I didn’t switch from 1Password to Bitwarden because I wanted to—I switched because I had to. We needed to cut costs, and Bitwarden came highly recommended by someone I trusted. Even the paid plan was cheaper than what we were using, and on paper, it seemed like a great move.

And honestly? It was fine. Clean interface. Open-source ethos. Most of the features I used regularly were there. Sure, there were quirks—slightly slower sync, the occasional autofill that didn’t trigger—but nothing that felt like a dealbreaker.

When I left that company, I stuck with Bitwarden.

That’s the key part—I kept using it, even though I wasn’t obligated to anymore. It had become part of my daily flow. I wanted the switch to be worth it. I wanted to believe in it.

But then something else happened.

The Chrome extension started failing to load. Randomly. Unpredictably. And when it failed, I had no easy access to my credentials. I’d reload, restart, dig through the vault manually—but it kept happening. Then, during a critical moment when I needed to log in, it failed again. I couldn’t wait. I couldn’t stay in flow. That was the final straw.

I reinstalled 1Password, migrated all my credentials back over, and haven’t looked back.

Ironically, Bitwarden fixed the issue not long after. But it didn’t matter. The damage was done. Trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. Once I had a stable, familiar system again, I wasn’t going to take the risk of switching back—even if the fix was in place.

This wasn’t a petty move. It was the natural result of buildup. I had already looked past smaller flaws. I had stayed loyal. But that one final failure made me realize I no longer trusted the product to be there when I needed it most. That’s when a tool stops being a tool—and starts being a liability.

If you’re building something, this should shape how you think:

• The final straw is rarely the first flaw. It’s the accumulation (plus bad timing) that drives someone away.

• Your product isn’t just being used, it’s being trusted. And trust has a threshold.

• Your support and success teams are your early warning system. If they’re hearing recurring bugs or frustrations that don’t seem “critical,” pay close attention, they probably are.

• Not all failures throw errors. A plugin that doesn’t load quickly isn’t technically a crash, but for your user, it’s a complete failure.

Users don’t leave just because something breaks. They leave when they stop believing it will get better. And when that belief is gone, even the perfect fix may not be enough to win them back.

If you’re fortunate enough to earn your users’ trust, protect it. Know what your table stakes are, the non-negotiables. These are the features your users expect to always work. They’re often invisible when working well, but unforgettable when they fail.

As your product grows and evolves, don’t lose sight of this. Know what 80% of your users rely on every day, or every time they open your product. Don’t assume. Know it. Measure it. Talk to your users. Watch how they actually use your product.

Be aware. Be vigilant. Combine analytics with human insight—especially from the people on your team who talk to users daily.

That’s how you build trust.

That’s how you keep it.