Enpass — Best Budget Password Manager w/ Offline Access
Bitwarden works on the same devices as 1Password, so you can use it with any computer, phone, tablet, or browser. You can easily upgrade to Bitwarden Premium for $10 a year, or export your passwords to 1Password, if you do want paid features later. Password Bos has a great set of features that can rival any password manager software, in addition, it packs some unique features.
There’s support for biometric authentication on mobile devices too, and syncs your data across an unlimited number of devices. 1Password offers the best combination of compatibility, ease of use, features, and price of any paid password manager we tested. It has polished apps that work on just about any computer, tablet, phone, or Web browser. Its Watchtower feature helps you identify and change weak, reused, or compromised passwords, and 1Password walks you through correcting those problems in clear, easy-to-follow language. RoboForm is a useful password manager app created to help users save passwords and browser bookmarks.
Dashlane doesn’t have the longevity of its chief rivals, but it’s been around long enough to earn a reputation for ease of use. If your password database includes fewer than 50 entries and you only need to use the software on a single device, you can get by with the free version, which also supports two-factor authentication. Dashlane does not offer a family plan, but it does support sharing of passwords between accounts. As you’d expect from a purely premium product, Keeper is one of the most sophisticated password managers around. Not only does it offer plugins for every major browser, plus mobile apps for iOS and Android, it’s also available as a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux.
But the company that owns LastPass, LogMeIn, was acquired in 2019 by two private-equity firms, which makes us concerned about the future of LastPass. Since Bitwarden does just about everything LastPass does with potentially cheaper family and premium plans, all while remaining open-source, we think it’s the better option right now. LastPass does have some standout qualities, such as emergency access, which is nice to have if something happens to you and someone else needs to access your account.
If you’re new to password managers and you want to try Bitwarden, we think the service is worth the $10 for at least one year so you can improve any weak passwords you have right now. This feature is handy if you want to share certain logins with a partner or roommate, whether that’s for banking access or just your video streaming account. LastPass is one of the most well known and advertised password manager software solutions. LastPass is available in 57 languages and has a free 30 day trial period and an extension for every browser out there. This password manager has a lot of great features but it is not entirely free of some issues.
Dashlane — Best All-Around Password Manager
It’s good security for a password manager to lock itself periodically, but people also don’t want to use something that they find more irritating than helpful. 1Password’s user interface is otherwise easy to understand, even for people who are new to a password manager, and you can quickly view and change saved passwords and other information. Your default “vault” stores login information, credit card numbers, and data for auto-filling forms. This is especially important for 1Password Families or Business accounts, where you might want to share the contents of one vault with other 1Password users while keeping other vaults private. Most Web browsers already offer to save and auto-fill your passwords for you, and browsers such as Chrome and Safari even offer to generate strong passwords when you need them.
LastPass provides its users an ability to assign several trusted devices, autofill of passwords, password monitor, Never URLs feature, Equivavelt URLs feature, password generator. One issue that we can name is that everything is saved in the cloud, so if you are offline you have no access to your saved data. The free version of Bitwarden gets the basics right and doesn’t cost a thing, but it lacks a few features that make 1Password such a standout option, including password checkups, breach reports, and 1 GB of encrypted storage. Plus, Bitwarden isn’t as polished overall and lacks the in-app guidance of 1Password, which makes it harder for beginners to get the hang of.
Why should I use a password manager?
If you’re setting up a password manager for the first time, however, we recommend 1Password for its superior apps and the more visible and actionable security suggestions you get from its Watchtower feature. By default, the 1Password app and browser extension lock your account after your computer is idle for 10 minutes.
In the desktop and mobile apps, this isn’t a huge deal, since you can use your fingerprint or face to unlock the app (if your device supports that) without typing your master password in again. We recommend using 1Password’s settings to increase the time limit from 10 minutes to a more forgiving time interval such as an hour or two, though you can set it to any interval you like—the app doesn’t have a limit.
- Bitwarden’s free account is, well, free, and it gives you the majority of features we look for in a password manager.
- The biggest features you’re likely to miss are password audits, priority tech support, and the 1 GB of secure storage, all which add a very reasonable $10 per year if you’re interested.
A simple but very useful feature is the initial tips, they are a great help during the first few minutes of the app use. This is crucial because the menu design is very original, it can be a flaw to some users. Additional features include secure notes, digital wallet, security dashboard, dark web password scan, dark web email scan. Some password managers include additional security features like two-factor authentication to keep your information extra safe from hackers.
Bitwarden’s free account is, well, free, and it gives you the majority of features we look for in a password manager. It’s not a time-limited trial like 1Password, and it doesn’t restrict the number of devices you can use or passwords you can store like other free password managers. The biggest features you’re likely to miss are password audits, priority tech support, and the 1 GB of secure storage, all which add a very reasonable $10 per year if you’re interested.
Unlike LastPass, the free version of RoboForm doesn’t sync your passwords across multiple devices. For that you’ll need a premium subscription, but prices are very reasonable. You’ll also get a host of other useful features, including the ability to share logins securely, multi-factor authentication, and priority 24/7 support.
All that is available in 16 languages and users can try it out for free during a 30 days trial period. Standard features include saving, sorting, and sharing of certain password objects. Additionally Password Boss allows users to use a secure browser, Emergency access feature (quickly get access to data from another device), share the protected credentials to other users, automatic password import.
Using Google Smart Lock or Apple’s Keychain is certainly better than reusing weak passwords. Instead, users can use password managers to easily access all of their services, without needing to manually enter your data. Password managers are desktop or mobile applications that maintain password and account info. These applications store your login information, and when you navigate to a website or service to log in, they automatically enter your details into a form.
There are a lot of useful features including automatic password saving, export, and import of account data, the ability to use the same set of accounts on different devices. A password manager can help you create, store and auto-fill unique passwords for your accounts. Many password managers offer similar features, but there are differences to consider as you decide which to use.
NordPass — Best User-Interface for Simple Password Management
For free, a single user gets access to unlimited password storage, password access on all devices, 2FA, a secure password sharing feature, secure notes, a password generator, and a tool for checking the security of passwords. Those features make LastPass one of the most well-rounded free password managers on the market; ideal for anybody who wants an easy solution that works with practically no learning curve. Password managers let you securely store all of your passwords, payment info, and other personal information in an encrypted database that only you can access with your master password. These managers can also generate strong new passwords and allow you to share passwords with other registered users under your plan.
Short on time? Here are the best password managers of 2020:
It has a beautiful interface, is easy to use, and is stocked with features to help you strengthen your online security. Chief among these is a stellar security dashboard that grades your passwords and suggests actions for boosting your score and your protection.
It has user-friendly apps that alert you to security problems and can help you fix them. Dashlane also has a free version, but it’s limited to one device and 50 passwords, and most people have multiple devices and more passwords. At $60 a year, Dashlane’s most popular plan is expensive, and the company has no family plans to reduce the costs if you need to share passwords with others. And although Dashlane Premium includes a VPN, it’s provided by AnchorFree, maker of HotSpot Shield, a VPN that has been accused of deceptive trade practices. Both LastPass Free and Premium are solid options for most people, and LastPass Free was previously our free pick in this guide.
Dashlane is free for a single device, but if you want syncing across multiple devices you’ll need a Premium plan, which has a$60 price tag—the highest in our roundup. This is the only thing that slightly dampens are enthusiasm for this fantastic password manager. It makes it a breeze to create unique, complex passwords; capture and manage login credentials; sync them across multiple devices; and share them with others you trust.