Bitwarden

Overview

Bitwarden is a privately held, Santa Barbara-based password and passkey manager, founded in 2016, and in 2026 the leading open-source option for individuals and businesses, offered both as a cloud service and as a server you can self-host. It is one of the two default business shortlist names alongside 1Password. Its largest disclosed funding was a 100 million dollar growth round in September 2022 led by PSG, with Battery Ventures participating.

What it is good at

Transparency and price. The code is public (the server is AGPL v3.0, with enterprise code under the Bitwarden License), and Bitwarden lists annual third-party assessments: in 2025 Cure53 tested the browser extension, desktop app and web vault, ETH Zurich's Applied Cryptography Group reviewed core cryptography, and Unit 42 and Fracture Labs covered mobile and network. It states SOC 2 Type 2, SOC 3, ISO 27001 and annual HIPAA audits.

Passkeys are mature and free. Bitwarden stores and autofills passkeys in the browser extension, desktop apps, iOS 17+ and Android 14+, and you can log in to Bitwarden itself with a passkey, decrypting the vault where the passkey supports the PRF extension (WebAuthn).

Business features are priced low. Teams includes event logs, directory sync and SCIM; Enterprise adds SSO over SAML 2.0 or OIDC, with several member decryption options, enterprise policies and Access Intelligence. Self-hosting keeps every vault under your own control.

Where it falls short

The interface is functional rather than the slickest in the category, and admin tooling is less hand-holding than 1Password. SSO is Enterprise-only, so Teams buyers pay for SCIM but not single sign-on. On Android, stored passkeys cannot act as a second factor. Self-hosting shifts patching, backups and uptime to you. It is a password and passkey manager, not a privileged access platform, so do not expect session brokering or the credential rotation found in dedicated PAM. We found no Bitwarden CVE briefs or incidents in SWI's catalogues.

Pricing

Free tier, plus published per-user plans (checked 2026-11-05, Bitwarden pricing), billed annually: Premium $1.65 per month for one user, Families $3.99 per month for up to six users, Teams $4 per user per month, Enterprise $6 per user per month. Self-hosting the server carries no separate licence fee. Model your seat count and tier with the TCO calculator.

Best for, and who should look elsewhere

Choose Bitwarden when you want an audited, open-source manager with a credible self-host path, a real free tier and standard enterprise controls at low cost. If you want a more polished UX and developer secrets, weigh 1Password (see 1Password vs Bitwarden) or Dashlane; for a lighter unofficial self-hosted server, consider Vaultwarden; for OpenPGP team sharing, see Passbolt. For full rankings, see best password managers for business.

Bottom line

A top all-around choice that balances openness, value and enterprise readiness better than almost any rival, best for cost-conscious businesses and anyone who needs self-hosting.