Bitwarden vs pass (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Bitwarden: it is first in our ranking of password managers, and it grades higher too, 3.8 against 2.6.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Bitwarden grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bitwarden
Open-source password manager with a free plan and self-hosting
Which one is for you
Pick Bitwarden if
- Fits if you want a free password manager on all your devices with no limit on logins
- Works for a household of up to 6 at $3.99 a month, or anyone who wants to host it themselves
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free and want two-factor codes, attachments, health reports or emergency access, as all are paid
- Skip it if you share logins with several people but don't want Families, since solo plans share with one other user
- Not for you if you want a VPN or scam warnings bundled in, because Bitwarden sticks to passwords
- Watch out: listed prices assume yearly billing and leave out tax
- Pricey if your company wants single sign-on and policies, which need Enterprise at $6 a user a month
Pick pass if
- Fits if you live in a terminal and already use GPG and Git
- Works for people who want plain encrypted files they control
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a graphical app, as there is no official one
- Skip it if you are on Windows, which relies on a third-party client
- Watch out: syncing is your job, through Git or file copying
- Too light for sharing with a team, as the site describes no team features
How we grade them
| 3.8GPABitwardenExcellent | 2.6GPApassGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe useful version costs nothing, and Premium is $1.65 a month, billed as $19.80 a year, against $2.99 for the middle of this category and $2.49 where its lowest-priced quarter starts. Families covers 6 people for $3.99 a month. | AFree software under GPLv2 or later with no paid plans, which sits under 60% of the cheaper quarter in a category where most tools charge $2.99. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe one free plan in this category with no cap on logins or devices: unlimited logins, passkeys, notes and cards on unlimited devices, with no time limit. File attachments, the built-in authenticator and emergency access are the paid extras. | ANo plan, no cap and no account. You download it and use it. |
| Features | AIt covers the whole job, plus two things none of the paid rivals here offer: the code is open source, and you can run the whole service on your own server. Passwords, passkeys, autofill, a generator, Send for links that disappear, then two-factor codes and 5 GB of encrypted attachments on Premium. | CIt does the job of storing, generating and copying passwords, in a smaller scope than a full manager. Sharing and team features are not described on the site. |
| Ease of use | A4.76 from about 33,500 App Store ratings, the highest in this category. Sign up free and your logins fill in across your devices. The self-hosting is optional and most people will never go near it. | DYou work in a terminal and set up GPG keys and Git yourself. No store rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BNo common device is left out: web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and a browser extension. There's no list of integrations and no public API on the listing, though. The only connecting out to other software is directory sync, SCIM and single sign-on, and those are business plans. | CLinux and Mac, as the site describes, plus community clients such as qtpass, browserpass and passff. No official phone or Windows app. |
| Best for | a free password manager on every device | command-line people who already use GPG and Git |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Bitwarden and pass. How we grade
Price against what you get
Bitwarden starts at $1.65 a month and scores 3.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. pass has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
Bitwarden scores higher, and starts $1.65 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other password managers on the chart, none scores higher than Bitwarden for less, and none scores higher than pass for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Bitwarden is self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Bitwarden also covers passkeys.
At a glance
| Bitwarden | pass | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $1.65 per month, billed annually at $19.80 (Premium) | Free |
| Free plan | Free for 1 user: unlimited logins, passkeys, notes, cards and identities on unlimited devices, a password generator and text-only Send. No file attachments or integrated authenticator. | Free software under GPLv2 or later with no paid plans. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the Families, Teams and Enterprise plans, started from the sign-up pages the pricing page links to | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Bitwarden, Inc. | Jason A. Donenfeld |
| Price read from | bitwarden.com | passwordstore.org |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Bitwarden
- The free plan leaves out file attachments, the integrated authenticator, vault health reports and emergency access.
- Individual plans share items with only one other Bitwarden user; unlimited sharing starts with Families.
- Listed prices are based on annual subscriptions, and taxes are not included.
- SSO integration and enterprise policies require the Enterprise plan.
pass
- It has no official graphical app; phone apps and browser plugins come from other projects.
- The site describes it for Linux, BSD and Mac OS X; Windows use relies on a third-party client.
- You manage your own GPG keys and any syncing through Git or file copying.
- Sharing and team features are not described on the site.
Key features
Bitwarden
- Unlimited free vault
- The free plan stores unlimited logins, passkeys, notes, cards and identities and works on unlimited devices through browser, mobile and desktop apps.
- Open source
- Bitwarden's code is open source, and the company describes its security as independently verified.
- Passkeys, autofill and generator
- Stores and manages passkeys alongside passwords, autofills logins across devices and generates strong passwords and usernames.
- Bitwarden Send
- Shares sensitive information through a link that disappears. Free accounts can send text only; file sharing comes with paid plans.
- Self-hosting
- Bitwarden can be deployed on premises or in a private cloud. Families and Enterprise organizations can be moved to a self-hosted server.
- Business controls
- Teams adds event logs, directory synchronization and SCIM provisioning. Enterprise adds policies, SSO integration and granular access control.
pass
- One GPG file per password
- Each entry is an encrypted file named for the site or resource, kept in folders under a single password-store directory.
- Git history
- The store can be tracked with Git, which records changes to passwords and helps copy the store between machines.
- Generate and copy
- Commands add, edit, generate and retrieve passwords, and can put one on the clipboard and clear it after 45 seconds.
- Plain Unix workflow
- Works alongside normal shell commands, with completion for bash, zsh and fish and a man page for documentation.
- Community clients
- The site lists third-party tools, including a cross-platform GUI, Android and iOS apps, and Firefox and Chrome plugins.
Plans
Bitwarden
Free$0
1 user. Unlimited passwords and passkeys on unlimited devices, a password and username generator, and two-step login.
Premium$1.65
per month, billed annually at $19.80
Adds the integrated authenticator, 5 GB of encrypted file attachments, emergency access, security reports and priority support.
Families$3.99
per month for up to 6 users, billed annually at $47.88
6 premium accounts with unlimited sharing and collections, plus shared organization storage.
Teams$4
per user / month, billed annually
Secure credential sharing for a team, event logs, directory synchronization and SCIM provisioning.
Enterprise$6
per user / month, billed annually
Everything in Teams, plus enterprise policies, passwordless SSO integration, granular access control and self-hosting.
pass
Free$0
The full command-line tool; third-party clients and extensions listed on the site are separate projects.
Ways to pay less
Bitwarden
- Other savings
Free Families plan for Enterprise users
Bitwarden's pricing page states that the Enterprise plan includes a free Families plan for all of its users.
pass
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bitwarden or pass?
As of Nov 13, 2026, pass is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $1.65 a month for Bitwarden. Bitwarden starts at $1.65 per month, billed annually at $19.80 (Premium), and pass is free.
Which has a free plan, Bitwarden or pass?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Bitwarden and pass have a free plan.
Which platforms do Bitwarden and pass run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Bitwarden lists a web app, Windows, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list macOS and Linux apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.