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By
Christina Levandowski
Christina Levandowski
Contributor
Christina is a freelance editor and contributor with Newsweek’s small business team. With a passion for small business optimization and strategy, Christina has successfully launched her own business and now works to help others do the same. She has studied extensively at Arizona State University on the pre-medical track, and is now an entrepreneur, author, strategist and editor. She is based out of Los Angeles, CA.
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Deane Biermeier
Deane Biermeier
Contributor
After over 3 decades working in residential construction, contracting, remodeling, maintenance and home repair, Deane began writing to broaden his reach. Throughout his career, his passion has been helping clients find the potential hidden in the walls of every home and providing them the information and tools to take control of their repair and remodeling pursuits. His goal was, and is, to assist his clients—now his readers—in finding ways to make their ambitions reality. To meet that desire, Deane now provides written content about all things relating to the home, sustainability and personal finances.
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Curious about Bitwarden vs. 1Password? We’re here to end the age-old debate and give you the information you need to make your choice in confidence.
Our Methodology
Our research is designed to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of personal finance services and products that best suit your needs. To help you in the decision-making process, our expert contributors compare common preferences and potential pain points, such as affordability, accessibility, and credibility.
Forever Free Plan
✓
Dual-Layer, End-to-End Encryption
✓
Forever Free Plan
No
Dual-Layer, End-to-End Encryption
✓
Expert Take
Bitwarden and 1Password are both viable password security tools. People looking for free, scalable support might find better value with Bitwarden’s client-first payment structure. However, people who don’t mind paying a little more might appreciate 1Password’s extensive storage solutions and user-friendly interface.
Bitwarden
Bitwarden supports millions of users and is one of the most well-known password manager options for personal and business use. Users can set the service up in mere minutes and enjoy the site’s Zero Knowledge encryption model in a transparent, open-source framework.
Pros
- Multi-platform support across mobile, desktop and browser interfaces
- Support offered across 50+ languages
- Compliant across all major security-related industry standards.
Cons
- Web extension may close at random, eliminating the entered text
- Limited auto-fill support
- Password update feature experiences intermittent failures
1Password
Similar to Bitwarden, 1Password boasts a user base of 15 million users and a convenient, single-password unlock system. It can be used across any operating system and is available for all devices and browsers.
Pros
- Ongoing password breach monitoring via Watchtower
- Restoration upon relaunch options saves you valuable time
- Personalized collections allow you to keep commonly used logins at your fingertips
Cons
- Inconsistent password field awareness can limit autofill benefit
- Mobile use limitations may occur; compromising the user experience
- Cost may deter some users
Vault’s Viewpoints on Bitwarden vs. 1Password
Before making your final decision regarding the 1Password vs. Bitwarden debate, our experts recommend doing a thorough review to determine the best option for your specific needs. While both have benefits, each has unique properties that may make one more appealing than the other, depending on user type.
Bitwarden is robust, trustworthy and offers its competitive, Free Forever plan with features such as unlimited device support, file sharing and passkey management. You can start immediately, upgrading at any time to the Premium option for less than a dollar per month (or $10 annually). This option is ideal for students, value-seekers or any surfer who is looking for a low-cost password manager that is feature-rich and simple to use.
1Password is a higher-cost option that offers a seemingly endless stream of features that go above and beyond your average password manager experience. With 1Password, you can enjoy routine memory cleansing, advanced search and storage functions, rolling security awareness scores and masked email and payment options to use as you surf.
While any web user could benefit from 1Password’s suite of offerings, we believe that work-from-home employees and security-conscious users may find the highest value for cost with this tool. It’s also been optimized to operate with reduced memory consumption, making it an ideal choice for people with older computers or for people who want a faster, more efficient password manager at their fingertips.
Bitwarden Highlights
Is Bitwarden Worth It?
When it comes to the question of 1Password vs. Bitwarden, our experts affirm that Bitwarden is absolutely worth it for most web users. It can provide a higher level of value to people looking to stay secure in an affordable way or for entrepreneurs, startups and small to mid-sized businesses that are looking for affordable corporate solutions that scale with them as they grow.
Earning Rewards with Bitwarden
Bitwarden’s partnership program: Bitwarden offers a range of perks for partner members, including subscription incentives and advanced sales and marketing resources. Applying is easy, and can be completed via their on-site form.
Other Benefits of Bitwarden
- Unlimited device support
- Unlimited password storage
- Notes, credit card and identify storage options
- User-to-user sharing
- Apps for mobile, desktop and browser use
- Two-step login options
- Encrypted export support
- Username and password generator
- Public application programming interface (API) access*
- Unlimited collection-based sharing*
- Audit and event log storage and export support*
- Duo multi-factor authentication integration*
- User group setup*
- Custom role options*
- Organizational policy options*
- Passwordless single sign-on (SSO) integration*
- Account recovery support*
- Self-host support*
- 24/7 priority support*
- Rolling security health reports*
- Encrypted file attachment supports on a per-entry basis*
*Available with higher-level plans at the time of this publication
Who is Bitwarden Best For?
Bitwarden is best for people looking for a secure and affordable password solution that offers a Forever Free tier. It’s also ideal for people who may not need much support to launch and execute, as support is more limited here than with 1Password.
1Password Highlights
Is 1Password Worth It?
1Password is worth it if you’re looking for high-level security, a business option that’s simple to use and deploy and 24/7 customer support from its base membership level onward. While Bitwarden does offer 24/7 email support for everyone, you do have to pay for priority support, which may deter some users who feel that they’ll need a helping hand through the setup process.
Earning Rewards with 1Password
1Password’s partnership program: 1Passwsord’s partner network offers plenty of opportunities to earn. Users can choose to be a channel partner, a technology partner or a system integrator, allowing you to earn in the way that works best for you. As a result, you’ll receive a commission, ongoing support and product training that can impact the health and use strategy of your organization. Registration is completed on 1Password’s site.
Other Benefits of 1Password
- Browser extensions for all common options (such as Chrome, Mozilla, Safari and Microsoft Edge)**
- Dual-layer, end-to-end encryption**
- 24/7 support**
- Unlimited password storage**
- Unlimited device support**
- Robust autofill features**
- Unlimited shared vaults and user-to-user sharing**
- Account recovery support **
- Shared vault permissions**
- Guest accounts**
- Guest account recovery support**
- SSO unlock options**
- Stream options for integrated SOC and SIEM tools**
- Watchtower support**
- Transparent privacy guarantee**
- Travel mode**
- Secure digital wallet options**
- App interface for macOS, Windows, iOS, Linux and Android users**
**Information and claims provided here exist across membership tiers. Please read through membership options before purchasing to ensure that you select the best tier for your specific needs.
Who is 1Password Best For?
1Password is ideal for anyone looking for extra support and earnings opportunities—and for people who don’t mind paying a fee for a base membership. It’s also best for people who believe they will need extra launch support, as the service outshines Bitwarden and many other competing tools with 24/7, comprehensive customer service.
Bitwarden vs. 1Password Differences
| Bitwarden | 1Password | |
| 24/7, Complimentary Customer Support | ✓ | |
| Dual-Layer, End-to-End Encryption | ✓ | ✓ |
| Forever Free Plan | ✓ | |
| Unlimited Device Support and Password Storage | ✓ | ✓ |
Who Should Consider an Alternative?
We believe all security-minded users can benefit from at least one of these two password security options. However, many password management options exist and are worth considering. Our experts recommend thoroughly evaluating your security needs and balancing them against your budget and provider features to receive the best value.
Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. We may earn a commission from partner links on Newsweek, but commissions do not affect our editors’ opinions or evaluations.
Christina Levandowski
Contributor
Christina is a freelance editor and contributor with Newsweek’s small business team. With a passion for small business optimization and strategy, Christina has successfully launched her own business and now works to help others do the same. She has studied extensively at Arizona State University on the pre-medical track, and is now an entrepreneur, author, strategist and editor. She is based out of Los Angeles, CA.
Read more articles by Christina Levandowski
