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Vaultwarden vs Bitwarden (self-hosted server)
Short answer: Vaultwarden and Bitwarden (self-hosted server) are both self-hostable alternatives to 1Password. Pick Vaultwarden if community size is your main criterion – it has 3.4× the stars. Pick Bitwarden (self-hosted server) if its feature set fits your use case better – stars, license and activity don't measure features, so try both on a test server. If you will customize the code, choose the stack your team knows (Vaultwarden: Rust, Bitwarden (self-hosted server): C#).
Vaultwarden has 3.4× the GitHub stars of Bitwarden (self-hosted server) (69.3k vs 20.4k). Stars measure popularity and community size, not quality. Both are actively developed: Vaultwarden's last push was on 2026-10-16 (3 days before our check); Bitwarden (self-hosted server)'s last push was on 2026-10-19 (on the day of our check).
Vaultwarden vs Bitwarden (self-hosted server) at a glance
| Vaultwarden | Bitwarden (self-hosted server) | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 69.3k | ★ 20.4k |
| Forks | 3.3k | 1.8k |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 (+ source-available Bitwarden License in /bitwarden_license) (file) |
| License type | network copyleft | network copyleft |
| Last push | 2026-10-16 3 days before our check | 2026-10-19 on the day of our check |
| Latest GitHub release | 1.37.4 2026-10-05 | v2026.10.0 2026-10-14 |
| Main language | Rust | C# |
| Archived | no | no |
| Repository | dani-garcia/vaultwarden | bitwarden/server |
Data: GitHub REST API, checked 2026-10-19. Licenses verified manually against each project's license file. Self-hosting difficulty (1Password: easy) is our rating per use case and applies to both.
In their own words
Vaultwarden (GitHub description): Unofficial Bitwarden compatible server written in Rust, formerly known as bitwarden_rs
Bitwarden (self-hosted server) (GitHub description): Bitwarden infrastructure/backend (API, database, Docker, etc).
Which should you pick?
- Pick Vaultwarden if community size is your main criterion – it has 3.4× the stars.
- Pick Bitwarden (self-hosted server) if its feature set fits your use case better – stars, license and activity don't measure features, so try both on a test server.
- If you will customize the code, choose the stack your team knows (Vaultwarden: Rust, Bitwarden (self-hosted server): C#).
Both use a network copyleft license (AGPL-3.0 / AGPL-3.0 (+ source-available Bitwarden License in /bitwarden_license)). Vaultwarden is written mainly in Rust, Bitwarden (self-hosted server) in C# – relevant if you plan to patch or extend it. License note for Bitwarden (self-hosted server): Default is AGPL-3.0. Code under /bitwarden_license uses the source-available Bitwarden License (non-production use only; paid subscription for production). The Api module includes it by default and can be built without it using the OSS define.
FAQ
Which is more popular, Vaultwarden or Bitwarden (self-hosted server)?
Vaultwarden has 3.4× the GitHub stars of Bitwarden (self-hosted server) (69.3k vs 20.4k). Stars measure popularity and community size, not quality.
Are Vaultwarden and Bitwarden (self-hosted server) actively maintained?
Both are actively developed: Vaultwarden's last push was on 2026-10-16 (3 days before our check); Bitwarden (self-hosted server)'s last push was on 2026-10-19 (on the day of our check). Latest GitHub releases: Vaultwarden 1.37.4 (2026-10-05), Bitwarden (self-hosted server) v2026.10.0 (2026-10-14).
What licenses do Vaultwarden and Bitwarden (self-hosted server) use?
Vaultwarden: AGPL-3.0 – network copyleft (AGPL: if you run a modified version as a service for others, you must publish your changes). Bitwarden (self-hosted server): AGPL-3.0 (+ source-available Bitwarden License in /bitwarden_license) – network copyleft (AGPL: if you run a modified version as a service for others, you must publish your changes). Bitwarden (self-hosted server) keeps some code under a separate license (open-core).
Is Vaultwarden or Bitwarden (self-hosted server) easier to self-host?
We rate self-hosting difficulty per use case, not per project: easy for 1Password alternatives. Both need a server you maintain; check each project's install docs for the exact services (database, workers) it needs.
Should I pick Vaultwarden or Bitwarden (self-hosted server)?
Pick Vaultwarden if community size is your main criterion – it has 3.4× the stars. Pick Bitwarden (self-hosted server) if its feature set fits your use case better – stars, license and activity don't measure features, so try both on a test server. If you will customize the code, choose the stack your team knows (Vaultwarden: Rust, Bitwarden (self-hosted server): C#).
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