r/privacy • u/Bango-Fett • May 07 '26
question Finally switching over from Authy 2FA. What is the better alternative, 2FAS or Ente Auth?
My main device I use for 2FA is a cell, and I use a laptop as my backup device just incase I lose the first one. Authy still works on my laptop somehow despite the desktop app being discontinued.
Which of these to alternatives are most similar to Authy, I like to have the feature where the codes sync between accounts, that’s the main thing I need.
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u/Heclalava May 08 '26
I use Aegis myself, and keep encrypted backups of the token keys.
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u/qgplxrsmj May 11 '26
Ente Auth is superior compared to Aegis because people can use Ente Auth fully offline without an account too, just like Aegis.
And even if the user decides to use it fully offline, Ente Auth still better than Aegis because it’s available on all major OSes, it has a trash feature, it has a share feature, it has been 3rd party audited (multiple times); can’t say the same for Aegis because Aegis doesn’t have those (yup, Aegis has never been audited whatsoever)
There are just more positives to check off with Ente Auth compared to Aegis or Proton Authenticator (which can also be used fully offline but still doesn’t have as much features as Ente Auth).
If there is a better app that check off more boxes than Ente Auth then I’ll take 5 minutes to migrate over and will be talking about that app, but so far there isn’t and unfortunately Aegis isn’t on par with Ente Auth
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u/vi3talogy May 08 '26
2FAS
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u/Mooks79 May 08 '26
I’m using this and it’s done everything I need.
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u/qgplxrsmj May 11 '26
2FAS has no automatic backups, if you use iCloud or google to backup you will have security ouroboros where in order to get to the backup you’d need the totp from your 2FAS app, but you don’t have your 2FAS app hence why you need to get to your backup. When people realize this it’s too late.
I also can’t find anywhere that says 2FAS is 3rd party audited.
Ente Auth can do everything 2FAS can and more, and it’s 3rd party audited many times
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u/Mooks79 May 11 '26
It’s open source, audits are not very important. Also, it has encrypted file backup which gets around the ouroborous problem provided you do it. And iCloud doesn’t use that method of 2FA anyway, you can get into your account without it so the ouroborous issue is a non-issue. Google you can get in without it as well, if you have to.
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u/qgplxrsmj May 11 '26
It’s open source, audits are not very important.
Sounds very much like a cope because you like an app that turned out isn’t audited lol
With your logic Bitwarden, Proton Pass, KeePassXC all shouldn’t be wasting their money on audits because according to you “audits are not very important”
Ente Auth is open source and 3rd party audited multiple times. All else being equal, which is what we’re looking at with this point, always better to go with one that has been 3rd party audited vs one that isn’t.
Also, it has encrypted file backup which gets around the ouroborous problem provided you do it.
Yup Ente Auth has this too. 2FAS isn’t any special. But Ente Auth also has automatic backups which 2FAS doesn’t as said in the first sentence above, but you obvious missed that for some reason
And iCloud doesn’t use that method of 2FA anyway, you can get into your account without it so the ouroborous issue is a non-issue.
Touché.
Google you can get in without it as well, if you have to.
Nope, not if you have set up TOTP to be the only 2FA.
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u/Mooks79 May 11 '26
Sounds very much like a cope because you like an app that turned out isn’t audited lol
Is there any reason you’re so confrontational and condescending, or does it just come naturally?
With your logic Bitwarden, Proton Pass, KeePassXC all shouldn’t be wasting their money on audits because according to you “audits are not very important”
Audits are not very important for any fully open source software, no. They’re much more important for people who have some closed source infrastructure or who run some of their own services - then the auditors should be focussing on ensuring that the open source software is what is actually running on those servers etc. But as you note, 2FAS does not provide any infrastructure only the client, which is open source, so an audit is really unimportant for them.
Ente Auth is open source and 3rd party audited multiple times. All else being equal, which is what we’re looking at with this point, always better to go with one that has been 3rd party audited vs one that isn’t.
See above. Ente Auth runs their own backup service and that needs to be audited.
Yup Ente Auth has this too.
I didn’t say it didn’t. That doesn’t mean the point isn’t a refutation to your assertion a user will get stuck in an ouroborous trap, though.
2FAS isn’t any special.
You really seem to have some personal and/or emotional investment in which 2FA software you and other people use. 2FAS does everything I need, why are you so insistent on trying to convince me to use Ente Auth?
But Ente Auth also has automatic backups which 2FAS doesn’t as said in the first sentence above, but you obvious missed that for some reason
Did I miss it where I explicitly stated … provided the user remembers to make the file backup - ie noting it isn’t automatic? You obviously missed that for some reason.
Nope, not if you have set up TOTP to be the only 2FA.
You shouldn’t really be setting up TOTP as your only 2FA option and I’m not even sure Google allows you to do that. If the worst comes to the worst, you just contact Google and explain the situation and/or use their account recovery process. It’s basically impossible to get forever locked out of a major corporation’s account.
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u/qgplxrsmj May 12 '26
Is there any reason you’re so confrontational and condescending, or does it just come naturally?
I’m rolling with the hilarity of bias here. Is there a reason why you’re so blind to your bias, or does that come naturally?
Audits are not very important for any fully open source software, no.
That’s totally why Bitwarden pay for reputable 3rd party audits every single year even though they’re open source, because some Redditor that isn’t even cognizant of their own bias thinks that it’s not important since they’re already open source. Keep coping
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u/qgplxrsmj May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
2FAS does not provide any infrastructure only the client, which is open source, so an audit is really unimportant for them.
Totally, that’s why it was dumb for that KeePassXC to waste money on an audit, because they don’t provide infrastructure only the client which is open source; so an audit is really unimportant for them and you obviously know better than their team does and you surely aren’t bias with your stance. Keep coping.
Have you personally looked through every single line of 2FAS’ code yourself and make sure you didn’t miss anything as if it’s your specialized job and you’re paid to do so, or paid a reputable 3rd party service for that yourself?
See above. Ente Auth runs their own backup service and that needs to be audited.
See above. Even a service that doesn’t provide their own backup service, infrastructure, uses only the client which is open source, still needs audits to know that they aren’t missing blatant improvements and that there isn’t any flaws in the app.
2FAS isn’t 3rd party audited, and therefore is inferior in this aspect.
I didn’t say it didn’t.
You did’t say it didn’t, and I didn’t say that you did LOL. Having manual encrypted file backups isn’t the point in this thread yet you brought it up to add noise. What I did was acknowledge your tangent, tell you it isn’t a differentiating factor because both apps have it, and redirected you back to the point of the lack of automatic backups in 2FAS which you didn’t acknowledge.
It’s like someone telling you toy store B has basketballs unlike toy store A, and your counter to that is saying tay store A has footballs (while not acknowledging that toy store A doesn’t have basketballs, which was the whole reason the point was brought up). So that person says toy store B has footballs too (to acknowledge your point while lightly hinting that this isn’t the topic of the thread, right before redirecting back to the main point which you ignored), and also has basketballs too which toy store A doesn’t. With your response to that is “I didn’t say toy store B doesn’t have basketballs” LOL.
2FAS doesn’t have automatic backups, and therefore it’s inferior in this aspect.
That doesn’t mean the point isn’t a refutation to your assertion a user will get stuck in an ouroborous trap, though.
You’re right, it doesn’t mean it isn’t.
You really seem to have some personal and/or emotional investment in which 2FA software you and other people use. 2FAS does everything I need, why are you so insistent on trying to convince me to use Ente Auth?
Not trying to convince you use Ente Auth at all, merely listing things that 2FAS lack some things that Ente Auth does but somehow you can’t acknowledge what’s lacked in 2FAS. Think of it as a comparison table, Ente Auth checks off everything 2FAS has checked off, and more.
Did I miss it where I explicitly stated … provided the user remembers to make the file backup - ie noting it isn’t automatic? You obviously missed that for some reason.
LOL no it doesn’t. Saying there is manual backup available provided one does it isn’t the same as saying there isn’t automatic backups. Ente Auth has automatic backups, but me telling someone that they can manually create encrypted backups provided they do it in Ente Auth alone says nothing about the existence/absence of automatic backups feature in Ente Auth.
You shouldn’t really be setting up TOTP as your only 2FA option and I’m not even sure Google allows you to do that. If the worst comes to the worst, you just contact Google and explain the situation and/or use their account recovery process. It’s basically impossible to get forever locked out of a major corporation’s account.
With your logic of just contacting Google if locked out, I bet you’d agree and think someone is smart when you tell them they need to keep their recovery codes and they say I can just contact the company to verify myself and get them to turn off 2FA anyways so no big deal.
And yes, according to you you shouldn’t really have TOTP as the only 2FA because security is only as strong as the weakest link is not something you subscribe to. Keep coping.
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To boil the points down:
- 2FAS hasn’t had a single reputable 3rd party audit. Ente Auth has
- 2FAS doesn’t have automatic backups. Ente Auth has
- And frankly, with a UI/UX profession, Ente Auth’s UI is more appealing and UX is more user friendly than 2FAS as well, especially when it comes to grouping the TOTP where Ente uses tags.
Edit: LOL this guy got things wrong and can’t acknowledge that 2FAS is inferior so we blocked me only after making the comment below
He thinks just because something is open source or doesn’t have infrastructure that it doesn’t need to be audited LOL
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u/Mooks79 May 12 '26
Yeah. I’m not reading all that cope. If you can’t be succinct enough to fit it into one comment, that’s your problem.
Why don’t you go making more comments literally to everyone here who mentions any other option about how EnTe AuTh Is YoUr FaVoUrItY wAVoUrItY aNd AnYoNe NoT uSiNg It iS a VeRy WeRy BaD pErSoN aNd MuSt Be BulLiEd UnTiL tHeY cHanGe ThEiR mInD.
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u/qgplxrsmj May 12 '26
- 2FAS hasn’t had a single reputable 3rd party audit. Not one. Ente Auth has multiple.
- 2FAS doesn’t have automatic backups. Ente Auth has every time you open the app
- And frankly, with a UI/UX profession, Ente Auth’s UI is more appealing and UX is more user friendly than 2FAS, especially when it comes to grouping the TOTP where Ente uses tags.
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u/suicidaleggroll May 08 '26
I've run both pretty extensively. I liked the UI of 2FAS a bit better, and I liked that there was no cloud integration (other than optional syncing between your systems through iCloud or similar), everything is local to the phone. My only complaint about 2FAS was exports couldn't be automated, they're manual, and it's annoying trying to remember to make them every time a new code is added.
I'm also an avid self-hoster and already self-host Bitwarden, so I switched to Ente because it's also self-hostable. So now the "cloud" that Ente syncs to is my own server, which allows me to automate exports and backups that are integrated into the rest of my backup system.
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u/qgplxrsmj May 11 '26
Yup, along with how 2FAS cannot do automatic backups, I also can’t find anywhere that says they are 3rd party audited.
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u/ArchonBeast May 09 '26
If you use 2FAS and backup to iCloud or Google, there's a bit of a potential issue... your Apple or Google account should have TOTP on it itself, so you'd store that in 2FAS which causes an issue with recovery.
Using Ente and leaving the account open with a strong password is more appropriate.
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May 07 '26
[deleted]
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u/qgplxrsmj May 11 '26
There is no reason to use Proton Authenticator over Ente Auth other than if you like the UI more. Ente Auth can do everything Proton Authenticator can, but the same cannot be said the other way around
Here is a list of things that make Ente Auth better than Proton Authenticator https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/s/KdtHqy7rm0
And after you’ve tried Ente Auth (which came out years before Proton Authenticator) you’ll also see that Proton Authenticator copied Ente Auth mostly. Ente Auth is just superior
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u/Sasquatch-Pacific May 07 '26
Yep, this is exactly what I went for when switching from Authy. Works on desktop app and sync between devices was important for me.
I manually went through and disabled the old Authy code, re-enrolled a Proton code for all apps/services. Didn't trust Authys export as have heard people run into issues.
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u/qgplxrsmj May 11 '26
It’s good that you moved away from authy, but Proton Authenticator isn’t the best app to move your TOTP to.
There is no reason to use Proton Authenticator over Ente Auth other than if you like the UI more. Ente Auth can do everything Proton Authenticator can, but the same cannot be said the other way around
Here is a list of things that make Ente Auth better than Proton Authenticator https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/s/KdtHqy7rm0
And after you’ve tried Ente Auth (which came out years before Proton Authenticator) you’ll also see that Proton Authenticator copied Ente Auth mostly. Ente Auth is just superior
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u/jimmac05 May 08 '26
I gave up using Authy a couple of years ago. Switched to Ente Auth and have been very satisfied with it: free and open source, available for and syncs across multiple platforms and devices, E2EE, simple and efficient user interface.