Bitwarden vs 1Password – Key Differences

1. Pricing & Licensing
Bitwarden:
- Strong free tier with unlimited passwords and devices
- Very low-cost premium (~$10/year)
- Affordable family and business plans

1Password:
- No permanent free tier (trial only)
- Higher-priced personal, family, and business plans

Winner (Cost): Bitwarden

2. Open Source & Trust
Bitwarden:
- Open source core code
- Publicly auditable and transparent

1Password:
- Proprietary source code
- Relies on third-party audits rather than public review

Winner (Transparency): Bitwarden

3. Security Model
Both:
- AES-256 encryption
- Zero-knowledge architecture
- Strong key derivation

Differences:
- Bitwarden supports self-hosting
- 1Password uses an additional Secret Key for extra protection

Winner: Tie (depends on priorities)

4. Ease of Use & UX
Bitwarden:
- Functional, improving UI
- Slightly less polished

1Password:
- Very polished and intuitive UI
- Excellent onboarding and organization

Winner: 1Password

5. Features
Both support:
- Password generator
- Secure notes
- Biometric unlock
- Sharing
- Browser extensions
- Mobile and desktop apps

Unique to 1Password:
- Travel Mode
- More advanced sharing and permissions
- Highly polished Watchtower alerts

Unique to Bitwarden:
- Self-hosting
- Open-source ecosystem
- Lower cost

Winner: Depends on needs

6. Cross-Platform Support
Both support:
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- iOS and Android
- All major browsers

Winner: Tie

7. Enterprise & Teams
Bitwarden:
- Cost-effective for small to mid-sized teams
- Good role-based access controls

1Password:
- Strong enterprise tooling
- Advanced admin features and SCIM provisioning

Winner: 1Password

8. Security Audits
Bitwarden:
- Open audits and community review

1Password:
- Professional third-party audits

Winner: Bitwarden

9. Offline Access
Both:
- Offline vault access with local caching

Winner: Tie

10. Self-Hosting
Bitwarden:
- Supported

1Password:
- Not available

Winner: Bitwarden

Summary Recommendations:
Choose Bitwarden if you value open source, low cost, and self-hosting.
Choose 1Password if you want the most polished experience and advanced team features.