Best for Low-Stakes Passwords

3.5

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On LastPass's website

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LastPass

• No history of being hacked
• Unique features, like Travel Mode
• No free version

Best for Multiple Users

4.5

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On Bitwarden's website

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Bitwarden

• Saves and organizes passwords
• Compatible with lots of browsers, OS, and devices
• Multiple data breaches including one in November 2022

If you’re new to the world of password managers, you’ve likely heard of LastPass but perhaps not Bitwarden. These two password managers both have a master password function, low overall monthly costs, robust free plans, and extra features like password generators and emergency access.

LastPass has a long history of security issues but still may be ok if you are less concerned about security and more interested in easily logging in to all your accounts. Bitwarden has easily manageable organization groupings, which makes it great for families, coworkers, and other groups. When we compared the two password managers side by side, Bitwarden clearly won.

LastPass vs. Bitwarden

Until passwordless biometrics like Face ID or Touch ID become integrated across all devices, password managers are an essential tool in internet security. While LastPass touts itself as one of the best password managers for both individuals and groups, Bitwarden is set up to be more user-friendly for families, businesses, and other groups of people who want to share passwords. Also, LastPass has had several security incidents since its inception that have left customer data exposed. Current data suggests Bitwarden has never been hacked.

• LastPass: Best for low-stakes passwords
• Bitwarden: Best for multiple users

LastPass vs. Bitwarden review at a glance

	LastPass	Bitwarden Our Pick
Price	Premium starts at $3.00/mo	Premium starts at $0.83/mo
Free version
Number of devices	Unlimited on paid plan	Unlimited on all plans
Browser extensions	Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Opera	Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera
Password sharing	Yes — unlimited on paid plans	Yes — two users and two connections on free plan
Encryption	AES-256 bit encryption	AES-256 bit encryption
Password generator
Form filler
	View LastPass Plans	View Bitwarden Plans

While both LastPass and Bitwarden secure unlimited passwords and have similar main features, some notable differences may sway you one way or the other. LastPass allows for only one user and one device on the free plan but it allows for unlimited devices on the paid tier.

Bitwarden allows for two users and two collections on both the free and Premium plans. If you choose the Bitwarden Families Organization plan, this jumps to six users and unlimited connections.

Collections, one of Bitwarden’s key features, allow you to group your passwords into defined groups and set special permissions within those groups. This is effective for families who want to share passwords but keep the kids protected from adult content. It’s also useful for companies that need to designate which employees can access which platforms.

When looking at Bitwarden vs. LastPass, Bitwarden is less expensive than LastPass and has a more robust free option. You also get unlimited devices on Bitwarden’s free plan, while LastPass offers unlimited devices on paid plans only. Both managers have military-grade encryption, form fillers, and password generators, which all make signing in to your password-protected accounts much easier.

LastPass vs. Bitwarden: prices

Both password managers have a free product with decent offerings, although Bitwarden’s free product allows for unlimited devices while LastPass only allows for one. Both products have single paid plans and family paid plans. However, Bitwarden Premium comes in at a much lower price than LastPass. While the family plans are about the same, Bitwarden’s personal paid plan is less than a dollar per month.

The refund policy for LastPass very clearly states there are no refunds. You can use your subscription through the end of the billing period and not renew it, but they will not refund any money on purchased plans. Bitwarden has a 30-day money-back guarantee if you aren’t happy with your purchase.

LastPass vs. Bitwarden: features

Both services have essential features that make up a good password manager. The password generator is always our favorite because strong passwords are the first line of defense against a cyberattack. The autofill feature is helpful, especially when it is set up to fill in addresses, phone numbers, and other information on web browsers. Both have desktop and mobile apps with end-to-end encryption and a user-friendly interface. Also, both free and business plans.

The biggest difference between these password managers is the lack of dark web monitoring from Bitwarden and the lack of email alias integration from LastPass. However, Bitwarden does still send data breach reports to customers. LastPass doesn’t appear to have any integration for these services, but you should still be able to manually save email aliases in LastPass.

Which is safer, LastPass or Bitwarden?

Bitwarden has a murky privacy policy regarding where your data will be stored. Depending on a paid or free plan, your data may not be stored on Bitwarden’s own servers. While that’s not too egregious, companies use server-hosting services all the time, it’s interesting that they split the hosting duties.

LastPass is straight-up selling your data. In its U.S. privacy policy, LastPass not only admits to selling your data but it creates an aggregated profile of you to give a more complete picture to the companies purchasing your data. For us, this is a deal breaker.

LastPass vs. Bitwarden privacy and security

LastPass suffered two security breaches in 2022, in close succession. Unfortunately, those weren’t the only breaches the company has suffered. The first was in 2011, with several more up to the most recent in October 2022. In addition to that, auditors found trackers embedded in the LastPass Android app in 2021. As of publishing, Bitwarden has neither suffered a hack nor been found to have trackers embedded in its apps.

It’s worth noting that when researching security incidents, we found that LastPass had deleted announcements from its blog that informed customers of breaches and hacks that happened before 2022.

LastPass vs. Bitwarden: compatibility and ease of use

In testing, we found both password managers to have user-friendly interfaces and lots of organizational aspects. We found that some links within the LastPass portal would glitch and not pull up our browser. We did notice that when we manually went back to our browser, the link was there in an open tab. While this isn’t a big deal, we felt it was worth mentioning.

Bitwarden, we found, had a cohesive design across all platforms. That meant when we pulled it up on a computer or mobile device, the design and management were similar. This made it really easy to switch between devices. We also loved Bitwarden’s resource library, which we found to be helpful and vast.

LastPass vs. Bitwarden: customer service

LastPass has adequate support. On the surface, it looks like LastPass has more support options, but when we tested them out we ended up being routed back to the community forums.

Bitwarden's support consists of a help center that has a wide range of topics about how to use the software, as well as a contact form for issues that aren't addressed in the help center. The community forum is fairly active, as are its social media channels.

According to Trustpilot, a site where people rate their experience with a company, Bitwarden has 4.3 stars while LastPass has 1.4 stars. While the ratings aren’t all based on customer service experiences, many do mention issues reaching LastPass while Bitwarden users had a generally good experience.

LastPass vs. Bitwarden FAQs

LastPass vs. Bitwarden: which is better?

LastPass is usually the first name people think of when looking for a password manager. It has a lot of features, a free product that’s more than adequate for single users, and easy integration with major browsers. If you are looking for a product where you can save low-stakes passwords, this may be an option for you. If you want something with robust security to guard extremely private accounts, we would caution against using LastPass. There have been too many security breaches for us to recommend this product.

Bitwarden is the clear winner. While LastPass does have a significant amount of useful features, and is the only product out of the two with dark web monitoring, the risks of using it outweigh the benefits. Bitwarden costs less, has never had a security breach, and provides a simpler customer support experience. It also has a robust free product and is highly rated by users.

A password manager can make your life much easier as you can take your password vault anywhere your devices go. With something that guards so much of your personal information and sensitive data, you need a product that’s going to protect you. By all accounts, Bitwarden does it better.

4.5

Learn More

On Bitwarden's website

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Bitwarden

• Fully functional free plan
• Open-source software
• Sharing limited to one person with paid plan

Author Details

Mary James

About the Author

Mary lives in Los Angeles and has been a cybersecurity writer for over five years. With a B.S. in Liberal Arts from Clarion University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, her career in online security began in sales and content creation for a private cybersecurity firm.