Bitwarden has removed the "Always free" and "Inclusion" statements from its public website, sparking questions about the future of its pricing model.

This shift is significant because the company built a large user base on the promise of a permanent free tier. The sudden removal of these pledges, coinciding with leadership changes, has led users to worry that the service may move toward a mandatory subscription model.

According to reports, the website changes were observed in February 2024 [1]. This period also marked a transition in the company's leadership. CEO Michael Crandell moved to an advisory role in February 2024 [1]. The departure of longtime executives happened alongside the scrubbing of the "Always free" messaging from the site [1].

In a recent interview on the TWiT network, founder and CTO Kyle Spearring addressed these community concerns [2]. Spearring said to Leo Laporte that the website and the company's current direction had changed [2]. While the company no longer promotes the "Always free" wording on its homepage, Spearring's discussion with Laporte implied that the company intends to keep the service free [2].

This creates a contradiction between the company's public-facing marketing and the statements made by its leadership. While the website no longer explicitly guarantees a free tier, the CTO continues to signal that the core offering will remain accessible without cost [1], [2].

Bitwarden has not provided a detailed public explanation for why the "Inclusion" values were also removed from the site [1]. The company's restructuring appears to be a broader effort to redefine its corporate identity, and operational goals, as it scales.

“Bitwarden removed the "Always free" and "Inclusion" statements from its website.”

The removal of explicit pricing guarantees often signals a company's desire for future flexibility in monetization. By scrubbing "always free" from its marketing, Bitwarden grants itself the legal and branding room to introduce new paid tiers or limit free features without contradicting a formal public pledge, even if current leadership maintains a commitment to free access.