Bitwarden vs CyberArk Privileged Access Manager comparison

Bitwarden and CyberArk are both solutions in the Enterprise Password Managers category. Bitwarden is ranked #13, while CyberArk is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.6. Bitwarden holds a 4.2% mindshare in EPM, compared to CyberArk’s 6.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Bitwarden users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of CyberArk users who would recommend it.

Bitwarden

Read 7 Bitwarden reviews

3,203 Views
3,203 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

CyberArk Privileged Access ...

Read 230 CyberArk Privileged Access Manager reviews

20,873 Views
5,218 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Bitwarden

CyberArk Privileged Access ...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 16, 2024

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager and Bitwarden compete in the password and privileged access management category. CyberArk holds the upper hand for enterprise-level security features, whereas Bitwarden is preferred for its cost-effectiveness and open-source nature.

Features: CyberArk Privileged Access Manager includes Central Policy Manager, Privileged Session Management, and a highly secure password vault designed for enterprise needs. Bitwarden offers direct syncing, password management, and emergency access options, aiming to provide essential services at a lower cost.

Room for Improvement: CyberArk could enhance its user interface, broaden plugin development for more extensive device support, and improve reporting tools. Bitwarden could improve feature syncing similar to competitors, enhance its user interface for advanced features, and improve passkey utilization and credential duplication.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: CyberArk provides multiple deployment options which can be complex, often requiring professional consultation. Its customer service receives mixed reviews. Bitwarden, primarily deployed on-premises, offers easy deployment with users generally relying on community support.

Pricing and ROI: CyberArk is a premium product, suitable for large enterprises but criticized for high cost and complex licensing. Its ROI is linked to security and compliance gains. Bitwarden offers more affordable solutions, including a free version, with ROI attributed to functional value at a competitive price.

To learn more, read our detailed Bitwarden vs. CyberArk Privileged Access Manager Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Bitwarden vs. CyberArk Privileged Access Manager

April 2026

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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

Bitwarden

Ranking in Enterprise Password Managers

13th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

CyberArk Privileged Access ...

Ranking in Enterprise Password Managers

3rd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

230

Ranking in other categories

User Activity Monitoring (1st), Privileged Access Management (PAM) (1st), Mainframe Security (1st), Operational Technology (OT) Security (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Enterprise Password Managers category, the mindshare of Bitwarden is 4.2%, down from 6.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is 6.5%, down from 8.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Password Managers Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
CyberArk Privileged Access Manager	6.5%
Bitwarden	4.2%
Other	89.3%

Enterprise Password Managers

Featured Reviews

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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Atul-Gujar

CyberArk manager at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees

Secures critical infrastructures with essential user session audit records

A potential area for improvement is enhancing support for cluster environments and distributed Vaults. Clients in multiple countries that need central access have different challenges that require better solutions from CyberArk. For financial services, CyberArk can improve incident response by ensuring fast support for critical priority tickets to meet compliance requirements. Providing more documentation on CyberArk is recommended for new team members to enhance their troubleshooting capabilities. I understand it's up to the client, but 99% fail to change the demo key, so it's crucial for CyberArk to emphasize changing the key and documenting it as part of the installation process.

Read full review

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 a very friendly community."

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

"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."

"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."

"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."

"Overall, I think CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is very good and can be considered a market leader in this space."

"CyberArk is good as a technology partner for ensuring that we maintain a strong security posture throughout our digital transformation."

"We know when passwords will be expiring so we can force users to change their passwords, as well as requiring specific password requirements for length, complexity, etc."

"The risk of lost password and forbidden access to resources has been drastically reduced which increased the security level for the entire company,"

"You can easily manage more than 4000 accounts with one PSM."

"I haven't really thought about anything that I want to use it for, that I couldn't use it for."

"Password Vault's policy configuration is very good - when you receive an attack, you can segment the structure of the project in order to isolate parts or users."

"I would rate CyberArk Privileged Access Manager nine out of ten."

More CyberArk Privileged Access Manager pros

Cons

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

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

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

"The product could be cheaper."

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

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

"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 lead product has a slow process."

"The installation process should be easier and more user-friendly so that you don't need to hire a third party to deploy it."

"There were a lot of manual steps in the initial setup which could have been automated. I read the 10.4 release that was sent out about a month or two ago, and I saw the steps required for upgrade have been reduced by about 90%. That was a big thing for me, but I still haven't seen that yet because we have not upgrade past 9.9.5."

"CyberArk Enterprise Password Vault can improve the distributive vault feature. Distributing the vault in multiple areas and multiple data centers should improve."

"Within CyberArk, I would like to see more support for personal accounts."

"In the beginning, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager didn't have a multifactor authentication feature, so that was an area for improvement, but now it's part of the solution. Having just one console for two CyberArk products would be good, particularly for the CyberArk Privileged Access Manager and the CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager, with the latter being a product for endpoint management that supports the workstations and allows you to manage workstations. In the next update of CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, it would be good to have a local agent where you can manage all users and processes, and have an agent on the servers such as Linux and Windows."

"Upgrading the product is very difficult, so this could be an area for improvement."

"Occasionally, there are lagging issues. Sometimes users have to re-login. When users copy passwords, there is sometimes a lag, so they have to log out and log in, but these are very rare cases."

More CyberArk Privileged Access Manager cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"The solution is reasonably priced."

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

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

"It is an open-source tool."

"Overall, its pricing is really good. The main difference from all the other vendors is that they have one package that covers all the functionality and modules of the basic PAM, except the add-on modules like adware and server protection. It also doesn't include the licenses for domain controller protection or maybe an API call-related feature. For the basic privileged access management, the bundle pricing is really good, but when it comes to an agent-based solution for advanced cyber protection or application identity managers, it is expensive. Services are also very expensive if you hire the services team from CyberArk, but these guys are really good. For a couple of large banking projects, we had an experience with them. The banks wanted to have things quickly and efficiently, so we had to hire them. If we take four weeks, these guys can do everything on a weekend. They charge quite a big sum of money, but they know the system well."

"The price of CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is expensive. There are no other fees other than the standard licensing fees."

"I haven't seen the numbers. I know it is not cheap, but I don't know what it is. I would rate it a six out of ten in terms of pricing. It is definitely more expensive than the other product, but it also provides more functionality, and it is modular too. So, we pay for the functionality we're actually going to use, and that's nice."

"CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is more expensive than its competitors, such as BeyondTrust, Delinea, and ManageEngine PAM360."

"It costs us around $200 per user."

"They have two types of licensing: purchase and subscription. You have to pay for each admin user, such as Microsoft admin, mail admin, database admin, etc."

"Before we bought it, they were licensing each function individually, which got complicated and very expensive. When we decided to buy it, it was much more straightforward and still quite expensive, but it brings a lot of value and risk reduction to the organization."

"Pricing and licensing depend on the environment."

More CyberArk Privileged Access Manager pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

10%

Financial Services Firm

Government

University

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Large Enterprise	3

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	59
Midsize Enterprise	42
Large Enterprise	174

Questions from the Community

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.

See all answers

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. ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Bitwarden?

I use it to log in to my private websites, accounts, and banking information.

See all answers

How does Sailpoint IdentityIQ compare with CyberArk PAM?

We evaluated Sailpoint IdentityIQ before ultimately choosing CyberArk. Sailpoint Identity Platform is a solution to manage risks in cloud enterprise environments. It automates and streamlines the m...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for CyberArk Privileged Access Manager?

My thoughts on the pricing of CyberArk Privileged Access Manager depend entirely on the vendors' requirements. If they want their things to be secure, they have to spend accordingly. We have four t...

See all answers

What needs improvement with CyberArk Privileged Access Manager?

I believe account discovery and rolling support need to be improved. Account discovery is important when integrating with other systems, as other PAM solutions can perform account discovery and onb...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Bitwarden

May 2026

Download Bitwarden product report

Buyer's Guide

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager

May 2026

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager report

Download CyberArk Privileged Access Manager product report

Also Known As

No data available

CyberArk Privileged Access Security, CyberArk Enterprise Password Vault

Overview

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.

Bitwarden

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager safeguards privileged accounts through password management, credential rotation, and session recording. With seamless integration and real-time monitoring, it ensures robust security across platforms.

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is recognized for its extensive capabilities in managing and securing privileged accounts. It offers vital functionalities such as automatic password rotation, real-time session monitoring, and cross-platform integration through APIs and custom connectors. Users find the flexibility in workflows and granular access controls beneficial, particularly in protecting access across cloud and on-prem infrastructures. However, improvements in its interface, installation process, plugin support, and integration with third-party tools are often suggested. Pricing is a concern for many, along with the need for better dashboard reporting, user provisioning, and enhanced documentation. Organizations leverage this tool for encrypting and monitoring critical account activities and automating password management to bolster security.

What are the key features of CyberArk Privileged Access Manager?

Enterprise Password Vault: Provides secure storage and management of enterprise credentials.
Privilege Session Manager: Offers comprehensive session recording and monitoring.
Privileged Threat Analytics: Detects and alerts on potential credential threats.
Integration Capabilities: Easily integrates with multiple systems using APIs and custom connectors.

What benefits or ROI should users expect?

Enhanced Security: Automates and centralizes password management, reducing risk of account misuse.
Compliance Support: Ensures alignment with compliance policies through automated processes.
Operational Efficiency: Streamlines security operations with real-time monitoring and integration.
Adaptability: Protects privileged access across diverse infrastructure setups including cloud and on-prem.

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager finds substantial use in industries such as finance, healthcare, and technology, where the protection of privileged accounts is critical. These sectors rely on its capabilities to manage application credentials securely and provide safe access for developers, administrators, and vendors across various infrastructures.

CyberArk

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Rockwell Automation

Buyer's Guide

Bitwarden vs. CyberArk Privileged Access Manager

April 2026

Free Report: Bitwarden vs. CyberArk Privileged Access Manager

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