TL;DR
| Bitwarden | 1Password | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Username and password generator Password, secure notes, credit card, identity storage Authenticator Self-hosted Email alias integration Encrypted sending (Bitwarden sent) Advanced 2FA 1GB organization storage attachments Encrypted file attachments Vault health report | Secure password generation, storage, and autofill Password sharing Password recovery Authenticator Watchtower Travel mode Dark web monitoring Activity tracking |
| Security | Never compromised End-to-end encryption Strong hashing algorithms Multi-factor authentication Data security audits Open source | Never compromised 256-bit AES encryption PBKDF2 password hashing 128-bit key Security audits Multi-factor authentication |
| Compatibility | Windows macOS Linux iOS/iPadOS Android Chrome Edge Safari Firefox Opera Vivaldi Brave Arc Tor | Windows macOS Linux iOS/iPadOS Android Chrome Edge FireFox Safari Opera Arc |
| Price | Free: $0 Premium: $10/year Family: $40/year Teams Organization: $3/user/month Enterprise Organization: $5/user/month | Free: Not available Individual: $2.99/month Family: $4.99/month Teams: $19.95/month (10 users) Business: $7.99/user/month |
Security
Both Bitwarden and 1Password offer powerful security features expected in top password managers, including strong encryption, multi-factor authentication, and independent audits. Importantly, neither has suffered any security breaches, which sets them apart from other password managers.
Both utilize strong encryption algorithms, employing end-to-end 256-bit AES encryption, considered highly secure and virtually unbreakable. Due to the importance of protecting data, both operate in a "zero-knowledge" mode, meaning neither can access private user data internally.
Both also require a master password to access the password vault. 1Password uses an additional secret key as an extra layer of protection. Bitwarden, on the other hand, offers integration with third-party authentication apps like Google Authenticator and provides a built-in authenticator for premium accounts. In comparison, 1Password only supports various MFA options, including plugins for Authy and Microsoft Authenticator.
Both Bitwarden and 1Password undergo independent security audits to validate their security practices and ensure the integrity of their systems. These audits provide additional confidence in the security measures implemented by these services.
Additionally, Bitwarden is open-source, allowing the public to review its code, while 1Password's code cannot be externally inspected for vulnerabilities.
Features
As top password managers in the market, both Bitwarden and 1Password offer a range of shared features while also providing some unique functionalities.
In common, both provide simple and intuitive password storage, generation, and autofill capabilities for various online accounts. They offer browser extensions, mobile apps, and web-based interfaces to ensure easy access across different devices and platforms. Both password managers prioritize security by supporting various types of two-factor authentication and also offer secure password sharing options, allowing users to securely share passwords with trusted individuals.
The difference lies in 1Password's integrated watchtower feature, which evaluates password strength, identifies if passwords are used across multiple websites, and checks for any potential leaks. Bitwarden only provides limited support for this feature in its web version.
1Password also offers a travel mode feature, which is not available in Bitwarden.
Bitwarden Sent, on the other hand, is a powerful feature that allows users to securely share passwords, secure notes, and identity information with others, even if the recipients do not use Bitwarden. In Bitwarden Sent, users have control over the level of interaction with shared data, such as setting expiration dates and view limits.
Furthermore, Bitwarden provides flexibility for users by allowing them to input multiple Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) as passwords, enabling the use of the same login credentials across multiple websites. It also offers an option to re-prompt for the master password during automatic filling on specific sites.
Thanks to its open-source code, Bitwarden offers a self-hosted option, allowing users to deploy it through Docker.
Compatibility
Both Bitwarden and 1Password have strong system and browser compatibility, with the only difference being that Bitwarden also provides a web version, allowing users to access their password vault through a web interface.
1Password, however, excels in terms of user interaction.
Price
In terms of pricing, Bitwarden's advantage lies in its free version, which is sufficient for basic usage if features like Authenticator and 2FA are not needed. Its premium version is priced at only $10/year. On the other hand, 1Password does not offer a free version and has an annual price of $36. However, for team versions, 1Password's pricing is more affordable.