Pros & Cons
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- Robust free tier
- Open-source
- Self-hosting options available
- Email alias integration
- Emergency access for paid accounts
- Data breach monitoring
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- Paywalled password hygiene monitoring
- The premium subscription price has increased significantly
Bitwarden Specs
| Actionable Password Strength Report | |
| Digital Legacy | |
| Fill Web Forms | |
| Import From Browsers | |
| Multiple Form-Filling Identities | |
| Product Category | Password Managers |
| Product Price Type | List |
| Secure Password Sharing | |
| Two-Factor Authentication |
Free password managers often have significant limitations that force you to upgrade to a paid tier. Bitwarden, by contrast, is a free open-source password manager with enough features for most people. In addition to standard password management duties, the free version includes third-party email alias integration, username data breach monitoring, and diverse multi-factor authentication options. While the free version of the app is easy to recommend, a paid personal subscription is considerably more expensive than it used to be, without adding a lot of new features. Proton Pass offers reliable, free password management, password hygiene monitoring, and in-app-generated email aliases to protect your identity when signing up for new accounts or subscriptions, so it remains our Editors' Choice winner.
How Much Does Bitwarden Cost?
Bitwarden's free plan supports up to two people. This means that in addition to the core functions of a password manager, you also get passkey and password storage across unlimited devices on multiple platforms, email alias integration, username data breach scanning, limited sharing options via Bitwarden Send, MFA via up to five hardware security keys, email, or authentication app, and the option to self-host Bitwarden Lite.
That said, Bitwarden's once-stellar free tier is a little less impressive than some competitors' now, and that's primarily because competitors stepped up to the challenge. For example, a free Proton Pass plan now includes helpful features such as in-app email alias creation and credential hygiene monitoring.
Make no mistake, Bitwarden's free version is still very generous, especially as other password managers whittle away at their free service menus or eschew free services altogether in favor of lengthy free trials. Keeper is an example of the latter, as it gives you 30 days to try its robust collection of Premium services for free. Even our Editors' Choice for premium password management, NordPass, limits free customers to one account per device, without data breach scanning or password hygiene alerts.
The big news is that Bitwarden's famous $ 10-per-year paid plan now costs $19.80 per year, which is a pretty big increase but still less than the competition. Enpass and RoboForm cost $23.88 annually; NordPass and Proton Pass Plus cost $35.88 annually; Keeper costs $39.99 annually; and Dashlane costs $59.88 annually. Zoho Vault's annual premium plan is the least expensive of the apps I've reviewed, at 90 cents per month or $10.80 annually.
So should you spring for a Bitwarden Premium account? That depends on what features you need. Premium adds file storage (up to 5GB), emergency access, an integrated TOTP authenticator, vault health reports, and expanded sharing and MFA options. A Family account is more expensive now, too, rising from $40 per year to $47.88 annually. Bitwarden Family includes all the Free and Premium features and supports up to six people. You can also create unlimited Organizations to make data sharing between accounts easier.
Getting Started With Bitwarden
(Credit: Bitwarden/PCMag)Bitwarden is available as Android and iOS apps, and there are desktop apps for Linux, macOS, and Windows. You can even use it on the Meta Quest VR headset's browser. Bitwarden offers extensions for a wide variety of browsers: Brave, Chrome, DuckDuckGo, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Tor, and Vivaldi. It's the longest list of supported browsers I've seen while testing password managers, which is impressive. None of the plans will limit you to a certain number or type of platform. You can sign up for an account by visiting the website, entering your email address, and creating a strong master password when prompted.
You can also choose to self-host Bitwarden Lite, keeping your data under your control. It's a good option for businesses or individuals with some technical know-how who want to keep their family's passwords safer. When you self-host Bitwarden Lite, your encrypted vault stays on a server you own, a NAS, or a local machine, rather than relying on Bitwarden's cloud services. If all of that sounds a bit daunting, fear not; Bitwarden offers step-by-step instructions to set up your self-hosted version of Bitwarden Lite.
(Credit: Bitwarden/PCMag)After exploring the browser extension and web vault, you may want to tweak the browser extension's auto-filling settings. Citing security concerns, Bitwarden does not autofill credentials on page load across all browsers or every website. You'll need to manually enable this kind of auto-filling by visiting the Settings menu in the browser extension. Depending on the browser, you may also need to visit its settings menu to disable the built-in password manager so it doesn't override Bitwarden.
Once you're done setting up your browser extension, it's time to import passwords from your old password manager or browser to your new Bitwarden vault. Bitwarden imports files from many apps, but the very long list includes a lot of defunct apps. For example, Myki, a free password manager, shut down in March of 2022, yet it is still on Bitwarden's importing list. If you can't find your old password manager, upload your credentials as a .csv file.
Data Privacy Questions
Before I review and test a password manager, I send the company a list of questions to learn more about its privacy and security practices. Consumers need plenty of information about the companies that handle their data. I've included Bitwarden's responses to my questions below.
Has your company ever had a security breach?
No, Bitwarden has not had a security breach.
What unencrypted information does the password manager store in customer vaults?
All information types within user vaults, including usernames, passwords, URLs, and secure notes, are encrypted. Bitwarden employs zero-knowledge end-to-end encryption, such that the company cannot see nor access any stored information within individual or business vaults. This ensures that all sensitive data is protected upon entry to any Bitwarden client. There is no unencrypted vault data.
What is the company's policy regarding selling or sharing customer data with third parties?
Bitwarden minimizes the data required to run its service and does not sell users’ private information. Bitwarden focuses on security with a privacy-friendly approach and does not rely on users to be an audience for advertising. The Bitwarden business model focuses on paid personal and business plans.
How does your company respond to requests for user information from governments and law enforcement?
Bitwarden is unable to access users’ vaults in an unencrypted state.
After reviewing Bitwarden's privacy policy, I didn't find any major inconsistencies with the company's answers above. I encourage you to read the privacy policies before installing new apps to learn how companies collect, sell, or store your data.
Authentication and Security
(Credit: Bitwarden/PCMag)To set up a multi-factor authentication (MFA) method with Bitwarden, visit the Two-Step Login section of your Bitwarden account settings menu and choose to authenticate your identity each time you log in using a trusted email address, an authenticator app, or your device's biometrics. Setting up Bitwarden's MFA with an authenticator app is simple; just snap the QR code with your authenticator app of choice, and you're ready to go. Premium accounts can authenticate using Duo Security or YubiKey hardware security keys.
Fingerprint Phrase
When you need to add someone to your account (free and Premium subscribers can add up to two people to an account, while Families accounts support up to six people), or when you need to confirm a login on a new device, Bitwarden will ask you to enter your "fingerprint phrase." It's a unique phrase that matches a phrase on another device trying to join your account. You can find your account's phrase by visiting the Account Settings menu.
Password Vault Health
(Credit: Bitwarden/PCMag)Bitwarden offers premium subscribers real-time vault health alerts to help users identify problematic credentials in their vaults. There's also a password coaching guide to help you generate a new password for your account and change the old one.
Bitwarden's password hygiene monitoring feature generates six reports: Exposed Passwords, Reused Passwords, Weak Passwords, Unsecured Websites, Inactive 2FA, and Data Breaches. Exposed passwords are those that have been uncovered in known data breaches. Reused and weak passwords are self-explanatory.
Data Breach Monitoring
As mentioned above, you need a Bitwarden Premium account to check the password hygiene of your vault. Avira Password Manager and Proton Pass allow free customers to access credential health information, while data breach alerts are limited to paying customers.
Bitwarden is the opposite since you can check individual emails and usernames for data breach activity for free, which is helpful. Bitwarden's breach monitor provides information on when each breach occurred and which data was compromised.
Email Alias Integration
(Credit: Bitwarden/PCMag)With Bitwarden, you can create logins using disposable email addresses you've created using other platforms. For example, if you have a SimpleLogin account, you can create an email alias in Bitwarden that forwards mail to your inbox. That way, you can sign up for coupons or other discounts on websites, but delete the account and email address when you're done shopping to prevent spam from clogging your inbox. It's also a helpful way to give away less information about yourself online.
I like that you can use a lot of different services to create email aliases, including Fastmail and the aforementioned SimpleLogin, but setting up this feature isn't totally straightforward. Bitwarden provides step-by-step instructions for each alias provider. I much prefer Proton's approach to implementing email aliases in Proton Pass, which are built into the app and don't require signing up for new services.
That said, if your email provider supports subaddresses for email accounts, Bitwarden can create alias addresses from your real email address by generating a random plus-addressed email. For example, if my test account's email address is myname@domain-dot-com, Bitwarden will generate myname+12343tte@domain-dot-com, and I can enter that address in my inbox to filter out all of the associated emails. You can access the email alias options by visiting Tools > Generator > Username in your web vault.
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TOTP Code Generation
Like Enpass and other password managers, Bitwarden's paid plans let the app double as an authenticator, generating TOTP codes and automatically filling them in when needed. To set it up, paste your accounts' MFA authentication tokens into the Authenticator Key section of a credential in your Bitwarden vault.
Hands On With Bitwarden
I tested Bitwarden using the iOS app, the Chrome browser extension, and the web vault.
(Credit: Bitwarden/PCMag)Web Vault
Bitwarden's web vault has a simple blue-and-white vault interface. Along the left rail, you can access your vault, share passwords and other data via Bitwarden Send, export, generate, and import passwords in the Tools section, view your password hygiene stats in the Reports section, and set up emergency access in the Settings menu.
When you click the New button, you can create a new login, store a credit card number, identity information, a secure note, or an SSH key. To access a website using the credentials you imported to your vault, click the item, choose Launch from the drop-down menu, and Bitwarden will open the website for you to log in.
Browser Extension
The Bitwarden browser extensions are sleek and responsive. In the Appearance section, you can modify the extension window by enabling a compact version.
The Chrome extension worked as expected during testing. I didn't need to tweak Chrome's auto-fill settings to access my passwords or log in to the test accounts, which is ideal. Capturing existing logins I didn't import into the vault also worked as expected.
Password and Username Generators
(Credit: Bitwarden/PCMag)By default, Bitwarden’s password generator creates passwords containing uppercase and lowercase letters and digits but not special characters. I advise checking the box to add special characters since many sites require them.
The generator can generate passwords from 5 to 128 characters, but it defaults to 14. I advise increasing the length to 20 characters or more. You can also create passphrases up to 20 words long. Review your password history by selecting the Generator History link at the bottom of the window.
You can also use the username generator to create new usernames for social media websites. When creating a new account, click the Bitwarden icon in the username field, then select the option to generate a username. As mentioned in the security section, you can use the username generator to create email aliases for your accounts as well.
Form Filling and Storage
(Credit: Bitwarden/PCMag)Bitwarden stores three types of personal data items: Cards, Identities, and Secure Notes. For each credit card, you record the card number, cardholder name, expiration dates, and CCV. Each Identity is a collection of personal data, including your name, email address, phone number, and even your Social Security number. Remember that you're saving this data in someone else's cloud, though. Yes, it's encrypted, but it's still accessible on the web if you have your password and MFA. I wouldn't keep my social security number in my cloud-based password vault, but you do you.
You can also save text in the Secure Note section of the vault. Give each note a name and then paste or type your notes in the text field.
If you want Bitwarden to fill out a form for you, click the extension button within the text field and then choose your desired identity or credit card. I didn't have trouble filling in forms on shopping websites during the evaluation period.
Password Sharing
(Credit: Bitwarden/PCMag)If you have to share credentials, you want the process to be simple and secure. Bitwarden offers two methods: Bitwarden Send and via Organizations. Of the available options, Bitwarden Send is much easier to set up and use.
With Bitwarden Send, you can pass along an encrypted link to anyone (even people who don’t use Bitwarden) using whatever communication method you prefer. During the setup for a Send, you can specify an expiration date, a deletion date, a maximum access limit, and a password. Bitwarden Premium subscribers can share files and texts using Bitwarden Send. Free customers can only share text.
Organizations work a little differently. You don't use the Organization sharing options to share individual credentials or text directly with other customers. Instead, create an Organization for your account, invite others to it, and share a Collection with them. Bitwarden Families account holders can share credentials with up to six other account members using Organizations.
Free and Premium account holders can create two Collections. If you subscribe to the Family plan, you can create unlimited Collections.
The point of the Collection system is to let you share different passwords with different group members. This sharing setup is best for enterprise customers, and it's organized in a very "corporate" manner. There are three other levels of access within an Organization: the Admin, Manager, and User, but those distinctions would matter more in a business setting. Suppose you're using Organizations to share credentials with your family. In that case, all you need to know is that you can limit each person's access to specific Collections or set the credential access to read-only. If you're sharing with a partner, it makes sense to give them full access. If the share is more one-sided, perhaps with a child, read-only user access is probably best.
Emergency Access
(Credit: Bitwarden/PCMag)Bitwarden allows paid account holders to grant emergency access to their vaults. The owner can approve access manually or set a date for when the vault will be accessible by the emergency contact. Notably, only Premium customers and higher can send emergency access requests, but people on the free plan can be designated recipients. Upon gaining access to the vault, Emergency access contacts either receive read-only access or full control, depending on the settings.
Passkey Support
Bitwarden can create and manage passkeys. If you set Bitwarden as your passkey provider in your device's Settings menu, the app can generate and use passkeys using your mobile device or a Windows desktop. This function works on browser extensions, mobile devices, and browsers.
Mobile App
(Credit: Bitwarden/PCMag)I tested Bitwarden's iOS app. The app looks great, with a modern and easy-to-navigate layout. The company also offers an Android app. The iOS app worked as expected and included the same functions as the browser extensions. If you have an iPhone, you can integrate Bitwarden with Siri to set up searches, shortcuts, and voice commands, which is convenient. Like most other modern password managers, you can use Bitwarden to generate two-factor authentication codes for your account, so you don't need to download a separate authenticator app.
Depending on your device and operating system, you may need to adjust the autofill settings in the app and on your device to have the app automatically fill in your credentials. To get to Bitwarden's platform settings tutorials, head to the Settings menu, choose 'Auto-fill,' then tap 'Password auto-fill' to find instructions for changing your device settings for optimal password manager performance.
Business Plans
Bitwarden's password managers for teams and enterprise organizations are options for small business owners looking for secure credential storage. The price is $48 per year per employee for a Teams subscription and $72 per year for each account for an Enterprise subscription. All enterprise users receive complimentary family plans.
Single sign-on (SSO) is available and eliminates the need for multiple usernames and passwords, but it has risks. If an attacker gets SSO credentials, they can access all associated applications. Enterprise Bitwarden accounts include a passwordless login option to prevent these hacks. You can verify your identification using a passkey, the Duo Mobile app, SMS, a phone call, or a U2F security key. When an employee leaves the organization, Admin account holders can remove team members from the business vault.
Bitwarden's Model Context Protocol (MCP) server allows business administrators to integrate their company's AI agents with the password manager. Enterprise clients can use Bitwarden's Access Intelligence features to monitor credential hygiene for individual business units as well.
Bitwarden makes it easy for employees to access business passwords by importing them into a business vault separate from their employee vault. In addition, you can create Collections of passwords to share with specific employee groups or the entire company. Enterprise accounts include unlimited sharing capabilities with the Collections feature.
Customer Support
Bitwarden does not offer live chat or phone support. Instead, the company provides troubleshooting assistance through its robust Help Center. If you need help from a human, you can fill out a form to request contact via email. Paying customers get priority email support.
Exporting and Deleting Your Bitwarden Account
(Credit: Bitwarden/PCMag)It's important to know how easy it is to cancel a service before you sign up. That way, if you fall out of love with your password manager, or hackers breach the company's servers, you can escape with your online identities intact. Luckily, Bitwarden makes it easy to move on to a new app. You can export your entire vault, including attachments, to a ZIP file. You can export your vault without attachments and save it in the following formats: .csv (plaintext), .json (plaintext), or .json (encrypted). iOS 26 customers can export their credentials directly to another app that supports the Fido Credential Exchange Protocol (CXP).
I had no trouble deleting my Bitwarden account from the web app's Settings menu. Uninstalling the apps and browser extensions from my devices was also easy.
Final Thoughts
(Credit: Bitwarden)
Bitwarden
Bitwarden offers a generous free plan that lets you sync credentials across devices, monitor the dark web for compromised emails, and create logins with email aliases, while its premium tier adds handy extras you may or may not need.