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Cybersecurity · head to head

Bitwarden vs Very Good Security

Bitwarden logo

Bitwarden

Cybersecurity

Open source password management for everyone

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Very Good Security logo

Very Good Security

Cybersecurity

Tokenisation proxy that keeps card and personal data out of your own systems and out of PCI scope

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Bitwarden has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Bitwarden the integrated TOTP authenticator, encrypted file attachments, vault health reports and Emergency Access are all withheld from the free plan and need Premium at $1.65 per month; Very Good Security vGS sits in the live path of every request carrying sensitive data, so its latency and availability become yours, and an outage in the proxy is a payment outage no matter how healthy your own systems are.
  • They diverge on capability: Bitwarden covers Unlimited password storage, Very Good Security covers Aliasing proxy.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bitwarden and Very Good Security actually diverge.

Attributes where Bitwarden and Very Good Security differ
AttributeBitwardenVery Good Security
Starting priceFree$1000/month
Pricing modelfreemiumPer month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Web, CliWeb, API
Founded2016Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Bitwarden

  • Unlimited password storage
  • Cross-platform sync
  • Secure password sharing
  • Password generator
  • Two-factor authentication
  • Encrypted file attachments
  • Vault health reports
  • Emergency access

Only in Very Good Security

  • Aliasing proxy
  • PCI scope reduction
  • Network tokenisation
  • Processor optionality
  • Card issuing data
  • Vault and access controls
  • Data residency options
  • Compliance artefacts

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Bitwarden

  • Personal password managementnot Very Good Security
  • Team credential sharingnot Very Good Security
  • Enterprise securitynot Very Good Security
  • Compliance requirementsnot Very Good Security
  • Developer secrets managementnot Very Good Security

Very Good Security

  • A marketplace facing its first PCI DSS Level 1 assessment that wants to keep card data off its own estate rather than harden a dozen servicesnot Bitwarden
  • A merchant negotiating with a second acquirer that needs card credentials portable so the negotiation is real rather than theoreticalnot Bitwarden
  • A fintech collecting bank account and identity documents that wants sensitive fields absent from logs, backups and analytics warehouses by constructionnot Bitwarden
  • A card issuer that must display a full PAN in its own mobile app without the app or its backend touching cardholder datanot Bitwarden

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Bitwarden

  • The integrated TOTP authenticator, encrypted file attachments, vault health reports and Emergency Access are all withheld from the free plan and need Premium at $1.65 per month
  • Free accounts can share vault items with one other Bitwarden user and no more
  • File storage is capped at 5 GB on Premium and 5 GB personal plus 5 GB family on the Families plan
  • Two-step login accepts up to 10 hardware security keys per account
  • The Families plan is capped at 6 people, so a seventh member means moving to a Teams subscription at $4 per user per month

Very Good Security

  • VGS sits in the live path of every request carrying sensitive data, so its latency and availability become yours, and an outage in the proxy is a payment outage no matter how healthy your own systems are.
  • Token portability is the whole selling point yet leaving VGS means migrating tokens back out, a project the vendor has no incentive to streamline, so the lock-in you removed from your acquirer partly moves to VGS.
  • Entry pricing at around one thousand US dollars a month is real money for a pre-revenue fintech, and it buys volume-limited throughput, so cost scales with exactly the growth that made you buy it.
  • Scope reduction is not scope elimination: your QSA still assesses how you integrate, and teams regularly discover that a support tool or an internal admin screen pulled plaintext back in and dragged systems into scope again.
  • Proxy-based interception constrains how you design request flows, and non-standard payloads, streaming uploads or binary formats often need custom routing rules that make debugging production issues noticeably harder.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bitwarden

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic password management
    • Zero-knowledge encryption
    • Advanced two-step login
  • Premium$1.65/month
    • Integrated authenticator
    • File attachments
    • Emergency access
  • Premium$19.8/year
  • Families$3.99/month
    • Up to 6 premium accounts
    • Unlimited sharing and collections
    • Organization storage included

Very Good Security

$1000/month
  • Starter$1000/month
    • Aliasing proxy
    • Vault storage
    • PCI scope reduction
  • Growth$undefined/month
    • Network tokenisation
    • Multiple processors
    • Data residency options
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Custom vault architecture
    • Dedicated support and SLA
    • Contractual compliance coverage

Which should you pick?

Choose Bitwarden if

  • You need unlimited password storage.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Web, Cli.
  • You also want cross-platform sync.
Bitwarden review

Choose Very Good Security if

  • You need aliasing proxy.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want pci scope reduction.
Very Good Security review

Questions people ask

Is Bitwarden or Very Good Security better?
Neither clearly leads. Bitwarden starts at Free and Very Good Security at $1000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bitwarden or Very Good Security?
Bitwarden has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bitwarden and $1000/month for Very Good Security.
Does Bitwarden or Very Good Security run on more platforms?
Bitwarden runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Web, Cli. Very Good Security runs on Web, API.
Can I use Bitwarden for free?
Yes. Bitwarden has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Very Good Security starts at $1000/month.
What is Bitwarden best used for?
Bitwarden is most often used for personal password management, team credential sharing, enterprise security, compliance requirements. Of those, personal password management and team credential sharing are not what Very Good Security is typically brought in for.
What can Bitwarden do that Very Good Security cannot?
Bitwarden covers Unlimited password storage, Cross-platform sync, Secure password sharing, Password generator. Very Good Security covers Aliasing proxy, PCI scope reduction, Network tokenisation, Processor optionality.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bitwarden: Does Bitwarden have a free plan?

Yes, Bitwarden offers a free tier with basic password management, zero-knowledge encryption, advanced two-step login, and unlimited devices across browser, mobile, and desktop apps.

Source
Very Good Security: Does VGS make me PCI compliant?

No. It removes cardholder data from your systems so your assessment covers a far smaller boundary, but you still complete an assessment and your integration is part of it.

Bitwarden: How much does Bitwarden Premium cost?

Bitwarden Premium costs $1.65 per month billed annually at $19.80 per year, including integrated authenticator, file attachments, emergency access, and security reports.

Source
Very Good Security: Can I move to another processor without re-collecting cards?

Yes, that is a core reason people buy it. The vault reveals stored credentials to whichever processor you route to.

Bitwarden: What is the difference between Bitwarden Teams and Enterprise?

Teams plan at $4 per user per month (annual billing) includes centralized ownership and secure credential sharing. Enterprise at $6 per user per month adds granular access control, passwordless SSO, account recovery, self-hosting, and complimentary Families plans for all users.

Source
Very Good Security: What does it cost?

Published entry pricing is about one thousand US dollars per month; growth and enterprise tiers are quoted.

Very Good Security: Is it only for card data?

No. The proxy handles any sensitive field, including bank details, national identifiers and documents, though payments is where the product is now focused.

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