Bitwarden Password Manager Review: Free or Cheap Great Features
When LastPass announces that it will limit free users to syncing on one device type, users will have to choose between mobile devices and computers to access their passwords, but if they both access their passwords, they will be charged. You have to pay — many have felt ambush.
I did so — I was using LastPass For more than a decade at the time, I wasn’t against paying for the service, especially when I wasn’t absolutely a service that brought out so much value, but suddenly in the midst of a pandemic. The switch felt like they were asking for a ransom. So I immediately started looking for another password manager. Bitwarden has appeared everywhere: unlimited password storage and free synchronization between unlimited devices (and device types), and more importantly, it’s very secure and open source, my password It’s unlikely that you’ll find it with a gun and ask for $ 36/10 years after seducing me.
Bitwarden is an open source password manager with a “permanently free” free plan and a paid plan that is less than one-third that of other password managers. Not perfect — Bitwarden’s user interface is clunky and the experience is definitely volatile compared to LastPass, but these are issues that can easily be overlooked when it’s as salty as I am (I’m coming, but It will take a while). If you can overcome the inconvenience, Bitwarden has almost everything you need and want for a password manager.
Cost and Bitwarden Target
Bitwarden also offers a paid family plan that includes all the features of a paid premium plan for up to 6 users, costing $ 40 per year. Family plan users can create unlimited collections and share them with their families. This cannot be done with a free org plan alone (a free org can only be created between up to two users). Bitwarden’s family plans are objectively fairly cheap. For six, it’s only $ 6 a year per person, but that’s not the case. that’s why Significant trading compared to competitors. LastPass, for example, offers a much smoother user experience than Bitwarden, and its family plan is only $ 48 a year for up to six users.
Bitwarden offers four plans for individual users. Free plans for individuals, paid premium plans for individuals, free “shared” plans for 2 people, and premium family plans for up to 6 users.
Bitwarden’s free plan is currently one of the only free password managers that offers synchronization between unlimited devices / device types, as LastPass dramatically limited free users to one device type. Free users can store unlimited passwords and credentials, access Bitwarden’s password generator, enable two-factor authentication (2FA), and access Bitwarden’s data breach reports to see if their login has been compromised. You can check it.
You can upgrade to Bitwarden’s paid premium plan for just $ 10 a year. It can be stolen compared to competitors like LastPass, 1Password, Keeper and more. These are all about $ 36 a year. The upgrade adds support for additional security tools such as multi-factor authentication, password vault analysis, and password health checks. The premium plan also features 1 GB of encrypted storage space and emergency access. This allows you to specify emergency contacts that can access your account if something happens.
Bitwarden offers a free multi-person plan called “Organization” or “Organization” that allows you to share data with one other user in your “Collection”. This is a bit different from Bitwarden’s free individual plan, where you can share items one by one. However, you don’t have to worry about choosing between a free personal plan or a free organizational plan. You can always create an organization from within your free personal plan.
Get started with Bitwarden
Signing up for Bitwarden is very easy. All you need is your email address, name and strong master password. You can also add an optional master password hint (not the same as the security question).
Sign up and you’ll be logged in immediately. The first time you log in, Bitwarden will take you to the web vault in your browser.
The first time you use a password manager, Bitwarden’s setup process is a bit … sparse. Well, the setup process isn’t that many. Other password managers will guide you to download browser extensions, add your first password, import passwords from another service, etc., but Bitwarden does not. It dumps you into a password vault and expects you to understand it.
It’s not bad However, Bitwarden’s interface isn’t particularly complicated, and if you’ve used password managers before, we recommend that you don’t have to go through unnecessary setup processes. However, I wanted to see a little direction, but it might be a link to download a browser extension.
Like most password managers, Bitwarden has an import tool for importing passwords from another service.This tool is for web vaults[ツール]It is under. The import tool has a drop-down menu with over 50 different services, including a web browser, and a text box where you can easily copy and paste the data. The import tool works as expected. It’s far from perfect, but it does the right job of adding passwords to the vault all at once.
Desktop / web experience with Bitwarden
Bitwarden’s web vault is easy and simple to navigate — probably a little that too Simple. The main page is Password Vault. A list of credentials is displayed in the center, and a search box and a menu containing filters such as credential types and folders are displayed on the left. On the right, you’ll see options to upgrade to Premium (if you haven’t already done so) and a box where you can create a new organization.
At the top of the web vault, you’ll see various tabs.[送信], To send individual credentials to other users. A tool to find password generators and import / export options. Report. Free users can see data breaches, and premium users can scan their credentials to find published / reused / weak passwords, insecure websites, and inactive 2FAs. And settings.
Bitwarden has a desktop app, but it’s more cumbersome than a web vault and you can’t drag and drop individual credentials into another folder. This is one of the things I was looking for when I downloaded the desktop app.
Bitwarden’s folder feature isn’t very user-friendly in the first place. Other password managers, such as LastPass, allow you to create a folder when you enter a new credential, but Bitwarden creates the folder first before assigning the credential. folder. If you could easily add the credentials to the folder after the fact, this wouldn’t be a big deal, but it’s not that easy. Not only does the desktop app not support drag and drop, it also does not provide a method.To add quickly 1 Credentials to the folder. To move something to a folder in your desktop app, you need to open the item edit screen and select the folder from the drop-down menu.
Web Vault allows you to select multiple credentials at once and move them to a new folder in bulk, but this can be quite annoying, especially if you’re trying to clean up a large batch of imported passwords.
However, most of Bitwarden’s interactions on the PC are done through browser extensions rather than desktop apps or web vaults. Bitwarden has Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge, Safari, as well as Vivaldi, Brave, and Tor browser extensions (thanks, open source software!). Bitwarden’s browser extensions aren’t as rich as other password manager browser extensions, but they’re done. Browser extensions have tabs for the current tab, password vault, submit credentials, password generation, and settings.
When it comes to password acquisition and form autofill, Bitwarden isn’t as smooth or seamless as its competitors. In my tests, it did a great job of capturing passwords from a single sign-in page and inserting a slim banner at the top of the page when it detects an unsaved password. However, more complex hybrids and two-page sign-ins have caused many problems. Also, it was difficult to automatically enter the login. This is a feature that can be turned off for added security.
Bitdwarden’s automatic password capture does not allow you to fine-tune your credentials before saving. A pop-up banner asks if you want to remember your password and allows you to select a (existing) folder from the drop-down menu. You can use other password managers to change the stored credentials. You can usually change your username and password, or give your credentials a descriptive name to make them easier to find. This flexibility is important. Because, as we know, password captures are definitely not very accurate, and many auto-captures mistake first name or phone number for username.
Mobile experience with Bitwarden
I tested Bitwarden’s mobile app on my iPhone 13 Pro. There is also an Android app. The mobile app is similar to a browser extension, with tabs for password vaults, submit credentials, password generation, and settings. Both Android and iOS apps support biometrics.
Bitwarden worked very smoothly on mobile. I was able to get the password automatically and fill out the form without any problems. Some apps may require one or two additional steps.To get the password from the vault, tap the item in the vault first[パスワードのコピー]Must be selected. In comparison, the LastPass app has a password copy button that you can tap quickly from the vault’s home screen.
Synchronization is also a bit unstable. I often synced manually in the mobile app before accessing the password I saved on my desktop a few days ago. Of course, other password managers don’t allow free users to sync across multiple devices. Manual synchronization is definitely better than nothing.
Bitwarden security
Bitwarden uses the same security protocols found in other password managers. AES-256 end-to-end encryption using zero-knowledge technology. The data is locally encrypted and can only be decrypted with the master password. The master password cannot be accessed or recovered by Bitwarden. If a password manager like Bitwarden is hacked, the hacker will only be able to access encrypted data that is useless without a master password.
To keep your master password secure, Bitwarden offers free and paid 2FA for all users. Free users can get 2FA by email authentication or using an authentication system app such as Authy or Google Authenticator, while paid users can access Bitwarden’s own authentication system app. Paid users can also set up advanced multi-factor authentication using hardware keys such as YubiKey and FIDO.
Bitwarden maintains a good security reputation through regular third-party security audits. And because it’s open source, anyone can see the code. Publishing the code actually makes Bitwarden more secure. This is because thousands of ordinary people can find bugs and vulnerabilities much faster than the few people they choose.
If you are very security savvy (or very paranoid), you can also self-host Bitwarden. Instead of relying on Bitwarden’s servers, you can choose to store Bitwarden-encrypted data on your own server. (Note: Storing data on a private server is definitely less secure than letting Bitwarden handle it, so this option is only recommended if: very We are confident in our security knowledge and expertise. )
Conclusion
Bitwarden is a secure, open source password manager that gives you everything you need for a password manager for free. It’s not as sophisticated and streamlined as its competitors, but frankly, if you’re looking for a password manager that stores passwords and can be accessed from anywhere, you really only need Bitwarden. And if you’re looking for more features such as multi-factor authentication or personal security audits, Bitwarden can offer it for just a fraction of the fees charged by your competitors. Bitwarden’s interface can be refined a bit, but most of its quirks are the inconvenience of being able to live at that price.
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/bitwarden-password-manager-review Bitwarden Password Manager Review: Free or Cheap Great Features
