LastPass vs Bitwarden: Free Plans, Price and the 2022 Breach

Pick Bitwarden if you want a free plan that works on your phone and your computer at the same time, open source code, and the lowest paid price. Pick LastPass only if you already use it, are happy on one type of device, or want its bundled extras such as dark web monitoring on the free plan.

Both are cloud password managers with a free plan, autofill and paid family plans for six people. The biggest practical difference is how much the free plan lets you do, and LastPass's 2022 security incident is still part of the decision for many people.

LastPass vs Bitwarden at a glance

Is Bitwarden's free plan better than LastPass Free?

Yes, for anyone with both a phone and a computer. LastPass Free is limited to one device type. LastPass defines two types: computer (all browsers on desktops and laptops) and mobile (phones, smartwatches and tablets). So you can use the free plan on your laptop or your phone, not both.

Bitwarden Free has no device limit. Its pricing page lists unlimited devices and unlimited passwords on every account, including free ones.

On 6 November 2026, we checked both pricing pages. LastPass Free listed unlimited password storage, autofill, dark web monitoring and basic sharing, but only on one device type, and its sharing allowed one password with one person at a time. Bitwarden Free listed unlimited devices and passwords, passkey storage, a password generator, encrypted export and free sharing with one other user.

One point for LastPass: dark web monitoring is part of its free plan, while Bitwarden's vault health reports, which flag weak, reused or exposed passwords, are a Premium feature.

Which is cheaper, LastPass or Bitwarden?

Bitwarden, for one person. Bitwarden Premium costs $19.80 a year, which is $1.65 a month. LastPass Premium costs $36 a year in its US pricing, which works out to $3 a month, billed yearly.

For families the two are close. Bitwarden Families is $47.88 a year for six premium accounts. LastPass Families is $48 a year, also for six people, and each member gets their own vault that not even the family admin can open.

LastPass shows its prices as monthly amounts billed yearly, and says taxes are added at checkout. Bitwarden's prices also exclude taxes.

Is LastPass safe after the 2022 breach?

That depends on how you weigh what happened. In its notice updated on 22 December 2022, LastPass said a threat actor copied a backup of customer vault data. LastPass said the backup held both unencrypted data, such as website URLs, and encrypted fields such as website usernames and passwords, secure notes and form-fill data.

LastPass said the encrypted fields can only be decrypted with a key derived from each user's master password, which LastPass says it never knows, stores or keeps. In other words, the strength of your master password at the time decided how well your vault was protected, and the website URLs in that backup were readable.

Bitwarden takes a different approach to trust. Its source code is public on GitHub, and Bitwarden says it completes annual third-party source code audits and penetration tests, plus annual network security assessments, and publishes access to the reports. It also says it is SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3 certified.

If you stay on LastPass, use a long, unique master password and turn on multi-factor authentication. If the breach is a deal-breaker for you, Bitwarden has a guide for importing a LastPass export.

Which works on more devices?

Both cover every common platform. LastPass offers browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari and Opera, installers for Windows and macOS that add a desktop app, a Linux download, and apps for iPhone, iPad and Android. Bitwarden has apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone and Android, browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge, and a command-line tool.

Bitwarden also lets you run its server yourself if you want your vault on your own hardware. That is optional, and most people use Bitwarden's cloud.

If you are leaving LastPass and want more options, see our list of LastPass alternatives.

Which should you choose?

• You want a free password manager on your phone and computer: Bitwarden.
• You want the cheapest paid plan for one person: Bitwarden Premium.
• You want open source code you can check: Bitwarden.
• You only use one type of device and want dark web monitoring for free: LastPass Free.
• You are paying for a family of six: either. Both cost about $48 a year.

FAQ

Can I use LastPass Free on my phone and computer?

No. LastPass Free is limited to one device type, either computer or mobile. You need Premium or Families to use both.

Was LastPass hacked?

Yes. LastPass said in December 2022 that a threat actor copied a backup of customer vault data, including unencrypted website URLs and encrypted usernames, passwords and notes.

Can I move from LastPass to Bitwarden?

Yes. Bitwarden can import a vault exported from LastPass, so you do not have to re-enter your passwords.

Is Bitwarden free forever?

Bitwarden's pricing page describes its free plan as always free, with unlimited passwords and devices.