Keeper vs. Bitwarden: Which one is better?

Discover the key differences between Keeper and Bitwarden in our comprehensive comparison. Find out which password manager suits your needs best.

In the digital age, safeguarding your online information is crucial, making the choice between password managers like Keeper and Bitwarden significant.

Both offer robust security features, but which one fits your unique needs? Our Keeper vs.Bitwarden comparison delves into this, answering pressing questions you may have.

Dive in as we explore which service better guards your business’s digital footprint.

Keeper vs. Bitwarden: At a Glance

Criteria	Keeper	Bitwarden	Winner
SMB Guide’s Rating	8.5/10	8.4/10	Keeper
Multi-factor Security and Authentication	✅	✅	Keeper
One-time Passwords	✅	✅	Bitwarden
Password Capture and Generation	Requires manual extra steps	Highly customizable	Tie
Password Sharing	Offers a basic log on who accessed it	User-based permissions	Keeper
Emergency Access	✅	✅	Tie
Security Dashboard	✅	✅	Keeper
Account Recovery	✅	✅	Tie
Browser Extensions	✅	✅	Bitwarden
Data Privacy and Compliance	Complies with HIPAA, SOX, PCI-DSS, and GDPR	AES-256, TLS, HIPAA, GDPR	Tie
User Experience and User Interface	Functional interface	Easy to use interface	Tie
Integrations and Compatibility	✅	✅	Bitwarden
Customer Support	Only email and live chat (24/7)	Email	Keeper
Pricing	$4.99/mo – $8/mo	Free – $6	Bitwarden
Scalability	✅	✅	Tie

Keeper: Key Features, Pros, Cons, & Pricing

Keeper Password Manager is a prominent password management solution known for its strong focus on security and versatility across personal, family, and business use cases.

It provides a comprehensive suite of features designed to enhance online security, simplify password management, and protect sensitive information. Key features include:

• High-level security: Keeper uses industry standard encryption methods.
• Zero-knowledge security model: The master password isn’t stored on the server.
• Biometric login: Keeper supports fingerprint and facial recognition login to secure data without needing to remember the master password.
• Secure file storage: You can use Keeper to store more than passwords.
• BreachWatch: Find out if your data has been compromised in any publicized data breaches.
• Password Generator: Easily create strong, unique passwords for all your accounts
• Cross-Platform compatibility: Sync data across various devices and web browsers for ease of use
• Emergency access: Designate someone to receive access to your account in an emergency.

Pros & Cons

Pricing

Keep Business and Enterprise pricing offers three different plans to choose from:

• Business Starter: $2.00/user/month ($24/user billed annually)
• Business: $3.75/user/month ($45/user billed annually)
• Enterprise: Customized bundles with curated pricing and ELAs available

Bitwarden: Key Features, Pros, Cons, & Pricing

Bitwarden is renowned for its open-source architecture, offering a high degree of transparency and customization that appeals to tech-savvy users and those with stringent security requirements.

Key features include:

• End-to-End Encryption: BItwarden uses AES-256 bit encryption, salted hashing, and PBKDF2 SHA-256 to ensure the data stored in the vault is private and secure.
• Cross-platform compatibility: Bitwarden supports a wide range of browsers and devices, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and others, to facilitate seamless access to your password and data across devices.
• Secure password sharing and collections: It allows you to share passwords and sensitive information securely.
• Two-factor authentication: Bitwarden supports various 2FA methods, including Duo, YubiKey, and TOTP.
• Vault health reports: The platform includes valuable tools to assess the health of your passwords, such as reports on weak, potentially compromised, or reused passwords.
• Self-hosting option: For companies that want to maintain control over their data, Bitwarden offers a self-hosting option to allow users to run it on their servers.

Pros & Cons

Pricing

There are two main plans available for businesses. The Team’s plan offers protection for growing teams at $4/user/month billed annually.

It makes it easy to share data with coworkers across departments or the entire company. The Enterprise plan is $6/user/month billed annually, designed for advanced capabilities for larger organizations.

It adds enterprise policies, passwordless SSO, and account recovery alongside complementary family plans for all users.

Multi-Factor Security and Authentication

Keeper supports MFA with text messages, mobile authenticator apps, RSA SecureID, Duo Security, Keeper DNA, or hardware security keys.

BItwarden enables two-step verification, though it carries the risk of account lockout if not used carefully. For free plan users, options include generating time-based codes through authenticator apps like Google Authenticator or Authy.

You can also use any WebAuthn-compatible security keys or receive verification codes via email. Premium users gain additional methods, including YubiKey or Duo Security.

Secure and save your account recovery code upon implementing the two-step verification to regain account access if anything comes up with the verification process.

✅ Winner: Keeper

One-Time Passwords

You can also use Keeper as an authenticator app for any password entry that supports Google Authenticator, but you need to set up an integration first.

You can either upload a QR code or manually configure the connection for an account that supports authentication through Time-based One-Time Password (TOTP) apps.

Each website that utilizes TOTP codes or authenticator-based 2FA has its unique setup process. You’ll initiate this process on the specific website you’re trying to access.

To generate a TOTP, you can use the Bitwarden mobile app or browser extension by either scanning a QR code or, in any Bitwarden app, by entering a secret code manually.

You need to modify the vault item for which you wish to generate TOTPs, configure them, and save your changes to begin the generation process.

Once configured, Bitwarden’s authenticator feature will start producing continuously rotating 6-digit codes every 30 seconds, serving as an additional layer of security for two-step login processes on linked websites or applications.

✅ Winner: Bitwarden

Password Capture and Generation

Keeper includes a Password Generator tool. You can set the character length and the characters to include.

Tap the dice to generate a random password that fits the specifications you set, then copy it to the clipboard to use, and save it in the vault.

Capture is easy with the Keeper browser extension because you’re prompted to save login credentials as you enter them. You can also import your saved passwords from another password manager.

The Bitwarden generator tool is accessible across all platforms, including the web vault, browser extension, desktop application, and mobile app.

It allows you to specify the character length, adhere to minimum and maximum limits, and select from various character types, including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

Additionally, there’s an option to exclude ambiguous characters for clarity. Moreover, the process is streamlined as the browser extension automatically prompts you to save your login details as you enter them, making capture effortless.

✅ Winner: Tie

Password Sharing

Keeper offers the ability to share passwords with the one-time share feature and vault-to-vault password sharing.

With the one-time share feature, you can share the record within a set amount of time you want the person to be able to see it – and you can revoke the access at any time.

Sharing passwords is straightforward with Bitwarden Organizations. You initiate by creating Collections within your organization, where you can organize vault entries you intend to share based on specific needs and recipients.

Each user can be assigned roles, groups, and collections accordingly.

Roles for members are defined as follows:

• User: Can access and contribute items to designated collections.
• Manager: Has the authority to create, delete, and modify access within their assigned collections.
• Admin: Oversees organization-wide access, including all collections, member roles, reporting, and security configurations.
• Owner: Holds comprehensive control over the organization, covering billing, subscriptions, and more.
• Custom: Exclusively available in the enterprise plan, allowing for tailored role definition to suit your organization’s unique requirements.

✅ Winner: Keeper

Emergency Access

Keeper allows you to provide emergency access to family and friends (up to 5 people). You can set the amount of time that passes before the contacts get access to the data in your account.

You can also control the level of access people have and revoke it at any time.

Bitwarden offers an Emergency Access feature so you can have someone you trust to access your passwords and information in an emergency.

You can designate one or more people as emergency contacts. If they’re not already Bitwarden users, they’ll be prompted to create an account.

✅ Winner: Keeper

Security Dashboard

Keeper provides a security dashboard with a security audit to show you your unique passwords, password strength, and 2FA. You’ll also have BreachWatch, which shows you the records at risk in public data breaches.

You’ll also get an audit trail of user activity, and user status reports to show you which users are active, invited, blocked, disabled, etc.

Bitwarden offers an extensive security dashboard with vault health reports, which assess the strength and security of passwords.

It also includes a data breach report to help you determine if your information has been compromised in publicly disclosed incidents.

This feature is only available to people with Premium Bitwarden accounts.

✅ Winner: Keeper

Account Recovery

When setting up your Keeper account, you’re prompted to set up account recovery. You must generate a recovery phrase in case you forget your master password.

It is a 24-word recovery phrase that can be copied and pasted into a separate document or downloaded to save it in a safe place. If you forget your master password and do not have your recovery phrase, you cannot recover your account.

When setting up your Bitwarden account, you can create a password hint. If you forget the master password, you can have the hint emailed to you to help jog your memory.

The account recovery key allows you to recover your account if you forget your master password. You must generate and store this code somewhere securely to use it to access your account later.

Though the emergency access feature doesn’t allow you to recover your forgotten passwords directly, if you’ve designated an emergency contact to access your account, they can help you recover your critical data.

✅ Winner: Tie

Browser Extensions

Keeper offers browser extensions for autofill for the following browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Safari
• Microsoft Edge
• Opera
• Brave

Bitwarden browser extensions are available for most browsers, including:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Safari
• Microsoft Edge
• Opera
• Brave
• Vivaldi

It offers autofill, password capture, and password generation. When you create or update an existing password on a website, the extension can detect this and prompt you to save or update the credentials in the vault.

But, you may experience some autofill inaccuracies on websites with complex or non-standard login forms.

You may also deal with browser-specific bugs that influence the extension’s performance or functionality. You’ll have to wait for browser updates to fix those issues.

To keep things secure, all the data is protected with end-to-end encryption. The company itself cannot access your passwords or decrypt your data.

You also have the option to use 2FA and to automatically lock the extension after a period of inactivity or when the browser password requires you to use the master password or PIN to unlock.

✅ Winner: Bitwarden

Data Privacy and Compliance

Keeper uses AES-256 encryption and Elliptic-Curve cryptography. Keeper uses zero-knowledge security, so your master password isn’t stored on the server.

Data in transit is encrypted with TLS 1.3. Keeper is GDPR compliant, and HIPAA compliant.

Bitwarden’s use of AES-256 encryption for data at rest and TLS encryption for data in transit, combined with its zero-knowledge architecture, ensures a high level of security for user data.

Its compliance with GDPR, capabilities to support HIPAA compliance, SOC 2 certification, and pursuit of ISO 27001 certification further demonstrate Bitwarden’s commitment to data privacy and security.

Regular third-party audits underscore the reliability of its security measures.

✅ Winner: Tie

User Interface and User Experience

Keeper was incredibly easy for me to sign up for and use. Everything was easy to understand and navigate.

If I had one complaint, it would be that the email they sent at sign up to verify my account was sent to my spam folder – but I think that has more to do with Gmail than Keeper.

The Bitwarden user interface feels a little outdated, but it didn’t really affect my user experience. I still found everything easy to access and understand, so I was able to store and share passwords easily.

✅ Winner: Tie

Integrations and Compatibility

Keeper has desktop apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux devices. It has browser extensions for Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Brave, and Microsoft Edge.

You can also get mobile apps for iOS and Android devices. Bitwarden offers a lot of compatibility. Desktop applications are supported on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms.

For web browsing, extensions can be added to Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Vivaldi, Opera, Brave, Microsoft Edge, and Tor Browser.

There’s a Beta version available for DuckDuckGo on Mac. Mobile users can find apps for iOS and Android, along with code for F-Droid mobile devices.

There is also a command line interface option and a web application available.

✅ Winner: Bitwarden

Customer Support

Keeper offers multiple support channels, including email, live chat, and phone support. There’s a comprehensive knowledge base available containing articles, guides, and FAQs, to help with everything from getting started with Keeper to maximizing the use of advanced features.

A community forum is available so that people can ask and answer questions, share tips, and discuss best practices with each other. Training and webinars are available for businesses, and 24/7 support is available for urgent and critical issues.

Bitwarden makes customer support easy. You can reach them through email after completing a form on their website. They also offer a comprehensive help center, community forums, and live and on-demand demonstrations.

Their presence extends across social media platforms, including X (previously known as Twitter), LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, Reddit, and GitHub, where they are also available for contact.

✅ Winner: Keeper

Pricing

Keeper offers both personal and business plans. For businesses, there are three options – Business Starter for $2.00/user/month ($24/user billed annually), Business for $3.75/user/month ($45/user billed annually), and the Enterprise plan that offers customized bundles with curated pricing and ELAs.

Bitwarden offers both personal and business plans. For businesses, there are three options – a Teams plan for $4/user/month with annual billing; an Enterprise plan for $6/user/month with additional features, and a customized plan you must contact the company to have built to meet your needs.

Features include: centralized password storage and user management, cloud-based or self-hosted option, secure password sharing, directory sync, vault health reports, security audit and compliance, and detailed event logs.

✅ Winner: Bitwarden

Scalability

Keeper is easily scaled to accommodate as many users and passwords as you need. If your needs exceed what the business plan has to offer, you can opt for the Enterprise plan that is customized to your needs and priced accordingly.

The cloud-based approach ensures that you can always access and protect your data. Bitwarden’s scalability is a critical factor in its ability to serve a wide range of users, from individuals to large enterprises.

The password manager is designed to support a growing number of users and accounts, ensuring high performance and responsiveness even under increased load.

Their cloud-based architecture and global server presence ensure that if you don’t opt for the self-hosted option, your data is easily accessible.

✅ Winner: Tie

Standout Features of Keeper

If someone attempts to log in unsuccessfully five times, Keeper erases your vault and restores it from the cloud when you can log in again to protect your data.

Standout Features of Bitwarden

Open source model

Bitwarden’s open-source model is a significant differentiator. Its codebase is publicly available for review, enhancing trust and transparency.

This allows users and security experts to audit the software for security vulnerabilities and contributes to the overall improvement of the product. Keeper, while also focusing on security, does not offer an open-source model.

Self-hosting option

Bitwarden offers users the option to self-host their password manager. This feature appeals to individuals and organizations with specific data control or privacy requirements, allowing them to manage the infrastructure Bitwarden runs on directly.

This level of control over data storage is a unique aspect that might not be available in the same capacity as Keeper.

Keeper vs. Bitwarden: SMB Guide’s Verdict

Both Keeper and Bitwarden offer robust features for individuals and businesses seeking secure password management solutions.

While Keeper shines with its high-level security measures, intuitive interface, and extensive customer support, Bitwarden appeals to users with its open-source platform, cost-effectiveness, and flexibility across devices and operating systems.

The choice between Keeper and Bitwarden ultimately hinges on specific needs, budget considerations, and personal preferences regarding user experience and security features.

Both platforms excel in their domain, ensuring your digital assets are well protected while providing a seamless user experience.