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First-time password manager users will appreciate 1Password and Bitwarden, but for different reasons. Let’s set the scene: In one corner is Bitwarden, a free, open-source app loaded with perks at all subscription levels. In the opposite corner is 1Password, a paid app that includes a great-looking and easy-to-navigate user interface packed with features like a user-friendly tutorial and advanced options for small business owners. We’ve reviewed and recommend both, but let’s break them down across five key categories to help you decide which is right for you.
Price1Password’s plans are reasonably priced, starting at $35.88 for a personal subscription, but Bitwarden’s generous free plan is tough to beat. A free subscription includes passkey and password storage across unlimited devices on multiple platforms, username data breach scanning, and the option to run a Bitwarden server application on your network. Bitwarden’s paid plans won’t break the bank either. A Premium account is $10 annually and adds file storage, emergency access, password hygiene reports, and more sharing options. A Family account is $40 per year and includes all the Premium features for up to six users. Winner: BitwardenAuthentication OptionsIf a criminal gets into your online accounts, you can kiss your identity, money, and privacy goodbye. Thankfully, enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) on your accounts can help protect against account takeovers.
(Credit: 1Password/Bitwarden/PCMag)
Both password management apps get top marks for allowing users to attach a form of MFA to accounts. There are many different ways to authenticate your identity, and 1Password and Bitwarden give you lots of choices, such as biometrics, mobile apps like Google Authenticator, or a passkey. One of the most fun ways to do MFA is with a security key—a keychain-sized hardware device such as those from Yubico or Google’s Titan. Winner: TieSecurity Features1Password and Bitwarden both offer password hygiene reports, which show weak or reused passwords in user vaults. 1Password’s Watchtower feature scans your logins to see if any appear in a data breach list. We were also impressed with Watchtower’s two-factor authentication monitoring and item expiration alerts.
(Credit: 1Password/Bitwarden/PCMag)
Bitwarden goes a step further by offering data-breach-report monitoring for premium and free users. Free users can check if their email addresses or usernames have been exposed in a breach, and paid users can check the records for exposed credit card data and passwords. It’s an extra value for free app users that we haven’t seen anywhere else, so Bitwarden takes the win in this category.Winner: BitwardenApp Appearance and FunctionalityBoth companies offer excellent clean-looking, well-organized password managers with uniform appearances and slick functionality across all their apps and browser extensions. However, we prefer 1Password in this category because the app offers a comprehensive and in-depth tutorial for new users that allows them to practice filling in passwords and generating new credentials.
(Credit: Bitwarden/PCMag)
Winner: 1PasswordBusiness OptionsComparing these tiers is tricky because the better value depends heavily on your use case and budget. A 1Password Business account is $95.88 per user annually. Bitwarden’s similar account is $72 per user each year. Bitwarden’s Business plan is less expensive, but 1Password offers more business-specific perks to subscribers, including provisioning compatibility with popular services like Azure AD, Google Workspace, Okta, OneLogin, and more. Both password managers’ business plans include vault health reports, emergency access, and priority support access, and both companies offer a good value at very different price points. It’s fair to call this battle a tie.Winner: Tie
And The Winner Is…
Bitwarden wins this head-to-head comparison due mostly to its generous free plan and excellent security features for users at all subscription levels. Don’t count out 1Password, though. The company’s premium tier is reasonably priced, and we love the intuitively designed apps and the excellent tutorial that helps new users get started.
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