Bitwarden vs Safe (SafeInCloud) (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 3.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Bitwarden grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
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
Safe (SafeInCloud)
Password and passkey manager that keeps the vault in your own storage
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 Safe (SafeInCloud) if
- Fits if you want your vault in your own Dropbox, iCloud or OneDrive
- Works for people who use a phone and a computer
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: prices are set inside the app, so the ones shown may differ from what you see
- Watch out: the site does not list what the free version limits
- Watch out: the App Store lists more than one price for the same subscription names
- Skip it if you want a family or lifetime price on the page, as those are shown only in the app
How we grade them
| 3.8GPABitwardenExcellent | 3.0GPASafe (SafeInCloud)Very good | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | B$23.99 a year on the US App Store, inside the cheaper quarter of password managers. The App Store also lists $29.99 a year and $4.99 a month. |
| 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. | CFree to download with a 14-day Premium trial, but the site does not list what the free version limits. |
| 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. | BPasswords, passkeys, an authenticator, breach checks, autofill, biometric login, multiple vaults and imports. No gap is shown in the core job. |
| 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. | A4.8 from about 2,700 App Store ratings, with nothing to configure beyond choosing where the vault is stored. |
| 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. | BAndroid, iOS, Windows and Mac, with Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, iCloud and WebDAV. No web app or browser extension is listed. |
| Best for | a free password manager on every device | a vault kept in your own cloud storage |
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 Safe (SafeInCloud). 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. Safe (SafeInCloud) starts at $2 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.3.
Bitwarden scores higher and starts $0.35 a month lower. Of the other password managers on the chart, none scores higher than Bitwarden for less, and 1 scores higher than Safe (SafeInCloud) 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 open source, self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Safe (SafeInCloud) can be bought with a one-time purchase.
At a glance
| Bitwarden | Safe (SafeInCloud) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $1.65 per month, billed annually at $19.80 (Premium) | $23.99 per year (Individual subscription, as the App Store lists it) |
| 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. | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the Families, Teams and Enterprise plans, started from the sign-up pages the pricing page links to | 14-day free trial of Premium |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Bitwarden, Inc. | SafeInCloud SAS |
| Price read from | bitwarden.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
Safe (SafeInCloud)
- Prices are set in the app, so the figures here come from the US App Store listing and may differ from what you see.
- The site does not list what the free version limits, so check the app before relying on it.
- A 6-person family license (about 30% more than individual) and a lifetime license exist; prices are shown only in the app.
- The App Store listing carries more than one price for the same subscription names.
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.
Safe (SafeInCloud)
- Vault in your own storage
- Backs up automatically to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, iCloud or WebDAV (cloud or NAS), not to the vendor's servers.
- Passwords and passkeys
- Stores passkeys next to passwords and syncs both across your devices, with AES-256 encryption and PBKDF2.
- Built-in authenticator
- Generates one-time codes for services that support two-factor login, so no separate authenticator app is needed.
- Breach and password checks
- Checks logins against known data breaches using Have I Been Pwned, and flags weak or reused passwords.
- Autofill and biometric login
- Fills logins in apps and browsers, and unlocks with a fingerprint or Face ID.
- Multiple vaults and imports
- Keep separate vaults for personal, family and work use, and import data from other password managers.
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.
Safe (SafeInCloud)
Individual subscription$23.99
per year; the App Store also lists $29.99 a year and $4.99 a month
Premium for one person; the app is free to download and the exact free-version limits are not listed on the site.
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.
Safe (SafeInCloud)
- Lifetime license
Lifetime license instead of a subscription
The site says a one-time lifetime license is available as an alternative to subscriptions; its price is shown in the app.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bitwarden or Safe (SafeInCloud)?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Bitwarden is cheaper to start with: $1.65 a month, against $2 a month when paid by the year for Safe (SafeInCloud). Bitwarden starts at $1.65 per month, billed annually at $19.80 (Premium), and Safe (SafeInCloud) starts at $23.99 per year (Individual subscription, as the App Store lists it).
Which has a free plan, Bitwarden or Safe (SafeInCloud)?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Bitwarden has a free plan. Safe (SafeInCloud) does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Bitwarden and Safe (SafeInCloud) run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Bitwarden lists a web app, a Linux app and a browser extension. Both list macOS, Windows, iOS and Android 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.