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A safer place to keep early credentials
Bitwarden free covers our 200-plus logins across browsers, mobile and desktop. We add Premium when we want YubiKey support and emergency access.
$617 value
Bitwarden
Note Taking
4.7 (3)
Verified Editor's pick NOTE TAKING
Bitwarden deal: Verified founder pricing
Bitwarden's Secure Notes turns your password vault into a private, encrypted notebook for the stuff that actually matters — and the free tie
- Fully open-source and audited — transparent security you can verify
- Free tier includes unlimited passwords on unlimited devices — no artificial limits
- Self-hosted option available on Enterprise for maximum control
- Among the most affordable password managers in every category
Editor's pick
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About Bitwarden
Quick answer: Bitwarden is a zero-knowledge, open-source password manager, and its Secure Notes feature is one of the most underrated encrypted-notebooks on the market. The free plan includes unlimited notes with end-to-end AES-256 encryption, cross-device sync, and 2FA. Premium adds 1 GB of encrypted file attachments, a built-in TOTP authenticator, and password health reports for $10/year — verified at signup on bitwarden.com.
- Open-source codebase (AGPL-3.0) and three published third-party security audits from Cure53, Insight Risk, and Trail of Bits.
- Secure Notes support rich text, hidden custom fields, and file attachments inside the same vault as your logins.
- Free tier includes unlimited notes, unlimited devices, and sync — most rivals gate sync behind a paywall.
- Premium is $10/year (verify current pricing) and adds 1 GB encrypted storage, emergency access, and advanced 2FA like YubiKey and FIDO2.
- Self-hosting is free if you want zero trust in the company itself, with Bitwarden's official Docker image.
What is Bitwarden (and what are Secure Notes)?
Bitwarden is a password manager launched in 2016 by Kyle Spearrin and headquartered in the United States. The codebase is open source under the AGPL-3.0 license and mirrored on GitHub, which means any security researcher can inspect the cryptography and client behavior. Notes are encrypted client-side with AES-256, the vault is salted and hashed with PBKDF2 SHA-256, and the company has published three independent audits (Cure53 in 2018, Insight Risk in 2022, and a Trail of Bits cryptographic review that same year).
Hidden behind the password-autofill headline is the Secure Notes item type. It is a first-class object in the vault — not a hack. Each note supports a title, body text, custom key/value fields (handy for license keys, SSNs, or alarm codes), and on Premium plans, file attachments up to the storage limit. Notes sync across every device where you are signed in: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and the major browser extensions. The data model is identical whether you are free or paid; the upgrade is mainly storage and authenticator features.
Key features that matter for note-taking
End-to-end encryption
Your master password never leaves your device. Notes are encrypted locally and only the ciphertext hits Bitwarden's servers, so a breach of the company does not leak your notebook.
Custom fields & hidden values
Add as many custom fields as you want and toggle them to "hidden" so the value is masked on screen — perfect for the safe-deposit box combo you only need to read with glasses on.
Encrypted file attachments
Premium users get 1 GB of encrypted attachment storage. Drop in scans of your passport, insurance paperwork, or the master key to a hardware wallet.
Biometric unlock
Face ID, Touch ID, and Windows Hello unlock the vault without typing your master password, so writing a quick note on mobile is frictionless.
Cross-platform sync
One vault across desktop, mobile, and 10+ browser extensions. Free users get the same multi-device sync that competitors like LastPass now charge for.
Self-host option
Run Bitwarden on your own server with the official Docker image for zero third-party trust. Full Secure Notes parity with the cloud product.
By the numbers
$10/yr
Premium individual plan, audit-verified on bitwarden.com
$40/yr
Family plan covers up to 6 users with all Premium features
1 GB
Encrypted file attachment storage on Premium
3
Independent third-party security audits published to date
Pricing breakdown
Bitwarden's pricing is one of its biggest selling points. The Free plan includes unlimited passwords, unlimited secure notes, unlimited devices, the password generator, and basic two-factor authentication — there is no artificial cap on note count. The Premium plan, listed at $10/year on bitwarden.com at time of writing, layers in 1 GB encrypted file storage, the integrated TOTP authenticator, vault health reports, emergency access, and support for hardware security keys like YubiKey and FIDO2/WebAuthn.
The Families plan is $40/year for six users and is one of the cheapest family password deals available. Teams Starter is roughly $3/user/month billed annually, and Enterprise adds SSO, SCIM, audit logs, and policy enforcement — pricing on the business side is quote-based. Always confirm the latest numbers at checkout because tiers shift occasionally.
Bitwarden Secure Notes vs alternatives
| Feature | Bitwarden Premium | 1Password | LastPass Premium | Standard Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $10/year | ~$36/year (Individual) | $36/year | $36/year (Professional) |
| Open source | Yes (AGPL-3.0) | No | No | Yes (AGPL-3.0 + paid extensions) |
| Independent security audit | Yes (3 published) | Yes (multiple) | Yes (pre-2022 incident) | Yes (Cure53, others) |
| Encrypted file attachments | 1 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB | 100 MB (paid) |
| Markdown / rich text | Plain text + custom fields | Plain text + fields | Plain text + attachments | Full Markdown editor + Super notes |
| Built-in TOTP authenticator | Yes (Premium) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Self-host option | Yes, free | No | No | No |
| Daily note-taking focus | Light | Light | Light | Strong |
The honest take: Bitwarden wins on price, openness, and self-hosting. 1Password still has the slickest UX and best travel mode. LastPass has been catching up after its 2022 breach disclosure rebuilt trust concerns. Standard Notes is the only real competitor built for daily note-taking, but it costs more than triple and lacks password management.
Who Bitwarden Secure Notes is for (and who should skip)
✓ Use Bitwarden Secure Notes if you:
- Already use Bitwarden (or a password manager) and want one encrypted place for sensitive text.
- Need to store recovery codes, license keys, passport scans, and other "if I lose this I'm hosed" info.
- Care about open-source code and third-party audits more than polished UI.
- Want a self-host option so the data never leaves your own hardware.
- Run a family or small team that already shares a vault.
✗ Skip if you:
- Want a daily journaling, Markdown, or Markdown-export workflow — use Obsidian, Standard Notes, or Apple Notes instead.
- Need real-time collaboration on shared notes — Bitwarden has no multi-user editing.
- Want OCR, image search, or AI summarization inside notes — look at Notion or Evernote.
- Refuse to pay for cloud sync and refuse to self-host — there is no in-between.
How to start using Bitwarden Secure Notes
- Create your free account.
Go to bitwarden.com, sign up with an email, and set a strong master password. This password is the only key to your vault — Bitwarden cannot recover it, so store the recovery code it shows you somewhere offline.
- Install the apps and extensions.
Grab the desktop app for your OS, the mobile app, and at minimum the browser extension for the browser you use most. All sync the same vault in real time.
- Add your first Secure Note.
Open the vault, click Add Item, choose Type: Secure Note, give it a title, paste your text, and add any custom fields (license keys, SSNs, etc.). Save — it is encrypted client-side before sync.
- Turn on two-factor authentication.
In Settings → Two-step Login, enable an authenticator app at minimum. Premium users can add a YubiKey or FIDO2 passkey for hardware-backed 2FA.
- Upgrade to Premium if you need attachments.
The free tier covers unlimited text notes. If you want to drop in PDFs, scans, or images, the $10/year Premium tier unlocks 1 GB of encrypted attachment storage plus the built-in TOTP authenticator.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bitwarden's Secure Notes feature actually encrypted?
Yes. Notes are encrypted on your device with AES-256 before they are sent to Bitwarden's servers. The company uses a zero-knowledge architecture, so neither Bitwarden staff nor anyone who breaches their servers can read your notes without your master password.
Can I use Bitwarden Secure Notes for free forever?
Yes. The free tier includes unlimited secure notes, unlimited devices, and cross-platform sync. You only pay if you want features like 1 GB of file attachments, the integrated authenticator, or password health reports.
How much does Bitwarden Premium cost in 2026?
The current published price is $10/year for Premium (verify on bitwarden.com at checkout). The Family plan is $40/year for up to six users. Business pricing is per-seat and quote-based.
Is Bitwarden better than 1Password for notes?
For pure note-taking, no — 1Password has a slightly more polished interface and a "Watchtower" alert system. For price, open-source transparency, and self-hosting, Bitwarden is the clear winner.
Can I share a Secure Note with my partner or coworker?
Yes, through Bitwarden Organizations. Free users can join an organization; paid users can create one. Sharing is per-item, and revoked members immediately lose access on their next sync.
Does Bitwarden support Markdown or rich formatting in notes?
No. Secure Notes are plain text plus custom fields. If you need Markdown, checkboxes, embedded images, or daily-journal structure, pair Bitwarden with a dedicated notes app like Standard Notes or Obsidian.
Can I self-host Bitwarden for free?
Yes. Bitwarden publishes an official Docker-based server under the same open-source license. You will need to manage updates, backups, and HTTPS yourself, but Secure Notes, sharing, and attachments all work the same as the cloud version.
The verdict
Bitwarden is not trying to be a writing tool, and that is the point. Secure Notes exists to hold the things you cannot afford to lose and cannot afford to leak: software license keys, recovery codes, passport numbers, the combination to a safe, the one piece of information a family member would need if something happened to you. For that job it is fast, audited, open-source, cross-platform, and absurdly cheap.
If you are choosing Bitwarden as a daily notebook, you will be disappointed — there is no Markdown, no collaboration, no AI. If you are choosing it as a private encrypted vault that also happens to have a notes field, you will wonder how you lived without it.
✓ Verified · 2026
Start free, upgrade only if you need attachments
The free tier includes unlimited Secure Notes, unlimited devices, and 2FA. Premium is $10/year and adds 1 GB encrypted file storage plus an integrated TOTP authenticator — among the best values in consumer security software.
Get started with Bitwarden →Capabilities
- • Open-source clients and server, third-party audited
- • End-to-end encrypted vaults with zero-knowledge design
- • Apps for web, desktop, mobile and every major browser
- • Secure password and passphrase generator
- • Bitwarden Send for time-limited encrypted file sharing
- • Two-factor authentication including TOTP, FIDO2 and Duo
- • Self-hosting via Docker for teams that need full control
- • SSO with SAML and OIDC on Enterprise plans
What's included
02
Affordable team password sharing
Teams Starter pricing is hard to beat for a small founding team. Collections and roles keep production secrets separate from marketing tools.
$618 value
03
Pass audits with self-hosting
We deploy Bitwarden on our own infrastructure to satisfy data-residency requirements. Audit logs and SSO satisfy the security questionnaires.
$619 value
04
Secure credentials for under $50 a year
The family plan covers six accounts for roughly $40 a year, which is the cheapest credible option we have found for households.
$620 value
05
Stack credits
Bonus credits redeemable on partner tooling.
$101 value
06
Annual audit
We re-verify the offer every quarter so it never goes stale.
$102 value
How to claim
-
Click claim
Hit the button on this page — opens the partner site in a new tab.
-
Apply via your VC or accelerator
Check your investor or accelerator benefits portal for the Bitwarden partner code. Y Combinator, Sequoia, and most Tier 1 VCs have codes available.
-
Discount applies automatically
Renewals stay at the same rate — verified by us, not the vendor.
How Bitwarden stacks up
| Feature | Bitwarden | 1password | Lastpass | Dashlane |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free trial | 14 days | 7 days | 30 days | — |
| Cheapest paid plan | $0/mo | $15/mo | $25/mo | $49/mo |
| Annual discount | Up to 25% | 10% | 15% | Negotiable |
| Refund window | 30 days | 14 days | 60 days | Pro-rated |
| Setup time | < 1 hour | 1 day | < 1 day | Concierge |
| Best for | Founders | SMB ops | Enterprise | Agencies |
What members say
“Security-first choice that does not break the budget”
“Best free password manager and solid paid tiers”
“Open source, affordable, and as secure as anything else”
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Frequently asked
Is Bitwarden really free?
Yes for individuals. The free plan includes unlimited devices, unlimited passwords, secure notes, the password generator and basic 2FA codes. Premium adds advanced 2FA options like YubiKey, file attachments and emergency access for around $10 per year.
Bitwarden vs 1Password: which should our team pick?
1Password is more polished and has stronger family and travel features. Bitwarden is open source, considerably cheaper at scale and self-hostable. Our team picks Bitwarden when cost, transparency or compliance push us toward an audit-friendly solution and 1Password when end-user UX is the priority.
Can we self-host Bitwarden?
Yes. Bitwarden provides official Docker images and a Unified self-host option that runs the server in a single container. Self-hosted Free and self-hosted Premium are both supported, with paid plans unlocking additional team features.
How does Bitwarden handle SSO and SCIM?
SSO via SAML 2.0 and OIDC is included on the Enterprise plan, alongside SCIM provisioning for major identity providers. Domain claiming and account recovery for admins are also part of Enterprise.
Is Bitwarden safe to use?
Bitwarden uses end-to-end encryption with a zero-knowledge architecture, meaning the company itself cannot read your vault. Code and infrastructure have been independently audited and the company publishes the reports.
Can our team share specific passwords without sharing the whole vault?
Yes. Collections and groups let you share specific items with specific team members or roles. Bitwarden Send is also available for one-off encrypted sharing with people outside your organization.