# Bitwarden vs Passbolt Community Edition (2026): Free Alternative to Bitwarden

Canonical: https://caniforkit.com/vs/bitwarden-vs-passbolt-community-edition
Last updated: 2026-08-11

Compare Bitwarden ($1.65/mo) vs Passbolt Community Edition ($0/mo open source AGPL-3.0 alternative to Bitwarden). Side-by-side breakdown of pricing, self-hosting setup, data storage, and practical trade-offs.

## Side-by-Side Comparison Matrix

| Feature / Metric | Bitwarden | Passbolt Community Edition |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $1.65/mo | $0.00 / month |
| 1-Seat Annual Cost | $20/yr | $0.00 / year |
| 5-Person Team Annual Cost | $99/yr | $0.00 / year |
| 10-Person Team Annual Cost | $198/yr | $0.00 / year |
| License Model | Proprietary Commercial SaaS | AGPL-3.0 |
| Hosting / Runtime | Vendor Cloud | Self-host |
| Data Ownership | Stored on vendor servers | Password secrets are OpenPGP-encrypted; account, sharing and audit metadata live in SQL, while users' private keys and recovery kits remain client-side |
| GitHub Stars | Closed Source | ★ 6.1k |
| Code Repository | None | https://github.com/passbolt/passbolt_api |
| The Catch / Trade-off | Recurring subscription cost | It requires substantially more server and OpenPGP key administration while offering a narrower, team-first experience than Bitwarden. |

## About Passbolt Community Edition
A team password vault with real sharing and a server stack that expects an adult in the room.

- **Installation**: Ubuntu or Debian package, or Docker deployment, followed by browser-extension setup
- **Setup Notes**: A server, database, domain, TLS, SMTP and key-recovery process are required before anyone can use it
- **Data Storage**: Password secrets are OpenPGP-encrypted; account, sharing and audit metadata live in SQL, while users' private keys and recovery kits remain client-side
- **Supported Platforms**: mobile, web, self-hosted, cli, extension, self-host, real ops
- **The Catch vs Bitwarden**: It requires substantially more server and OpenPGP key administration while offering a narrower, team-first experience than Bitwarden.

## Cost Savings Breakdown
Switching from Bitwarden to Passbolt Community Edition eliminates ongoing per-seat subscriptions:
- **Solo / 1-seat**: Save **$20/year**
- **5-person team**: Save **$99/year**
- **10-person team**: Save **$198/year**

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is Passbolt Community Edition a good free alternative to Bitwarden?
Yes. Passbolt Community Edition is a verified open source (AGPL-3.0) replacement for Bitwarden. A team password vault with real sharing and a server stack that expects an adult in the room.

### What is the catch when switching from Bitwarden to Passbolt Community Edition?
It requires substantially more server and OpenPGP key administration while offering a narrower, team-first experience than Bitwarden.

## Related

- [All Bitwarden Alternatives](https://caniforkit.com/bitwarden)
- [Passbolt Community Edition Full Profile](https://caniforkit.com/fork/passbolt-community-edition)
- [security Category Hub](https://caniforkit.com/category/security)
- [All Paid SaaS Alternatives Index](https://caniforkit.com/alternatives)