# iCloud Keychain 48 Hacker News commenters recommended iCloud Keychain and 44 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 11 of 13 months. **Verdict:** Recommended as a built-in, end-to-end encrypted password and passkey store that syncs across Apple devices. Main caveat: it works best only within the Apple ecosystem. ## Why people recommend it - Syncs seamlessly across Apple devices (7 comments): "My passkey is synched with iCloud which has all hardened settings set to on, so if I switch devices (I have) its seamlessly." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49563967)) "I think the iCloud password manager also works pretty well, provided you're using Apple products." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49787612)) "it will ask you to put it in your iCloud Keychain. Boom, now it is available across all of those" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49008065)) - End-to-end encrypted, Apple cannot read (5 comments): "Apple does do end-to-end encryption by default on other critical information that would be painful to lose, such as your account passwords stored in Keychain." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46839543)) "having read through the white paper of how iCloud Keychain works I personally trust iCloud Keychain/Passwords about as much as I trust 1Password" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50052187)) "Apple has that figured out. Your keys can be stored in your cloud synced keychain but only you can decrypt that keychain." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46744248)) - Built into OS, no extra software (4 comments): "for macOS specifically, the system keychain is a cleaner option than KeePassXC for this workflow" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47518063)) "If you're in the Apple ecosystem, password and passkey management via iCloud is included." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47140259)) "over a first party password manager with a CLI that comes with the OS" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47877225)) - Works well for most people (3 comments): "Isn't a perfect solution but, again, is pretty good for most people." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46303568)) "It Just Works™... until you don't want to take the default option." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47579286)) "it's a fantastic solution for the vast majority of the population" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46304059)) ## What people warn about - Works only within Apple ecosystem (3 comments): "The apple ecosystem has really good syncing between devices but only when they share an iCloud account." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50089279)) "the provider (Apple in this case) has full control over who you are allowed to export your keys to" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47204333)) "Don’t lock yourself in apple ecosystem especially in such important thing as password management." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47141197)) - Apple API enables app tracking (5 comments): "Apple has allowed Facebook, TikTok etc. to track users across devices AND device resets via the iCloud Keychain API." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47333963)) "Just like their iCloud Keychain API that lets apps secretly track users across app reinstalls and device resets." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49338739)) "This is a win for privacy-intruders, not users, just like Apple's iCloud Keychain API that has allowed Facebook" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48561194)) - Basic, limited password management (2 comments): "Safari passwords ... is all built in, requires no third-party software, can be local-only, allows plaintext export/import" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46304137)) "I'm not super stoked about how basic Apple's password management is, and how few fields there are for each profile." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50089740)) - Old bugs and unreliable keychain (3 comments): "my work macOS keychain maimed itself in such a way that I need to recreate it every time I install an OS update" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46280780)) "Apple Keychain has a number of old bugs that have caused me to have to resort to this strategy several times." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47580135)) "Keychain is one of the worst APIs on Apple platforms, with parts that date all the way back to MacOS 9." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47580191)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Bitwarden](https://hackerapproved.com/p/bitwarden.md): 278 recommend - [1Password](https://hackerapproved.com/p/1password.md): 238 recommend - [KeePassXC](https://hackerapproved.com/p/keepassxc.md): 131 recommend - [Vaultwarden](https://hackerapproved.com/p/vaultwarden.md): 112 recommend - [KeePass](https://hackerapproved.com/p/keepass.md): 100 recommend ## Where to get it - [Visit the official site](https://www.apple.com/icloud/) ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "iCloud Keychain", https://hackerapproved.com/p/icloud-keychain/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).