Bitwarden (self-hosted) vs Vaultwarden: which one to choose in 2026?
Both are open source alternatives to 1Password, LastPass. We compare license, tech stack and features to help you decide which fits your team best.
| Bitwarden (self-hosted) | Vaultwarden | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| GitHub stars | ~16k | ~40k |
| Tech stack | .NET, SQL Server | Rust, SQLite |
| Replaces | 1Password, LastPass | 1Password, LastPass |
Vaultwarden has more GitHub stars, which usually indicates a larger community (not necessarily that it's the best option for your use case).
Bitwarden (self-hosted)
Official self-hosted Bitwarden server, a complete alternative to 1Password.
ℹ️ Bitwarden migrated its official self-hosting image from bitwarden/self-host (Docker Hub) to ghcr.io/bitwarden/lite (a single container). We've updated the image and version, but haven't verified the new container's environment variables one by one — check Bitwarden's official deployment guide before running this in production.
Pros
- It's the official server, with direct support from Bitwarden
Things to consider
- Considerably heavier on resources than Vaultwarden
Vaultwarden
Lightweight Rust Bitwarden server, a self-hosted alternative to 1Password.
Pros
- Minimal resource usage and compatible with every official Bitwarden client
Things to consider
- Not the official Bitwarden server, it's a community reimplementation
Key features
Bitwarden (self-hosted)
- Organizations and enterprise groups
- Security reports and SSO
- All the features of the official cloud version
Vaultwarden
- Compatible with all official Bitwarden clients
- Minimal resource usage (great for small VPS)
- Own admin panel
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