Is It a Secure Password Supervisor?

Bitwarden is an open supply password supervisor that provides a beneficiant free model, a formidable privateness and safety structure, and inexpensive pricing throughout the board.

Its free model is likely one of the most full supplied by password managers, making it an attractive possibility for these on a tighter finances. Whereas its desktop software isn’t probably the most intuitive, its total bundle nonetheless makes it one of many prime password administration apps at this time.

Is Bitwarden free?

Sure, Bitwarden has a devoted free eternally model. Bitwarden’s Free Plan is likely one of the greatest free password managers out there, because it presents limitless passwords and entry for a limiteless variety of units. That is in distinction to some password managers, corresponding to Dashlane, whose free model solely permits entry on one gadget at a time and solely shops 25 passwords.

Bitwarden’s Free Plan comes with all of Bitwarden’s core password administration options, corresponding to zero-knowledge encryption, username and password generator, and two-step logins. Nevertheless, it doesn’t include Bitwarden’s 24/7 e-mail assist, emergency entry, and encrypted file attachments just like the paid subscriptions.

Bitwarden’s free tier is likely one of the most full free variations out there. It’s good for customers on a good finances wanting a fully-functioning password administration system.

SEE: Bitwarden Free vs Premium: Which Plan Is Greatest for You? (TechRepublic)

Bitwarden pricing

Bitwarden presents pricing plans for each private and enterprise use.

Private plan pricing

Apart from having a robust free model, Bitwarden continues to be a fantastic worth possibility with its inexpensive pricing for its private plans. As premium subscriptions vary from $1.66 (RoboForm) to $4.99 (Dashlane) per 30 days, Bitwarden Premium presents a yearly price of simply $10 per yr, or round $0.83 per 30 days, to be actual. This makes Bitwarden one of the inexpensive password managers out there.

Given the cheaper price, I’d say Bitwarden Premium isn’t probably the most feature-packed password supervisor. It lacks additional options like Dashlane’s built-in VPN or 1Password’s extra polished person interface. Nevertheless, you might be getting the basic options you want at a really inexpensive worth.

For first time customers, I like to recommend making an attempt out Bitwarden’s free model. It’s straightforward to arrange and provides you an honest really feel for his or her service. It additionally helps that upgrading to a premium model isn’t that costly both.

Marketing strategy pricing

Bitwarden’s business-tailored Groups plan falls throughout the traditional pricing in comparison with the competitors. You get 10 customers, all of Bitwarden’s core and premium options, occasion and audit logs, person teams, and a listing connector.

In 2023, Bitwarden’s Groups plan was truly known as Groups Starter and was priced at $20 per 30 days for as much as 10 customers. In 2024, it’s now simply known as Groups and is priced per person at $4 per 30 days. It maintains the identical characteristic set, corresponding to all Bitwarden premium options, occasion and audit logs, and person teams. 

Whereas I personally like how Groups is now priced at a per person foundation, which might be nice for companies that don’t essentially want all 10 seats crammed, it’s unlucky that it’s now additionally double the value. Because of this the identical 10 customers could be priced at $40 per 30 days. Should you’re on the lookout for a extra inexpensive subscription in your small crew, 1Password’s Group Starter Pack is priced at $19.95 per 30 days for as much as 10 customers.

Fortunately, Bitwarden’s cost-effective Enterprise subscription at $6 per 30 days, per person was retained from final yr. In comparison with different business-to-enterprise degree plans, it nonetheless sits as one of many extra inexpensive choices. LastPass’ Marketing strategy is priced at $7 per 30 days; whereas 1Password’s Enterprise subscription is at $8 per person, per 30 days.

For options, self-hosting and passwordless SSO integration are solely out there on Bitwarden’s Enterprise subscription. You get limitless customers, insurance policies, account restoration administration, and free Households Plan for customers.

General, Bitwarden’s inexpensive pricing on most of its subscriptions is one in every of its strongest options. If you’d like an inexpensive password supervisor that doesn’t skimp out on key options, Bitwarden is a good choose.

Is Bitwarden actually safe?

Sure, Bitwarden is a secure password supervisor. It operates on a zero-knowledge structure, which signifies that the end-user is the one one with actual entry to their knowledge. It’s additionally distinctive in that it’s open supply software program, permitting the general public to evaluation their code and monitor it for any vulnerabilities. That is an incredible little bit of transparency that I do know privateness fans will discover invaluable.

As well as, Bitwarden makes use of trade main AES 256 encryption and undergoes common safety audits that validate its safety claims. I additionally respect how Bitwarden makes it clear that person grasp passwords are by no means saved both regionally or in reminiscence. That is massive, provided that your grasp password is your major key to unlocking all of your different passwords.

At time of publication, Bitwarden had no reported hacks or knowledge breaches. Altogether, Bitwarden is likely one of the most secure password managers to make use of in 2024.

Key options of Bitwarden

On prime of the basic password supervisor options like password technology and encrypted vaults, Bitwarden presents a number of options that assist it stand out from the competitors.

Limitless passwords and units free of charge

Bitwarden is greatest recognized for its beneficiant free model. Specifically, the truth that Bitwarden permits for a limiteless variety of passwords and units to apply it to free of charge makes it a fantastic starter password supervisor, particularly for these on a finances.

In concept, particular person customers don’t should spend for a premium subscription to get a useful and safe password supervisor. Different password managers, like Dashlane, solely permit for 25 saved passwords, whereas 1Password doesn’t even supply a free tier of their service altogether.

Bitwarden Ship

Bitwarden Ship permits customers to ship out encrypted recordsdata and textual content for safe file-sharing. It could transmit textual content of as much as 1000 encrypted characters or recordsdata of as much as 500 MB. The cool factor about Bitwarden Ship is the configurable lifespan, permitting customers to set how lengthy a textual content or file might be accessed or seen earlier than being deleted from the system.

This characteristic will likely be particularly helpful to customers who repeatedly ship out delicate or confidential paperwork like contracts, agreements, and the like.

Emergency entry

Whereas many password managers supply emergency entry, Bitwarden’s implementation stands out for its comfort. In Bitwarden, customers can grant emergency entry to trusted contacts via e-mail — permitting them to request vault entry when wanted. This course of is much more streamlined in comparison with 1Password’s Emergency Package system, which makes use of a stowed PDF or Dashlane’s use of a proprietary DASH file for emergency entry.

I like how one can set a Wait Time for vault entry, which supplies the account proprietor time to just accept or deny emergency entry requests if needed. Do notice that emergency entry is simply out there for premium Bitwarden customers and isn’t out there on their free tier.

Bitwarden authentication and safety choices

Bitwarden consists of two-factor authentication for customers to entry their Bitwarden vaults. It presents quite a few 2FA strategies, corresponding to an authenticator app, e-mail, through FIDO2 WebAuthn credentials, YubiKey, through Duo Safety, and extra. Take notice, nonetheless, that solely the primary three 2FA strategies talked about are supplied in Bitwarden’s free model.

By way of safety choices, Bitwarden permits customers to unblock vaults through biometric know-how corresponding to fingerprint or face authentication. Throughout my testing, I used to be capable of manually set a vault timeout motion to both require re-authentication or a grasp password to unlock my vault after a given period of time.

For password technology, Bitwarden allowed me to create a random password with as much as 128 characters. I used to be additionally capable of create a username utilizing Bitwarden’s password generator — a useful characteristic to make sure I didn’t reuse the identical username for various accounts.

Bitwarden interface and efficiency

Bitwarden’s desktop person interface follows a quite simple and minimalistic design. Whereas it appears clear, I do really feel that it may be extra intuitive when it comes to menu placement.

I would like that essential menus such because the Password Generator and Settings not be hidden in dropdown menus on the prime of the appliance.

Bitwarden’s browser extension is extra intuitive to make use of, as essential menus just like the vault and settings are extra simply accessible.

In 2023, I had a little bit of hassle with Bitwarden’s auto-fill performance. Not like different password managers that mechanically had pop-up icons in username or password fields for straightforward auto filling, Bitwarden required me to open their browser extension first, then click on on the recommended credential, for the login particulars to get crammed in. You may see a pattern of this within the picture under.

Should you check out the Amazon e-mail tackle subject, there’s no Bitwarden brand or icon in sight to click on on for straightforward password filling. Whereas this wasn’t the top of the world, it did add an extra step to the log-in course of and was barely inconvenient — particularly contemplating how that is the same old apply with different password managers.

Now that we’re in 2024, I’m very comfortable to report that Bitwarden has addressed this concern and now has its autofill menu showing on kind fields if you click on on them by default.

In my opinion, this variation supplies a major enchancment to the day-to-day person expertise, because it not solely makes kind filling a lot simpler but it surely additionally helps make utilizing Bitwarden really feel like a seamless expertise. Beneath is a screenshot of the Bitwarden brand for autofill in a username subject, as per the brand new modifications applied.

Like final yr, Bitwarden’s auto-fill on web page load characteristic continues to be off by default. For context, what auto-fill on web page load does is that when a webpage masses and Bitwarden detects a login kind throughout the web page, your login credentials will mechanically get fed to the shape subject with none motion from the person. Per Bitwarden, this characteristic is turned off as a result of some untrusted or malicious web sites might use this to steal person credentials.

To me, I respect Bitwarden going the additional mile in ensuring that its options are literally safe and don’t depart person credentials liable to being stolen. For customers keen to tackle that danger, it’s nice that Bitwarden offers you the choice to take action.

For password seize and replay, I had zero points with Bitwarden. It was capable of reliably seize new logins and passwords and replay them as soon as I revisited the corresponding websites.

One small nitpick I’ve, nonetheless, is that Bitwarden doesn’t allow you to generate new passwords from throughout the kind subject itself. Whenever you click on on a password subject, you get an possibility so as to add a brand new login as an alternative of getting a pop up of Bitwarden’s password generator.

Whenever you click on “+ New login,” you’re greeted with Bitwarden’s Add merchandise web page that allows you to fill out all of the login data in a single single pane, corresponding to the location title, username, and password. From right here, you’ll be capable of use Bitwarden’s password generator and tweak it to your liking.

Whereas some might like this extra organized method, I personally favor for the password generator to seem as a pop up within the kind subject itself. To me, this may make for a faster and extra seamless expertise in saving a brand new login. Once more, that is extra of a private selection, as Bitwarden’s password seize labored with no hassle in any respect.

Bitwarden cellular app

To Bitwarden’s credit score, their cellular software mimics that of their intuitive browser extension. I examined the Bitwarden cellular software on my Android telephone.

It adopts an easy-to-use interface and is pretty simple. I observed that the appliance’s animations did really feel a bit clunky, but it surely was nonetheless a steady expertise total.

I additionally favored how the Bitwarden cellular app doesn’t permit for any screenshots or screen-grabs by default. It is a refined however essential safety characteristic that may assist stop your credentials from being stolen by unhealthy actors.

SEE: Find out how to Create an Efficient Cybersecurity Consciousness Program (TechRepublic Premium)

Bitwarden professionals

• Free model with limitless password storage.
• Very inexpensive pricing throughout plans.
• Simple-to-use emergency entry characteristic.
• Encrypted file-sharing system.
• Open-source.
• Clear safety popularity.
• Improved auto fill capabilities.

Bitwarden cons

• Desktop UI might be extra intuitive.
• Doesn’t have a ton of additional options.

Is Bitwarden price it?

Bitwarden’s beneficiant free model, zero-knowledge encryption, and inexpensive pricing make it a fantastic selection for customers on the lookout for a bang-for-your-buck password supervisor. The truth that you get limitless passwords and may entry them on limitless units, on prime of its open supply platform, makes Bitwarden a robust contender within the password supervisor area.

Whereas its desktop software might be extra intuitive, Bitwarden packs numerous worth for cash throughout all its plans to make it maybe the perfect finances password supervisor out there.

Bitwarden options

Should you discover that Bitwarden lacks in performance, I’ve listed a number of options that might be a greater match in your wants and workflow.

Dashlane

Dashlane is a well known password supervisor answer that provides top-tier safety, tons of options, and a glossy person interface. It comes with a formidable darkish net monitor characteristic that sends customers alerts in case a saved password or credential is concerned in an information breach. It additionally permits for limitless safe password-sharing to share credentials with a number of customers.

To study extra, learn our full Dashlane evaluation.

1Password

For individuals who prioritize safety above all, 1Password is an effective selection. On prime of the common password administration options, it comes with vulnerability alerts and phishing safety to safeguard in opposition to malicious people. It additionally mechanically locks the password vault during times of inactivity, including an extra degree of safety to defending your logins.

To study extra, learn our full 1Password evaluation.

Keeper

For giant organizations, Keeper could be a nice match. It supplies a extra organizational method to password administration with folders, subfolders, and shared crew folders. For safety, Keeper additionally implements darkish net monitoring that scans worker information and informs them of any points with their credentials.

To study extra, learn our full Keeper evaluation.

Steadily requested questions on Bitwarden

Has Bitwarden been breached earlier than?

No, Bitwarden has by no means been breached. As of October 2024, there have been no experiences of incidents the place Bitwarden’s service or infrastructure has been compromised in any approach.

The place are you able to discover a tutorial on learn how to use Bitwarden?

You may take a look at our Find out how to Use Bitwarden information that takes you thru the step-by-step course of of selecting a Bitwarden subscription, organising the Bitwarden browser extension, and saving your first password, amongst different issues.

We additionally present some ideas and methods on learn how to greatest use Bitwarden for your small business and learn how to maximize its characteristic set.

Can Bitwarden be used on a number of units?

Sure, Bitwarden can be utilized on a limiteless variety of units regardless if in case you have an energetic Bitwarden Premium subscription or are a Bitwarden Free Plan person.

What platforms does Bitwarden assist?

For desktop, Bitwarden has functions for Home windows, macOS, and Linux. It additionally has cellular apps for each iOS, Android, and F-Droid

By way of net browser extensions, Bitwarden helps Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Courageous, Vivaldi, Tor, and DuckDuckGo.

Evaluation methodology

My evaluation of Bitwarden concerned an in depth evaluation of its safety features, worth, and real-world efficiency. I had hands-on expertise with Bitwarden via its free model and supplemented my findings with person testimonials and respected critiques.

To check Bitwarden, I put in its desktop software on my Home windows laptop computer and its cellular app on my Google Pixel 6. I additionally examined Bitwarden’s Chrome extension on my browser.

I rated Bitwarden on every part from its password administration options to its pricing primarily based on an inner algorithm to get a ranking of 4.6 out of 5 stars. The scoring was primarily based each on Bitwarden by itself and in relation to different out there password managers.