LastPass vs Bitwarden
How do LastPass and Bitwarden compare? Side-by-side features, pricing, and who each one is really for.
What matters to you?
LastPass
Free / from $2.21/mo (Premium, -30% promo)Password manager with free tier, dark web monitoring and strong business plans. Rebuilt security after 2022 incident.
- Free tier (1 device type)
- Dark web monitoring included
- Strong business plans with Families for employees
- Passkeys, security dashboard
- 30% promo for new users (until Mar 2026)
- 2022 security incident; vendor has since rebuilt infrastructure
- Free limited to 1 device type (desktop or mobile)
- Not open source
Bitwarden
Free / $1.66/mo PremiumOpen-source password manager with a generous free tier and self-hosting option.
- Generous free tier with unlimited devices
- Fully open-source and audited
- Self-hosting with Vaultwarden
- CLI and API for developers
- UI less polished than 1Password
- No travel mode
- Free plan lacks advanced 2FA
Feature comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (from) | Free / from $2.21/mo (Premium, -30% promo) | Free / $1.66/mo Premium |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Encryption | AES-256 (PBKDF2 SHA-256) | AES-256-CBC + HMAC |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser, CLI |
| Family plan | $2.98/mo | $4.00/mo |
| Business plans | Yes | Yes |
| Dark web monitoring | Yes | No |
| Security dashboard | Yes | No |
| 2FA | Yes | Yes |
| Passkeys | Yes | No |
| Family sharing | Yes | No |
| SSO | Yes | No |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Self-hosting | No | Yes |
| Send | No | Yes |
Choose LastPass if…
- • Free tier (1 device type)
- • Dark web monitoring included
- • Strong business plans with Families for employees
- • Passkeys, security dashboard
- • 30% promo for new users (until Mar 2026)
Choose Bitwarden if…
- • Generous free tier with unlimited devices
- • Fully open-source and audited
- • Self-hosting with Vaultwarden
- • CLI and API for developers
LastPass vs Bitwarden: our comparison
LastPass and Bitwarden both have a free tier. LastPass free is limited to 1 device type (desktop or mobile); Bitwarden free allows unlimited devices. So for free on phone and laptop, Bitwarden wins. LastPass Premium is about 2.03 €/mo with the -30% promo; Bitwarden Premium is 1.65 $/month. Bitwarden is open source and can be self-hosted; LastPass is closed source. LastPass had a serious security incident in 2022 and has since rebuilt; Bitwarden has a strong transparency record.
LastPass vs Bitwarden at a glance
Both offer dark web monitoring (LastPass in free too). LastPass has a security dashboard and business plans with Families for employees; Bitwarden has CLI, API, Vaultwarden self-hosting and a larger open-source ecosystem. For families: LastPass Families 2.73 €/mo (6 accounts); Bitwarden Families 3.99 $/mo (6 users).
Who should choose LastPass
- You want the current -30% promo and are okay with the 2022 incident history. - You need business plans with LastPass Families as an employee benefit. - You prefer a single vendor with a broad business offering.
Who should choose Bitwarden
- You want free on unlimited devices or open source and self-hosting. - You prefer the lowest paid price (1.65 $/mo) and a vendor without a major breach in recent years. - You need CLI, API or full control of your server.
Our verdict
Choose LastPass if you want the promo and business-focused features. Choose Bitwarden if you want free multi-device, open source and no breach history.