Review: Ente Auth

As mentioned in Part 2 of my DeGoogle series, Google Auth was the first on the chopping block. This is due in part to the fact that a two factor authenticator is a tool I use consistently throughout the day for work and personal use. Outside of wanting to extract my data and dependence from Google, I really wanted a solution that was better to use day-to-day than Google Auth.  Luckily, out of all of the Google services I use Google Auth is by far the least feature rich, updated, or "sticky". It set the bar low.

My main grievances were the following:

• No ability to edit the name or details of entries
  • Due to how my company’s software works, many entries were simply listed as “Company Name” so I would find myself having to retry different entries to find the right one.
• No ability to pin entries for quick access to most used
  • Pretty self explanatory.
• No ability to sort entries
  • Again, pretty self explanatory.
• No ability to share entries
  • Too many texts from my wife asking for the 2FA code from my device and by the time she got it, it was expired.
• No ability to tag entries
  • Being able to tag “work” vs “personal” would help organize things nicely.
• No ability to notate entries
  • Always helpful for additional context.
• No browser interface
  • If you’ve read my post about limiting phone usage, having the ability to stay within one screen is a nice way to stay focused.
• Not open source
  • Not a deal breaker, but always nice to support independent developers.

Now there are quite a few alternatives out there that I found mentioned again and again on various sites such as Microsoft Authenticator (eww), Authy, Duo, 2FAS, and Ageis.  However, when reviewing those and comparing their feature sets to my list of grievances only 2FAS and Ageis came close.

Both 2FAS and Ageis are open source, have highly reviewed GitHub repos, mobile apps, and provided some level of customization. 2FAS slightly beat out Ageis due to it having a browser extension. However, I wasn’t completely sold on 2FAS.

Enter: Ente Auth

I actually came across Ente Auth when searching for a Google Photos alternative and happened to stumble upon Ente.

Ente was born out of a need to preserve our personal memories. Mainstream services did not respect our privacy, and the rest lacked posterity.

So we started building an open source company in 2020 - one that could outlive its people.

Ente is now a sustainable business funded by customer subscriptions and backed by a wholesome community.

The Metadata Problem: Custom Names and Icons

The biggest issue with Google Auth is that it’s rigid. If you scan a QR code for a service that labels itself "Company Name," that’s what stays in your list. If you have five different accounts for the same company—maybe internal tools, client environments, or admin portals—you end up with a list of identical names. You’re basically guessing which code to use.

The Ente Solution: Ente allows you to manually edit the name and the "Account" field for every entry. But the real winner is the Icon Library. You can search for almost any service (Jira, Slack, Microsoft, etc.) and assign the correct logo. When I’m looking for a code now, I don’t even read the text; I just tap the logo. It's faster and eliminates the "2FA Roulette" I used to play every morning.

Organization: Pinning and Sorting

In Google’s app, your entries just sit there. If you have 30+ codes, you’re doing a lot of scrolling to find the one you need. There’s no way to prioritize the things you use every single hour versus the things you use once a month.

The Ente Solution: Ente has Pinning and Drag-and-Drop Sorting. I’ve pinned my most frequent logins—my primary work account, my VPN, and my NAS—to the very top. Everything else is sorted alphabetically. It sounds like a minor tweak, but when you're context-switching all day, not having to scroll for a code is a massive quality-of-life upgrade.

The "Wife Test": Secure Sharing and Sync

Google Auth is traditionally tied to a single device. If you want it on two phones, you have to manually export and import. This is a nightmare for shared household accounts—streaming services, utilities, or banking. My wife used to have to text me for a code, and usually, by the time I saw the text and sent it back, the 30-second window had closed.

The Ente Solution: Ente uses End-to-End Encrypted (E2EE) Cloud Sync. I can have the app on my phone, my tablet, and her phone, all synced to the same vault. When she needs to log into a shared account, she just opens the app on her own device. It’s secure because Ente can’t see the data, but it’s as convenient as a shared password manager.

Separating Work and Life: Tagging

I’ve always hated seeing my personal Instagram or gaming codes mixed in with my professional tools. It’s clutter, and it makes it harder to stay focused when I'm "on the clock."

The Ente Solution: Ente supports Tags. I’ve set up simple categories: "Work," "Personal," and "Homelab." I can filter my view so I only see my work-related codes during the day. It’s a clean way to compartmentalize different parts of my digital life without needing two separate apps.

Adding Context: The Notes Field

Sometimes a code needs a little extra info. Maybe it’s a backup recovery key, or a reminder of which email address is associated with that specific 2FA instance. Google Auth gives you zero space for this.

The Ente Solution: Every entry has a Notes Field. I’ve used this to store recovery codes and specific details about client environments. Since the entire vault is encrypted, it’s a safe place to keep those "just in case" details right where you'll actually need them.

Breaking the Phone Addiction: Desktop and Browser Access

I’ve been trying to reduce my phone usage lately. One of the biggest hurdles is that "Total 2FA" usually requires you to pick up your phone. Once you pick up your phone to get a code, it’s very easy to see a notification and lose 10 minutes to a rabbit hole.

The Ente Solution: This was the deciding factor for me. Ente has Native Desktop Apps (Linux, Windows, and macOS) and a Web Vault. If I’m working at my desk, I can get my 2FA code directly from my computer. I can copy the code and paste it into the browser without ever touching my phone. It keeps me in the "flow state" and keeps my phone in the other room.

Ethics: Open Source and Independence

Google Auth is a "black box." You don't know how it works, you don't know what it’s tracking, and you’re at the mercy of Google’s whim to keep the service running.

The Ente Solution: Ente is Open Source. Their code is on GitHub for anyone to audit. They are also a sustainable business—they make money through subscriptions for their photo storage service, not by selling data. Supporting an independent dev team that actually cares about privacy feels a lot better than staying inside the Google ecosystem.

Final Thoughts

Moving your 2FA codes is a quick win. It doesn’t take long to export from Google and import into Ente, and the immediate "polish" you get is worth the effort. It’s one of the few areas where the DeGoogle alternative isn't just "more private"—it’s actually a significantly better piece of software.