Bitwarden password manager review
Our Verdict
Bitwarden'south free version has the basics of a good countersign manager, and its premium features are inexpensive. However, Bitwarden isn't the most intuitive platform to apply.
For
- Totally unlimited free version
- Consistent design beyond platforms
- Cheap premium pricing
- Open up-source and very secure
Against
- Non many bells and whistles
- Not all features are intuitive to use
Tom's Guide Verdict
Bitwarden'south free version has the basics of a adept password manager, and its premium features are inexpensive. However, Bitwarden isn't the almost intuitive platform to use.
Pros
- +
Totally unlimited complimentary version
- +
Consistent design across platforms
- +
Cheap premium pricing
- +
Open-source and very secure
Cons
- -
Not many bells and whistles
- -
Not all features are intuitive to use
Bitwarden: Specs
Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux
Gratuitous version: Limits on file sharing and 2FA
2FA: Yes
Browser plugins: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, Brave, Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, Tor
Form filling: Aye
Mobile Pin unlock: Yes
Biometric login: Face ID, Touch ID on iOS and macOS, fingerprint and face up unlock on Android, Windows Hi
Killer feature: Unlimited syncing across all devices on free version
Bitwarden is a highly secure, open-source countersign director that does the basics really well and at trivial cost.
It offers more on its free tier than most competitors practise, and its premium programme — with features such equally advanced 2-factor hallmark (2FA) and secure storage — volition set you dorsum just $ten per year.
Users but looking to relieve an unlimited number of passwords that sync across all their devices and automatically fill in online forms will become that with Bitwarden'south free tier.
Bitwarden is not the most intuitive service to navigate, and information technology has some clunky functionality compared to other password managers. However, information technology'south a great value for anyone on a upkeep who'due south willing to figure it out. Bitwarden is our top free choice among the best countersign managers.
Read on for the rest of our Bitwarden review.
Bitwarden: Costs and what's covered
Bitwarden offers three pricing tiers for consumer accounts: Gratuitous, Premium ($10 per yr) and Family ($40 per year).
The costless tier comes with near of the bones features y'all'd want in a password manager, making information technology a good option if yous're just looking for safety storage. The Premium program is a deal when compared to similar tiers offered past other password managers, which often run about $35 per year.
Users on Bitwarden'southward Gratis plan get unlimited password and secure-notation storage across as many devices as they want. There's also a password generator and an innovative feature chosen Bitwarden Send for sharing sensitive text-based information.
Bitwarden volition motorcar-fill usernames and passwords through its browser extensions on the desktop and with the Bitwarden mobile apps on iOS and Android. Form filling for identities and payment info is included with this tier, but on the desktop versions only.
If you upgrade to a Premium account, $x per yr gets y'all all of the in a higher place features, plus file sharing via Bitwarden Ship, the Bitwarden Authenticator app for verifying your identity on accounts that utilise 2FA or time-based 1-time passwords (TOTPs) and an emergency admission feature that lets you grant vault access to some other user in case of, well, an emergency.
This premium tier also comes with 1 GB of secure storage, priority support, advanced 2FA options such as YubiKey and "health reports" — basically, security audits (manually generated) that show y'all if your passwords are weak, recycled or have been exposed in a data breach.
If y'all know how to fix up a server, then Bitwarden too offers self-hosting (versus cloud hosting) options with all plans for anyone who wants consummate control over their data using their own server.
The Bitwarden server tin can exist anything from a leased deject case to a Raspberry Pi sitting on a shelf in your living room. Bitwarden has server specifications and instructions here, and in that location'due south a expert third-political party walkthrough hither.
Finally, Bitwarden'due south $40-per-year Family plan is basically Premium for up to six users with unlimited sharing betwixt accounts.
As we've noted, Bitwarden Free is a solid option for basic password management — maybe the best 1 out there. LastPass, 1 of our other tiptop freemium picks, now limits syncing on its free plan to only computers or to but mobile devices, a significant gap that Bitwarden fills.
LastPass does include some of Bitwarden's Premium features, such every bit the power to employ an in-business firm authenticator app, in its gratis tier, but at $36 per year, its premium choice costs about 4 times what you'll pay for a like Bitwarden programme.
The premium and family unit plans offered past other password managers will also ready yous dorsum a lot more than than $x (or $40 for families) annually, which may be bonny only if you really demand bonus features like a built-in VPN.
The Bitwarden desktop application supports Windows 7, 8.1 and 10; macOS 10.14 and later; and nigh major distributions of Linux. The Windows and Mac versions can be downloaded directly from the Bitwarden website or via the Windows and Mac app stores.
There's also a "portable" Windows version you tin can install on a USB flash bulldoze. If yous want to become really elite, there's a command-line version that works on Windows, Mac and Linux alike.
At that place are Bitwarden desktop browser extensions for Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, Brave, Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi and the Firefox-based Tor browser. Mobile apps are available for both iOS (10.0 or subsequently) and Android (five.0 and upwardly). You tin can too admission your vault via any spider web browser at vault.bitwarden.com.
For this review, I tested Bitwarden on a 2020 MacBook Air running macOS ten.15 Catalina and an iPhone XR. I used Google Chrome for browser testing.
Bitwarden: Setup
To become started, you'll need to create an account on Bitwarden's website using your email address and proper noun. Yous'll too choose your master password and an optional countersign hint. At that place is no password recovery if y'all forget your main password, and so the hint may be helpful. Either way, make your master primal something both secure and memorable.
Bitwarden doesn't do much manus-property through the setup process, although its Help pages are actually pretty helpful. Once you lot have your account prepare up, you'll exist logged into your web vault to kickoff importing and organizing your passwords.
To import information from LastPass, 1Password, Firefox, Chrome or another 1 of many supported file formats, select Tools > Import Data and fill out the dropdown fields. If Bitwarden doesn't officially support the service y'all currently use, you can create and upload a CSV file. Note that data uploads are possible just in the web app, not via desktop or mobile.
Next, download the relevant desktop and mobile apps as well equally browser extensions. Information technology took almost no time for me to install these and go logged in. Extension features similar autofill and password generation functioned immediately, with no additional setup needed.
Even so, the Bitwarden browser extension did not automatically sync, so if y'all download the extension earlier you import passwords into your vault, you'll demand to go to Settings > Sync > Sync Vault Now to be able to view your logins.
Bitwarden on desktop
Bitwarden would be easy to use with only the browser extension and web app, equally the desktop app doesn't add together whatsoever functionality and is only slightly sleeker. In fact, some features, such as emergency admission and vault health reports, are available merely in your web vault (under Tools > Reports).
The browser extension looks a lot similar a mobile app, with tabs for your main vault, Bitwarden Send, a password generator and your settings.
There are a few ways to use the automatic formfilling feature. If the website you're on has a saved login, the Bitwarden extension icon in your browser toolbar will have a number on information technology. Tap the icon to open the extension and select the password yous want to motorcar-fill.
To auto-fill credit cards or identities (addresses, for example) when checking out or filling out forms, toggle the Bitwarden extension icon and hitting Tab on your keyboard. All available cards and identities should be visible to select.
I found information technology easier to open the extension immediately than to right-click (CTRL + click on Mac) and navigate through several menus to select the correct login, although that's also an pick if you prefer.
Perhaps the easiest option is a keyboard shortcut that auto-fills your most recently used login without really opening the extension or dropdown menus. Bitwarden has a few standard keyboard shortcuts:
- Windows: Ctrl + Shift + L
- macOS: Cmd + Shift + L
- Linux: Ctrl + Shift + L
- Safari: Cmd + \ or Cmd + 8 or Cmd + Shift + P
My Chrome shortcut was set to something dissimilar past default, and then if that'due south the case, you can view and configure different shortcuts in your browser if needed.
Bitwarden's password generator is a petty bit clunky compared to those of other password managers — you have to manually go into the Bitwarden extension to create and copy/paste a password.
When you create a new login on a website, Bitwarden should enquire if y'all want to relieve it to your vault. This worked each time I tested information technology, though y'all'll want to exist careful that Bitwarden saves updated passwords properly.
Sharing texts and files with Bitwarden Transport is quick and piece of cake using the browser extension. You can as well view and edit the item or copy login information directly from the extension.
If you opt to download the desktop app every bit well, you'll observe a left-justified bill of fare bar where you lot can select your specific login types to view all the usernames and passwords in that category.
You can also organize or view past folder — apply the plus sign to create a new folder — or view your favorites or trash. Search the selected category using the search bar at the top and add together a new record using the plus icon at the bottom.
If yous toggle Send at the bottom instead, you can create file or text links to content on your figurer, which you can the re-create or share to ship. You tin select a date on which access to your send will expire, or on which your send will be permanently deleted, equally well every bit a maximum admission count.
File sharing is bachelor only with a Premium account, though you can ship text links on the Free tier. Send recipients do not need to utilize Bitwarden to open the sent links or files.
Unlike the browser extension (and the mobile app, as described beneath), the Bitwarden desktop app does non have a dissever tab for the password generator. Instead, you'll find it nether View in the main application toolbar.
Bitwarden mobile apps
Like the desktop app and browser extension, the Bitwarden mobile app is basic. The interface and functionality are almost exactly the same, so the feel will be similar no matter which device y'all're on.
When yous commencement log into your mobile app, you'll probable come across a pop-up notifying yous that you have to enable notifications for your vault to sync properly.
The default screen is your vault home, organized by item types and folders. There's a plus sign in the upper correct corner to create items and a search icon to search your entire vault. If you tap on Login or another detail blazon or folder, you'll see the total list of items in that category.
Tap on the three horizontal dots to view, edit or copy the account information. Y'all tin besides launch the website or app directly from Bitwarden.
Password motorcar-fill is easy to enable in your phone Settings — but unless you want to type in your master password each fourth dimension you demand to connect to Bitwarden, go to Settings > Unlock with Face ID or Unlock with PIN Code in the app. One time enabled, this characteristic works smoothly. However, you cannot auto-fill cards or identities on mobile.
The Bitwarden app has a congenital-in password generator, which allows you to set the parameters for the password and copy it to paste directly into the app or website.
You tin also utilise Bitwarden Ship in the app just every bit on the desktop: Create links to text or content on your device, which you tin re-create or share using any share options on your phone. Toggle the Ship icon on the bottom toolbar and select the plus sign in the upper right corner.
Bitwarden: Security
Like virtually password managers, Bitwarden uses AES-256 encryption to protect the data stored in your password vault. Your information is simply unencrypted, and but locally on your device, once you've logged into your vault with your chief key.
Bitwarden is also SOC 2 Blazon 2 and SOC 3 compliant, significant the arrangement has met standards set past the Clan of International Certified Professional person Accountants (AICPA) for handling consumer data. Bitwarden undergoes a security audit every 2 years, but information technology's as well open-source, so the code is bachelor for anyone to review for flaws.
All Bitwarden users go several 2FA options for accessing their vaults. Gratis-tier members can set upwardly a two-gene authentication login process using email verification or an authenticator app like Authy or Google Authenticator.
The Premium tier also supports Duo Security, YubiKey and FIDO U2F-compliant USB security keys. Equally mentioned earlier, Premium subscribers can too use Bitwarden's own authenticator app instead of a third-political party one.
In one case you've logged in with your master password and whatsoever enabled two-stride method, yous can unlock your vault using a Pin or a biometric method. Bitwarden supports fingerprint and face unlock on Android, both Touch ID and Face up ID on iOS, biometrics on Windows 10 via Windows Hello and Touch ID on macOS.
Bitwarden password managing director review: Bottom line
Bitwarden is a solid password director, especially at such a low price point. Its costless version is arguably the best budget selection bachelor now that LastPass has restricted information syncing on its gratis plan. Plus, at merely $ten per twelvemonth, Bitwarden's premium tier is well worth paying for to become extras like security audits and advanced 2FA.
Bitwarden does accept a learning curve for those who are new to countersign managers, and some of its features are clunkier than its competitors. But if all yous want is a free — and highly secure — style to store and sync logins, Bitwarden is the obvious choice.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/bitwarden
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