BeyondTrust Password Safe vs Bitwarden comparison

BeyondTrust Password Safe

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 16, 2024

BeyondTrust Password Safe and Bitwarden compete in the password management category. BeyondTrust seems to have the upper hand for enterprise-level needs due to its advanced management capabilities, while Bitwarden stands out for its simplicity and cost-effectiveness for individual and small team use.

Features: BeyondTrust Password Safe offers session recording, password rotation, and the Smart Rules feature for automatic onboarding, along with strong asset management capabilities. Bitwarden provides features like emergency access, ease of use, and an open-source nature, making it ideal for personal use and smaller teams.

Room for Improvement: BeyondTrust Password Safe could better its documentation, ease integration complexities, and improve its user interface. Enhancing database management and standardizing documentation are other areas for growth. Bitwarden might improve device syncing and integration with open-source tools. Streamlining credential duplication and enhancing accessibility features could broaden its usability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: BeyondTrust Password Safe offers various deployment options, but users find technical support and deployment complex due to documentation and integration issues. Bitwarden, mainly deployed on-premises, is praised for its good support and simple deployment processes, although some users see room for service improvements.

Pricing and ROI: BeyondTrust Password Safe is perceived as expensive, though more affordable than some competitors like CyberArk. The pricing is asset-based, providing value for organizations with numerous systems, while ROI is realized through enhanced security and compliance. Bitwarden is cost-effective, offering a premium plan at $10 per year for individuals, which includes its valuable emergency access feature, making it ideal for cost-conscious individuals and small businesses.

To learn more, read our detailed BeyondTrust Password Safe vs. Bitwarden Report (Updated: September 2025).

BeyondTrust Password Safe vs. Bitwarden

September 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

BeyondTrust Password Safe

Ranking in Enterprise Password Managers

7th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Privileged Access Management (PAM) (9th)

Bitwarden

Ranking in Enterprise Password Managers

8th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Enterprise Password Managers category, the mindshare of BeyondTrust Password Safe is 3.6%, up from 3.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Bitwarden is 7.3%, up from 2.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Password Managers Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
BeyondTrust Password Safe	3.6%
Bitwarden	7.3%
Other	89.1%

Enterprise Password Managers

Featured Reviews

PawanShirose

Associate Security Consultant at CyberSec Consulting

Has enabled bulk onboarding and password rotation while ensuring secure privilege management

I have faced stability issues when upgrading BeyondTrust Password Safe solution. The upgrade process can be lengthy compared to other modules. For example, upgrading the appliance and reconfiguring HA is easier in PRA. However, in BeyondTrust Password Safe, the upgrade activity can take longer, and I have occasionally experienced being stuck during appliance version upgrades, sometimes duplicating the upgrade. Regarding additional features, we have good features in BeyondTrust Password Safe compared to other modules, such as Secret Safe to secure secrets and the check-in, check-out functionality. We already have the main features, but I think it would be helpful if BeyondTrust implemented a heartbeat check feature on the privileged account level. This feature would allow PAM to check the credentials of privileged accounts, indicating if they are correct or not, showing if the heartbeat has failed if they are wrong.

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Alex Maftei

Head of Information Technology at AllX Technologies

An affordable and easy-to-use tool that enables users to save all their passwords in one place

We also use 1Password. 1Password is available like a small window. We can just load it up. It is really fast. 1Password has enterprise features and a lot more visibility and control for admins to secure things a bit more. I have also used LastPass and NordPass. I lost trust in LastPass after we had multiple breaches, so I didn't want to keep my passwords in there. NordPass was limited. It was so hard to use. We could have only one device in sync with the free account. We could not use the platform manager on more than one device at the same time. I chose Bitwarden because I really enjoyed the idea of having the option to store my passwords and information there. I don't have to rely on any other tool.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The product has improved security and login due to the system recordings. In case, there is a doubt that someone has done something which they shouldn't have been doing, we can just go back and check what the user actually did."

"Smart Rules is a nice feature in BeyondTrust. It is a unique feature that BeyondTrust has as compared to other vendors such as CyberArk. With Smart Rules, you can do automatic onboarding of accounts. There are a lot of options and features. For example, you can do onboarding based on different AD attributes. It is a nice feature in BeyondTrust that some of the other PAM vendors don't have. With other vendors, we have to create our own scripts, whereas, with BeyondTrust, we can just use the in-built Smart Rules."

"Automation in BeyondTrust Password Safe uses Smart Rules, which eliminate the need for manual onboarding and effectively handle multiple bulk tasks, such as onboarding and mapping."

"The most valuable feature is the architecture capabilities, which allow designated server components for high availability and failover. It works well with identity and access management solutions, allowing users to be automatically onboarded and offboarded. The account mapping feature makes rollout seamless. The session monitoring capabilities are excellent, with keystroke and graphical monitoring. This enhanced our security posture by providing detailed accounts of user actions. It helped us pass our SOX audits."

"The actual innovations offered by the vendor stand out to me. They are quick to respond to market demands and the changing environment of privileged access management."

"I rate BeyondTrust Password Safe as an overall 10 out of 10."

"Session recording, password rotation, and password vaulting are the most valuable features."

"Screen recording is valuable, and integration with applications is easy. We can customize whatever we want. We did a lot of application integration using scripting."

More BeyondTrust Password Safe pros

"Its integration capabilities and versatility, like the ability to securely save passwords and other critical information, make it incredibly useful."

"I've found something else that is extremely valuable. Bitwarden refers to it as "emergency access". It's essentially a digital legacy where you can assign approved users who can request access. If you don't decline within a certain timeframe, they can access it in case you're incapacitated or deceased. When I last checked, only a few services offered this feature. Bitwarden had the simplest and best implementation."

"It is open source and the premium package is reasonable."

"In our organization, we use Bitwarden for managing product credentials. Bitwarden's collection feature enables us to securely create and store credentials, and we can easily provide team members with access to the relevant collections."

"The customer service and support are good. The technician is on time and the follow-up is amazing."

"Having all the passwords in one place is helpful."

"The product has a very friendly community."

Cons

"Its documentation can be improved. Its documentation is currently complicated, and it is not good. It needs to be better. Their technical support can also be improved. It is not bad, but it can be better."

"The product needs to have better integration with SAP products."

"If they can create a single platform to create a connector, it would be better than using the RBS server."

"The integration with Secure Remote Access must be improved."

"The effectiveness of BeyondTrust Password Safe's session management capabilities for SSH and RDP is pretty much robust, but it needs more improvement for other applications and web-based applications."

"I think that BeyondTrust Password Safe could be improved with more testing. In the beginning, they were practically using customers as beta testers. Maybe the product has evolved since I last used it, but if you look at PAM, privileged access management, whatever's out there has already been done. I don't see there being any other enhancements that are being made regarding PAM, except to support more cloud-based applications."

"Named accounts don't work well in this solution. If you use named accounts for your administrative access, the way Smart Rules work is that it takes your SAM account name and matches it to the account name of your privileged ID, which creates limitations on size and how big those names can be because the directory has a 20-character limit."

"There are multiple features that have issues, although they could be specific to our environment. What we have seen is that whenever a user gets added to the authentication store, the sync between Password Safe and the authentication store, which is generally easy, takes a lot of time. It does not occur immediately."

More BeyondTrust Password Safe cons

"The product could be cheaper."

"I often use another password manager as well to keep my passwords separate, ensuring redundancy. But one simple thing Bitwarden could improve is providing an option to duplicate credentials. Often, you're creating many sets of credentials for the same thing. If they all have the same information, notes, login, collection, and naming - all you're changing is the password. The ability to duplicate credential records quickly would be a big win. It doesn't do that right now."

"The solution should be made more secure as it has the banking sector and assets saved."

"The product must be a bit more unified and refined."

"I would like to log in with a master account using a passkey, that would be easy."

"It would be ideal if the application could be seamlessly integrated into our open-source software, especially for the purpose of enabling straightforward logging."

"Enhancing the tool by including additional security variables would be a valuable improvement."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is quite affordable."

"This solution is not cheap—it's a very expensive solution. Very, very expensive compared to the features and functions that they offer."

"It has subscription-based licensing. BeyondTrust is three times less expensive than CyberArk."

"When you buy Password Safe and perform your initial Discovery, you have all these servers that are added to your assets in BeyondTrust, but you're not using a license until you actually start managing the systems. BeyondTrust's licensing is based on the systems when they're managed, which means when an administrator is able to connect to the server through BeyondTrust with a managed account. There would be a privileged account on the endpoint when the licensing starts. A significant advantage to that is that there are many organizations that want to evaluate their environment prior to automatic management."

"The pricing of BeyondTrust is very good as compared to other products. That was the main reason we decided to go with BeyondTrust at first."

"The pricing structure is better than the competitors. It's much cheaper than CyberArk. They do the licensing on the basis of assets, not on the number of users. For CyberArk, they base the licensing on the number of users, and they have an expensive model of pricing. BeyondTrust has a cheaper model."

"At the time, BeyondTrust was significantly cheaper than CyberArk. Pricing-wise, if I remember correctly, it goes by assets. The pricing was negotiated for our instances based on the number of assets that we onboard into the system. It is a little different from CyberArk, where the pricing is by users. So, it depends. If you have a lot of assets, it can get very expensive."

"I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive."

More BeyondTrust Password Safe pricing and cost advice

"The product is not costly. I pay $10 per month."

"The solution is reasonably priced."

"In our region, it comes at an affordable price."

"It is an open-source tool."

"I use a free version and it works well for me."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

19%

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

12%

Healthcare Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	10

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Large Enterprise	3

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for BeyondTrust Password Safe?

My experience with BeyondTrust Password Safe's pricing, setup cost, and licensing has been positive, primarily due to its asset-based licensing model. This is a significant advantage for us because...

What needs improvement with BeyondTrust Password Safe?

We do not utilize the dynamic privilege elevation and delegation feature yet, because the customer is not planning to use this feature. They want to control the manner of user creation processes in...

What is your primary use case for BeyondTrust Password Safe?

Currently, we have one customer using BeyondTrust Password Safe. BeyondTrust Password Safe is usually used for two things: compliance and audit.

What do you like most about Bitwarden?

I've found something else that is extremely valuable. Bitwarden refers to it as "emergency access". It's essentially a digital legacy where you can assign approved users who can request access. If ...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Bitwarden?

The product is not costly. I pay $10 per month. I use the basic plan, so I don't need the higher plan with more compliance features.

What needs improvement with Bitwarden?

The functionality to fully utilize passkeys could be improved. The last time I spoke to support, they said the development team was working on it. So far, it's working okay on my personal devices. ...

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs BeyondTrust Password Safe

Comparisons

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Compared 13% of the time

BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access vs BeyondTrust Password Safe

Compared 10% of the time

Azure Key Vault vs BeyondTrust Password Safe

Compared 8% of the time

LastPass Business vs BeyondTrust Password Safe

Compared 5% of the time

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HashiCorp Vault vs Bitwarden

Compared 37% of the time

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs Bitwarden

Compared 16% of the time

Azure Key Vault vs Bitwarden

Compared 13% of the time

AWS Secrets Manager vs Bitwarden

Compared 7% of the time

Devolutions Hub vs Bitwarden

Compared 3% of the time

More Bitwarden Competitors

Product Reports

BeyondTrust Password Safe

October 2025

Download BeyondTrust Password Safe product report

Download Bitwarden product report

October 2025

Also Known As

BeyondTrust PowerBroker Password Safe

No data available

Overview

Beyond Trust Password Safe is an automated solution that combines password and privileged session management into a single platform. Password Safe delivers secure access control, auditing, alerting, recording, and monitoring.

This free and open-source password manager supports Windows and Linux, and some ports are available for other platforms as well. Their proprietary algorithm, Twofish, is considered highly secure, with the advantage that it is not affiliated with NIST. The Twofish algorithm secures the data while keys are delivered using SHA-256 authentication.

The application is easy to use, and you can download the Windows app from several sites. Additionally, the application is available in 14 languages.

Beyond Trust Password Safe Key Features

Continuous automated account discovery: Scan, identify and profile assets with the discovery engine. The solution has dynamic categorization that enables the automated onboarding of assets into groups.
Application-to-application password management: Password Safe offers an adaptable API interface including an unlimited number of password caches, therefore providing scalability and redundancy.
Secure SSH key management: The system automatically rotates SSH keys to enforce granular access control and workflow. Private keys securely log users onto systems without exposing them.
Adaptive access control: Evaluates context and provides access requests by considering factors such as time of access and location to determine the user’s authorization level.
Enhanced privileged session management: Admins can record, lock, and document suspicious behavior without disrupting productivity by managing sessions live.
Advanced privileged threat analytics: Password Safe monitors assets and user behavior every day, analyzing what are normal patterns and detecting deviations.
Multi-factor authentication: Password Safe supports 2FA (two-factor authentication) using Yubikey 4, Nano, or Neo.

What can you do with Password Safe?

Cross-device and cross-platform syncing: You can safely store encrypted password files online, where you can access them via Password Safe-compatible apps.
Drag and drop password: Password Safe has a “Dragbar,” which you can use to complete forms by dragging and dropping icons over the form - for example, passwords, usernames, design tiles, and emails.
Autotype: With Password Safe, when you click on a web page or login box, the autotype feature will try to fill in your credentials automatically for you.
Import and export: You can import passwords from text, XML, or CSV fails. You can also export passwords in text, XML, and the PSAFE format.
Password generator: Generate secure passwords by using the algorithm. You can also define your password rules.

Beyond Trust Password Safe Benefits

Controls third-party access: Password Safe secures the connection and automatically checks privileged credentials. The solution records all sessions.
Uses context to determine access: Password Safe considers risk factors like location, day, or time of access and uses them to adjust the permissions and privileges of each user.
Manages access for privileged and non-privileged accounts: By integrating with SailPoint IdentityIQ, Password Safe effectively manages user access for privileged as well as non-privileged accounts.
Reduces cloud risk: Password Safe simplifies secure storage and session management. It supports major cloud providers such as Azure, Amazon, Google, Rackspace, and GoGrid. It also supports social networks - Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Integrates password and privilege management: Integrates with Endpoint Privilege Management to control the resources users can access and the actions they are allowed to take

Reviews from Real Users

A PAM Architect at a tech services company says, "BeyondTrust Password Safe's features that I have found most valuable are really those that are knitted in. That is their Smart Rules and Smart Groups, where you design your administration model so you create your AD groups and your asset groups, and configure Password Safe."

An I.S. Architect at a insurance company mentions that "Session recording, password rotation, and password vaulting are the most valuable features."

"One of the most valuable features is that this is a product designed with enterprises in mind," adds a Cybersecurity Architect at a tech vendor.

BeyondTrust

Bitwarden stands out with its open-source platform and cost-effective premium options, offering password suggestions and alerts, secure sharing via the "send" feature, and reliable performance. Its digital legacy management through emergency access is unmatched at its price.

Bitwarden provides an open-source platform suitable for individual and team password management. Users benefit from password suggestions and alerts, secure sharing, and constant performance reliability. Emergency access sets Bitwarden apart by allowing digital legacy management. The mobile app offers quick password autofill and vault health reports, enhancing usability. Challenges include improving security features, better integration of automated functions, and reducing costs relative to competitors. Users value the open-source nature, cross-platform compatibility, and self-hosting capabilities, which ensure portability and permissions management.

What are Bitwarden's Key Features?

Open-Source Platform: Ensures transparency and flexibility.
Emergency Access: Provides digital legacy management.
Password Suggestions and Alerts: Enhances password security.
Secure Sharing: Allows safe information exchange.
Mobile App Usability: Offers quick password autofill.

What Benefits Should Users Look for in Reviews?

Reliability: Consistent performance across devices.
Cost-Effectiveness: Competitive pricing for the features offered.
Cross-Platform Compatibility: Operates on multiple devices and systems.
Flexibility with Self-Hosting: Control over data storage and management.
Digital Legacy Management: Provides access to accounts in emergencies.

In industries where data security is crucial, Bitwarden's open-source platform is favored for managing sensitive credentials, allowing secure information sharing among team members. Its compatibility with different platforms and self-hosting options provides the flexibility and control needed to maintain data security without vendor lock-in.

Sample Customers

Aera Energy LLC, Care New England, James Madison University

Information Not Available