Quick Summary
If you're in a hurry: Bitwarden is the best pure-play open-source password manager. 1Password is the best for teams and polished UX. LastPass is no longer recommended after the 2022 breach. Keepra Vault is the best choice if you want your password manager as part of a larger encrypted workspace, but it's not a standalone replacement if you need team sharing or a mobile browser extension.
LastPass (Not Recommended)
LastPass was once the market leader. As of 2026, it is not recommended for new users and existing users should migrate.
The 2022 breach: In August 2022, attackers stole a backup of LastPass's production data. In December, they confirmed that encrypted vault data (containing usernames, URLs, and encrypted passwords) was among the stolen data. Critically, the URLs were stored unencrypted, meaning attackers immediately knew what accounts to target even before cracking passwords.
- Pricing: $36/year (premium), $48/year (family)
- Cipher: AES-256 (but vulnerabilities in key derivation for older accounts)
- Zero-knowledge: Claimed yes, but the breach revealed significant architectural weaknesses
- Breach history: 2015 (partial), 2022 (vault data stolen)
1Password (Best for Teams)
1Password is a polished, well-regarded password manager with a strong security track record. It's the go-to choice for teams and has an excellent UX across all platforms.
- Pricing: $35.88/year (individual), $59.88/year (family)
- Cipher: AES-256-GCM
- Zero-knowledge: Yes, 1Password's "Secret Key" architecture means even 1Password employees cannot access your vault
- Team features: Shared vaults, permission controls, activity log, admin console
- Breach history: No significant breaches as of 2026
Verdict: Best choice for teams or users who need cross-platform browser extension support and are willing to pay annually. More expensive than Bitwarden or Keepra.
Bitwarden (Best Open Source)
Bitwarden is the open-source champion. The code is publicly audited, you can self-host the entire service, and the free tier is genuinely usable, unlike most "free" password managers that cripple key features.
- Pricing: Free (core), $10/year (premium), $40/year (family)
- Cipher: AES-256
- Zero-knowledge: Yes, keys derived locally with PBKDF2 (now 600k iterations after updating)
- Self-host: Yes, full Vaultwarden/official server option
- Open source: Yes, core client and server code is public
- Breach history: None significant
Verdict: Best pure-play free or cheap password manager, especially if you care about open source. Slightly less polished UX than 1Password but fully functional.
Dashlane (Premium Tier)
- Pricing: $60/year (individual), one of the most expensive options
- Cipher: AES-256-GCM
- Zero-knowledge: Yes
- Unique feature: Built-in VPN (NordVPN partnership), dark web monitoring
- Verdict: Overpriced relative to Bitwarden. The VPN/dark web monitoring add-ons rarely justify the premium.
Keepra Vault
Keepra Vault is deliberately positioned differently from the above. It's not trying to replace 1Password's team sharing or Bitwarden's self-hosted enterprise mode. It's the password manager for the developer or knowledge worker who already uses Keepra for everything else.
- Pricing: $0 (local) / $29.99 lifetime (with sync)
- Cipher: AES-256-GCM (identical to 1Password and Dashlane)
- Key derivation: PBKDF2-SHA256, 600k iterations (NIST 2023 recommendation)
- Zero-knowledge: Yes, Secret Key never leaves device; server stores only
{iv,data,ts} - Offline-first: Yes, Vault works without internet, syncs when available
- Included with: Links, Notes, Tasks, Contacts, Drive, MCP Connector
- Browser extension: Not yet (planned)
- Team sharing: Not yet (planned)
Full Comparison Table
| Feature | LastPass | 1Password | Bitwarden | Dashlane | Keepra Vault |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cipher | AES-256 | AES-256-GCM | AES-256 | AES-256-GCM | AES-256-GCM |
| PBKDF2 iterations | 600k* | 650k | 600k | N/A (Argon2) | 600k |
| Zero-knowledge | ⚬ Claimed | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Offline vault access | ⚬ Limited | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ⚬ Limited | ✓ Yes |
| Open source | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✓ Yes | ✗ No | ✗ Not yet |
| Browser extension | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✗ Planned |
| Team sharing | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✗ Planned |
| MCP / AI access | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Breach history | ✗ 2022 (major) | ✓ Clean | ✓ Clean | ✓ Clean | ✓ Clean |
| Annual price (individual) | $36 | $35.88 | $10 (or free) | $60 | $0–$29.99 lifetime |
Who Should Use Keepra Vault?
Keepra Vault is the right choice if:
- You're already using (or considering) Keepra as your productivity workspace
- You work solo or in a very small team without need for shared vaults
- You prefer offline-first, zero-cloud exposure for credentials
- You want one encrypted backup that covers everything (not just passwords)
- You want AI access to your productivity data without giving AI access to your passwords
Use Bitwarden or 1Password instead if:
- You need a browser extension for auto-fill (Keepra Vault doesn't have one yet)
- You need to share credentials with a team
- You want a dedicated, battle-hardened standalone password manager
For more on Keepra's encryption approach, read the zero-knowledge encryption deep dive.