Best Password Manager in 2026, Decided on Published Plans
Bitwarden is the best password manager for most people: a free plan with unlimited passwords on unlimited devices, open-source code, and a Premium tier at $1.65 a month billed annually that adds an authenticator, file attachments and emergency access. Choose 1Password if you want the most polished apps and a family plan with admin controls and are happy to pay $5.99 a month (no free plan). Choose Proton Pass if hide-my-email aliases matter, and NordPass only if you will commit to its 27-month plan.
See Bitwarden plans →The four, side by side
| Feature | Bitwarden 🏆 | 1Password | Proton Pass | NordPass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, unlimited devices ✅ | No, 14-day trial | Yes, unlimited devices ✅ | Yes, one device at a time |
| Individual price | $1.65/mo annual ($19.80/yr) ✅ | $3.99/mo annual ($2.99 promo) | $2.99/mo annual ($35.88/yr) | $1.39/mo on 27-month plan ($37.53) |
| Family price | $3.99/mo, 6 users ✅ | $5.99/mo, 5 members ($4.49 promo) | $4.99/mo, 6 users | $2.49/mo on 27-month plan, 6 users |
| Code and hosting | Open source, self-host option ✅ | Not stated | End-to-end, Swiss jurisdiction | XChaCha20 vault |
| Built-in authenticator | Premium | Included | Plus and up | Not on personal plans shown |
| Notable extras | Bitwarden Send, emergency access | Watchtower alerts, 1 GB storage | Hide-my-email aliases, dark web monitoring | Data Breach Scanner, Password Health |
Prices are the vendors' USD figures on the billing period shown. NordPass's headline price requires a 27-month upfront payment; 1Password's lower figures are a first-year promotion for new customers. Sources and dates are under each card below.
How we decide
Password managers are decided on four published facts: whether the free plan is usable on every device, the regular annual price for one person and for a family, and what the paid tier actually adds.
- The ranking rule for this page: Rank by the usefulness of the free plan first, then by regular annual price per person, then by family seats per dollar; promotional first-year prices are shown but do not move the ranking.
- Where the facts come from: each product's own pricing and documentation pages, linked under every card with the date we checked them. When a vendor changes a plan, the fact changes here on the next check, and the date moves.
- What we do not do: star ratings, review counts, or claims to have tested the software in a lab. We compare what the companies publish, and we say when two products are close.
- How we are paid: some links pay us a commission if you start a paid plan. That is disclosed in the footer, it never changes the price you pay, and products with no partner program are ranked on the same rule as products with one.
The picks
Bitwarden
Free on unlimited devices, open source, and the cheapest Premium
- Free plan Yes: unlimited devices and passwords, passkeys, generator, sharing with one other user, Bitwarden Send
- Premium $1.65/month billed annually ($19.80): authenticator (TOTP), file attachments, emergency access, vault health reports
- Families $3.99/month billed annually ($47.88): 6 premium accounts, unlimited sharing and collections
- Open source Yes, listed as a core feature ("open source security")
- Self-hosting Yes, self-host options listed
- Apps Browser, mobile and desktop apps
- Free trial Families plan has a free trial; Premium is bought outright
Facts from Bitwarden's pricing page, checked 2026-09-05.
Bitwarden's free plan is the reason it wins. It stores unlimited passwords on unlimited devices, supports passkeys, includes a generator and lets you share with one other person, which is the whole job for most people. Premium at $19.80 a year adds the integrated authenticator, file attachments, emergency access and vault health reports. The code is open source and there is a self-hosting option, both listed on the pricing page. The trade-off, which the page does not say but which follows from the plan structure, is that the free tier has no authenticator and no reports.
1Password
No free plan, but the most complete family administration
- Free plan No. 14-day free trial on Individual and Families
- Individual $3.99/month regular, $2.99/month first-year promotion for new customers; paid annually
- Families $5.99/month regular, $4.49/month promotion; invite up to 5 family members, unlimited shared vaults, admin controls
- Storage 1 GB per user
- Watchtower Alerts for compromised websites and vulnerable passwords, included in every account
- Apps macOS, iOS, Windows, Android, Linux; Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Safari
- Open source Not stated on the pricing page
Facts from 1Password's personal pricing page, checked 2026-09-05.
1Password is the paid pick. There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial, and the regular price is $3.99 a month for one person or $5.99 for a family of up to five, with a first-year promotion currently showing $2.99 and $4.49. What you get for the difference is Watchtower alerts in every account, 1 GB of storage per user, apps on every platform the page lists, and family admin controls with unlimited shared vaults. If you would pay for Bitwarden Families anyway, 1Password Families costs about $2 more a month for one fewer seat.
Proton Pass
A usable free plan plus hide-my-email, from the Proton Mail company
- Free plan Yes: unlimited logins, unlimited devices, passkeys, 10 hide-my-email aliases, 2 vaults, sharing with 2 others
- Pass Plus $2.99/month billed $35.88 yearly (shown against a $4.99 regular price): unlimited aliases, built-in 2FA, vault and link sharing, dark web monitoring, file attachments, emergency access
- Pass Family $4.99/month billed $59.88 yearly: everything in Plus for up to 6 users, admin panel
- Proton Unlimited $9.99/month billed $119.88 yearly: Pass plus Proton Mail, Calendar, VPN and Drive
- Encryption End-to-end, zero-knowledge; Swiss jurisdiction
- Apps Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux; web app; Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox, Brave extensions
- Guarantee 30-day money-back guarantee
Facts from Proton Pass's pricing page, checked 2026-09-05.
Proton Pass is the alternative to Bitwarden if you want the same kind of free plan and you also want email aliases. Free includes unlimited logins, unlimited devices, passkeys and 10 hide-my-email aliases; Pass Plus at $35.88 a year (shown at $2.99 a month against a $4.99 regular price) adds unlimited aliases, the built-in 2FA authenticator, sharing, dark web monitoring, file attachments and emergency access. Pass Family covers six users for $59.88 a year. Proton Unlimited bundles Pass with Mail, Calendar, VPN and Drive for $119.88 a year, which is the right buy only if you want the rest of Proton.
NordPass
Cheapest headline price, on a 27-month commitment
- Free plan Yes, 1 user account, autosave and autofill; no simultaneous multi-device access, no Password Health, no breach scanner
- Premium $1.39/month on the 2-year plan shown ($37.53 for the first 27 months, listed as 53% off); multi-device access, Password Health, Data Breach Scanner, file attachments
- Family $2.49/month on the 2-year plan ($67.23 for the first 27 months); 6 user accounts
- Encryption XChaCha20-encrypted vault
- Authenticator NordPass Authenticator listed as not included on the personal plans shown
- Guarantee 30-day money-back guarantee
- Pricing note Headline prices are for a 27-month commitment; the page also offers a 1-year plan at a different rate
Facts from NordPass's plans page, checked 2026-09-05.
NordPass's $1.39 a month is the lowest number on this page and the most conditional: it is a 27-month plan paid upfront at $37.53, and the free plan allows only one device at a time. Premium adds multi-device access, Password Health, the Data Breach Scanner and file attachments; the NordPass Authenticator is listed as not included on the personal plans shown. It is the right choice for someone already inside Nord Security's products who wants one bill, and the wrong one for anyone who wants to pay monthly.
Which one should you actually get?
- You want a free password manager that works everywhere: Bitwarden or Proton Pass. Bitwarden if you might self-host or want the open-source track record; Proton Pass if you want email aliases.
- You want to pay for the best family experience: 1Password Families. Bitwarden Families is cheaper and covers one more person; 1Password buys admin controls and the apps most people find easiest.
- You want two-factor codes inside the password manager: any paid tier here does it except the NordPass personal plans shown. Bitwarden Premium is the cheapest way to get it.
- You want the lowest possible price and will prepay: NordPass on the 27-month plan.
Head to head
Frequently Asked Questions
On published plans, Bitwarden is the best password manager for most people: its free plan has unlimited devices and passwords, it is open source, and Premium is $1.65 a month billed annually. 1Password is the best paid option for families who want the most polished apps and admin controls, at $5.99 a month for up to five members ($4.49 in the current first-year promotion). Proton Pass is the pick if you also want email aliases, and NordPass if you are already a Nord customer and will commit to its 2-year plan.
Bitwarden and Proton Pass both offer genuinely usable free plans with unlimited logins on unlimited devices. Bitwarden Free adds sharing with one other user and Bitwarden Send; Proton Pass Free adds 10 hide-my-email aliases and passkey support. NordPass Free is limited to one device at a time. 1Password has no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
Only for specific features. The paid tiers on every product here add the same three things: an integrated authenticator for two-factor codes, encrypted file attachments, and emergency access. If you do not need those, the free plans from Bitwarden or Proton Pass cover storage, autofill, passkeys and a generator on every device. Family plans are the other reason to pay: five or six premium accounts with shared vaults for $4 to $6 a month.
For an individual on annual billing, Bitwarden Premium at $1.65 a month ($19.80 a year) is the lowest regular price. NordPass shows $1.39 a month, but only on a 27-month upfront plan ($37.53). For families, Bitwarden Families at $3.99 a month for six users is the lowest; Proton Pass Family is $4.99 for six; 1Password Families is $5.99 regular for five members.
Every price on this page was read from the vendor's own pricing page on 2026-09-05 and is linked under each card. Vendors change promotions often; the linked page is the authority, and this page is updated on each check.