Passbolt vs Bitwarden (2024): Which is best?

Bitwarden and Passbolt are two well-liked free open supply password managers. Both match nicely with most of your private or enterprise wants. But there are variations. Looking at them in additional element, it grew to become obvious that totally different use instances favor one or the opposite.

Bitwarden vs Passbolt: comparability desk

Bitwarden vs. Passbolt: pricing

Winner: Bitwarden

Bitwarden wins when it comes to pricing as it’s a little cheaper than Passbolt. I’ve seen, nonetheless, that because the variety of customers grows to enterprise ranges, the value hole between these merchandise narrows.

Bitwarden Prices

Bitwarden affords two tiers of plans: one tier for private and household use and one other only for companies. A free trial is offered for Families, Teams, and Enterprise plans. Pricing for these plans is as follows:

Bitwarden Personal has a free model at $0 perpetually for a limiteless variety of gadgets, a premium model at $10 billed yearly ($0.83 per thirty days), and a household model at $40 billed yearly ($3.33 per thirty days ) for as much as six customers.

SEE: 5 finest password managers for Android in 2024 (TechRepublic)

Bitwarden Business has three variations. Teams prices $4 per person per thirty days, billed yearly; Enterprise at $6 per person per thirty days, billed yearly; and a customized degree, which requires a direct quote from the gross sales staff primarily based on the extent of customization required.

Passbolt pricing

Similar to Bitwarden, Passbolt affords totally different pricing tiers. The group version is free for limitless customers.

SEE: 6 finest free password managers for 2024 (TechRepublic)

The enterprise model prices $49 per thirty days for 10 customers billed yearly. When I added 200 customers, the value modified to $980 per thirty days; and for 4,000 customers it was $19,600 per thirty days. As the variety of customers will increase, Passbolt’s value premium in comparison with Bitwarden decreases.

Corporate costs are custom-made and quotes can be found upon request.

Bitwarden vs Passbolt: Feature Comparison

Supported platforms and browsers

Winner: Bitwarden

Both merchandise have broad platform and browser assist, however I give the nod to Bitwarden as a result of it has a pair extra. It helps Mac, Linux, Windows, Android, iOS, in addition to Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Vivaldi, Opera, Brave, Microsoft Edge, Tor Browser and DuckDuckGo browser extensions for Mac.

SEE: 6 finest open-source password managers for Windows in 2024 (TechRepublic)

Passbolt affords nearly as many platforms and browser extensions. But some are lacking, corresponding to Opera, Tor, and Duckduckgo for Mac. The Passbolt person group supplies some workarounds for a few of these.

Safety

Winner: Passbolt

I evaluated Passbolt earlier than Bitwarden as a result of Passbolt affords a broader vary of safety features than Bitwarden and a larger degree of granularity.

Bitwarden affords encryption, 2FA and is commonly audited by third-party safety companies and unbiased safety analysis for weaknesses. Password sharing is proscribed within the free model. Those seeking to self-host a password supervisor needs to be conscious that Bitwarden solely affords it in its enterprise model.

Passbolt affords the identical safety features as Bitwarden and extra. This contains extra granular entry rights and password sharing. Passwords may be shared broadly or narrowly. Self-hosting may be completed on most variations. The free model affords limitless password sharing.

Ease of use/buyer assist

Winner: Bitwarden

Both merchandise concentrate on on-line documentation as the first degree of assist. However, Bitwarden has a ticket line with a customer support consultant who will reply. It’s additionally simpler to make use of than Passbolt. So, I’ve Bitwarden because the winner on this class.

Bitwarden is comparatively simple to make use of. It comes with computerized synchronization of particular person passwords within the private and household editions. Corporate passwords are synced each half-hour. In distinction, Passbolt’s broader vary of enterprise options requires a barely increased degree of technical sophistication.

SEE: Bitwarden overview: Features, pricing, safety, execs & cons (TechRepublic)

Bitwarden affords a number of choices for assist, together with written articles within the Help Center and video tutorials within the Learning Center. A group discussion board has a piece the place you’ll be able to ask inquiries to different customers. If none of those options work, please submit a assist ticket by way of the web site and the customer support staff will contact you. There’s no method to contact them by way of telephone or dwell chat, so you will have to attend till they get again to you.

Since Passbolt is fully open supply, it does not have a buyer assist staff you’ll be able to contact for assist. There is an intensive Help Center with plenty of documentation, set up guides, a weblog, and an energetic group discussion board the place assist from different customers is offered.

Both Passbolt and Bitwarden provide integrations with well-liked browsers and working techniques. However, Bitwarden has a wider vary of integrations, together with assist for a wider vary of third-party purposes and plugins. For instance, current integrations embody Microsoft Sentinel Okta and Azure AD.

Open supply

Winner: Passbolt

Bitwarden and Passbolt are each thought-about open supply password administration instruments. But it is a query of diploma. Passbolt’s supply code is publicly accessible, permitting for larger transparency and group collaboration within the growth and oversight course of. Bitwarden, then again, doesn’t present entry to its supply code, limiting the opportunity of unbiased verification and customization. Its supply code is hosted on GitHub so you’ll be able to confirm its safety, however it’s technically referred to as a closed-source device.

I give Passbolt a better ranking since it’s 100% open supply.

Pros and cons of Bitwarden

Bitwarden professionals

• Free model for individuals with limitless passwords.
• Convenient costs.
• Easy to arrange and use.
• Various choices for buyer assist and coaching.

Against Bitwarden

• The free model imposes some limitations when it comes to performance and password sharing.
• Only partially open supply.
• The self-hosted model is barely accessible within the enterprise model.

Pros and cons of Passbolt

Passbolt Professionals

• 100% open supply.
• Wide vary of safety features.
• Excellent in large-scale installations.

Against

• The value is usually increased than Bitwarden.
• Customer assist is proscribed.

Bitwarden vs. Passbolt on Reddit

On Reddit, customers had quite a bit to say in regards to the two corporations.

“In normal, Bitwarden is designed for particular person use, whereas Passbolt is designed for collaboration and safety,” mentioned one Reddit user. “Bitwarden permits sharing, however not at a granular degree, for instance you’ll be able to share a complete vault (containing a number of passwords) with a complete staff however not a single password. In Passbolt you’ll be able to share passwords with larger granularity actually in two clicks. Security : In Passbolt, the key key (used for login and encryption/decryption) is routinely generated (or supplied by the person) upon first login. Bitwarden… supplies much less entropy and implies that if you share passwords with a gaggle of customers, the encryption is barely as robust because the weakest grasp password of the customers it’s shared with. Passbolt additionally supplies anti-phishing safety, log tampering, login revocation, and extra. That doesn’t suggest Bitwarden is any much less safe black and white, besides that if in case you have increased safety necessities it is best to positively take a look at each safety fashions intimately as there are situations that is perhaps coated in a single and never the opposite.”

SEE: How to create an efficient cybersecurity consciousness program (TechRepublic Premium)

Another Reddit person in the identical publish, nonetheless, mentioned, “Why would you think about something apart from the tried and true open supply Bitwarden?”

Another person in the identical thread famous: “Passbolt is particularly helpful for groups sharing passwords for managing company or developer accounts. While Bitwarden is only for managing passwords and logins normally.”

Should your organization use Bitwarden or Passbolt?

Choose Bitwarden if:

• You desire a good normal password supervisor.
• You want a password supervisor for people, households, or teams of fewer than 1,000 individuals.

Choose Passbolt if:

• If you need 100% open supply.
• If you have got greater than 1,000 customers.
• If you should commonly share passwords between groups.

SEE: 5 finest password managers constructed for groups in 2024 (TechRepublic)

Review methodology

To evaluate Bitwarden and Passbolt, I thought-about numerous components. These included price, vary of safety features and buyer assist. To add much more depth to this overview, third-party opinions, Reddit, and analyst opinions have been consulted.