A password manager with end-to-end encryption, open source, with apps and browser extensions on every platform and a server you can run yourself.
Do not build this. And note what makes it unusual: it is already the cheap answer, it is open source, and you can self-host the server without writing a line. The cryptography has been independently audited. Writing your own is not a project, it is a decision to put every account you own behind code nobody has reviewed. There is no version of this where that is sensible. WHAT TO DO INSTEAD - Keep it. If you want the data on your own machines, run the official server or the lighter compatible one — that is self-hosting, not building - Either way the clients stay the official ones, because the browser extensions and mobile applications are most of the ongoing work and all of the attack surface WHAT YOU CAN BUILD, AND SHOULD An auditor over your own vault, using the official command-line tool. A local script, no server, nothing kept: - Reused passwords, ranked by how much the account matters - Weak passwords by entropy, and any appearing in a breach corpus, checked with k-anonymity so nothing leaves your machine - Accounts with no second factor where the service supports one - Entries whose domain no longer resolves or now redirects elsewhere — a login for a company that was acquired is a login on somebody else's system - Credentials not rotated in years on accounts that matter - A short report you act on once a quarter Unlock the vault, read, report, and clear it. Write the cleanup into the script rather than trusting yourself. THE THING NOBODY CHECKS Rehearse recovery. If your phone and laptop both vanished today, could you get back in? Most people have never tested it, and that answer decides whether the manager is protecting you or holding your life hostage. Test it once, write down what you did, and keep it somewhere physical. THE ONE-LINE VERSION Self-host the server if you like. Never write the crypto, and go and test your recovery.
What you lose
- Cryptography that has been independently audited, which is not something to write yourself under any circumstances
- Browser extensions and apps on every platform, each keeping up with autofill quirks
- Secure sharing, emergency access and a recovery story that survives losing a device
If you would rather not build
- 1Password, if you would rather not host anything
What it costs
read from their page 17 Aug 2026
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | Last read |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | $1.65/mo | — | 17 Aug 2026 |
Their pricing page is where these came from. Seeing a different price? Tell us.
The escape hatch
open source · no votes, no paid placement
Vaultwarden
$0A lightweight Bitwarden-compatible server; the official clients work against it.
dani-garcia/vaultwardenfree · open source
KeePassXC
$0An offline password database in one encrypted file you sync yourself.
keepassxreboot/keepassxcfree · open source
Why this verdict
our own opinion · changed only by a person
20/100
Verdict no at 20, and the reasoning is not the price. Do not write cryptographic software. Vaultwarden is the legitimate route to owning the server.
History
tracked since 10 Aug 2026 · nothing is ever overwritten
Questions about Bitwarden
answered from the record above
Is Bitwarden free?
No — the plan we track is $1.65 a month. Premium at $1.65/month, billed annually at $19.80; the free tier covers one person properly.
Can you replace Bitwarden by building your own?
KEEP IT. The value is the network, the data or the infrastructure. Keep paying. Replacement score 20 out of 100, build time longer than it saves. Read what you lose before you decide.
How much does Bitwarden cost?
$1.65 a month on Premium — $19.80 a year. Recorded 17 Aug 2026.
What do you lose by replacing Bitwarden?
Cryptography that has been independently audited, which is not something to write yourself under any circumstances; Browser extensions and apps on every platform, each keeping up with autofill quirks; Secure sharing, emergency access and a recovery story that survives losing a device. If any of those carry weight for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Bitwarden?
Yes: Vaultwarden, KeePassXC. The prompt on this page is for when you want it your way instead.
Related entries
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