Keeper vs Bitwarden: which one takes the lead?

Keeper vs Bitwarden is a common dilemma for those shopping for a quality password manager. They both store your credentials securely, autofill passwords, and even serve as encrypted storage vaults for your sensitive documents. Beyond that, both password managers are loaded with features and offer great value for your money.

For those struggling with the decision, this Keeper vs Bitwarden comparison should help to clear things up. I’ll pit the two password managers against each other and compare their security, features, pricing, ease of use, customer support, and more. Let’s get right into it!

Keeper vs Bitwarden – an overview

	Keeper	Bitwarden
⭐ Rating:	4.8 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★	3.9 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
🥇 Overall rank:	#2 out of #16	#9 out of #16
🔥 Coupons:	Keeper coupon 50% OFF	Bitwarden Coupon 53% OFF
💵 Price:	From $1.46/month	From $0.83/month
✂️ Free version:	Yes	Yes
🔒 Encryption:	AES-256	AES 256-bit
🖥️ Platforms:	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
🌐 Browser extensions:	Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Edge, Internet Explorer	Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Safari, Vivaldi, Brave, Tor

Which one is more secure?

When it comes to Keeper vs Bitwarden security, Keeper is the more dependable password manager. Both providers are armed with 256-bit AES encryption and multi-factor authentication. Plus, they’ve also undergone multiple audits by independent third parties.

However, Keeper comes out ahead with its more privacy-friendly data storage. Beyond that, Keeper’s privacy policy, which keeps data collection to a minimum, is also relatively more agreeable and favorable to users.

Encryption

When it comes to encryption, Keeper and Bitwarden took a very similar route to keep your sensitive data protected. They both opt for the unyielding 256-bit AES encryption, which is considered the gold standard for password managers.

In Keeper’s case, it also employs PBKDF2 on top of the 256-bit AES encryption. This is a password-based key derivation function that makes it much harder for hackers to guess your password through brute-force attacks.

Along the same path, Bitwarden employs 256-bit AES encryption to protect your vault and PBKDF-SHA256 to derive your encryption key from your master password.

Beyond that, both password managers’ zero-knowledge architecture guarantees secure end-to-end encryption. So, all data encryption/decryption is carried out locally, and only encrypted data is sent to their servers. This way, even Keeper and Bitwarden themselves have no way to access the content of your vault.

Overall, Keeper and Bitwarden are evenly-matched and don’t compromise on data handling when it comes to encryption.

Multi-factor security

One of the best things that can be done to protect your vault is to enable multi-factor authentication (MFA). Once enabled, you’ll need to verify your identity with more than just a username and password when logging in. This extra layer of protection helps to shield your account from breaches.

With Keeper, you get several two-factor authentication (2FA) methods. Among them are:

• TOTP generator apps such as Google Authenticator and Microsoft Authenticator
• Hardware tokens
• U2F-based physical keys such as YubiKey
• Smart wearables such as Apple Watch

Additionally, Keeper also supports SMS verification. But I’d advise giving this method a skip. SMS verification is notorious for being one of the least secure 2FA methods.

In contrast, Bitwarden’s MFA methods depend on your plan. Free users only get two-step logins with emails and authenticator apps. Meanwhile, Bitwarden’s Premium users can enable 2FA with:

• Email
• Authenticator apps
• Duo Security
• YubiKey
• FIDO2

Data storage

Keeper includes unlimited password storage for all plans. This is quite a perk, especially if you follow one of the essential security best practices to use different passwords for different accounts. But, to store more than passwords, you’ll need to shell out for the Family plan. It comes with 10GB of storage.

And, if you need even more storage, Keeper also has Secure File Storage – paid add-on that offers up to 100GB of encrypted storage for personal users and 10TB for businesses.

Meanwhile, Bitwarden’s paid users get 1GB of storage. There’s also an option to purchase additional storage in 1GB increments. But, here’s the catch: each file must be under 500MB or 100MB if you upload from a mobile device.

An even bigger catch is that Bitwarden stores its data in the US – one of the Five Eyes nations. The Five Eyes alliance has long been criticized for its infringement of privacy. This might not be a big deal for the average user, especially considering Bitwarden’s end-to-end encryption. However, for security-conscious users, this could certainly be a deal-breaker.

Privacy policy

Keeper and Bitwarden are zero-knowledge security providers, meaning you’re the only one who can access your vault. But, even then, the duo still collects some user data.

Keeper collects “limited personal information” like username and email address for account verification and 2FA. Besides that, it also logs aggregate user statistics and website traffic for site service improvement, performance diagnosis and tracking, and website administration.

In contrast, Bitwarden is far more aggressive with data collection. Among other things, it collects such data:

• Personal identifiers including name, address, IP address, and email address
• Financial information like billing data
• Employment information like the name of employer

There’s also an issue with how Bitwarden uses your data. According to its privacy policy, it might share user data for legal purposes, emergencies, and to “protect the security and integrity of the Site or Bitwarden service.” This leaves plenty of room for interpretation.

Plus, information could also be shared with other third parties like its subsidiaries, affiliates, and partners.

Overall, Keeper’s privacy policy is considerably more privacy-friendly. It collects only the necessary information and is far more transparent about how it uses the data.

Third-party security audits

Both Keeper and Bitwarden have undergone multiple security audits by various independent third parties to stand on an equal footing with each other.

In Keeper’s case, it complies with the Service Organization Control (SOC 2) – a framework that outlines the criteria to manage users’ data securely. Plus, it meets the ISO 27001 standard, which details the requirements for an information security management system (ISMS). This includes access control, operations security, and cryptography.

Likewise, Bitwarden has been rigorously audited. For starters, it’s SOC Type 2 and SOC 3 certified. Additionally, it has completed a series of security assessments and penetration tests by auditing firms Insight Risk Consulting and Cure53.

And, since Bitwarden is an Open Source password manager, its source code is available online for all to inspect, audit, and contribute. Beyond that, Bitwarden has a public bug bounty program on HackerOne.

Keeper vs Bitwarden: features overview

In addition to secure password management and storage, both Keeper and Bitwarden provide a range of complementary features. This includes password importing, generating, and sharing as well as password recovery and autofill.

For this round of Bitwarden vs Keeper, the latter has the upper hand. In comparison to Bitwarden, Keeper’s features and implementations are smoother, better developed, and more intuitive.

Password importing

Keeper and Bitwarden each have a password importing feature for easy password migration. In Keeper’s case, it has quite a range of password importing options.

To start, its Keeper Importer automatically imports all unprotected passwords from web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari.

Apart from that, Keeper supports imports from other password managers, too. This includes LastPass, 1Password, Dashlane, KeePass, RoboForm, and ZOHO. Beyond that, Keeper also supports imports using CSV, Excel, JSON, and Commander CLI.

Likewise, Bitwarden also allows data importing from various browsers, password managers, CSV, and JSON.

But, unlike Keeper’s convenient drag-and-drop approach, Bitwarden’s migration process requires more clicking. Despite that, everything is guided – so there shouldn’t be too much confusion.

Another stumbling block is that Bitwarden doesn’t allow bulk import for file attachments. Instead, you’ll need to manually (and painstakingly!) migrate them into your vault.

Overall, Keeper’s password importing feature is considerably smoother and more user-friendly than you get with Bitwarden.

Account and password recovery

Both Keeper and Bitwarden are rather forgiving and accommodating when it comes to account and password recovery. Yet the two offer different recovery methods.

With Keeper, you can pick 5 contacts who can access your vault if there’s an emergency. This feature also doubles as a recovery solution if you forget or lose your master password.

Plus, Keeper requires all new accounts to set up a security question. To reset your master password, you’ll need to provide the correct answer to the security question.

Meanwhile, Bitwarden provides a recovery code when you set up 2FA. You want to keep this code safe because you’ll need it to recover your account if you forget your master password.

If you’ve set up a password hint, you can also request for your master password hint to be sent to your email. Alternatively, you can designate an emergency contact who’ll get Read or Takeover access to your vault, too.

Password generator

A very standard complementary feature for a password manager, a password generator is extremely helpful when you need to create unique and unbreakable passwords. Both Keeper and Bitwarden live up to their reputation in this regard.

With Keeper, its password generator lets you decide the length of the password and the types of characters to include. The character length is cut off at 100, which is nothing to be sneezed at.

Bitwarden’s password generator allows even more customizations. With it, you can generate either passwords or passphrases – the latter would be easier to remember than a long stream of random characters. The lengths go up to 128 characters for passwords and 20 words for passphrases.

To sum up, both password generators certainly pass muster. But, Bitwarden has a slight lead because it generates passphrases.

Password sharing

Keeper makes secure password and data sharing easy. Its One-Time Share feature lets you share records with anyone for a limited time. This includes login credentials, files, and more.

The recipient only needs a link for access, which you can send through channels like direct QR code scan, airdrop, email, and SMS.

And, to double down, One-Time Share is device-locked so that the link is only accessible on the original recipient’s device. Additionally, all server requests are signed with elliptic-curve cryptography (ECDSA) – a cryptographically-secure digital signature form.

In contrast, Bitwarden’s version has many strings attached. First off, it’s not available to Free users. But, the restrictions don’t end there. Even those on its Premium accounts can only share passwords with one other user. And, those on Families can only share passwords with up to six users.

Overall, Keeper wins the Keeper vs Bitwarden matchup hands down if we compare the two password managers’ password-sharing features.

Autofill

To round out their password management solutions, both Keeper and Bitwarden provide autofill for quick and easy logins, too.

For Keeper, its KeeperFill will automatically fill in your username, password, and even payment details like credit card numbers. It can be used directly through Keeper’s app or downloaded separately either as a browser extension or as a system-tray item. To speed things up even further, you can set up hotkeys to immediately launch KeeperFill.

In comparison, Bitwarden’s autofill process isn’t as seamless. Instead, it requires multiple clicks: right-click on the login field > click on Bitwarden’s icon > search for the right login entry > click autofill. Not exactly rocket science, but it’s not convenient, either.

All in all, it’s an easy win for Keeper. Its autofill feature is much better-developed and intuitive.

Plans and pricing

In the Keeper vs Bitwarden pricing clash, both password managers have their boon and bane. Keeper offers a wide range of plans with generous features. Plus, it also has a cheaper family plan than Bitwarden. It provides a 30-day free trial and a limited free plan but no money-back guarantee.

Meanwhile, Bitwarden has a free plan, and its Personal Premium plan is also very affordable. However, its plans come with more basic features than the ones in Keeper’s plans. And while it has a 30-day refund policy, you’ll need to reach out to its support team to request cancellation.

Plan	Keeper	Bitwarden
Free	$0.00	$0.00
Premium	$1.46/month (1 user)	$0.83/month (1 user)
Family	$3.12/month (5 users)	$3.33/month (6 users)
	Try Keeper	Try Bitwarden

Keeper pricing

Keeper has a range of plans catering to businesses, enterprises, and home users. For home users, it has these personal plans:

• Keeper Free – $0.00
• Keeper Unlimited – $1.46/month for 1 user
• Keeper Family – $3.12/month for 5 users

Keeper Unlimited is the best fit for solo users. It allows only one user but can be used on an unlimited number of devices. The plan comes with unlimited password storage, 2FA, KeeperFill, password generator, secure sharing, and emergency access.

If you want to accommodate more users, Keeper Family is the one for you. The plan includes everything in Keeper Unlimited as well as 5 private vaults and 10GB of secure file storage.

Bitwarden pricing

As for Bitwarden, it has 3 Personal plans:

• Bitwarden Free – $0.00
• Bitwarden Premium – $0.83/month for 1 user
• Bitwarden Families – $3.33/month for 6 users

The Free plan is relatively generous but still includes only the basics. You get basic 2FA, unlimited vault items and devices, a password generator, and basic vault health reports.

You’ll need to upgrade to Premium to get rid of the limitations. This will include everything that the Free plan has to offer, plus a two-step login with more authentication methods, 1GB of storage space, emergency access, and priority support.

Meanwhile, Families is ideal if you need to fit more users. It comes with everything in Premium and allows up to 6 users. Unlimited password sharing between those 6 users is also included.

Find out more about pricing and plans in this Bitwarden review.

Platforms, interface, and ease of use

The two password managers work well with all of the major operating systems and web browsers out there. However, Keeper has an edge here since its apps and interfaces are significantly more user-friendly than Bitwarden’s offerings. Meanwhile, Bitwarden’s interfaces are more old-school and less intuitive.

	Keeper	Bitwarden
Supported OS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Browser extension	Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, Edge, Internet Explorer	Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, Edge, Brave
Number of users	Up to 5	Up to 6

Desktop apps

Both Keeper and Bitwarden’s desktop apps are available to Windows, macOS, and Linux devices. Whichever password manager or operating system you opt for, the installation process is a breeze and requires just a few clicks.

As for the apps’ interfaces, Keeper’s apps are very modern and sleek. Navigation is also a piece of cake since the features are well-categorized. Plus, quick access to the most important items – vault, identity and payment details, security audit, and deleted items – is on the left of the interfaces.

Contrastingly, Bitwarden’s desktop apps are more archaic look-wise and less intuitive. That said, it’s still clean and easy enough to navigate. There’s a menu to your left and a search bar right at the top.

In brief, Keeper’s desktop apps come out on top courtesy of their contemporary design and intuitive layouts.

Browser extensions

The pair offers extensions for all the popular browsers: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, and Edge. The one glaring difference is that Keeper supports Internet Explorer while Bitwarden supports Brave. But, in any case, adding the extension to your browser requires just a click.

As for functionality, both password managers’ extensions have limited features. The extensions come with things like autofill, autosave, and a password generator. But that’s about all you get. All other features are tied to their web apps. This is pretty standard for all password managers but, nonetheless, still a bummer.

Mobile apps

Keeper and Bitwarden’s mobile apps have much in common. To start, downloading the chosen app from either the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store is all that’s required for either password manager’s mobile app setup.

Beyond that, both providers’ mobile apps for Android and iOS are modern, streamlined, and sophisticated.

But, they have one big difference. Keeper’s mobile apps offer all the same features that you’d find in its browser and desktop apps. The whole nine yards except for password importing/exporting.

In contrast, you get only the core features with Bitwarden’s mobile apps. For instance, autofill, password sharing, and a password generator. Everything else is a no-show.

Customer support

Keeper has the clear lead in the Keeper vs Bitwarden customer support matchup. Unlike Bitwarden, Keeper provides real-time 24/7 support to assist its users.

For Keeper, you want to hit up its knowledge base first. This is where you’ll find heaps of detailed guides, how-tos, videos, and more. You’ll also find its server status here.

For agent assistance, Keeper has a 24/7 ticketing system. While not instantaneous, the response times are fairly short. Plus, the agents are knowledgeable and effective.

Bitwarden, too, has a well-stocked knowledge base. But, it comes up empty if we talk about real-time support options. The best you can get is a reply via email, community forums, or weekly live Q&A sessions – none of them are ideal if you need assistance quickly.

Overall, Keeper easily defeats Bitwarden when it comes to customer support. Its real-time 24/7 support will ensure you get quick help whenever needed.

Keeper vs Bitwarden – which one to choose?

Ultimately, Keeper is a better password manager than Bitwarden. It has all the markings of a top password manager: uncompromising security, robust additional features, and great user-friendliness. Plus, it offers all of the above at very affordable prices.

Category	Keeper	Bitwarden
Features	✅	❌
Pricing & plans	✅	✅
Security	✅	❌
User-friendliness	✅	❌
Customer support	✅	❌
Compatibility	✅	✅

In contrast, Bitwarden’s vague privacy policy and nonchalant approach to user information are a huge liability. Plus, its features as well as interface are comparatively outdated and could use an overhaul.

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