Both Bitwarden and LastPass offer a solid free version of their password manager software but there are a few differentiators between them. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the features users care about most—pricing, usability, security, device compatibility and scope of features—and share those situations in which a user may prefer one over the other.
Featured Partners
Price starting
INR 123.85 ($1.49) per month
Money-back guarantee
30 days
Best security feature
Multifactor authentication (MFA) availability
Price Starting:
INR 249.35 ($3.00) Per month
Features:
Unlimited Number of passwords, Multifactor Authentication (MFA)
Bitwarden vs. LastPass: At a Glance
Bitwarden’s free version lacks native multi factor authentication, although you can still use third-party solutions like Authy or Google Authenticator. At only INR 827.39 ($10) a year—compared to LastPass’s INR 2978.60 ($36( a year—Bitwarden’s paid plan is well worth the extra coin. For INR 3,309.56 ($40) a year, Bitwarden offers a family plan that includes up to six users. The Families plan from LastPass is comparable, covering six people for INR 3,971.47 ($48) per year. Bitwarden also takes a slight edge for its customer rating, open-source code and customization options.
Bitwarden
Pricing
Free to INR 3,309.56 ($40)
per year
Security
End-to-end AES-256 bit encryption
Pricing
Free to INR 3,309.56 ($40)
per year
Security
End-to-end AES-256 bit encryption
Pros & Cons
- Unlimited devices and syncing
- Uses open-source code, which provides added transparency
- Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome, Safari, Firefox, iOS, Android
- Not as intuitive to use as LastPass
- Not available on Internet Explorer
- If you lose your master password, it can’t be replaced
LastPass
Pricing
Free to INR 3,971.47 ($48)
per year
Accessibility
Available both online and offline
Pricing
Free to INR 3,971.47 ($48)
per year
Accessibility
Available both online and offline
Pros & Cons
- Cost-effective family plan
- Multifactor authentication
- Save unlimited passwords
- Free version is only available on one device type—desktop or mobile—but not both
- Busier user interface due to the number of features available
- Suffered a data breach in August of 2022
How Bitwarden and LastPass Stack Up
Although LastPass may be more well-known in the password manager industry, it has come under fire recently because it removed customer support and limited features available on its free version. It also faced a data breach in August of 2022, and a class action lawsuit was filed in January of 2023 for “failure to exercise reasonable care in securing and safeguarding highly sensitive consumer data.”
Both have a G2 rating of 3.5 or higher, but only Bitwarden has a rating of 3.5 or above from Trustpilot. Bitwarden also uses open-source code, which creates a higher level of transparency for some users compared to those password managers that use closed-source code, such as LastPass.
Featured Partners
Price starting
INR 123.85 ($1.49) per month
Money-back guarantee
30 days
Best security feature
Multifactor authentication (MFA) availability
Price Starting:
INR 249.35 ($3.00) Per month
Features:
Unlimited Number of passwords, Multifactor Authentication (MFA)
Bottom Line
If you are a first-time user of a password manager, LastPass’s free version provides basic features and doesn’t require a lot of user input for customization. If, however, you have experience using password managers, Bitwarden offers a cost-effective Premium plan for only $10 per year while providing flexibility in options, open-source code and an exceptional rating.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How secure are Bitwarden and LastPass?
Both Bitwarden and LastPass provide military-grade AES 256-bit encryption. This is the same security that governments and armed forces around the world use to protect sensitive information. Bitwarden also uses open-source code, which creates an added level of transparency.
What’s the best password manager?
There are many considerations that go into choosing the best password manager for your specific budget and needs, so we created this guide to the best password managers. We examined many factors when creating the guide, including pricing, ease of use, security, features and functionality.
Are there advantages to paid password managers compared to free password managers?
Free password managers offer basic features but may not offer all of the features you are seeking. If so, you should upgrade to a paid version. Most of the password managers on our list offer free trials, so you can try out the one that has the features you want or need before committing to a subscription plan.
How do I create stronger passwords?
Tools like LastPass’s Password Generator Tool (PGT) can help you create stronger, more secure passwords. With the LastPass PGT, you can customize your password by length and characters used and by whether your password is easy to pronounce or read. It’s always wise to create a different password for each of your accounts as this protects you if any single account gets hacked.
