Bcrypt vs Argon2
Which password hashing algorithm should you use in 2026? A technical comparison of security, speed, and memory hardness.
When to use which?
Legacy Systems
"Integrating with older databases or frameworks that only support bcrypt out of the box."
Modern Applications
"Building a new application with modern security requirements and sufficient memory limits."
Read the Deep Dive
We wrote a comprehensive technical guide covering this exact topic in extreme detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.Is bcrypt considered obsolete?
No, bcrypt is not obsolete. It is still considered secure when used with a sufficiently high cost factor (12 or higher). However, Argon2 is the recommended standard for new systems as it provides better resistance against modern hardware attacks (ASICs/GPUs).
Q.Which version of Argon2 should I use?
Argon2id is the recommended variant for password hashing. It combines the resistance against GPU cracking of Argon2d with the side-channel attack resistance of Argon2i.
Q.Why is Argon2 better than bcrypt?
Argon2 is designed to be "memory-hard." This means it requires a significant amount of RAM to compute the hash. Attackers using custom hardware (ASICs) or GPUs to crack passwords have limited, expensive memory, making Argon2 much more costly and slower to crack at scale compared to bcrypt.
Recommended Developer Utilities
Free, private, client-side tools relevant to this guide.
Bcrypt Password Hasher
Generate secure Bcrypt hashes for your application passwords. Our professional tool supports custom cost factors (salt rounds) and follows industry-standard security protocols for password storage.
Argon2 Hasher (Modern)
Generate Argon2 hashes, the winner of the Password Hashing Competition (PHC). Configure memory cost, iterations, and parallelism to create the most secure hashes available today.