DGLegacy bundles password management with heartbeat-based inheritance delivery. AbsentKey is a controlled sharing vault with request-based access and per-person timers. DGLegacy does more things under one roof; the way each product triggers access is the part that really separates them.
Same problem, different scope
Both products solve the same core issue: getting sensitive information to trusted people when you can’t hand it over yourself. The difference is how much else each product tries to do.
DGLegacy is a password manager with digital inheritance built in. You store your daily credentials, bank details, insurance policies, and crypto wallets, then designate beneficiaries and trustees who get access when the heartbeat protocol detects prolonged inactivity. It’s two products in one.
AbsentKey is not a password manager. You don’t log into websites with it or autofill credentials. It’s a vault for sharing specific secrets with specific people, each with their own timer. We covered both products in our dead man’s switch apps compared roundup. This post goes deeper on the head-to-head.
Quick comparison
# scope dglegacy → password manager + inheritance + legal support absentkey → controlled sharing vault, only
# trigger dglegacy → heartbeat (email + phone + social monitoring) absentkey → recipient request, owner has window to respond
# pricing dglegacy → from $5.99/mo, platinum higher absentkey → $0.99/mo or $9.99/yr (receiving free)
What DGLegacy does
DGLegacy is a password manager that doubles as a digital inheritance platform. You store account credentials, financial details, and sensitive documents in an encrypted vault, then assign beneficiaries and trustees who get that information when you’re absent for too long.
Their main feature is the Heartbeat Protocol. Instead of a simple “click this link every week” check-in, DGLegacy monitors activity across multiple channels: email, phone, and social media. Multi-channel monitoring reduces false triggers. If you stop responding across all channels for an extended period, the system concludes something has happened and starts delivering your vault to the people you designated.
DGLegacy also offers breach notifications on its Platinum tier, so you know if stored credentials appear in data leaks. The Platinum plan includes legal support through partnerships with Cooley LLP and Bird & Bird, two established law firms. That’s unusual. Most digital inheritance apps stop at the technology layer, but DGLegacy goes further with legal guidance for estate planning.
The platform is GDPR and CCPA compliant, uses SSL/TLS, and stores data in certified data centers. They carry a Norton Trust Seal. They don’t make explicit zero-knowledge claims, so the server-side encryption model isn’t documented the way zero-knowledge architectures usually are.
DGLegacy has a strong presence on review platforms like Capterra, G2, SaaSWorthy, and Research.com. That third-party validation matters in a category where trust is everything.
Pricing starts with a limited free tier. Paid plans begin at $5.99/month. The Platinum tier with legal support and breach monitoring costs more. All plans come with a 90-day money-back guarantee.
What AbsentKey does
AbsentKey is an encrypted vault for sharing passwords, files, and private info with people you trust. You add a secret, assign it to a recipient, and set a waiting time for that person, anywhere from 1 to 365 days.
A heartbeat tool watches you. A request tool waits to be told.
When a recipient needs access, they open the app and send a request. You get a push notification. You can approve immediately, deny it, or do nothing. If you don’t respond before the timer runs out, the recipient gets access automatically. Nothing happens until someone asks. No monitoring, no heartbeat, no check-ins.
Each secret is independent. Your spouse might have bank passwords on a 14-day timer. Your business partner gets server credentials with a 7-day window. Your parent has insurance documents set to 90 days.
Everything uses zero-knowledge encryption. The server never sees plaintext. The mobile client is source-available on GitHub, so anyone can verify the crypto claims. Receiving is always free. Creating and sending secrets requires the premium plan at $0.99/month or $9.99/year.
Key differences
Heartbeat monitoring vs. request-based access
This is the core difference. DGLegacy monitors your activity across email, phone, and social media. Go quiet long enough and the system triggers delivery. AbsentKey monitors nothing. It sits idle until a recipient requests access, then starts a countdown you can interrupt.
Multi-channel monitoring is more reliable than a single daily ping. DGLegacy’s approach reduces the chance that a vacation or a lost phone triggers a false release. But it can’t eliminate that risk entirely. Any system that treats silence as incapacity will sometimes be wrong. We explore this tension in emergency access vs dead man’s switch.
Request-based access has the opposite problem. If your recipients don’t know they should request access, or forget AbsentKey exists, the system never activates. You need to tell them upfront: “If something happens to me, open AbsentKey and send a request.” That conversation is the trade-off for eliminating false triggers.
Password manager vs. sharing vault
DGLegacy stores and manages your daily passwords alongside your inheritance plan. One app, two jobs. If you don’t already have a dedicated password manager, that’s convenient. If you already use 1Password or Bitwarden, DGLegacy creates overlap.
AbsentKey does not manage daily passwords. No autofill, no browser extension, no credential storage for routine logins. It does one thing: sharing specific secrets with specific people under controlled conditions. You’d use it alongside your existing password manager, not instead of it.
Beneficiary/trustee model vs. per-person timers
DGLegacy uses estate-planning terminology. You designate beneficiaries (who receive information) and trustees (who oversee the process). This maps well to legal frameworks around wills and estates.
DGLegacy speaks the language of probate beneficiaries, trustees, legal counsel. AbsentKey speaks the language of messaging recipients, timers, requests. Pick the dialect that matches your situation.
AbsentKey skips the estate language. You invite recipients and set a waiting time per person. No trustee role, no beneficiary categories. It’s simpler but less aligned with formal estate planning. If your situation involves lawyers and legal documents, DGLegacy’s framing will feel more natural.
Legal support vs. encryption focus
DGLegacy’s Platinum tier includes legal guidance through Cooley LLP and Bird & Bird. That’s a real differentiator. Digital inheritance raises legal questions about jurisdiction, enforceability, and probate that technology alone can’t answer.
AbsentKey has no legal component. It focuses on cryptographic guarantees: zero-knowledge architecture, source-available code, and end-to-end encryption with documented primitives. If your concern is “can anyone, including the company, read my secrets,” AbsentKey is more transparent. If your concern is “will this hold up legally,” DGLegacy addresses that directly.
Pricing
DGLegacy starts at $5.99/month with a limited free tier. The Platinum tier costs more but bundles breach monitoring and legal support. AbsentKey is $0.99/month or $9.99/year. Receiving is always free.
The price gap reflects the scope gap. DGLegacy does more and costs more. AbsentKey does less and costs less. If DGLegacy replaces a password manager you’d otherwise pay for, the math changes. If you already have a password manager, AbsentKey adds sharing at a lower monthly cost.
When DGLegacy makes more sense
DGLegacy is the better pick if you want password management and inheritance in one tool. If you don’t already use a dedicated password manager, DGLegacy covers both needs in one app.
It also stands out if you need legal support. The Platinum tier’s partnerships with Cooley LLP and Bird & Bird offer something no other app in this category provides. For complex estates or cross-border situations, that matters.
Breach monitoring is another plus, especially for a product that already stores your passwords. And if you’re doing formal estate planning, DGLegacy’s beneficiary/trustee structure matches the language your lawyer uses.
When AbsentKey makes more sense
AbsentKey is the better pick if you don’t want check-ins or monitoring. No heartbeat, no activity tracking, no channels being watched. It is completely passive until a recipient asks for access.
Per-person timers are another reason to choose it. Your spouse gets a 14-day window, your business partner gets 7 days, your parent gets 90. That granularity is built into how AbsentKey works.
If verifiable encryption matters to you, AbsentKey documents its primitives (XSalsa20-Poly1305, X25519, HKDF-SHA256) and publishes the mobile client source. You can check the crypto yourself.
It also fits well if you already have a password manager. If you’re happy with 1Password or Bitwarden, you don’t need another one. AbsentKey adds the sharing layer without duplicating what you already have. See our password manager emergency access comparison for how built-in options compare.
And at $0.99/month with free receiving, it is the cheaper option for sharing specifically.
FAQ
Can I use both?
Yes. DGLegacy for daily password management and broad estate planning, AbsentKey for specific high-value secrets where you want per-person timers and request-based access. They solve overlapping but distinct problems, and using both is reasonable if your needs span both.
Is DGLegacy’s heartbeat protocol reliable?
Multi-channel monitoring (email, phone, social media) is more robust than a single ping. It reduces false triggers compared to apps that rely on one check-in method. That said, any activity-based system can misread prolonged absence as incapacity. The more channels you connect, the more reliable it gets.
Which one has better encryption?
They take different approaches, so a direct comparison is hard. AbsentKey uses zero-knowledge end-to-end encryption with published primitives and source-available code. DGLegacy describes “bank-level security” with SSL/TLS and certified data centers but doesn’t make zero-knowledge claims. If you want to verify the crypto architecture yourself, AbsentKey is more transparent.
Bottom line
DGLegacy and AbsentKey are different-sized tools for overlapping problems. DGLegacy is the Swiss army knife: password management, heartbeat monitoring, breach alerts, legal support, and a beneficiary/trustee structure. It does more and costs more.
AbsentKey is a focused sharing tool with per-secret, per-person timers, zero-knowledge encryption, and source-available code. It does one thing and tries to do it well.
If you want one platform for password management and digital inheritance, DGLegacy handles that. If you want a sharing vault with request-based access and verifiable encryption, that’s what AbsentKey was built for.
Try AbsentKey, free to receive, available on iOS and Android. Try DGLegacy, free tier available, web-based.
