Vaultwarden vs Bitwarden (2026): $15 Server or $6/User

If you’re comparing Vaultwarden vs Bitwarden, the confusing part is that they can feel like the same password manager. You use Bitwarden’s apps either way, but the server behind them is different, and that changes what you pay, what you have to maintain, and which features you get.

Vaultwarden is an unofficial, Bitwarden-compatible server that you run yourself. Bitwarden is the official password manager, available as a cloud service and, on some plans, as software you can host on your own server. So the real question isn’t simply which app is better. It’s whether you want Bitwarden’s service and vendor support, or a server you control yourself.

The cost difference becomes important once several people share the same vault. A European 4 GB server on Selfhost.dev costs $15.18 a month, regardless of how many people use it. Bitwarden’s self-hosted route for a team requires an Enterprise licence at $6 per user per month, billed annually, plus the server. That means the licence alone reaches $18 a month at three users.

There is an important catch: this doesn’t mean Vaultwarden is automatically the right choice. A household of up to six can use Bitwarden Families for $47.88 a year, while organizations that need features such as SCIM, Secrets Manager, formal compliance documentation, or vendor support have reasons to use Bitwarden Enterprise.

This guide breaks down the actual cost, what changed with Bitwarden Lite, which features differ, what self-hosting requires, and where each option makes sense.

Vaultwarden vs Bitwarden: which should you pick?

Pick by headcount. One person or a household of up to six should use Bitwarden’s cloud: Premium is $19.80 a year and Families is $47.88 a year, both cheaper than any server. A team of three or more that wants its own server should run Vaultwarden. A company that needs SCIM provisioning or audit reports should buy Bitwarden Enterprise.

Three or more of you, and you want your own server? Selfhost.dev puts you past the self hosted crossover at $15.18/month. See exactly what you get before you create an account.

https://selfhost.dev/pricing/?src=blog-vaultwarden-vs-bitwarden&placement=cta-1Price one server for your whole team · no signup

See what launches with the Vaultwarden template on Selfhost.dev

How much does self hosting Bitwarden cost for a team?

Self hosting Bitwarden for a team costs the Enterprise licence plus the server. Bitwarden’s Teams plan can’t be self hosted: only Families and Enterprise organizations can. Enterprise is $6 per user a month, billed annually, so ten people pay $60 a month before the server. Vaultwarden on one European 4 GB server is $15.18 a month for everyone.

Self hosting official Bitwarden doesn’t remove the per-user licence. For a team, you pay the Enterprise licence and the server. For a team that wants to self host, a $15.18 Vaultwarden server costs less than the Bitwarden Enterprise licence from three users upward.

The rule comes from Bitwarden’s own documentation: “Only Families and Enterprise organizations can be imported to self-hosted servers.” The organization is created in Bitwarden’s cloud first, and its licence file is uploaded to your server. So the self hosted route for any team bigger than a household runs through Enterprise.

Bitwarden: $6 per user a month, billed annually. Bitwarden also bills monthly and doesn’t publish that rate; it can only be higher, so every row holds. Selfhost.dev: a European 4 GB server (cx23) at $0.02/hr, $15.18 a month. Daily whole-server backups are optional and add 20%. Figures derived from the published rates, Sep 2026.

It’s the same pattern we see across open source software: the app is free, and the bill is whatever runs it. n8n works this way, and so does every tool in our open source CRM comparison.

Every name you add raises the licence bill and leaves the server bill where it was. Run your own headcount through it, no signup.

What changed with Bitwarden Lite?

Bitwarden Lite made the official server light. It left beta on 9 December 2025 as a single Docker container that runs on SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL or SQL Server. What it did not change is the licence: premium and organization features still need a paid licence file, and Bitwarden says Lite “is not always recommended for organizations.”

The weight argument is over. The licence argument isn’t.

Four facts most comparisons still get wrong, each checked on 29 September 2026:

• The official server no longer needs a stack of containers. Bitwarden Lite, “formerly unified, is now generally available” (Bitwarden blog, 9 Dec 2025).
• The standard official deployment needs 2 GB of RAM at minimum, with 4 GB recommended (Bitwarden install docs). Not 4 GB minimum.
• Bitwarden’s Teams plan can’t be self hosted. Only Families and Enterprise organizations can (Bitwarden help).
• Vaultwarden has single sign-on. It supports OpenID Connect SSO, off by default; the master password is still required (Vaultwarden wiki).

Vaultwarden vs Bitwarden: what’s the real difference?

Bitwarden is the official server, written and audited by Bitwarden, Inc., with vendor support. Vaultwarden is an independent reimplementation of the same API in Rust, maintained by the community. Both speak to the same official Bitwarden apps. The difference is who stands behind the server, and which features need a licence.

Is Vaultwarden safe?

Your vault is encrypted on your own device before it reaches either server. Bitwarden’s security white paper says all encryption “is done locally” and servers only store and sync “encrypted vault data.” That model is the same with Vaultwarden. What differs is assurance: Bitwarden publishes third-party audits; Vaultwarden discloses and patches its advisories publicly on GitHub.

Keep Vaultwarden current. Two 2026 organization advisories were fixed in version 1.35.5, and the Selfhost.dev template deploys a release newer than that.

Do the Bitwarden apps work with Vaultwarden?

Yes. The official browser extensions, desktop apps and mobile apps let you choose a self hosted server at login. Enter your Vaultwarden address and they work as normal. Vaultwarden’s README says the project “is not associated with Bitwarden,” and also that one of its active maintainers is employed by Bitwarden and contributes on their own time.

Which features are free on each?

On Vaultwarden, everything it implements is on from the first start: organizations, collections, groups, event logs, policies, emergency access, Send, attachments and the built-in authenticator. On self hosted Bitwarden, the same server software is free, but those features need a licence file from a paid plan.

How much does each need to run?

The standard Bitwarden deployment needs at least 2 GB of RAM and 12 GB of storage, with 4 GB of RAM and 25 GB recommended, and it defaults to SQL Server Express. Bitwarden Lite is a single container. Vaultwarden is a single container with SQLite. On a 4 GB server, Vaultwarden has plenty of headroom.

Bitwarden self hosted: what does running it actually take?

Self hosting Vaultwarden isn’t hard because the software is complicated. The work is everything around it: giving the server a proper HTTPS address, preventing strangers from creating accounts, securing the admin panel, keeping the server online, and making backups you can actually restore. It’s the same list that separated the hosts when we ranked nine n8n hosts.

This is what the Selfhost.dev Vaultwarden template is designed to handle. You still own the server and the Vaultwarden instance, but the basic setup is already prepared when you deploy it.

The difference is easier to see side by side:

With Selfhost.dev, you aren’t starting with a blank server and a list of setup tasks. The Vaultwarden template gives you HTTPS from the first boot, closes public sign-ups, uses the password you set during deployment as the admin token, and gives you one-click daily whole-server backups. You choose the server and deploy Vaultwarden; the surrounding setup is already in place.

There is one limitation to know about: the Selfhost.dev template does not configure push notifications for the Bitwarden mobile apps. Phones sync when you open the app rather than receiving instant push updates.

That’s the trade-off with self-hosting: you get control of the server without having to build the deployment from scratch. And if you’re already considering Vaultwarden because you want a flat server cost for your team, the next question is simply whether the setup is worth doing yourself.

Selfhost.dev handles the setup so you can get to a working Vaultwarden server.

You get a dedicated server, HTTPS, closed public sign-ups, the admin setup and optional daily backups as part of the deployment. There’s no blank VPS to configure before you can start using your vault.

[See what the Selfhost.dev Vaultwarden template includes →]

About 4 minutes from clicking deploy to a working Vaultwarden vault.

When is Bitwarden the better choice?

Bitwarden is the better choice when someone must be accountable for the server. If your company answers security questionnaires, needs SOC 2 or HIPAA documentation, provisions users with SCIM, or uses Secrets Manager, buy Bitwarden Enterprise. For one person or a household, Bitwarden’s cloud is cheaper than running any server.

Bitwarden says its platform is SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA and HIPAA compliant, undergoes regular third-party audits, and gives Teams and Enterprise members 24/7 priority support. Vaultwarden, a community project, offers none of those, and doesn’t claim to. If a customer contract names the vendor who holds your credentials, that vendor has to be Bitwarden.

Can you switch from Bitwarden to Vaultwarden later?

Yes. You don’t have to make the decision permanently before you try Vaultwarden. Bitwarden supports exporting your data and importing it into another server, so you can move your vault later if you decide that self-hosting isn’t for you.

Your personal logins, notes, cards, identities and passkeys can be moved in a single encrypted JSON export. Organization data is handled separately by an admin, while file attachments need to be uploaded again.

The important point: switching doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing decision. You can test Vaultwarden first, then decide whether you want to keep it.

For the safest transfer, export your vault as a password-protected Encrypted .json file, so the exported data isn’t stored as plain text on disk.

Try Vaultwarden before you commit

If you’re considering moving away from Bitwarden, Selfhost.dev gives you a way to try Vaultwarden without first spending time building the server yourself. Deploy the Vaultwarden template, import a copy of your vault, and use it alongside your existing setup while you decide whether self-hosting works for you.

You don’t have to switch everything on day one. Test the Vaultwarden setup first, then move when you’re satisfied.

[Try Vaultwarden template on Selfhost.dev →]

The Decision

Just you or your household: Bitwarden’s cloud is the simpler option. Premium is $19.80 a year and Families is $47.88 a year, so there is little reason to take on a server when Bitwarden can run it for you.

A team of three or more that wants its own server: Vaultwarden gives you a flat server cost instead of a per-user self-hosting licence. Bitwarden’s Enterprise licence is $6 per person per month, billed annually, before the server itself. With Vaultwarden, the same server can serve the whole team as your headcount grows.

A company that needs SCIM, Secrets Manager, audit reports or formal vendor support: Bitwarden Enterprise is the relevant option. Those requirements are about the service and its guarantees, not simply where the server runs.

If you’ve chosen Vaultwarden, the next question is how much work you want to do yourself.

Running Vaultwarden still means setting up HTTPS, closing public sign-ups, securing the admin access, keeping the server online and maintaining backups.

Selfhost.dev handles that deployment work for you. Its Vaultwarden template gives you a dedicated server with HTTPS already configured, public sign-ups closed, the admin token set during deployment, and optional daily whole-server backups. You still run your own Vaultwarden instance, but you don’t have to start with a blank server and configure everything yourself.

Want to see exactly what you get?

[See the Selfhost.dev Vaultwarden template →]

Deploy a working Vaultwarden server in about 4 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions