Bitwarden vs 1Password — Why the Free Option Wins

1Password is one of the most popular password managers. It is well-designed, reliable, and secure. It also costs $2.99 per month for individuals or $4.99 per month for families. Bitwarden is open source, end-to-end encrypted, and completely free for individuals.

Why Bitwarden is just as secure as 1Password

Bitwarden uses AES-256 bit encryption, the same standard used by banks and governments. All encryption happens on your device before data is sent to servers, so even Bitwarden cannot see your passwords.

Bitwarden is open source, meaning the code is publicly reviewed by thousands of security researchers worldwide. This is actually considered more trustworthy than closed-source software because vulnerabilities get found and fixed faster.

Bitwarden has also passed independent third-party security audits.

What you get on Bitwarden free

The free individual plan includes unlimited password storage, sync across unlimited devices, browser extensions for all major browsers, mobile apps for iOS and Android, two-factor authentication, and secure password sharing with one other person.

What 1Password does better

1Password has a more polished interface, better travel mode for crossing borders, slightly smoother browser extension experience, and better family sharing features. If you are a power user who values those extras, 1Password is worth the $36 per year.

For the vast majority of users who just need to store and autofill passwords securely, Bitwarden's free tier is everything you need.

How to migrate from 1Password to Bitwarden

Export your 1Password vault as a CSV file. Import it into Bitwarden using their built-in import tool. The whole process takes about 10 minutes. Bitwarden supports direct import from 1Password format so no data transformation is needed.

The bottom line

Bitwarden and 1Password are both excellent password managers. Bitwarden is free and open source. 1Password costs $36 per year. Unless you specifically need 1Password's advanced features, switch to Bitwarden and keep the $36.