What is Bitwarden?
Bitwarden is an open-source password manager that keeps logins, passkeys, cards, identities and secure notes in one end-to-end encrypted vault and syncs them across devices. Its clients are published under the GPL v3.0, so the code can be read, and because the server is published too it can be self-hosted — which is the main reason to pick it over a closed-source manager. The free tier is not a trial: it includes unlimited passwords, unlimited devices and free sharing with one other user. Paid plans add the features most people eventually want — an integrated authenticator (TOTP), encrypted file attachments, emergency access and vault health reports — and start at $1.65 per month billed annually. It suits anyone who wants a password manager whose code they can inspect, on a free or low-cost plan.
Verified product facts
- Type
- password managerEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Apple Silicon
- YesDeveloper-stated
- Pricing
- Open sourceDeveloper-stated
- Open source
- Yes
- Developer
- BitwardenDeveloper-stated
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Licence
- GPL-3.0
- Current version
- 2026.9.1Developer-stated
- Official website
- bitwarden.com
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
Key features
What Bitwarden does at a glance.
End-to-end encrypted vault
For logins, passkeys, cards, identities and secure notes
Autotype
Types credentials into native Mac apps that have no autofill API
Unlimited passwords and unlimited devices
On the free tier
Cross-device sync
Through a Bitwarden account
Bitwarden Send
For encrypted sharing with people who do not use Bitwarden
Open-source clients
With a self-hostable server
What you can use Bitwarden for
- Storing logins, passkeys, cards, identities and secure notes in one encrypted vault
- Filling credentials into native Mac apps that have no autofill API, using autotype
- Sending a secret to someone who does not use Bitwarden through Bitwarden Send
- Self-hosting the server so the vault stays on your own infrastructure
Who is Bitwarden for?
- Anyone who wants a password manager whose code they can inspect, on a free or low-cost plan
- People who need unlimited passwords and unlimited devices without paying
- Teams that need the vault on their own infrastructure rather than a hosted service
Who is Bitwarden not for?
- Anyone who needs every component to be open source — code under /bitwarden_license is under the separate Bitwarden License v1.0
- People who need a monthly billing option — every paid plan is billed annually
Limitations
- Every paid plan is billed annually; the pricing page publishes no monthly option
- Apple Silicon support is recorded as developer-stated rather than verified — bitwarden.com does not state the app's architecture in words
- The minimum macOS version is not stated in the sources Nuanyue tracks
Strengths and trade-offs
What Bitwarden does well, and what to weigh before choosing it. Points marked developer-stated come from the developer’s own material and have not been independently confirmed.
Strengths
- The free tier includes unlimited passwords and unlimited devices, not a capped trial.
- The clients are open source under the GPL v3.0, with the code public on GitHub.
- A self-hosted server option exists for teams that need the vault on their own infrastructure.Developer-stated
Trade-offs
- Not all of the repository is GPL: code under /bitwarden_license — the enterprise functionality — is under the separate Bitwarden License v1.0.
- The features most people want — integrated authenticator (TOTP), file attachments, emergency access and vault health reports — sit behind the paid Premium tier.
First-use experience
What the app asks of you when you set it up. Only established facts appear here; anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed at.
- Installation
- Download the .dmg from bitwarden.com (a Mac App Store build is also offered), then drag the app to Applications.
- First launch Developer-stated
- Sign in to a Bitwarden account, or create one, before the vault is available.
- System integration
- Unlocks with Touch ID, can unlock the browser extension by biometrics, and stores tokens in the macOS Keychain.
- Apple Silicon Developer-stated
- Supported
What it does
Bitwarden keeps credentials in a single end-to-end encrypted vault and syncs that vault across devices through a Bitwarden account. On macOS the desktop app fills logins, cards and identities into browsers and native apps, and it can be unlocked with Touch ID. Passkeys, secure notes and identities live in the same vault rather than in separate products.
The free tier is not a trial. It includes unlimited passwords, unlimited devices and sharing with one other user. The paid tiers add the features most people eventually want: an integrated authenticator (TOTP), encrypted file attachments, emergency access and vault health reports.
Open source and licensing
The clients are published on GitHub under a split licence. The default across
the repository is the GNU GPL v3.0; code in the /bitwarden_license
directory — the enterprise functionality — is under the separate Bitwarden
License v1.0. So the repository is open source, but not uniformly so, and that
distinction matters before assuming every feature is GPL.
Because the server is published as well, Bitwarden can be self-hosted instead of used only as a hosted service. Self-hosting is listed among the Enterprise plan’s capabilities, alongside SSO and enterprise policies.
Pricing
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Free | $0 |
| Premium | $1.65/month, billed annually at $19.80 |
| Families | $3.99/month for up to 6 users, billed annually |
| Teams | $4 per user/month, billed annually |
| Enterprise | $6 per user/month, billed annually |
Prices are shown in USD on bitwarden.com/pricing and exclude tax. Every paid plan is billed annually; the pricing page does not publish a monthly option.
Apple Silicon
Bitwarden’s macOS desktop build is distributed as a universal binary, which covers both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. That comes from the release artefacts the project publishes rather than from a statement in words on bitwarden.com, so this entry records Apple Silicon support as developer-stated rather than verified.
Release history
Dated releases recorded for Bitwarden, newest first, each with the source it was read from.
2026.9.1
Desktop release adding the option to share vault items through secure links, plus autotype and passkey fixes.
Source: Source repository
Questions about Bitwarden
Is Bitwarden free?
Yes. The free tier includes unlimited passwords and unlimited devices. Premium adds the integrated authenticator (TOTP), encrypted file attachments, emergency access and vault health reports.
Is Bitwarden open source?
The clients are open source, released under the GPL v3.0 by default, with some enterprise components under the separate Bitwarden License v1.0. The code is public on GitHub.
How much does Bitwarden Premium cost?
Premium is $1.65 per month billed annually at $19.80. Families is $3.99 per month for up to six users, Teams is $4 per user per month and Enterprise is $6 per user per month, all billed annually.
Does Bitwarden support passkeys?
Yes. Passkey management and usage is listed as a core feature included in every Bitwarden account, including the free tier.
Does Bitwarden run on Apple Silicon Macs?
Bitwarden publishes its macOS desktop build as a universal binary, which covers both Intel and Apple Silicon. No page on bitwarden.com states the app's architecture in words, so this is recorded as developer-stated rather than verified.Developer-stated
Alternatives to Bitwarden
Apps that could replace this one — the same job, a different trade-off.
KeePassXC
Offline, GPL-licensed password manager with a local encrypted database.
Both are open-source password managers, but KeePassXC keeps the vault in a local file rather than syncing it through an account.
Competitors
Direct competitors: overlapping features aimed at the same users.
Dashlane
Cloud password manager with passkeys, phishing alerts and dark web monitoring.
Aimed at the same users with an overlapping feature set, including breach and vault-health monitoring.
Compared with
Head-to-head comparisons Nuanyue has published.
1Password
Encrypted password and passkey vault with autofill and breach monitoring.
Both are cross-platform password managers with a shared vault; the two are compared head to head on Nuanyue.
Similar apps
Related in purpose, but not a straight swap.
Strongbox
KeePass-compatible password manager with local or self-hosted sync.
Both handle passwords on macOS, but Strongbox is built around KeePass-format databases rather than its own service.
Links
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
- Bitwarden — official websiteGrade B
- Bitwarden — developer websiteGrade B
- Bitwarden — documentationGrade C
- Bitwarden — source repositoryGrade D
