Bitwarden vs Vaultwarden
Bitwarden and Vaultwarden are free apps you can use instead of 1Password and LastPass. Vaultwarden is a lighter server. Passkeys and breach monitoring do less.
A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement. How this works
Instead of 1Password
Last checked October 15, 2026
Bitwarden is #1 (96). Vaultwarden is #2 (84).
Bitwarden
#1 · Closest
10 of 10 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.You only get part of: breach monitoring.
Vaultwarden
#2
10 of 10 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.What you give up: breach monitoring. You only get part of: secure sharing and passkeys.
Scroll sideways to see both apps.
| Feature | Bitwarden#1 · 9610 of 10 checked features | Vaultwarden#2 · 8410 of 10 checked features |
|---|---|---|
| Encrypted vaultCounts for 10 | Full | Full |
| Browser autofillCounts for 9 | Full | FullVia official Bitwarden clients pointed at your server. |
| Desktop and mobile appsCounts for 8 | Full | FullBitwarden's apps. Vaultwarden does not ship its own. |
| Password generatorCounts for 5 | Full | Full |
| Secure sharingCounts for 6 | Full | PartialOrganizations work for many teams. Some enterprise policies do not. |
| PasskeysCounts for 6 | Full | Partial |
| Breach monitoringCounts for 5 | PartialBreach reports are a Premium feature, not part of the free vault. | Missing |
| A server you runCounts for 7 | Full | Full |
| Export your dataCounts for 6 | Full | Full |
| TOTP authenticator codesCounts for 7 | Full | Full |
Where they differ
Secure sharing
Worth 6 points. Bitwarden does all of it. Vaultwarden does part of it. Organizations work for many teams. Some enterprise policies do not.
Passkeys
Worth 6 points. Bitwarden does all of it. Vaultwarden does part of it.
Breach monitoring
Worth 5 points. Bitwarden does part of it. Breach reports are a Premium feature, not part of the free vault. Vaultwarden does none of it.
Both do all of these: encrypted vault, browser autofill, desktop and mobile apps, password generator, a server you run, export your data, and TOTP authenticator codes.
Also ranked: Proton Pass is #3 (78). KeePassXC is #4 (72).
Instead of LastPass
Last checked October 25, 2026
Bitwarden is #1 (100). Vaultwarden is #2 (84).
Bitwarden
#1 · Closest
6 of 6 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.Vaultwarden
#2
6 of 6 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.You only get part of: browser autofill and warn when a saved password was in a leak.
Scroll sideways to see both apps.
| Feature | Bitwarden#1 · 1006 of 6 checked features | Vaultwarden#2 · 846 of 6 checked features |
|---|---|---|
| A password vaultCounts for 10 | Full | Full |
| Browser autofillCounts for 8 | Full | Partial |
| A password generatorCounts for 6 | Full | Full |
| Share an itemCounts for 6 | Full | Full |
| Import from another managerCounts for 8 | Full | Full |
| Warn when a saved password was in a leakCounts for 6 | FullBitwarden help says the Data Breach report checks Have I Been Pwned, and that the report is free. | PartialBitwarden's report docs say a self-hosted server needs a paid Have I Been Pwned key before the report can run. |
Where they differ
Browser autofill
Worth 8 points. Bitwarden does all of it. Vaultwarden does part of it.
Warn when a saved password was in a leak
Worth 6 points. Bitwarden does all of it. Bitwarden help says the Data Breach report checks Have I Been Pwned, and that the report is free. Vaultwarden does part of it. Bitwarden's report docs say a self-hosted server needs a paid Have I Been Pwned key before the report can run.
Both do all of these: a password vault, a password generator, share an item, and import from another manager.
Also ranked: Proton Pass is #3 (80). Passbolt is #4 (68). KeePassXC is #5 (64).
The facts on file
Bitwarden
The open-source password manager with a usable free plan.
- Rules
- Open source. AGPL-3.0 (server) and GPL-3.0 (clients)
- Some organization features are paid even though the code is open.
- Run it yourself
- Hard. The official server is a multi-container install. Vaultwarden is the lighter compatible server.
- Free plan
- The core vault, unlimited devices, and autofill are free.
- They host it
- Premium is $1.65/month, billed annually at $19.80.
- Where it runs
- Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Web, Run it yourself
Last checked October 25, 2026
Vaultwarden
A light Bitwarden-compatible server written in Rust.
- Rules
- Open source. AGPL-3.0
- Run it yourself
- Easy. One Docker container plus a reverse proxy and backups. Much smaller than the official Bitwarden server.
- Free plan
- The server is free. You use Bitwarden clients, which are also free.
- They host it
- No hosted price on file.
- Where it runs
- Run it yourself
Last checked October 25, 2026
Which one to pick
Bitwarden
Pick Bitwarden if you want the official server and clients. Passkeys are full. Secure sharing is full. A breach report is partial on the free vault for the 1Password list, and full on the LastPass list. The server is AGPL-3.0 and the clients are GPL-3.0. Running the official server is hard.
Vaultwarden
Pick Vaultwarden if you want one Docker container instead of the official server. It uses the Bitwarden client API. Passkeys are partial. Secure sharing is partial. Breach monitoring is missing on the 1Password list and partial on the LastPass list. The license is AGPL-3.0. Setup is easy.