Bitwarden
Note Taking Verified May 2026
Bitwarden deal: Verified founder pricing
Open-source password manager — unlimited passwords and devices on the free plan, with cheap Premium and per-user team plans when you scale.
- 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
How Bitwarden scored 75/100
6 weighted criteria, each scored out of 10 and published with its reasoning. Featured placements never move a score.
Deal Strength
5.0 /10There is no exclusive coupon here; the value is Bitwarden's genuinely free tier and its low sticker price. The free personal plan covers unlimited passwords and unlimited devices at no cost, and Premium is a flat $19.80 a year, so the offer is the pricing itself rather than a limited-time discount.
Value for Money
9.0 /10Bitwarden is one of the cheapest credible password managers on the market. Premium runs $19.80 a year with a built-in authenticator and 5 GB of encrypted attachments, the Families plan covers six people for $3.99 a month, and Teams starts at $4 per user a month, undercutting most rivals by a wide margin.
Capability
7.0 /10Bitwarden covers the core password manager job well and adds passkey storage, an integrated TOTP authenticator, Bitwarden Send for encrypted file and text sharing, and a separate Secrets Manager for developers. Its apps are functional rather than flashy, so power users who want the most refined interface may still prefer 1Password.
Time to Value
8.0 /10Most users are protected within an hour. Browser extensions, mobile and desktop apps, an import tool that pulls in vaults from other managers, and biometric unlock get a working vault running quickly, and passkeys plus autofill start saving time on the first login.
Trust & Reliability
9.0 /10Bitwarden is a strong choice on trust: the code is open source under AGPL, the vault uses end-to-end, zero-knowledge encryption, and the company commissions annual third-party audits from firms such as Cure53 and Insight Risk. It also holds SOC 2 Type 2 and complies with GDPR and HIPAA.
Flexibility & Exit
10.0 /10Bitwarden imposes almost no lock-in. Plans are billed monthly or annually and cancel easily, the vault exports to JSON or CSV whenever you want, and individuals can self-host the server for free with official Docker images, so your data is never trapped on someone else's infrastructure.
Verified founder pricing
Premium individual billed annually. Family plan covers up to six people. Self-hosting is free for individuals and supported on paid plans.
Affiliate link — same price for you, and it never moves the score.
- 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
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.
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
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
What's included
- 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
Bitwarden pricing
Verified May 2026. Vendor's published rates at the time we checked — always confirm at checkout.
| Plan | Price | Term | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | forever | Unlimited passwords, unlimited devices, basic two-factor authentication |
| Premium | $1.65/mo | annual | $19.80/year; integrated authenticator (TOTP), file attachments (5GB), emergency access, security reports |
| Families | $3.99/mo | annual | $47.88/year; up to 6 premium accounts, unlimited sharing, 5GB family storage |
| Teams | $4/user/mo | annual | All Premium features, event logs, directory sync, SCIM provisioning |
| Enterprise | $6/user/mo | annual | All Teams features plus passwordless SSO, granular access, account recovery, self-hosting, free Families for all staff |
How to claim it
4 steps. The last one is the part most people skip.
- 1
Open Bitwarden through the link on this page
It carries our referral tag. The price you pay is identical either way, and it never changes the score on this page.
- 2
Pick the plan that matches your usage
This offer applies automatically through the link — there is no code to enter.
- 3
Confirm the discount before you pay
The order summary should show the reduced amount. If it does not, stop and tell us — we re-test listings that stop working.
- 4
Check what happens at renewal
Premium individual billed annually. Family plan covers up to six people. Self-hosting is free for individuals and supported on paid plans.
Where Bitwarden wins and loses
What works
- 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
What doesn't
- Interface is functional but less polished than 1Password or Dashlane
- Browser extension autofill can be less reliable than commercial alternatives
- Mobile app experience lags behind dedicated commercial password managers
- Limited customer support on free tier
The bottom line
Bitwarden is the best-value password manager most people and teams can adopt: unlimited passwords and devices are free forever, Premium is only $19.80 a year, and the entire codebase is open source and independently audited. A slightly less polished interface than 1Password is the only real trade-off, which makes it a clear Strong Buy.
Bitwarden is free for individuals with unlimited passwords and devices, and paid tiers are inexpensive. Premium is $19.80 a year (about $1.65 a month) and adds an integrated authenticator, 5 GB of encrypted attachments and emergency access. The Families plan is $3.99 a month for up to six people, Teams is $4 per user a month, and Enterprise is $6 per user a month.
Yes. Bitwarden's free plan is genuinely free forever and includes unlimited passwords, unlimited devices, secure notes, passkey storage, the password generator and basic two-step login, with no ads. Upgrading to Premium at $19.80 a year is optional and mainly unlocks the built-in authenticator, 5 GB of encrypted file storage, vault health reports and priority support.
Bitwarden is very safe, using end-to-end, zero-knowledge encryption so the company itself cannot read your vault or reset your master password. Its code is fully open source under AGPL, it undergoes annual independent audits from firms like Cure53, and it holds SOC 2 Type 2 certification alongside GDPR and HIPAA compliance.
Bitwarden wins on price and transparency, while 1Password wins on polish. Bitwarden is open source, self-hostable and far cheaper at scale, with a free tier 1Password does not offer. 1Password has a more refined interface and stronger travel and family sharing features, so cost-conscious users and teams usually pick Bitwarden, and those who prioritise design lean 1Password.
Bitwarden's main weakness is user experience rather than security or price. Its apps and browser extensions are functional but less polished than 1Password's, autofill can be occasionally finicky, and setting up self-hosting requires technical comfort. For most users these are minor trade-offs against a free tier and open-source, audited encryption.
Yes. Bitwarden can be self-hosted for free using official Docker images, including a Unified self-host option that runs the server in a single container. Both self-hosted Free and self-hosted Premium are supported, giving you full control of your vault data on your own infrastructure, though it does require some server administration know-how.
