Switch from Bitwarden to tigerpassword
Export Bitwarden's plain JSON (not the encrypted one), preview, import, and delete the export. A guide for people who liked Bitwarden but want their vault off the server.
Bitwarden is a good product and its free tier is genuinely free, so this guide assumes you are moving for one reason: you want your vault to be a file you hold rather than a row on a server. Four steps.
The three safety rules
- The export has no lock. Bitwarden offers two JSON exports; the one you need is the plain one, and it is readable by anyone. Make it, use it, delete it, empty the trash.
- Your own computer, at home.
- Confirm before you delete anything in Bitwarden.
Step 1 — Export
- Open Bitwarden and find Tools → Export vault.
- Choose .json — the plain one, not “encrypted”. The encrypted export keeps Bitwarden’s lock on, and then nothing else can unpack it.
- Save the file.
Step 2 — Preview
vault-cli import ~/my.vault ~/Downloads/bitwarden_export.json
Folders become tags, notes stay notes, custom fields and URIs come along.
Step 3 — Commit
vault-cli import ~/my.vault ~/Downloads/bitwarden_export.json --commit
Step 4 — Delete the export
Delete the JSON, then empty the trash.
Where the two differ
Bitwarden’s server holds your encrypted vault and syncs it for you; that is convenient and it is also the thing that gets breached, subpoenaed or turned off. tigerpassword has no server: the encrypted file lives on your devices and syncs through the cloud you already pay for — Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud Drive, or any folder. Bitwarden also offers a self-hosted server for people who want control; tigerpassword’s answer is that there is nothing to host.
The comparison page lists what Bitwarden does better, including the things we are not going to build.
After the move
Spot-check, try a login on its site, use it for a week, then delete your Bitwarden data. If you paid for Premium, cancel it after that week.