Best Free & Open Source Alternatives to Bitwarden

Vaultwarden is an unofficial, open-source implementation of the Bitwarden server API written in Rust. It is fully compatible with all official Bitwarden clients — browser extensions, mobile apps, and the desktop app — so you get the same user experience while keeping your vault entirely on your own infrastructure.

Compared to the official Bitwarden server, Vaultwarden is significantly lighter. It runs comfortably on a Raspberry Pi or a small VPS with less than 100MB of RAM, making it practical to add alongside other self-hosted services without needing dedicated hardware.

Vaultwarden supports the full Bitwarden feature set: organisations, collections, two-factor authentication, emergency access, the Send feature, and the web vault UI. It is a drop-in replacement for the Bitwarden cloud for individuals and small teams who want full control over their password data.

Passbolt is an open-source password manager built for teams that put security first. It lets organizations centrally manage, securely share, and audit credentials and secrets without trusting a third-party cloud. Every secret is encrypted end-to-end with user-owned keys, and the entire stack can be self-hosted—even in air-gapped environments.

Key Highlights

• Security & Privacy by Design
  End-to-end encryption with user-owned secret keys. Passbolt is regularly audited (Cure53, Quarkslab, ANSSI CSPN) and publishes findings transparently. Licensed under AGPL-3.0 with no telemetry or personal data collection.

• Built for Teams
  Fine-grained sharing and access policies, resource groups, custom fields, and encrypted metadata. Administrators can define dynamic roles, manage users via SCIM provisioning (Entra ID, Okta), and enforce MFA.

• Browser Extensions & Autofill
  Native extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari with automatic credential and TOTP autofill. Continuously expanding coverage for complex login forms.

• Flexible Resource Types
  Store passwords, standalone secure notes, and PIN codes (door codes, safes, SIM codes). Attach multiple URIs, custom icons, and rich metadata to any entry.

Community

• Active development on GitHub with regular releases and a detailed CHANGELOG.
• Strong community engagement with comprehensive documentation, contribution guidelines, and responsive support channels.

AliasVault is a privacy-first, open-source password manager with built-in email aliasing. It helps you protect your identity online by generating unique passwords and alternate email addresses for every service you use.

All data is encrypted end-to-end on your device using your master password, which never leaves your device. Even the cloud-hosted version operates on a zero-knowledge architecture, meaning only you can access your credentials and aliases.

Key Features

• Password management with secure generation and autofill via browser extension
• Email aliasing with a built-in email server for receiving messages directly inside AliasVault
• End-to-end encryption using modern cryptographic standards (Argon2id, SRP)
• Self-hosting support via Docker for full data sovereignty
• Cross-platform clients including web, browser extension, and mobile apps

AliasVault is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and is actively developed with a growing community.

Bitwarden is a password manager that securely stores, generates, and autofills credentials across all your devices. It uses end-to-end, zero-knowledge encryption, meaning only you can access your vault — Bitwarden itself has no visibility into stored data. The platform works across browsers, desktop apps, and mobile devices, and supports self-hosted deployment for those who want full infrastructure control.

For teams and enterprises, Bitwarden provides centralised credential management with granular access controls, organisation policies, directory sync, and SSO integrations. The Bitwarden Send feature enables secure, encrypted sharing of sensitive data, and a built-in TOTP authenticator adds a second layer of protection.

Bitwarden is well-suited for individuals seeking a trustworthy password manager, as well as organisations that need auditable, policy-driven credential management for their workforce.