TL;DR: Bitwarden fits teams that want a real Free individual vault, then Teams at $4/user/mo annual or Enterprise at $6. 1Password fits companies that will pay Business list pricing for the 1Password UX and travel/admin model. LastPass fits shops already on LastPass Business and willing to stay on that bill. Proton Pass fits teams that want Protonβs privacy stack rather than 1Passwordβs admin console.
A business password manager stores shared credentials under admin policy. It is not SSO by itself (though Enterprise rows add it) and not a secrets-manager for machines unless you buy that SKU.
Every entry uses the same fields: published pricing, unit, admin/SSO, self-host and the main limitation. The order below is not a quality ranking. Bitwarden Free/Teams first.
Business password managers compared at a glance
| Provider | Published pricing | Admin / SSO | Best for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitwarden | Free individual. Premium $1.65/mo ($19.80/yr). Teams $4/user/mo annual. Enterprise $6/user/mo annual | Teams: directory/SCIM. Enterprise: SSO, self-host option | Open-source vault with a public $4 Teams row | Visit β |
| 1Password | Business and Enterprise on 1password.com/pricing (per-user, billed annual) | Admin console, groups, SSO on higher rows | Teams standardising on 1Password | Visit β |
| LastPass | Business plans on lastpass.com/pricing | Admin + SSO packaged on Business/Identity rows | Existing LastPass estates | Visit β |
| Proton Pass | Free plus Pass Plus / bundled Proton plans on proton.me/pass/pricing | Business admin is the paid Proton Pass for Business row β confirm live | Proton account holders | Visit β |
Bitwarden Teams $4 and Enterprise $6 annual per user were read from bitwarden.com/pricing on 16 September 2026. 1Password and LastPass list prices move β use those pages for the seat quote.
One vendor prints $0 then $4/user. The others sell a branded vault at list.
Personal Free is not a company policy
Bitwarden Free is one person. Sharing, event logs and SCIM start on Teams. Do not roll out 40 personal Free vaults and call it a password programme.
The four providers in detail
1. Bitwarden
PUBLIC $4 TEAMS
Best for: companies that want an auditable shared vault on a printed per-user price and may self-host on Enterprise.
| Published pricing | Free (1 user). Premium $19.80/yr. Families $47.88/yr for 6. Teams $4/user/mo annual. Enterprise $6/user/mo annual |
| Admin / SSO | Teams: sharing, logs, directory/SCIM. Enterprise: SSO, recovery, Access Intelligence, self-host |
| Self-host | Enterprise option. You still pay seats plus the cluster |
| Free plan / trial | Permanent individual Free. Business trials on Teams/Enterprise |
| Main limitation | Secrets Manager is a separate seat bundle. TOTP sits on Premium for individuals |
- Budget Teams Γ headcount. That is the programme price.
- Self-host only if you already run similar services.
- Do not compare individual Premium $20/year to 1Password Business.
2. 1Password
BUSINESS LIST PRICE
Best for: teams that want 1Passwordβs apps, admin and item model and will pay the live Business per-user rate.
| Published pricing | 1password.com/pricing β Families, Business, Enterprise. Confirm current $/user |
| Admin / SSO | Business admin first. SSO/SCIM on the enterprise path |
| Self-host | Not Bitwardenβs Enterprise story. SaaS vault |
| Free plan / trial | Trial. No Bitwarden-style lasting org Free |
| Main limitation | You are buying the 1Password estate, not a $4 row |
- Count humans who need a vault, including contractors.
- Watch Families vs Business β Families is not an org policy tool.
- Developer secrets may need 1Passwordβs extra SKUs.
3. LastPass
INCUMBENT BUSINESS
Best for: organisations already paying LastPass Business that will compare a migration cost to staying.
| Published pricing | lastpass.com/pricing β Business / Identity rows |
| Admin / SSO | Business admin. Identity adds broader IAM language |
| Self-host | Cloud vault |
| Free plan / trial | Limited personal; business is paid |
| Main limitation | Migration off LastPass is an IT project. Price that against Bitwarden Teams |
- Stay only with a written reason (SSO already live, training done).
- Incident history belongs in security review, not in a slogan.
- Count add-ons. LastPassβs public grids have used add-on language next to seats.
4. Proton Pass
PRIVACY BUNDLE
Best for: teams already on Proton Mail/Drive that want passwords in the same account family.
| Published pricing | proton.me/pass/pricing β Free, Plus, and Pass for Business / bundle rows |
| Admin / SSO | Business features are on the paid Proton Pass business card β confirm SSO |
| Self-host | Not Bitwarden Enterprise self-host |
| Free plan / trial | Individual Free. Business is paid |
| Main limitation | Do not assume Proton Pass Free is an admin vault for 40 staff |
- If the company already pays Proton for Business, add Pass to that worksheet.
- Sharing and admin policy are the upgrade trigger.
- Swiss/privacy positioning is not a substitute for SSO on the grid.
Kurums Match: which one fits your situation
We need a company vault on a printed low seat price
Bitwarden Teams at $4/user/mo annual.
We need SSO and may self-host
Bitwarden Enterprise at $6, plus cluster if self-host.
The team already lives in 1Password
Stay. Count seats on the live Business page.
We already buy Proton
Proton Pass for Business β confirm admin on the current card.
Buying tip: multiply seats by 12. Migration hours sit on top. That total, not Premium $20/year, is the comparison.
How this comparison was put together
Bitwarden public grid 16 September 2026. Other vendors: live pricing pages. No paid placement. Kurums did not pentest vaults.
Order is printed $0 / $4 Teams first. No badge reflects a commercial relationship.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bitwarden Free enough for a company?
No. Free is one user. Teams is the programme.
Does a password manager replace SSO?
No. Enterprise rows add SSO. They do not retire your IdP.
What about KeePass?
File-based. Different ops model. Not in this SaaS set.
Did we audit encryption claims?
No. Read each vendorβs white paper and your own review.
Discover more from Kurums | Business Intelligence
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.