Bitwarden Review 2024

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Our Verdict

Bitwarden is an excellent, affordable password manager

We rate Bitwarden among the best password management solutions around due to its top-notch security features, cross-platform compatibility, and open-source architecture.

Whether you’re an individual looking to secure your personal accounts or need to manage shared passwords for a business, Bitwarden has you covered. While it may lack some advanced features found in competing products, Bitwarden’s budget-friendly and straightforward plans make it an attractive choice.

Pros

  • Unlimited password storage
  • Cross-platform compatibility
  • Open-source for enhanced security
  • Advanced multi-factor authentication
  • Affordable plans with a free tier

Cons

  • No live chat support
  • Auto-fill functionality could be improved

In this Bitwarden review, we’ll take a deep dive into the features, security, pricing, and user experience provided by this popular password manager.

We’ll help you determine whether Bitwarden password manager is the right choice for your needs and compare it with other leading solutions on the market. By the end of this Bitwarden review, you’ll have a clear understanding of what the product offers and whether it aligns with your requirements.

What is Bitwarden?

Bitwarden is a popular, open source password manager that helps users securely store, manage, and share login credentials and sensitive information. Founded in 2016 by Kyle Spearrin, Bitwarden is based in Santa Barbara, California.

Bitwarden is known for its commitment to open-source software, which means that its source code is available for public scrutiny. This enhances the platform’s security and trustworthiness, as the community can audit the code and contribute to its development.

It’s an affordable password management solution and includes a free plan, making it an accessible solution for a wide range of users.

Is Bitwarden Safe?

Bitwarden is considered to be a safe and secure password manager. The company employs strong encryption methods, such as AES 256-bit encryption and the PBKDF2 SHA-256 algorithm for secure password storage, ensuring user data is protected even if the company’s servers are compromised.

Bitwarden’s open-source architecture additionally ensures transparency, enabling community auditing and further enhancing the platform’s security.

Bitwarden has never reported any major security breaches or leaks at any point in its history. The company maintains a responsible disclosure policy and works with security researchers to identify and promptly address any potential vulnerabilities.

Bitwarden also undergoes regular third-party security audits to ensure the integrity of its infrastructure and software.

Bitwarden Plans & Pricing

Bitwarden password manager
Bitwarden password manager seen on different devices

Bitwarden offers a range of plans to suit the needs of individuals and businesses, with pricing options for different budgets and requirements. The company provides a generous free plan, as well as affordable premium plans.

Let’s take a closer look at the Bitwarden pricing structure and the features included at each subscription level.

Plans Price (lowest price) Features
Free $0 Unlimited secure password storage on unlimited devices, two-factor authentication (2FA) support, secure note storage, a password generator, and organization groupings for two users with two collections
Premium $0.83/month Emergency access, Bitwarden Authenticator, file attachments, and vault health reports
Families $3.33/month Six users with unlimited Collections, unlimited sharing, and additional storage
Teams $4/month per user Unlimited users, API access, logs, user groups, and directory connector
Enterprise $6/month per user Custom roles, policies, SCIM support, SSO integration, and self-hosting options
Free PlanPremium PlanFamilies PlanBusiness Plans

Bitwarden Free Plan

The free plan is an excellent choice for individuals looking for a secure password manager with plenty of features that are available for free.

The free plan includes unlimited password storage that can be used on unlimited devices, ensuring you can store all your passwords without worrying about hitting any limits. There’s also a password generator.

It supports two-factor authentication (2FA), adding an extra layer of security to your account. The free plan also offers secure note storage, an encrypted file storage feature that allows you to keep sensitive information like credit card details and secure notes safe and encrypted.

One limitation is that password organization and sharing is capped at two users and two collections – though this is more than RoboForm and LastPass’s single user accounts.

Bitwarden Premium Plan – $10/year

The Premium plan is an affordable upgrade that’s available for less than $1 per month or $10 per year.

The plan offers an impressive amount of value considering the wealth of features it includes and is considerably cheaper than rivals like Dashlane, 1Password, and RoboForm.

Premium subscribers get the Emergency Access feature, which allows you to designate trusted contacts to access your vault in case of an emergency.

The plan also includes support for file attachments and offers vault health reports to assess the strength and security of your passwords.

As with the free plan, password organization and sharing are limited to two users and two collections.

Bitwarden Families Plan – $40/year

The Families plan offers a cost-effective way to securely share passwords and other sensitive information for households and small groups.

Families is priced at $3.33 per month or $40 per year and includes all the features of the Premium plan, along with additional benefits, and supports up to six users, making it excellent value.

With the Families plan, you get unlimited sharing and 1 GB of extra organization storage.

The plan also includes unlimited collections, allowing you to organize your passwords and notes into as many categories as needed, such as for separating personal, work, and family-related information.

Is Bitwarden Good For Business? Bitwarden Teams and Enterprise Plans

Bitwarden offers two business plans, Teams and Enterprise, which are geared toward the commercial and security requirements of businesses.

The Teams plan, priced at $4 per user per month (billed annually), is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses. It offers collaborative password management, event and audit logs, role-based access control, API access, and support for unlimited users.

For larger organizations with more complex security requirements, the Enterprise plan is available at $6 per user per month (billed annually).

The Enterprise plan offers advanced features such as single sign-on (SSO) integration, customizable roles and security policies, a self-hosting option, and account recovery administration.

You can also get custom quotes for integrations and security while working scale, and just need to get in touch to get a Bitwarden cost breakdown.

Can I Get Bitwarden For Free?

You can get Bitwarden for free by signing up for their free plan, which is one of the most generous on the market. The plan provides storage for unlimited passwords, access to Bitwarden apps on all your devices, secure password generation, and two-factor authentication support.

When comparing Bitwarden free vs premium plans, the main differences lie in the advanced features and extended sharing capabilities.

Bitwarden offers a seven-day free trial for its Families and business plans so you can test the features and functionality before committing to a subscription. Additionally, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee if you change your mind.

How Does Bitwarden Work? Bitwarden Security Features

Bitwarden has a range of security features to protect your data and ensure your passwords remain safe. In this section of our Bitwarden review, we’ll take a closer look at how Bitwarden works and explore the security features that make it a trusted choice for individuals and businesses alike.

Bitwarden Encryption and Infrastructure

Bitwarden utilizes end-to-end AES 256-bit encryption – which is considered the gold standard for data security – to protect vault data at rest and in transit. Your master password, known only to you, is used to derive the encryption key. Before being sent to Bitwarden’s servers, all vault data is encrypted and decrypted locally on your device using this key.

In addition, secure PBKDF2 key derivation and salted hashing are used to protect the master password. Hashing ensures the master password is never transmitted or stored in plain text, while salting adds random data to make it much more difficult to reverse engineer the master password hash.

Bitwarden’s infrastructure is hosted on Microsoft Azure, a top-tier cloud platform with state-of-the-art physical and digital security.

As Bitwarden is open source, security researchers can audit the password manager and quickly identify any potential vulnerabilities so they can be patched. This transparency helps strengthen the overall security of the Bitwarden platform.

Bitwarden’s Password Generator

Bitwarden Password Generator
The Bitwarden Password Generator

Bitwarden’s password generator helps users create strong, unique passwords. The generator allows you to customize its settings, with passwords running up to 128 characters and including or excluding uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

You can also choose to avoid potentially ambiguous characters, which can make it harder to reproduce passwords.

In addition, the generator can suggest usernames and create passphrases for you. This flexibility ensures you can create passwords that meet the various requirements of different sites and services.

Bitwarden Auto-Fill

Bitwarden Auto-Fill
Bitwarden’s auto-fill feature

Bitwarden’s auto-fill feature is a convenient and secure way to streamline the login process across devices and platforms. Bitwarden can enter your saved credentials whenever you need via the browser extension or mobile app, authenticated with your master password, biometric data, or a PIN.

The feature also supports more complex login scenarios, such as multi-page login forms and sites that require additional fields like PINs and security questions.

This makes it fast and easy to use strong, unique passwords for each account, as you no longer need to remember or manually enter them every time you log in.

One other benefits of this feature is that it reduces the risk of phishing attacks. If you automatically enter your credentials on legitimate sites, you minimize the chances of accidentally entering your password on a fraudulent website or having your details scraped by keyloggers.

Bitwarden Authenticator

Bitwarden Authenticator
The Bitwarden Authenticator

Bitwarden Authenticator is a built-in two-factor authentication (2FA) tool that generates time-based one-time passwords (TOTPs) for your Bitwarden account and any other services that support TOTP 2FA.

It provides an extra layer of security by requiring a one-time code and your master password when logging in. The codes are generated on your device rather than being sent via more vulnerable methods like SMS or email, saving you having to use tools like Google Authenticator.

Password Sharing

Bitwarden's Password Sharing
Password Sharing with Bitwarden

Bitwarden offers a secure and convenient way to share passwords and other sensitive information. By prompting users to compare and verify fingerprint phrases during the sharing process, Bitwarden ensures that end-to-end encryption is properly established and the server connection remains secure.

This helps to maintain the integrity of encrypted data and protects against potential tampering by malicious third parties. Bitwarden also enables granular control over shared items, allowing users to grant read-only access when sharing passwords.

For business users, team members can securely share access to company social media accounts, website logins, and other resources without the need to distribute passwords through insecure channels like email or chat.

Administrators can also easily manage shared items, add or remove team members, and monitor access to shared data through the Bitwarden organization dashboard.

Bitwarden Send

Bitwarden Send is a secure way to share encrypted data, such as files or text, with anyone, even if they don’t have a Bitwarden account. The data is protected with end-to-end encryption, ensuring only the intended recipient can access the contents of the message.

When a recipient clicks on the shared link, they’re directed to a secure Bitwarden page to access the file or message. If a password has been set, the recipient must enter it before viewing the data.

To further secure the message, you can set a deletion date for permanent removal of the shared data, an expiration date for link deactivation, and a maximum access count for the number of times the link can be used.

The feature does limit the maximum file size that can be shared. On desktop, the limit is 500 MB per file, while the limit is 100 MB on mobile.

Bitwarden Passkeys

Bitwarden Passkeys functionality
Bitwarden Passkeys functionality

Bitwarden also includes support for passkeys, an authentication method designed to replace traditional passwords. Passkeys offer a secure and convenient way to sign into online accounts using public key cryptography and user verification.

When signing in with a passkey, the user’s device generates a unique, cryptographically secure key pair. The public key is shared with Bitwarden, while the private key is securely stored on the user’s device. This key pair is then used to authenticate the user.

One of the benefits of using passkeys with Bitwarden is you no longer need to remember complex passwords or deal with password reset procedures. Instead, you can simply use biometric authentication to securely sign into your Bitwarden account.

Multifactor Authentication and Master Password Emergency Access

Bitwarden provides a range of multifactor authentication (MFA) options to enhance your account’s security. You can enable two-factor authentication with popular authenticator apps like Google Authenticator, Authy, or FreeOTP, for example, which generate time-based one-time passwords (TOTP).

Email-based two-factor authentication is also available, where a unique code is sent to a registered email address for verification.

For users seeking the highest level of security, Bitwarden supports hardware security keys, such as YubiKey, SoloKeys, and Nitrokeys. These physical devices use the FIDO2 WebAuthn standard and provide a tamper-proof way to authenticate logins.

Fingerprint, face ID, and other biometric methods can also be used to quickly and securely access your Bitwarden vault without having to enter the master password. This feature is available on iOS and Android devices, as well as on desktop computers with compatible biometric scanners.

In case of an emergency, such as user incapacitation, Bitwarden’s emergency access feature allows trusted emergency contacts to be designated who can request access to the vault. A waiting period can be set before access is granted, providing time to deny the request if it was made in error.

Bitwarden Reports

Bitwarden Reports
Bitwarden Reports

Bitwarden’s Reports feature offers users a set of tools to assess and maintain the security of their password vault.

The Weak Passwords report analyzes your stored passwords and helps you identify weak, reused, or old passwords that may put your accounts at risk so you can take action and update them. The report also provides actionable recommendations to improve your overall password health.

Bitwarden also offers an Exposed Passwords report that cross-references your passwords against a vast database of known leaked passwords from past data breaches. To protect user privacy, this process is carried out securely, only using partial hashes of the passwords.

The Data Breach monitoring report, meanwhile, uses the Have I Been Pwned service to alert users if their personal information has appeared in known data breaches.

The Unsecured Websites report flags login items that use unencrypted connections, reminding users to opt for the more secure HTTPS protocol whenever possible. The Inactive 2FA report, on the other hand, identifies accounts where two-factor authentication is available but not being used.

Bitwarden Compatibility and Ease of Use

Bitwarden has a user-friendly interface and extensive compatibility across devices and operating systems. The password manager ensures users can access and store information with ease, regardless of technical expertise.

Bitwarden Desktop AppBitwarden Mobile AppBitwarden Extensions for Browsers

Bitwarden Windows and Mac Apps

Bitwarden’s desktop application is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. There’s support for Windows 10 and 11, macOS 10.15+, and most Linux distributions.

The desktop app includes all the password manager’s key features and is generally regarded as being intuitive and easy to use.

Bitwarden Android and iOS Apps

The Bitwarden mobile app is available for Android and iOS devices. It is compatible with smartphones and tablets running Android 5.0 or later and iOS 11.0 or later.

The mobile apps work as expected and include all Bitwarden’s key features. By default, the Android app also blocks screen captures, which is a great addition.

Bitwarden Extensions for Browsers

Bitwarden offers browser extensions for popular web browsers, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, and Opera. It also supports the most recent versions of privacy-focused browsers like Vivaldi, Brave, and the Tor Browser.

How Does Bitwarden Compare Against Other Password Managers?

To better understand how Bitwarden stacks up against its competitors, we compared it to some of the most popular password managers on the market.

Password Manager Price (lowest price) Free Version Max Devices Password Vault / Generator Comatibility
Bitwarden $0.83/month (annual) Unlimited Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
1Password $2.99/month (annual) 14-day trial Unlimited Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Dashlane $4.99/month (annual) ✅ (25 passwords, one device) Unlimited Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Keeper $2.92 per month (annual) ✅ (one mobile device) Unlimited Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
NordPass $1.69/month (two years) ✅ (one device) Unlimited Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android

Bitwarden vs 1Password

Bitwarden provides more affordable pricing than 1Password, starting at less than $1 per month, compared to 1Password’s $2.99 per month.

While 1Password lacks a free version, it compensates with advanced features such as a Travel Mode, which temporarily removes sensitive data from your devices when crossing borders. 1Password also has a strict no-refunds policy, while Bitwarden offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. See our 1Password vs Bitwarden guide for more detail.

Bitwarden vs Dashlane

While both Bitwarden and Dashlane provide a secure password management solution, Dashlane offers additional features like a built-in VPN.

Given this, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Dashlane is more expensive at $4.99/month, though users might also consider leading VPN providers like Surfshark. Dashlane is also only compatible with Linux and Chromebook via browser extensions.

Keeper vs Bitwarden

While Bitwarden’s free version supports unlimited devices, Keeper offers a limited free version only for mobile devices, making Bitwarden a more versatile choice for users who need to access passwords on multiple platforms.

Keeper is also more expensive at $2.92 per month compared to Bitwarden’s $0.83 monthly fee. Keeper doesn’t offer refunds but does provide a 30-day trial for users to test the service.

NordPass vs Bitwarden

NordPass is provided by NordVPN, which may appeal to users already familiar with its services. NordPass and Bitwarden have similar free versions, which both support unlimited devices. However, NordPass is more expensive at $1.69/month with its two-year plan.

Users seeking a more comprehensive security solution might consider a NordVPN Plus account, which includes the VPN service, the password manager, and tools to block malware, ads, and trackers for $3.99/month.

How to Set Up Bitwarden

Here’s a step-by-step guide for downloading, installing, and activating Bitwarden on your PC.

  1. Download the Bitwarden Application

    Head to the official Bitwarden website, set up an account, and navigate to the download page. Choose the appropriate installer for your operating system and click to download the installer file.

    <strong>Download the Bitwarden Application</strong>
  2. Install Bitwarden on Your PC

    Locate the download and double-click to begin the installation process. Follow the on-screen instructions provided by the installation wizard and select your preferred options when prompted. Once the installation is complete, click “Finish.”

    <strong>Install Bitwarden on Your PC</strong>
  3. Create Your Bitwarden Account

    Launch the Bitwarden application on your PC. If you already have a Bitwarden account, enter your account credentials and log in, or click on the “Create Account” button, and enter your email address and a strong, unique master password.

    <strong>Create Your Bitwarden Account</strong>
  4. Add Your Passwords and Sensitive Information

    Once logged in on the Bitwarden application, click the ‘+’ button to add a new item to your vault. Select the appropriate item type, whether it’s a login, credit card, identity detail, or secure note, and fill in the relevant information.

    <strong>Add Your Passwords and Sensitive Information</strong>
  5. Install Bitwarden Extension

    To streamline password management and auto-filling login credentials, you may want to install the Bitwarden browser extension for your preferred browser. Go to your browser’s extension store, search for “Bitwarden,” and click ‘Install” or “Add to Browser.”

    <strong>Install Bitwarden Extension</strong>

Customer Support and Bitwarden Reviews from Users

Bitwarden offers several support channels for users seeking assistance, including a contact form on their website, email support, and a community forum. While these channels are available 24/7, their round-the-clock availability doesn’t necessarily guarantee immediate responses from the support team.

Bitwarden reviews from users are generally positive, with a “Great” overall Trustpilot score of 3.9/5. Many Bitwarden users have expressed satisfaction with the password management solution, praising its security, affordability, and cross-platform compatibility.

The open-source nature of the software instills confidence in users, and the availability of essential features, even with the free version, is much appreciated.

A number of users also note that they’ve migrated from LastPass following various security issues that the password manager provider has reported in recent years.

Outstanding tool with user-friendly interface and solid set of capabilities. UX/UI design is great, too. I´ll stick to this password manager for the time being.

User review from TrustPilot

In terms of criticism, setting up password sharing for families has reportedly proven confusing for some users, and the support team apparently hasn’t always been able to provide satisfactory solutions for these issues.

In some cases, users have reported difficulties adding passwords or accessing their vaults, leading to frustration.A few users have apparently also found themselves locked out of their accounts after connecting from countries that Bit warden deems suspicious.

Our Other Password Manager Guides

If you’re looking for the best password manager to suit your specific needs, our guides cover a wide range of scenarios and platforms to help you make the right choice for your needs.

FAQs

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Jerry Makenzie
Technology Journalist
Jerry Makenzie
Technology Journalist

Jerry is a technology writer with over four years of experience, complemented by a CompTIA Security+ certification and a Bachelor's degree in English Language & Literature. His expertise covers cybersecurity, cloud computing, emerging tech trends, and digital transformation. Jerry's background as a Technology Writer at U Green has sharpened his ability to effectively communicate technical information, ensuring that even the most complex subjects are presented with clarity. Jerry's passion for technology stems from his curiosity about how things work. He loves deconstructing new products, apps, and services to understand their inner workings and impact on users' lives. When he's not…