Bitwarden, Dashlane, and Keeper are all zero-knowledge password managers that solve the same core problem, but they diverge sharply on openness, bundled…
Best for: Individuals and organizations that want an open-source, independently audited password manager with a genuinely free tier and self-hosting option
Freemium / Subscription · From Approximately $4/month (Personal plan, billed annually)
Best for: Regulated organizations and government agencies that need FedRAMP, FIPS, or ITAR compliance plus privileged access management alongside password storage
At a Glance
Bitwarden
Dashlane
Keeper
Primary category
Password Managers
Password Managers
Password Managers
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Freemium
Subscription
Freemium / Subscription
Starting price
Free
From ~$4.99/month (billed annually)
Approximately $4/month (Personal plan, billed annually)
Free plan
Yes
Not documented
Yes
Free trial
Not documented
Yes
Yes
Platforms
Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Yes
Not documented
Public API
Yes
Not documented
Yes
Standout Differences
Bitwarden is the only one that's open source and self-hostable
Bitwarden's client and server code is published on GitHub and has undergone repeated independent security audits; neither Dashlane nor Keeper is open source, and Keeper's own materials note this as a differentiator versus Bitwarden.
Bitwarden, Dashlane, Keeper
Dashlane dropped its free plan; Bitwarden's remains generous
As of September 2025, Dashlane no longer offers a free plan, while Bitwarden's Free tier still includes unlimited passwords and unlimited devices at no cost.
Dashlane, Bitwarden
Dashlane bundles a VPN and AI scam protection
Dashlane's Premium plan includes a built-in VPN for public Wi-Fi and AI-powered scam protection that warns users before autofilling credentials on suspected phishing sites, extras neither Bitwarden nor Keeper documents.
Dashlane
Keeper adds privileged access management and deep compliance
Keeper's Enterprise Plus tier bundles KeeperPAM, a privileged access management suite, and the company holds FedRAMP High, FIPS 140-3, and ITAR compliance certifications aimed at government and regulated industries.
Keeper
All three offer breach or dark web monitoring, branded differently
Bitwarden's vault health reports flag weak, reused, or exposed passwords; Dashlane has dedicated dark web monitoring; and Keeper's BreachWatch does continuous dark web monitoring tied to stored accounts.
Bitwarden, Dashlane, Keeper
Feature-by-Feature
Access and Pricing
Feature
Bitwarden
Dashlane
Keeper
Free plan
Available
Unavailable
Not documented
Open source and self-hostable
Available
Unavailable
Unavailable
Security Extras
Feature
Bitwarden
Dashlane
Keeper
Built-in VPN
Unavailable
Available
Not documented
Dark web or breach monitoring
Available
Available
Available
Passkey support
Available
Available
Not documented
Enterprise and Dev Tools
Feature
Bitwarden
Dashlane
Keeper
Privileged access management
Unavailable
Unavailable
Available
Secrets manager for developer teams
Available
Unavailable
Available
SSO and SCIM provisioning
Available
Available
Available
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Premium (Personal) — From ~$4.99/month billed annually
Friends & Family — ~$8/month for up to 10 members billed annually
Business Starter — $30/month flat monthly
Business — ~$8/user/month monthly or annual
Omnix — ~$11/user/month monthly or annual
Enterprise — Custom Contact sales
Keeper
Personal — Approximately $4/month Billed annually
Family — Modest premium over Personal Billed annually
Business Starter — Approximately $2/user/month Billed annually
Business — Approximately $3.75/user/month Billed annually
Enterprise — Approximately $6-$7.50/user/month Billed annually
Enterprise Plus — Approximately $12-$15+/user/month Billed annually
Pros & Cons
Bitwarden
Pros
Free plan is unusually generous, with unlimited passwords and devices at no cost
Open-source code base has undergone multiple independent third-party security audits
Self-hosting option available for organizations with strict compliance or data-residency needs
Broad platform coverage across desktop, mobile, and every major browser
Cons
Interface is more utilitarian than some paid competitors like 1Password
Some advanced features (emergency access, file attachments) require a paid plan
Business features such as SSO and account recovery are gated to the Enterprise tier
Community self-hosting setup requires comfort with Docker and server administration
Dashlane
Pros
All-in-one bundle of password manager, VPN, dark web monitoring, and AI scam protection.
Strong cross-platform coverage across Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and major browsers.
Actively investing in passwordless/passkey features as authentication standards evolve.
Robust business tier (Omnix) with SSO/SCIM and credential-breach prevention outside SSO.
Cons
No longer offers a free plan as of September 2025, unlike some direct competitors.
Full public pricing for several tiers is not transparently listed and requires visiting the pricing pages or contacting sales.
VPN is only bundled with the higher Premium tier, not lower-cost options.
Business/Enterprise pricing is largely custom and not self-serve for larger organizations.
Keeper
Pros
Zero-knowledge architecture with strong encryption standards
Unusually deep compliance coverage for government and regulated industries
Combines consumer password management with enterprise secrets and PAM tools
Rolling out quantum-resistant cryptography ahead of many competitors
Family and business plans scale from individuals to large enterprises
Cons
Pricing has trended upward across recent renewal cycles
Interface seen as less polished than 1Password or Dashlane by some reviewers
Full enterprise feature set with KeeperPAM is priced significantly higher than basic tiers
Not open source, unlike Bitwarden
Some advanced features require separate add-on purchases
Use Cases
Choose Bitwarden: Individuals and organizations that want an open-source, independently audited password manager with a genuinely free tier and self-hosting option
Choose Dashlane: Users who want a password manager bundled with a VPN, dark web monitoring, and AI-powered scam protection in one subscription
Choose Keeper: Regulated organizations and government agencies that need FedRAMP, FIPS, or ITAR compliance plus privileged access management alongside password storage
Bitwarden
Individual password security — A single user replaces browser-saved passwords and weak reused credentials with an encrypted vault and generated passwords.
Family credential sharing — A household shares logins for streaming, banking, and shared accounts securely across up to six family members.
Company-wide credential management — IT and security teams centralize employee credential storage with SSO, directory sync, and audit logging for compliance.
Dashlane
All-in-one personal digital security — Individuals use Dashlane's Premium plan to store passwords and passkeys, browse securely with the built-in VPN, and get alerted to data breaches and scam sites.
Family password and identity protection — The Friends & Family plan lets up to 10 family members share centrally managed password protection under one subscription.
Enterprise credential governance — Businesses use Dashlane's Omnix or Enterprise tiers to enforce password policy, integrate with SSO/SCIM, and prevent credential breaches across domains outside their SSO perimeter.
Keeper
Family password protection — Individuals and families store and share passwords securely across up to five vaults.
Enterprise credential governance — IT and security teams centralize password, secrets and access management across the organization.
Regulated industry compliance — Government, defense, finance and healthcare organizations meet strict compliance requirements for credential management.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Bitwarden, Dashlane, and Keeper all have free plans?
Bitwarden does, with an unlimited-password, unlimited-device Free tier. Dashlane no longer offers a free plan as of September 2025. Keeper's published pricing starts with a paid Personal plan, with no free tier documented.
Which of the three is open source?
Only Bitwarden. Its client and server code are published on GitHub and have undergone repeated independent security audits, while Dashlane and Keeper are both closed source.
Which one bundles a VPN?
Dashlane, whose Premium plan includes a built-in VPN for protecting traffic on public Wi-Fi networks.
Which is best for regulated industries or government use?
Keeper, given its FedRAMP High, FIPS 140-3, and ITAR compliance certifications alongside its KeeperPAM privileged access management suite.
Can I self-host any of these three password managers?
Only Bitwarden, whose full server stack can be self-hosted, typically via Docker, for organizations that want to control their own infrastructure.
Which offers privileged access management for IT and security teams?
Keeper, through its Enterprise Plus tier's KeeperPAM suite, which is not offered by Bitwarden or Dashlane.