Comparison

U2 Secured vs Bitwarden

U2 Secured keeps two-factor codes out of the password vault entirely: TOTP is free and unlimited in the separate U2 Secured Authenticator app, while Bitwarden folds its integrated authenticator into a $19.80/yr Premium subscription. Passwords and their second factor are two products here, not one — deliberately, because a single store holding both is not two factors.

Basic and Premium also add group-based folder access control, so an organisation can scope exactly who sees which folder. What follows is the full comparison, sourced from Bitwarden's own site and dated.

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U2 Secured keeps passwords in an encrypted Password Vault and two-factor codes in the separate U2 Secured Authenticator app, where codes are free and unlimited

Who U2 Secured suits

Built for a reader who wants the second factor kept structurally apart from the vault it protects, and does not want to pay to combine them.

  • Anyone who wants two-factor codes free and unlimited, in a dedicated app, rather than bundled into a paid vault subscription.
  • An organisation that wants group-based folder permissions on Basic or Premium, so members see only the folders relevant to them.
  • A personal vault that fits inside 500 items — which is most people's — in exchange for that separation.

What each plan actually includes

Every Bitwarden figure below is read from Bitwarden's own site — the citation on each row goes straight to it, dated the day it was read.

FeatureU2 SecuredBitwarden
TOTP codes for other sites, from inside the vaultFree and unlimited, in the separate U2 Secured Authenticator app — not stored in the vaultRequires Premium, $19.80/yr — not on Free
Free tier item limit500 itemsUnlimited storage of logins, notes, cards and identities

U2 Secured's free plan holds up to 500 items — ample for a typical personal vault. Bitwarden's free tier carries no published cap, which matters for a very large one.

Devices on the free planUnlimited devices on every planUnlimited devices on Free

Both products match here.

Entry paid plan, price and users$60/yr for up to 5 usersPremium $19.80/yr for 1 account; Families $47.88/yr for up to 6 users

Bitwarden price increase in 2026: what changed

Bitwarden raised the price of its two personal plans in January 2026, announcing it on 21 January alongside new Premium features. Bitwarden's own pricing page, as archived in December 2025, listed Premium at $10 billed annually and Families at $40 billed annually for up to 6 users. The same page today lists Premium at $1.65 a month, billed annually at $19.80, and Families at $3.99 a month, billed annually at $47.88, still for up to 6 users.

  • Premium (1 person): $10/yr → $19.80/yr.
  • Families (up to 6 users): $40/yr → $47.88/yr.
  • Existing subscribers: Bitwarden's announcement says current subscribers get 15 days' notice before their next renewal, and that existing Premium and a few early Families 2019 customers get a one-time 25% loyalty discount for their first year of renewal.
Bar chart of yearly prices in US$: Bitwarden Premium rose from US$10 to US$19.80 and Bitwarden Families, for up to 6 users, from US$40 to US$47.88 in January 2026; U2 Secured Free is US$0 for 1 user and U2 Secured Basic is US$60 a year for up to 5 users
Bitwarden's yearly prices from its pricing page as archived on 2 December 2025 and as published now, both read 13 November 2026. U2 Secured: its own list prices, Basic billed per block of 5 users.

What the new Bitwarden prices mean for a household or a small team

One person: Bitwarden Premium is now $19.80/yr, and its integrated authenticator (TOTP) is one of the things it pays for. U2 Secured's free plan costs nothing for 1 user and 500 items, and TOTP codes are free and unlimited in the separate U2 Secured Authenticator app. Bitwarden's own free plan is also $0, with no published item cap.

A household: Bitwarden Families is $47.88/yr for up to 6 users and lets every member share items. U2 Secured Basic is $60/yr for up to 5 users and $120/yr for 6, because it bills per block of 5. For a family, Bitwarden Families costs less and includes sharing between members.

A small team: U2 Secured Basic is $60/yr per block of 5 users and adds group-based folder access, so each group sees only its own folders; Premium is $108/yr per block and adds SSO. Both start with a 7-day trial with no card. This page does not compare Bitwarden's business plans.

Public share links only — no user-to-user or organisation sharing. If family members need to share passwords with each other, U2 Secured does not do that yet.

two products, not one

Two products, not one

Competitors sell both factors in one vault. U2 Secured sells them as two products, deliberately kept apart, because a password and its second factor in one store are not two factors.

Bitwarden's integrated authenticator lives inside the same Premium subscription as the vault: one login, one record, both factors, for $19.80/yr.

U2 Secured keeps TOTP out of the vault entirely, in the free U2 Secured Authenticator app. The codes never touch the same store as the passwords they protect, and using the app for codes costs nothing. Its own Premium ($14.99/yr) gates encrypted backup, moving codes to a new device, and web portal access — not the codes themselves.

If you'd rather your second factor never share a store with the password it protects, that separation is the whole point — and it doesn't cost anything extra to get it.

said plainly

Where Bitwarden is ahead

Stated once, factually.

  • Bitwarden's free tier carries no published item cap. U2 Secured's holds up to 500 items — ample for a typical personal vault, but a real ceiling for someone with a very large one.
  • For a household, Bitwarden Families is $47.88/yr for up to 6 users with sharing between members. U2 Secured Basic is $60/yr for up to 5 users, and U2 Secured has public share links only, with no user-to-user sharing.

Choose U2 Secured if

  • You want TOTP kept structurally apart from your passwords, for free, rather than paying to combine them.
  • Group-based folder access control across an organisation matters to your team.
  • 500 items covers your vault, and the free-and-separate second factor is worth more to you than an uncapped item count.

What Bitwarden's design optimises for

  • No published item cap on Free, so a very large personal vault never forces an upgrade.
  • Passwords and TOTP in one Premium subscription, favouring a single login over structural separation.
  • A decade of independent security audits and an open-source codebase, for buyers who weight track record heavily.

Said out loud, not left for you to discover

  • Passwords and TOTP with U2 Secured are two products, not one subscription — the vault and the free U2 Secured Authenticator app.
  • A single person on Basic still pays for a full 5-user block: $60/yr for up to 5 users, whether one seat is used or five.
  • No group folders on free (max_groups = 0) — group-based folder access needs Basic or Premium.
  • U2 Secured is a new product with no published third-party security audit yet. Bitwarden has been audited repeatedly over roughly a decade.

Questions people actually ask

Does U2 Secured store two-factor (TOTP) codes?
Yes — free and unlimited, in the separate U2 Secured Authenticator app, never in the password vault. Bitwarden's integrated authenticator is genuinely good too, but it requires Premium ($19.80/yr); it is not on Bitwarden's free plan.
Is Bitwarden free really unlimited?
Yes, by Bitwarden's own help documentation: unlimited storage of logins, notes, cards and identities, on unlimited devices, at no cost. U2 Secured's free plan caps at 500 items for 1 user — enough for most personal vaults, though a very large one will hit it before Bitwarden's would.
Is U2 Secured cheaper than Bitwarden?
U2 Secured Basic is $60/yr for up to 5 users. Bitwarden Premium is $19.80/yr for 1 account, and Families is $47.88/yr for up to 6 — cheaper per user at the Families size, more expensive per user for a single account, since U2 Secured's block price does not shrink below 5 users' worth of coverage.
What does group-based access control add over Bitwarden?
U2 Secured's Basic and Premium plans let an organisation manage folder access by group, so a set of members can share exactly the folders relevant to them — a feature Bitwarden's personal plans don't offer at all; this page has not compared it against Bitwarden's separate business tiers.
Can I move my Bitwarden vault into U2 Secured?
Yes — the web vault imports a Bitwarden JSON or CSV export directly, encrypting each item in your browser. The full step-by-step guide, including what does and does not come across, is the switch guide linked below.

Sources for the Bitwarden side

Every Bitwarden figure above was read directly from bitwarden.com on the date shown; the prices before the 2026 increase come from Bitwarden's own pricing page as the Wayback Machine archived it in December 2025. Bitwarden changes its plans from time to time; if something has changed, its own pages are the authority and this comparison is out of date.

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Create a free U2 Secured workspace, or jump straight to the Bitwarden import guide if you already know you're moving.

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