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LastPass vs Vaultwarden
LastPass vs Vaultwarden
A side-by-side look at LastPass (the paid SaaS) and Vaultwarden (the open source alternative). Use this page to decide if the switch fits your team and workflow.
| LastPass | Vaultwarden | |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | Password manager for individuals and businesses. | Lightweight Bitwarden-compatible server in Rust. |
| License | Proprietary SaaS | AGPL-3.0 |
| Pricing | Free tier; Premium from $3/month. | Free to self-host |
| Self-host option | No | Yes — difficulty 1/5 |
| Hosted cloud available | Yes (only option) | No |
| Desktop apps | Varies by product | Web only |
| Mobile apps | Official apps typically available | None official |
Ad slot — between tables
Best for
Tiny self-hosted server plus all the Bitwarden clients you love.
Vaultwarden strengths
- Single container — runs on a Raspberry Pi.
- Fully compatible with all Bitwarden clients.
- Trivial backups.
Vaultwarden weaknesses
- Not officially supported by Bitwarden Inc.
- Paid Bitwarden features require self-bypass.
- Home-lab focus — not aimed at large teams.
What's the catch with LastPass?
- Major security breaches in 2022 eroded trust.
- Free tier was restricted to one device type.
- Cloud-only, no self-hosted option.
Still unsure?
Check the full list of alternatives to LastPass: see LastPass alternatives, or learn more about Vaultwarden on its project page.
Recommended reading
When self-hosting goes wrong: seven failure modes and how to avoid them
An honest retrospective on the ways self-hosted setups break — not in theory, but in practice — and the small habits that prevent most of them.
Will the open source project you depend on still exist in three years?
Bus factor, maintainer burnout, funding models, and the signals that separate OSS projects that survive from those that quietly decay.
From SaaS to self-hosted: a 30-day migration playbook
A week-by-week plan to move one service off SaaS and onto your own server without breaking your team's workflow.