The importance of a capable password manager is unmatchable. The majority stick with the Chrome Password manager or iCloud Keychain as they come by default on Android and iOS, respectively. However, there are many powerful third-party alternatives out there. Among them, both Dashlane and Bitwarden top the list on GT recommendations. If you are getting confused between the two, then read along to find the differences.
I had been seeing a ton of talk about Bitwarden with all the Lastpass stuff going on. My wife and I used Dashlane for the past couple of years and were overall happy with it. We did have a few annoyances but had become accustomed to them: DL did not always autofill logins correctly - they had a report feature, which I used many times, but never did I once see any of the sites I reported get. Bitwarden, the open source password manager, makes it easy to generate and store unique passwords for any browser or device. Create your free account on the platform with end-to-end encryption and flexible integration options for you or your business. Dashlane is a cross-platform password manager with cloud sync across devices. When invited to your company's Dashlane plan, you may already have a personal Dashlane account with a different login email. In order to combine the data from these two separate accounts, you can easily migrate your data from your personal account to your new business one, using a secure Dashlane archive file.
The comparison covers interface, cross-platform availability, features, price, sharing, password audit, and more. Let’s get started.
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Read MoreCross-Platform Availability
While Apple product users are mostly prefer iCloud Keychain solution, but it's not available natively on Windows and Android.
Cross-platform availability in a password manager is essential for the ease of access on all your devices, including the ones you plan to buy in the future. .
Bitwarden covers every possible platform and browser you can think of. It’s available across iOS and Android; it has native desktop applications on Windows, macOS, and Linux; and it also integrates with every major browser, including Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge.
Dashlane isn’t far behind either. The software is accessible on Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac.
User Interface
Both the Dashlane and Bitwarden use the standard macOS menu for navigation. We like Dashlane’s approach since has a better-looking translucent effect on the sidebar. It matches perfectly fine with the modern macOS design.
We found Bitwarden to be a bit on the safer side. It uses a standard white theme with black text across UI. For the fans of Dark theme, the app supports that as well.
Adding a New Item
Click on the ‘+’ button at the bottom, and you can add new items on Bitwarden. New item types are limited to Login, Card, Identity, and Secure Note only. Compared to that, Dashlane offers Business, Career, Shopping, Social Media, Tech, and more.
On Dashlane, you can create profiles to auto-fill forms and make payments. There is also a separate tab to save a digital copy of your important documents and receipts of purchases that you make online.
Bitwarden follows the folder model. You will have to create one and organize password entries manually. One can also add TOTP (Time based one-time password) and add relevant notes like security questions, birthdate, and more.
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Read MoreSecurity and Backup
Dashlane audits passwords for strength and can generate complex, random passwords with the click of a button. You can view your overall identity protection strength at the Identity Dashboard and Password Health platforms.
Dashlane also offers other security features in paid plans, including a VPN, identity theft protection, and dark web monitoring. Getting a VPN separately would have cost more but may offer additional features.
With Bitwarden, all your data is fully encrypted before it ever leaves your device. Only you have access to it. Not even the team at Bitwarden can read your data, even if they wanted to. Your data is sealed with end-to-end AES-256 bit encryption.
As for Backup, Bitwarden stores all the user data on the Microsoft Azure Cloud platform.
Other Features
We love Dashlane’s audio report. It is one of the most reliable and comprehensive reports among all password managers.
The rigorous evaluating system can not only spot weak and duplicate passwords but also scans the dark web to see if your email address or other online accounts have been exposed.
Bitwarden is full of useful functions as well. The list of features includes encrypted file attachments, security audit reports, two-factor authentication, user groups, shared items, and more.
Pricing
Bitwarden does have paid tiers, but we think most people will be able to do without most of the features they offer. Paying gets you access to encrypted file attachments, more second-factor security options, and reports on the overall security of the passwords you have in use.
Bitwarden only costs $10 per year. That is way cheaper than the competition out there. The family plan is set at $3.33 per month.
Dashlane plans are slightly on the expensive side at $3.33 per month, but they offer VPN. The Family plan is $5 per month per user.
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Using a capable password manager like Dashlane and Bitwarden takes away the pain of remembering hundreds of login information across dozens of apps and services. Dashlane has a better UI and the audit report is one of the best we have seen. Bitwarden is open-source, available everywhere, and it’s cheaper than the rivals.
Next up:LastPass is another excellent Bitwarden rival to consider. Read the comparison post below to find all the differences between the two.
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