Bitwarden is a password management solution that securely generates, stores, autofill, and monitors credentials for websites and applications. Bitwarden Free provides a secure vault for credentials, credit cards, ID documents, and text files. The Bitwarden Premium plan costs $10 per year and offers additional capabilities such as encrypted attachment sharing, advanced vault status reporting, and enhanced authentication. This guide compares Bitwarden Free vs Premium and provides recommendations to help you choose the right product.
Bitwarden Free vs. Bitwarden Premium: Comparison
| Characteristics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bitwarden Vault | ||
| Vault Import/Export | ||
| Secure Credential Generation | ||
| Share Vault | ||
| Share encrypted files | ||
| Vault Status Reports | ||
| Bitwarden Authenticator (TOTP) | ||
| emergency access | ||
| Priority support |
Feature Comparison: Bitwarden Free vs Bitwarden Premium
Bitwarden Vault
All Bitwarden users get access to a secure vault to store, monitor, and auto-populate credentials, credit cards, ID documents, and text files. Both free and premium users can install Bitwarden on an unlimited number of devices.
For those migrate from LastPass or another credential manager, Bitwarden can import vaults in a variety of formats to streamline the process. You can also import saved passwords from major browsers.
Both Bitwarden plans also provide secure username and password generation and allow you to share vault items with another user.
Share encrypted files
Bitwarden allows users to send encrypted files over links that you can password-protect, set to automatically delete or expire after a certain period of time, and even limit the number of times they are accessed. The Bitwarden Free plan allows you to send encrypted text only, while Bitwarden Premium users can attach other file types.
Vault Status Reports
Bitwarden Free users can enter any username or email address to find out if it has been caught in any online data breach.
Bitwarden Premium accounts get access to a full set of vault status reporting features. For example, you can generate a list of weak, exposed, and reused passwords that need to be changed or accounts for which you were unable to enable multi-factor authentication.
Bitwarden Authenticator
Bitwarden Free users can enable two-step login, like MFA, for their Bitwarden account using an authenticator app or email verification codes. Bitwarden Premium users can use the Bitwarden authenticator app, which provides time-based one-time passwords (TOTP) for added security. Premium plans also support integrations with leading MFA providers yubikey and Duo.
emergency access
With a Bitwarden Premium account, you can designate an emergency contact who can request access to your vault in the event of an emergency.
Priority support
Bitwarden Free users have access to an online self-help center as well as 24/7 email support. Bitwarden Premium users get priority email support, ensuring faster responses.
Need help getting started? Read our step-by-step guide at how to use Bitwarden.
Pros and cons of Bitwarden Free
Advantages of free Bitwarden
- Manage unlimited passwords on unlimited devices.
- Supports secure vault sharing and encrypted text sending.
- You can search lists of data breaches to find out if your account has been compromised.
Cons of Free Bitwarden
- You cannot send encrypted attachments.
- Does not provide additional security reports.
- There is no access to the Bitwarden Authenticator.
Pros and cons of Bitwarden Premium
Advantages of Bitwarden Premium
- You can send up to 1 GB of encrypted attachments.
- Access to advanced vault status reports.
- Bitwarden Authenticator and third-party MFA support.
Disadvantages of Bitwarden Premium
- Multiple user accounts cannot be linked.
- Priority support is email-based only.
Methodology
We start by reviewing the Bitwarden website to gather basic information about the capabilities, features, and pricing of the Free and Premium plans. Next, we researched both products on sites like Reddit to understand how real customers use Bitwarden Free and Premium and which features stand out the most. We then tested the free version to see how it performed and what capabilities are worth upgrading.
Read our Bitwarden Review to learn in depth about its features, prices and more.
Should your organization use Bitwarden Free or Bitwarden Premium?
Both Bitwarden Free and Bitwarden Premium offer secure credential management for an unlimited number of items (including passwords, credit cards, and IDs) on an unlimited number of devices. Both products are for home users and lack the equipment management capabilities needed for enterprise use cases.
If you're just looking for credential management, the Bitwarden Free plan provides everything you need to save, generate, and auto-fill passwords across all your devices. If you're also looking for secure file sharing, enhanced MFA functionality, or advanced vault health reporting, upgrading to Bitwarden Premium is worth the $10 per year.
Password managers like Bitwarden enable a more secure web browsing experience by helping you generate stronger passwords and prevent reusing them across websites and apps. For even greater web protection, read our How to use a VPN guide.
