If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve received the unfortunate news that Dropbox is discontinuing their password manager service. We are aware that change is never easy, but this could actually be a blessing in disguise. Even better, an opportunity to upgrade to a password manager that truly puts your security and privacy first. In their announcement, Dropbox is sending users toward 1Password, calling it “highly trusted and secure.” Here’s what they might not be telling you: 1Password is proprietary software. This means you have no idea what’s actually happening under the hood with your most sensitive data. Think about it for a bit, you’re trusting a black box with your digital life. Your banking passwords, work credentials, personal accounts are all locked away in software where you can’t verify the security claims, can’t audit the code, and have to take their word that your data is truly protected. Our thoughts on the situation? When it comes to password managers, transparency isn’t just nice to have, it should be considered essential. How can you trust what you can’t see?

Your Next Password Manager

Before you make the switch, consider these critical criteria for choosing a password manager that will actually serve your interests:

• Open Source Code: The source code should be publicly available for security experts to audit. This transparency builds real trust, not marketing-based trust;
• Self-Hosting: You should have the option to host your own instance, giving you complete control over your data and where it lives;
• Strong Encryption: Look for end-to-end encryption with industry-standard algorithms. Your data should be encrypted before it ever leaves your device;
• Active Community: A vibrant open-source community means continuous security improvements, bug fixes, and feature development;
• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Your password manager should work seamlessly across all your devices and browsers;
• Organizational Features: If you’re part of a team, look for secure sharing, collections, and user management features;
• No Vendor Lock-in: You should be able to export your data easily and switch to another solution if needed. We have talked about this here.

Vaultwarden: The Open-Source Solution That Checks Every Box

The last years we recommend Vaultwarden, which is an open-source password manager that’s compatible with all Bitwarden clients, but designed to be lightweight and efficient. Ideal for individuals and small to medium teams, no?

While self-hosting gives you maximum control, we understand that not everyone wants to manage servers and updates. That’s where our Vaultwarden Managed Hosting service comes in. With this setup, we handle all the technical heavy lifting including software deployment, server management, updates, backups, security monitoring. At the same time, you get all the benefits of an open-source password manager. The best part? You can try our managed Vaultwarden service with a 15-day free trial. No credit card required, no commitments. Our managed hosting packages are specifically designed for small and medium teams who want enterprise-grade security without the enterprise complexity

Migrating from Dropbox Passwords to Vaultwarden is straightforward with our Add-On Data Migration services that we soft launched less than a year ago. You can also do the process yourself: export your data from Dropbox (they provide CSV export functionality), and import it directly into Vaultwarden. No data loss, no hours of manual re-entry.

Ready to get started? Contact our team for a quick demo of our Vaultwarden managed hosting service, or dive right in with our free 15-day trial. We’re here to help make your transition from Dropbox Passwords as smooth as possible.