Bitwarden vs Proton Pass
The two open-source contenders head to head. Bitwarden wins on price and maturity; Proton Pass wins on privacy polish and email aliases. Both have generous free plans — so which free vault should you actually live in?
Best free & best value password manager
Bitwarden is fully open source, audited, and its free plan covers unlimited devices — something no rival matches. Premium at $10/year adds 2FA, emergency access and 1GB storage.
From the makers of Proton Mail, Proton Pass pairs Swiss privacy law with a superb free plan and SimpleLogin email-alias integration. The natural pick inside the Proton ecosystem.
Quick verdict — winner: Bitwarden
On a strict budget or want to self-host: Bitwarden. Want the nicer free app with email aliases and Swiss privacy: Proton Pass. You can't go wrong — both are open source and audited.
Full comparison
| Category | Bitwarden | Proton Pass |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 93 | 91 |
| Security | 95 | 94 |
| Privacy | 95 | 98 |
| Ease of use | 82 | 88 |
| Value | 100 | 90 |
| Free plan | ✓ | ✓ |
| Annual price | $10 | $23.88 |
| Self-host option | ✓ | — |
| Email aliases | — | ✓ |
| File storage | 1 GB (premium) | None yet |
| Passkeys | ✓ | ✓ |
Winner by category
Winner: Price
→ Bitwarden
$10/year premium undercuts Proton Pass Plus by more than half.
Winner: Ease of use
→ Proton Pass
More modern apps and simpler onboarding, especially on mobile.
Winner: Privacy extras
→ Proton Pass
Built-in email aliases and Swiss jurisdiction edge out Bitwarden's already-strong posture.
Winner: Power users
→ Bitwarden
Self-hosting, CLI and organization tooling go deeper.
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FAQ
Which free plan is better?+
Proton Pass's free app feels more modern and includes email aliases; Bitwarden's free plan includes TOTP and self-host paths power users want. Try both — they're free.
Can I import from Bitwarden to Proton Pass?+
Yes — Proton Pass imports Bitwarden JSON/CSV exports directly.