What is the main difference between Bitwarden and Vaultwarden?

Bitwarden and Vaultwarden are both password managers but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Bitwarden or Vaultwarden?

The choice between Bitwarden and Vaultwarden depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Bitwarden to Vaultwarden?

Migration between Bitwarden and Vaultwarden is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

Sent – Messaging Infrastructure for Developers. One API for SMS, WhatsApp, and RCS across 190+ countries.

Learn more

Bitwarden vs Vaultwarden

Learn how Bitwarden and Vaultwarden differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these password managers is best for you.

Bitwarden

Bitwarden is an open source password manager that securely stores, shares, and autofills passwords across unlimited devices.

Visit Bitwarden Read more

20,479stars+277(+1.4%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
5 hours ago
Repository age
11 years
Version
v2026.10.0
License
AGPL-3.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
bitwarden/server

Vaultwarden

Unofficial Bitwarden-compatible server written in Rust, built for self-hosting on low-resource hardware without sacrificing client compatibility.

Visit Vaultwarden Read more

69,685stars+1,490(+2.2%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
17 hours ago
Repository age
9 years
Version
1.37.4
License
AGPL-3.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
vaultwarden

Detailed Comparison

Both Bitwarden and Vaultwarden have their unique strengths and serve similar purposes effectively. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Vaultwarden wins

Community & Popularity

Vaultwarden significantly outpaces Bitwarden in community adoption with 69,685 stars compared to 20,479 stars on GitHub. This 3.4x difference suggests Vaultwarden has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Vaultwarden has 3,369 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Vaultwarden wins

Growth Momentum

Vaultwarden is growing faster, adding 1,490 stars in the last 30 days (+2.2%) against adding 277 stars for Bitwarden (+1.4%). Vaultwarden is both larger and pulling further ahead.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Bitwarden last updated 5 hours ago and Vaultwarden 17 hours ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with Bash. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Bitwarden uses JavaScript, CSS, SCSS, C# while Vaultwarden leverages Typescript, Python, Rust.

Bitwarden wins

Project Maturity

Bitwarden has been in development longer, starting 11 years ago, compared to Vaultwarden which began 9 years ago. This 2.3-year head start suggests Bitwarden may have more mature features and established processes.

Comparable