Most modern password managers have quietly turned into online services where you create an account, login, and your vault synchronizes through someone else’s infrastructure. It’s certainly very convenient, there’s no denying that, but I wanted something simpler. A password manager that works even when my internet doesn’t, or one that I can have in a portable form factor, so setting up my accounts on new devices or fresh installs doesn’t require the same song and dance with Bitwarden every time. KeePassXC turned out to be the perfect open-source replacement, allowing for an offline encrypted vault that I control at all times.