Our recommendations, the tradeoffs behind them, and when your current setup may be enough. Each article explains its evidence and what remains untested.
For one person, start with Bitwarden Free: every Bitwarden account lists unlimited devices and passwords at $0, and Premium is $19.80 a year if you want emergency access. For a household of three to six, Bitwarden Families is $47.88 a year for six premium accounts. Choose 1Password Families ($4.49 a month for the first year, then $5.99, paid annually) when you want a family organizer who can restore a member's access. Keep your current manager if it already syncs, shares and has a recovery plan.
Shortlist NordPass when its documented paid features close a real gap. We would skip a switch motivated only by an introductory discount. Compare Bitwarden Free, the renewal invoice and the migration work before committing. This is a documentation review, not an app test or security audit.
Shortlist 1Password Families when your household wants someone who can restore a member's access: a family organizer can recover an account and the member keeps their data. Budget on the regular price, not the promo. Individual is $2.99 a month for the first year, then $3.99; Families is $4.49, then $5.99, both paid annually. A solo user with a working vault, or a household happy with Bitwarden Families at $47.88 a year, can skip it.
Use a worked example
Fill the vault row before you open the cart
Record seats, first-term invoice, trial, and refund window from the live pricing page.