KeyNesta vs Ente Auth
Current as of 2 October 2026. Ente Auth rows checked against Ente's own product and community documentation.
Ente Auth is the closest thing here to a direct comparison: an authenticator with free end-to-end encrypted sync, built by a company whose main product is encrypted photo storage. It is a good app, and on the two things people ask about most — open source and platform coverage — it is ahead of us. It is also the only competitor on this site with a genuine web app.
Where it runs
| Where it runs | KeyNesta | Ente Auth |
|---|---|---|
| Codes in a web browser | Yes, the full app | Yes, at auth.ente.com |
| iPhone | No, built and in store review | Yes |
| Android | No, built and in store review | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | Yes, on macOS, Windows and Linux |
Your data
| Your data | KeyNesta | Ente Auth |
|---|---|---|
| Sync | Optional, zero-knowledge; the server holds ciphertext only | End-to-end encrypted across devices with an Ente account |
| Works offline | Yes, codes are generated on the device | Yes, including an offline mode with no account |
| Export | Plain standard file, any time | Plain or encrypted file, plus a command-line tool |
| Account needed | No account to start, no phone number ever | Ente account for sync, none for offline use |
| Open source | No | Yes, AGPL-3.0 |
Organization
| Organization | KeyNesta | Ente Auth |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Vaults, spaces, nested groups, tags | Tags, pinned favourites and notes |
| Folders that nest | Yes | No |
| Separate encrypted vaults | Yes | No |
Where Ente Auth is the better choice
If you want to read the code that holds your 2FA secrets, Ente Auth is open source and KeyNesta is not. That is a real difference and not one we are going to argue around. Ente also ships apps on every platform today, desktop included, while KeyNesta's phone apps are still in store review and there is no KeyNesta desktop app at all. And Ente Auth sits alongside a larger encrypted-storage product, which some people will want and others will not. Both are free.
Where KeyNesta is the better choice
At a few dozen codes, tags are enough. At a few hundred they are not. The whole of KeyNesta's design starts at the point where a flat list stops working: separate vaults with their own passphrase and master key for things that must be genuinely independent, coloured spaces inside a vault, groups that nest as deep as the structure actually goes, tags across the hierarchy, favourites, an archive and a 30-day trash. Search is ranked across the entry name, issuer, account name, tags and the full group path, and the structure itself syncs as objects, so it is the same on every device.
KeyNesta also handles non-default TOTP parameters — SHA-256 and SHA-512, six to eight digits, custom periods, and HOTP counters — which infrastructure accounts sometimes need. See the developer page for that.
Honest gaps: KeyNesta is not open source, has had no independent security audit, has no shared or team vaults, no browser extension and no desktop app. 2FA backup and sync explains how the sync and backup side works, and features lists what is shipped and what is not.
Sources
- Ente Auth — product page
- Ente — Auth community documentation
- Ente — monorepo
- KeyNesta — everything it does, and what it does not
Frequently asked questions
Is Ente Auth open source, and is KeyNesta?
Ente Auth is open source under AGPL-3.0. KeyNesta is not, and has had no independent security audit either. If auditable source is a requirement for you, Ente Auth meets it and KeyNesta does not.
What does KeyNesta do that Ente Auth does not?
Filing at depth. Ente Auth organizes codes with tags, pinning and notes; KeyNesta has separate encrypted vaults, coloured spaces, groups that nest, and tags across all of it, with ranked search over the full group path.
Both have a web app, so what is the difference there?
Mostly nothing — this is the one competitor where KeyNesta's browser advantage does not apply. Ente Auth runs at auth.ente.com and KeyNesta runs at app.keynesta.com, and both are the real app rather than a companion.
Try KeyNesta free. The web app needs no sign-up.
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