Passwords haven’t gone away, and neither has the need to manage them well. If you’re comparing the three most recommended password managers on the market — 1Password, Bitwarden, and Dashlane — you’re really choosing between three different philosophies: polished convenience, open-source affordability, and all-in-one security bundling. Here’s how they actually stack up on price and features as of mid-2026.
How we evaluated these tools
This comparison is based on desk research, not hands-on lab testing. We pulled pricing and plan details directly from each vendor’s official pricing pages (1Password.com, Bitwarden.com, and Dashlane.com/pricing-personal, cross-checked against Dashlane’s support documentation and several independent 2026 pricing trackers where the official page didn’t render plain-text figures). We compared plans across five criteria: cost for individuals and families, secure sharing capabilities, breach/dark web monitoring, biometric unlock support, cross-platform availability, and open-source transparency. We also reference findings that reputable outlets like Security.org and CyberNews have published about each service, rather than claiming to have run our own lab tests. Pricing is subject to change — vendors in this category have raised prices multiple times in the past year, so treat the figures below as a snapshot rather than a permanent number.
Prices verified: July 18, 2026.
Pricing comparison: 1Password vs Bitwarden vs Dashlane
All three vendors have raised prices at some point in the last 18 months — 1Password implemented a price increase in March 2026, and Bitwarden rolled out a restructured “enhanced” Premium plan in January 2026 that raised its individual price while adding features. Here’s what each costs today.
| Plan | 1Password | Bitwarden | Dashlane |
| Free plan | Not available (14-day free trial only) | Yes — unlimited passwords and devices | Discontinued for new signups; Dashlane no longer offers a free tier |
| Individual/Premium (monthly billing) | $3.99/month | No monthly option; billed annually only | No monthly option; billed annually only |
| Individual/Premium (annual billing) | $2.99/month ($35.88/year) | $1.65/month ($19.80/year) | ~$4.99/month ($59.88/year) |
| Family/Families plan (annual billing) | $4.49/month for up to 5 people ($53.88/year) | $3.99/month for 6 users ($47.88/year) | ~$7.49–$8.13/month for up to 10 members (“Friends & Family”) |
| Business entry tier | Teams Starter Pack: $24.95/month for 10 seats; Business: $8.99/user/month | Teams: $4/user/month; Enterprise: $6/user/month | Custom business pricing (contact sales) |
On pure price-per-dollar, Bitwarden is the clear budget winner — its Premium tier costs less than a third of Dashlane’s, and its free tier remains genuinely usable for a single person who doesn’t need advanced sharing. 1Password sits in the middle. Dashlane is consistently the most expensive individual plan of the three, though its Friends & Family plan is competitively priced per seat if you actually fill all 10 slots.
Note that Dashlane’s exact current price varies slightly depending on whether you’re seeing an introductory discount; multiple 2026 trackers list Premium between roughly $4.07 and $4.99 per month on annual billing, with renewal rates typically higher than the first-year rate. Always check the live checkout price before subscribing.
Feature comparison
| Feature | 1Password | Bitwarden | Dashlane |
| Secure sharing | Yes, share with anyone (even non-users) via secure links; unlimited shared vaults on Families | Yes, on Premium: share with one other user; Families gets unlimited sharing between 6 people; free tier includes Bitwarden Send for one-off encrypted sharing | Yes, secure sharing included on both Premium and Friends & Family |
| Breach/dark web monitoring | Watchtower: flags weak, reused, and breached passwords plus compromised websites | Vault health reports and breach alerts on Premium; free tier gets basic exposed-password checks | Dark Web Monitoring included on both paid personal plans |
| Biometric unlock | Yes — Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello across supported apps | Yes — biometric unlock on mobile and desktop apps | Yes — biometric login supported on mobile and desktop |
| Cross-platform support | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, browser extensions | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, browser extensions, plus self-hosting option | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, browser extensions |
| Built-in VPN | No | No | Yes, included on Premium and for the plan manager on Friends & Family |
| Open-source | No — proprietary, though some components (like SDKs) are published on GitHub | Yes — fully open source, client and server code publicly auditable | No — proprietary |
| Two-factor authenticator built in | Yes | Yes, on Premium (integrated TOTP authenticator) | Yes |
What each password manager gets right
1Password
- Widely regarded by security reviewers as having the most polished cross-platform apps and the cleanest onboarding experience
- Watchtower gives one of the more comprehensive breach-monitoring dashboards in the category
- Strong business and developer tooling (secrets management, CLI, SSH agent) that Bitwarden and Dashlane don’t match as deeply
- No free tier — you’re committed to a 14-day trial and then a paid plan
Bitwarden
- Only one of the three that’s fully open source, which lets independent researchers audit the code rather than take security claims on faith
- By far the cheapest paid tier, and one of the only genuinely usable free plans left in the category
- Self-hosting option appeals to privacy-conscious and technical users
- Interface is functional but less refined than 1Password’s or Dashlane’s, and the January 2026 Premium plan restructuring raised prices notably even though it added features
Dashlane
- Only one of the three bundling a VPN directly into the personal plan, which can offset the higher subscription price if you’d otherwise pay for a separate VPN
- Dark web monitoring and AI-based scam protection are included by default rather than gated to higher tiers
- Highest-priced individual plan of the three, and dropped its free tier for new signups
- No monthly billing option on any personal plan — annual commitment only
The verdict: which one should you actually get?
There’s no single “best” password manager here — the right pick depends on what you’re optimizing for.
- Best overall: 1Password. It balances price, polish, and features better than the other two for most non-technical users who want something that just works across every device without a steep learning curve.
- Best free option: Bitwarden. Its free tier is unlimited on passwords and devices, which is unmatched now that Dashlane has dropped its free plan entirely.
- Best value / cheapest paid plan: Bitwarden Premium. At under $2/month, it’s a fraction of what 1Password or Dashlane charge, and it still includes file attachments, an integrated authenticator, and emergency access.
- Best for families: Bitwarden Families, mainly on price — $3.99/month for 6 full premium accounts is hard to beat. If your family wants the more guided, consumer-friendly interface, 1Password Families at $4.49/month for 5 people is the near-equivalent trade-off.
- Best for privacy purists and self-hosters: Bitwarden, because it’s the only one of the three that’s open source and can be self-hosted.
- Best if you want a bundled VPN: Dashlane, since it’s the only plan here that folds VPN access into the core subscription instead of charging separately.
- Best for business/teams: This is closer between 1Password and Bitwarden. 1Password Business ($8.99/user/month) has deeper directory and developer integrations; Bitwarden Teams ($4/user/month) and Enterprise ($6/user/month) are considerably cheaper and include SCIM provisioning at a lower price point, making Bitwarden the more budget-friendly choice for cost-sensitive teams.
Whichever you choose, the most important decision isn’t which brand you pick — it’s actually using a password manager instead of reusing passwords across sites. All three of these tools will meaningfully improve your security posture over no password manager at all.
Related Reading
Which is cheaper, 1Password or Bitwarden?
Bitwarden is cheaper. Its Premium plan runs about $1.65/month billed annually ($19.80/year), compared to 1Password’s Individual plan at $2.99/month billed annually ($35.88/year). Bitwarden also offers a free tier with unlimited passwords and devices, which 1Password does not.
Is Dashlane worth the higher price compared to Bitwarden and 1Password?
It depends on what you value. Dashlane’s personal plans cost more than both competitors, but it’s the only one of the three that bundles a VPN into the subscription. If you’d otherwise pay separately for a VPN, the price gap narrows. If you just need core password management, Bitwarden or 1Password deliver more value per dollar.
Does Bitwarden’s free plan actually work for daily use?
Yes. Bitwarden’s free tier includes unlimited passwords, unlimited devices, a password generator, passkey management, and basic breach alerts. It lacks secure sharing with other users, file attachments, and an integrated authenticator, which are reserved for Premium.
Which password manager is open source?
Bitwarden is the only one of the three that is fully open source, with client and server code published and auditable on GitHub. Both 1Password and Dashlane are proprietary, closed-source products, though 1Password has open-sourced some SDK components.
Can I still get a free plan with Dashlane?
No. Dashlane discontinued its free plan for new signups; its support documentation confirms the Free, Premium Plus, Premium Plus Family, Essentials, and Advanced plans have all been retired. New customers can only sign up for Premium or the Friends & Family plan, both billed annually.
Which password manager is best for a family of 5 or 6?
Bitwarden Families covers 6 premium accounts for about $3.99/month total, making it the cheapest per-person option. 1Password Families covers up to 5 people for $4.49/month total and offers a more polished, beginner-friendly interface. Dashlane’s Friends & Family plan covers up to 10 people but costs considerably more overall.
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