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Squawk Secret vs One-Time Secret
Both turn a password into a link that works once. One-Time Secret is free, simple, and open source. Squawk Secret encrypts in your browser and also lets clients send passwords and files back to you.
When One-Time Secret is the better choice
You only need a free, quick one-time text link. One-Time Secret’s free service does exactly that, with nothing to set up.
You want to run it on your own servers. It is open source and can be self-hosted. Squawk Secret is a hosted service only.
When Squawk Secret is the better choice
You don’t want the vendor to see the password. What you send with Squawk Secret is encrypted in your browser before it leaves, so we can’t read it. One-Time Secret encrypts on its own servers, which means the plain text reaches them first. The same holds when a client sends something back to you. (The one exception on our side: squawks your own systems create through the API are encrypted on our servers.)
You collect things from clients, not only send them. Squawk Secret Business has request links, intake forms with typed signatures, the real W-9, W-4, and I-9 as fillable PDFs, and an always-open drop page where clients send documents whenever they need to.
You want to stop passwords before they go out by email. Squawk Guard warns in Outlook and Teams when a message has a password, card number, or Social Security number in it, and offers a one-time link instead.
Side by side
| Feature | Squawk Secret | One-Time Secret |
|---|---|---|
| End-to-end encrypted (the company can’t read what you send) | Yes, encrypted in the browser | No, encrypted on their servers; an optional passphrase adds protection |
| Recipient needs no account | Yes | Yes |
| Send files | Yes, up to 25 MB per link | Not listed |
| Collect passwords and files from clients | Yes, request links | Not listed |
| Intake forms with format checks and typed signatures | Business | Not listed |
| Official W-9, W-4, and I-9 as fillable PDFs | Business | Not listed |
| Always-open page where clients send you files | Business (up to 10 Squawk Drops with team roles, 2 GB each time) | Not listed |
| Encrypted chat with clients that erases itself | Business | Not listed |
| Long-term encrypted file storage that only you can open | Business (Squawk Vault, 100 MB per person) | Not listed |
| Single sign-on | Business: Microsoft 365, Google, Okta | Paid plan |
| API for automation | Business | Yes |
| Your branding | Business: your logo and your own domain for client links | Custom domain, including one free |
| Warns before a password or card number is sent by email | Business: Squawk Guard in Outlook, plus warnings in Teams | Not listed |
| Help desk identity check | Business (Squawk Back) | Not listed |
| Requires approval, or two people, to open | Business: two-person secrets | Not listed |
| Signed certificate of delivery | Business: with file fingerprints | Not listed |
| Compliance evidence reports mapped to regulations | Business: FTC, IRS, NYDFS, ABA, PCI, CMMC, and more | Not listed |
| Outlook add-in and Microsoft Teams app | Business | Not listed |
| Schedule when a link can first be opened | All plans | Not listed |
| Open source, can be self-hosted | No, hosted service | Yes |
| Part of a password manager | No | No |
“Not listed” means we couldn’t find the feature on One-Time Secret’s website or documentation, not that it definitely doesn’t exist. Plans and features change; their own site is the final word.
Sources
Based on One-Time Secret’s about page and the company’s public website, checked September 2026. See something out of date? Tell us and we’ll correct it.
Also: Squawk Secret vs Password Pusher, Squawk Secret vs Bitwarden Send, or all three in one table.
One-Time Secret is a trademark of its owner, who is not affiliated with and does not endorse Squawk Secret.
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