Bitwarden Emergency Access and Bunker’s Legacy Vaults solve the same worry, “how will my family get in if something happens to me?”, for different things. Bitwarden lets one trusted contact request your password vault and get it after a waiting period you can reject; Bunker lets the people you choose open a read-only copy of one vault of documents and photos, but only when enough of them combine their printed Legacy Cards.
The short verdict
- Bitwarden is better for passwords and for a veto. Its waiting period gives you time to say no if a request comes too early. Bunker v1 has no waiting period.
- Bunker is better when no single person should hold the key, when your family won’t make accounts, or when what matters is a folder of scans, photos and letters rather than logins.
Side by side
| Bunker Legacy Vaults | Bitwarden Emergency Access | |
|---|---|---|
| Encryption model | One vault’s key is split with SLIP-0039 into Legacy Cards; any chosen number of them rebuild it | Your vault key is encrypted to the contact’s public key and released on approval or after the wait |
| Account required | None, for you or your contacts | A Bitwarden account for you and each contact; invitations by email |
| Unlock method | Combine enough Legacy Cards in the Bunker app, by scanning the QR code or typing the words | The contact requests access; you approve, or the wait time passes |
| Backup | Encrypted read-only copy in the app’s public iCloud database, plus an optional offline archive file | Stored in Bitwarden’s cloud (or your own server) |
| Multiple vaults / decoy | Your other vaults are never included or revealed | Covers your individual vault |
| Duress | A Legacy Vault can’t be the Duress Vault | Not applicable |
| Family access / legacy | Up to 5 trusted contacts; you set how many must act together, for example 2 of 3 | Any number of contacts; each one alone can get access; View or Takeover |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad and Mac | Web app, browser extensions, desktop and mobile apps |
| Price model | Bunker Pro; trusted contacts use Bunker free | Bitwarden Premium or Families; contacts can use a free account |
Bitwarden details come from its help pages on Emergency Access and adding trusted emergency contacts, and its pricing page, checked Oct 24, 2026.
How Bitwarden Emergency Access works
You invite a trusted emergency contact by email. They need a Bitwarden account, free or paid, on the same server region, and the invitation lasts five days. Once they accept and you confirm them, your vault key is encrypted with their public key and stored. When they need in, they request access. You can approve it at any time or reject it; if you don’t respond, access is granted automatically after the wait time you set for that person, at least one day.
You choose View, which gives read access to everything in your individual vault including attachments, or Takeover, which has them set a new master password and removes your two-step login methods. Adding emergency contacts needs Premium, $19.80 a year, or Families, $47.88 a year for up to 6 users. Prices can change.
How Bunker Legacy Vaults work
In Vault Settings → Legacy, you add up to 5 trusted contacts by name (no email address or Apple Account needed), choose how many must come together, and print a Legacy Card for each. A card holds 33 words and a QR code. One card alone opens nothing, unless you choose a set of just 1. When enough cards are combined in the free Bunker app, those contacts get a read-only copy of that one vault, which they can save and export.
Your devices keep an encrypted copy of the vault in the app’s public iCloud database, findable only with the key the cards rebuild. It’s kept apart from your own iCloud account so it can still be reached if that account is closed. Photos and videos in that copy are kept at Optimized quality, and the copy can hold up to 1 GB. You can also export an offline archive file for a lawyer or a USB drive, which opens with the cards even without the internet. Read the full flow on Legacy Vaults and how to open one.
Where Bunker is different
No single person holds the key. With 2 of 3, a lost or stolen card opens nothing, and nobody, including us, Apple or one contact, can open the vault alone. In Bitwarden each emergency contact can get access on their own once the wait passes.
No accounts for anyone. Your contacts don’t sign up for anything, and you don’t need their email. The card is what they keep with their important papers.
One vault, not everything. A Legacy Vault shares exactly one vault. Your other vaults are never included and never revealed.
Documents, not logins. Bunker isn’t a password manager; it doesn’t autofill or store passkeys. It’s built for scanned wills, insurance policies, photos and a letter to the people you trust. A “What to include” checklist inside a Legacy Vault suggests what to scan.
Choose Bitwarden Emergency Access if…
- You want a waiting period with a veto. This is the honest gap: Bunker v1 lets enough contacts open a Legacy Vault at any time, and you’re usually told only afterwards. A waiting period is planned for a later version, not available now.
- You want one person to be enough. Bitwarden works with a single contact. Bunker offers 1 of 1, but not 1 of several.
- What your family needs is your logins. Passwords, two-factor codes and passkeys belong in a password manager.
- You want Takeover. Bitwarden can hand the whole vault to your contact to keep using. Bunker gives a read-only copy.
- Your contacts use Windows, Android or the web. Bunker’s app runs only on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and contacts need it to open a card.
Choose Bunker Legacy Vaults if…
- You’d rather no single person could open it, even with their card in hand.
- Your family won’t create accounts or keep track of logins.
- You want to pass on documents and photos, and keep other vaults out of it.
- You want a paper copy that works without the internet.
Legacy Vaults are part of Bunker Pro ($19.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, or $39.99 once). Being a trusted contact is free.
Limits to know
In v1, Bunker doesn’t know whether you’ve died. The “opened” notice to you is best-effort. Contacts who opened a copy keep what they downloaded, even if you later change the cards, and an offline archive made before a change still opens with the old cards. Legacy Vaults aren’t a will and don’t make legal decisions. For a broader comparison including 1Password and Apple, read password manager emergency access compared.
Related
- Apple Legacy Contact explained
- Digital estate planning checklist and the free digital legacy checklist
- Bunker vs 1Password
- Guide: store passport and ID copies safely
Questions
Can a Bitwarden emergency contact open my vault while I'm alive?
They can request it at any time. You can approve or reject the request, and if you do nothing, access is granted automatically when the wait time you chose runs out. The minimum wait is one day.
Can Bunker trusted contacts open a Legacy Vault while I'm alive?
Yes, in v1. Enough of them acting together can open it at any time, and you're usually notified afterwards, not before. There's no waiting period yet, so choose people you'd trust with that vault today.
Do trusted contacts need an account?
For Bitwarden, yes: each emergency contact needs a Bitwarden account on the same server region, and invitations arrive by email. For Bunker, no: a trusted contact needs only their Legacy Card and the free Bunker app on an iPhone, iPad or Mac.
Should I use both?
Often, yes. They cover different things: Bitwarden for passwords and logins, Bunker for scanned documents, photos and letters, and Apple's Legacy Contact for the Apple Account itself.