When you’re running a business, keeping your passwords safe and secure is one of the most effective ways of protecting what is potentially your most valuable asset—your data.
Offering plans for both businesses and individuals, open-source service Bitwarden is widely regarded as one of the best password managers, providing a range of features such as password strength testing and multi-device syncing.
In our Bitwarden review, we examine the software’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as its levels of customer support and security features. You can then use this information to decide if Bitwarden could help you protect your organization’s data.
Bitwarden: Plans and pricing
If you’d like to implement Bitwarden within your business, you can choose from three plans: Free Organization, Teams Organization, and Enterprise Organization.
Under the Free plan, you’ll have access to unlimited storage and all Bitwarden apps, but you should be aware that the plan only covers a maximum of two users. With the Teams Organization plan, which carries a fee of $3 per user a month, you’ll have access to features such as encrypted file attachments and reports on the strength of passwords across your network.
The Enterprise plan is $5 per user a month, and includes additional services such as single sign-on and a self-hosting option.
Although these plans are priced per user per month, you can add or remove a user at any time. Should you feel unsure about signing up to a subscription, Bitwarden offers a seven-day free trial on its Teams Organization and Enterprise Organization plans.
Features
Even without a Bitwarden account, you can make use of its password generator feature, which helps you create secure and random passwords via an online tool. You can choose the length of your desired password and whether you would prefer a standard password format or a phrase instead.
By entering your current passwords into Bitwarden’s strength checker tool, you can get an evaluation of your password’s strength and an indication of how long it would take a hacker to crack it. With a really robust password, you should never have to worry about a breach.
Depending on the plan you choose, you can receive detailed analysis relating to any vulnerable or reused passwords across your network. Bitwarden also provides free information on any data breaches relating to your email addresses, with a breakdown relayed in a concise and easy-to-understand manner.
Bitwarden Send enables you to securely transmit encrypted files or text to another user within your organization. If you’re concerned about this information being accessed by another user at a later time, you can include deletion and expiry dates. One potential downside is that some of the language relating to this feature feels tech-heavy, and may be off-putting for those new to password management and data encryption.
Bitwarden automatically syncs users and client apps (such as desktop applications, browsers, and mobile apps) across your network every 30 minutes. You can also manually sync devices across your organization with Bitwarden’s help center, which provides detailed instructions on how to do so.
Interface and in use
The platform’s ease of use could be one of its most attractive features for those new to password managers, or users who would prefer to spend as little time as possible getting to grips with a new interface. Although the design is simple, this streamlined appearance means users aren’t distracted by showy graphics.
You can either set your service up via the cloud or, if you opt for the Enterprise Organization plan, you can host the service yourself – which provides you with greater control over your data.
If you opt to use Bitwarden as your password management service, the company offers the kind of cross-platform functionality you would expect from a password manager these days. And you can download the software on Windows, macOS, and Linux desktops. Mobile apps are available via Apple’s App Store or Google Play.
Support
If you’d like to contact Bitwarden, the company offers 24/7 customer support via email and online tickets. Although phone support is not available, Bitwarden claims it will attempt to respond as soon as possible. Under the Teams Organization or Enterprise Organization plans, you will receive priority support for your queries.
Bitwarden also has a comprehensive help center, which breaks queries down into the following topics: organizations, directory sync, login with SSO (single sign-on), self-host, and security. As well as a selection of FAQs, the help center also has an active online community.
Security
You’ll need to be confident any password manager you choose has robust security procedures in place, and we were impressed by Bitwarden’s offering. As well as providing two-step (or two-factor) authentication, the software protects your information with AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) 256-bit end-to-end encryption—the strongest form of encryption currently available—so only the administrator within your organization can manage your data.
Bitwarden also offers enterprise-grade security and compliance, which means its systems are subject to third-party security audits.
The competition
Bitwarden is widely regarded as one of the best password managers available, but it is far from your only option. As one of the market leaders, Dashlane is an extremely attractive proposition for small business owners, with its reporting dashboard enabling you to quickly identify vulnerable passwords.
Depending on the plan you choose, you’ll pay a fee of between $5 and $8 per user a month, and you can read our Dashlane review to learn more about the service and its features.
If you’re seeking a password manager for personal use, NordPass offers an impressive suite of features such as biometric authentication and end-to-end encryption. With two-year plans at $1.49 per user a month, it’s also one of the more affordable options on the market. Read our NordPass review to find out more.
If you’re seeking password management software, Bitwarden certainly has a great deal in its favor, and small business owners should find the free version is sufficient for their needs.
The major downside we encountered is that the company doesn’t offer phone support. However, this isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker as the online support is friendly, efficient, and available 24/7.