NordPass vs. Bitwarden: Compare Password Managers

NordPass and Bitwarden are among the best password managers. These services are comparable in user experience (UX) and security, although each has unique features that may be more appealing to specific people.

Bitwarden has lower price points, but both platforms offer robust free versions for individual users. By working with nearly every platform and in over 50 languages, Bitwarden also shines at platform compatibility. If form filling is important to you in a password manager, you’ll appreciate its features more than NordPass’s. However, if you value 2FA, you may prefer NordPass.

Which password manager should you get? Let this NordPass vs. Bitwarden face-off help you decide.

That said, NordPass’s free tier is a decent alternative. Unlike Bitwarden, you get all the capabilities of the paid plans, including SSO capabilities, plus 2 GB more storage than Bitwarden provides. So if you’re a single user, NordPass may be a better option in terms of price. But once you look at paid plans, I still think Bitwarden is the better deal.

I docked points for NordPass’s compatibility largely because of how limited its availability is with iOS. As an iOS user myself, I found this incredibly inconvenient. It became even more apparent when using the iOS mobile app, which didn’t support password generation or auto-save for new passwords. Instead, you had to manually input new passwords on your mobile device.

NordPass’s browser extension is also intuitive with easy-to-access autofill capability. Given the importance of a password manager’s browser extension, this was a key factor in giving it full stars for UX.

NordPass’s auto-fill feature appears promising initially, but after several failed attempts at filling in my payment information, I concluded this password manager is not meant for the task. It could not consistently recognize billing address fields and incorrectly populated at least one field every time I tested it.

What I would like to see more of from Bitwarden is dark web monitoring and VPN. While Bitwarden reports leaks, its service is more limited than NordPass’s. So if monitoring is important to you, I’d lean toward NordPass.

NordPass and Bitwarden, among the top password managers, have a lot going for them, but Bitwarden pulls ahead in terms of price, platform compatibility, and form filling. Both platforms offer decent free versions. But Bitwarden’s paid plans cost less for almost the same features, making a better choice for those looking for the best cheap password manager.

Bitwarden is also one of the most accessible password managers I’ve reviewed. It’s compatible with nearly every platform and can be used in over 50 languages. Meanwhile, NordPass has the industry norm for limited compatibility. It’s particularly frustrating if you’re a Mac user.

NordPass’s form filling also fell woefully short as it repeatedly populated fields incorrectly or didn’t recognize they needed to be filled in. But NordPass does outshine Bitwarden in terms of 2FA, largely because it is everything the form-filling feature is not: namely, easy to set up and reliable.

Both platforms offer some of the best UX and security on the market. Bitwarden and NordPass have opted for more minimalist designs, which I found appealing. It helped me find what I was after and keep everything organized.

In terms of security, while both earned full marks for robust security, I like that NordPass takes things one step above AES 256-bit encryption by using XChaCha20. It also offers better breach monitoring than Bitwarden.

On the surface, all password managers essentially generate and store passwords. As I evaluated providers, I dug deeper, comparing software on what matters most, including price, platform compatibility, security, and other factors.

I signed up for a plan with each provider to test:

• Plan value: Most password managers offer various subscription plans from free to around $20 per month. While free plans may be sufficient for some, those that need more functionality may prefer paid plans. We included a wide array of free and paid password managers to find the one that works best for you.
• Platform compatibility: You likely access your online accounts from multiple devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, phones, as well as through different web browsers. Your password manager should be compatible with various devices, operating systems and browsers, and sync seamlessly between them all.
• UX: This is how you interface with all the features and functions of your new password manager — if it’s bad, you’ll be less likely to use the service. While this is a highly subjective category and some will disagree, it’s important to provide an overview based on my experience.
• Form filling: A password manager doesn’t have to include form-filling, but it’s somewhat standard and the ease with which it performs that function can be the deciding factor in which password manager you ultimately choose.
• Security: Since a password manager is first and foremost a security tool, it should come with all of the most up-to-date standard security features. This includes the highest level of available encryption (256-bit AES with PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA512); 2FA, such as biometric logins or MFA, and a password generator.
• Two-factor authentication (2FA): Used all over the internet to protect your accounts, this is quickly becoming a standard security practice. 2FA is a great way to secure more sensitive accounts to ensure they’re not breached.

Learn more about our review methodology.