encrypts each answer to a key belonging to the request before it's sent. You can require them to sign in with two-factor authentication, and reuse field templates.
A record of every handoff
Each CredenShare share logs the time and IP address of every view, kept for 3 to 180 days depending on the plan (not on Free). Proton Pass Professional has activity logs for your organization; CredenShare logs what happened to each link after it left.
Links on the recipient's schedule
Expiry from 1 hour to 3 months, optionally counted from the first open, with view limits, passcodes (Solo and above, with a failed-attempt limit), required sign-in, and IP allowlists (Business and Enterprise).
Where your team already works
A Slack app (Plus and above), a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox, and a REST API, SDKs for Node, Python, Go and Rust, an MCP server for AI agents, and webhooks (Business and Enterprise). None of this replaces Proton Pass: it sits at the edge of it.
CredenShare and Proton Pass side by side
| CredenShare | Proton Pass | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Sending and collecting credentials through expiring encrypted links | Private password management with aliases |
| Everyday password storage | No | Yes |
| Share with someone without an account | Yes, on every plan | Secure links on paid plans |
| Link lifetime | 1 hour to 3 months, optionally from the first open | 7 days by default, up to 30 days |
| View limit | Yes | Yes, optional |
| Access log per share | Views, times and IP addresses, 3–180 days by plan | Not described per link |
| Collect a credential from outside | Secure Requests (Business and Enterprise) | Not found on its pages |
| Email aliases | No | Yes |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Price | Free plan; paid from $9.99/month | Pass Plus $2.99/month; business from $1.99/user/month (billed yearly) |
Proton Pass details checked on October 23, 2026 against its own pages; see the sources below.
What can each company's servers see?
Proton Pass encrypts every item with AES-256-GCM under per-vault and per-item keys, protects your user key with a bcrypt hash of your password, and signs you in with SRP: "Proton Pass is an end-to-end encrypted password manager." Secure links are encrypted on your device.
CredenShare: Shares made in the web app, through the API or with the SDKs are encrypted in your browser or client with AES-256-GCM, using a key made for that share alone; the key travels in the part of the link after the
#, which browsers don't send to servers. Shares created from Slack are the exception: they're encrypted on our servers. Secure Request answers are encrypted in the submitter's browser.
Which tool should you use for each handoff?
| Situation | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A colleague with Proton Pass needs a vault | Proton Pass | Vault sharing between Proton accounts. |
| A quick share to someone outside, within a month | Proton Pass secure link | End-to-end encrypted, view limit, up to 30 days. |
| You need to know when a vendor opened it, and from where | CredenShare | Access log with time and IP. |
| A client must send you their hosting login | CredenShare | A Secure Request. |
| Your team shares from Slack or code | CredenShare | Slack app, REST API, SDKs, MCP server. |
How do teams use Proton Pass and CredenShare together?
- Store credentials and aliases in Proton Pass.
- Use secure links for quick outside shares within 30 days.
- Use CredenShare when you need an access log, a first-open clock, a passcode, or a Slack or API workflow.
- Use a Secure Request to collect a credential, then save it into Proton Pass.
What does it cost to use both?
On Proton's published prices (billed yearly), Pass Professional for 10 users is 10 × $4.49 = $44.90 a month, and Pass Essentials 10 × $1.99 = $19.90, each with a 3-user minimum.
CredenShare: Free covers 3 shares a day. Plus ($49.99 a month, or $499.99 a year) includes 5 seats, teams and Slack. Business ($99.99 a month, or $999.99 a year) adds Secure Requests, the API and IP allowlists. See pricing. Only people who create shares and requests need a seat.
When is Proton Pass alone enough?
- Your outside shares fit within 30 days, and you don't need to know who opened them.
- You never collect credentials from people outside.
- Your handoffs don't happen in Slack or scripts.
Before you share a credential: a checklist
These apply whichever tool you use.
- Send the link and the passcode through different channels. For example, the link by email and the passcode by text message.
- Watch out for link scanners. Some email security filters and chat apps open links automatically, which can use up a one-view link. Send the link as plain text through a channel that doesn't pre-open links, or allow a second view with a short expiry.
- Don't open the link to test it. On a one-view link, your test is the view.
- Pick the shortest expiry that works. If you don't know when the recipient will act, a link that starts counting at the first open is safer than a long fixed window.
- Rotate after the handoff when you can. The link expires, but the credential is still valid.
- Keep the original in your password manager. A sharing link is a delivery method, not storage.
Verdict
Proton Pass is a strong, private home for your credentials, and its secure links cover many outside shares. CredenShare adds the record, the request and the integrations around the handoff. Use them together.
Related: Bitwarden vs Proton Pass · CredenShare vs Bitwarden · All comparisons
Sources (checked October 23, 2026):
- Proton Pass: secure links, security model, pricing, business pricing, audit
- CredenShare: encryption, plans and limits
Proton Pass is a trademark of its owner. CredenShare is not affiliated with it.
Frequently asked questions
Private by design, in both directions
Start on the Free plan, or compare plans to add access logs, Slack and Secure Requests.