Bitwarden vs 1Password
Bitwarden's case is that its claims can be checked: clients and server are open source, audited every year, and the server can be self-hosted, at the lowest business price in the category. 1Password's case is that people keep using it, thanks to the best interface here. Security reviewers who demand source access choose Bitwarden; teams fighting for adoption choose 1Password.
Vendors can pay for visibility on this site; it never changes what we say about a product. How that works.
Choose Bitwarden ifyour security review requires open, independently audited code or the option to host the vault yourself, and a plainer admin console is an acceptable trade for the lowest price.
Choose 1Password ifgetting staff to actually use a password manager is the hard part, and you value polish and the secret key model over source availability or self-hosting.
Bitwarden and 1Password side by side
| Bitwarden | 1Password | |
|---|---|---|
| Our password manager rank | #1 of 12 | #7 of 12 |
| Established in | United States | Canada |
| Pricing | Free personal tier; business plans per user per month, published | Per user per month, published; flat-price Teams Starter Pack for up to 10; 14-day trial |
| Free tier | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Built for | A team that wants audited open source and an option to self-host | A team where adoption is the whole battle |
| Not for | A company that will choose on interface alone | An organisation that requires source availability |
Both are reviewed in full in our password manager ranking: Bitwarden and 1Password.
Where they differ
Bitwarden 3 · 1Password 1 · open 0- 01
Being able to inspect the cryptography
Bitwarden is the only major manager whose clients and server are both open source and independently audited each year, so its encryption claims can be examined instead of trusted. 1Password is closed source, which rules it out of some security reviews. In a category resting entirely on cryptography, that gives Bitwarden a substantive advantage for reviewers.
Edge: Bitwarden
- 02
Daily use and the admin console
1Password is the best-designed manager in our ranking and the one people are still using after a month, which is what a rollout lives or dies on. Bitwarden's admin console is plainer and its overall polish trails the commercial leaders. Where adoption depends on how the product feels, 1Password is the stronger choice.
Edge: 1Password
- 03
Where the vault can run
Bitwarden lets you host the server yourself if the vault is too sensitive to leave the building. 1Password offers no self-hosting option at all. For most companies a hosted vault is fine, but for those with a policy requiring credentials on their own infrastructure, this single point decides the comparison.
Edge: Bitwarden
- 04
Cost per user
Both publish per-user monthly business pricing. Bitwarden's is the lowest in this category by a wide margin and it also has a free personal tier. 1Password's pricing in our data is per user per month with no free tier listed. On price alone, particularly for a larger head count, Bitwarden wins.
Edge: Bitwarden
When neither fits
A regulated organisation that must show specific certifications such as FedRAMP, and wants the most granular control over who may share what, is looking for something neither emphasises. Keeper is chosen for exactly that certification list and policy engine, with modules priced separately.
Bitwarden or 1Password: questions
3 answersIs Bitwarden as secure as 1Password?
They make different arguments. Bitwarden's open source clients and server are independently audited every year, so its security is verifiable.
1Password uses a two-secret key derivation, meaning a stolen vault is useless without the local secret key. Our data does not rank one above the other.
Why would a team pay for 1Password when Bitwarden is cheaper?
Adoption. 1Password has the best interface in our ranking and is the manager people keep using after the first month. Bitwarden is the lowest-priced business option, but its admin console is plainer and its polish trails, which matters if staff are reluctant.
Can Bitwarden or 1Password be self-hosted?
Bitwarden can: you may run the server yourself. 1Password has no self-hosting option at all. If keeping the vault on your own infrastructure is a requirement, that settles the choice between these two.