Password managers are now the de facto standard for handling credentials. I spent over 40 hours researching more than 40 providers. After downloading and testing each, I sat through demos, evaluated customer reviews, and compared pricing and features.
I recommend choosing password management tools based on these criteria. Some solutions are better suited for managing personal use cases, while others are best for internal enterprise IT operations.
I am a passionate security practitioner with eight years of experience in the cybersecurity industry. In my spare time, I work as a technical security engineer and an architect instructor. Spreading the word about cybersecurity is a passion of mine. My technical, hands-on skills help me effectively evaluate all the available password managers to determine the best overall.
How I Rated the Best Password Manager Providers
I rated password manager providers based on automation and collaboration tools, support for integrations, self-service options, free trial options, and both the cost and ease of cancellation.
Automation and collaboration tools, plus reporting
The most valuable function of a password manager is helping streamline your company’s security best practices to ensure your credentials remain protected. So, I looked for products that provide:
Seamless password management experience
Collaboration tools like shared groups
Military-grade encryption
Increasing productivity by browser integrations
Remember that specific password managers may limit your number of free resources or even features in each given tier; it is essential to understand the differences before deciding fully.
Supports integrations
Your password management solution should integrate seamlessly with your company’s infrastructure and provide a way to incorporate many methods.
Self-service options
Another essential password management feature is self-service options that empower customers to help themselves without contacting the customer service desk. These features include knowledge bases and help centers, where customers find static information and answers to frequently asked questions.
Demo or free trial
Password management solutions are an investment in your online security, so it’s essential to test-drive a product to determine if it will truly fit your company’s needs. It also allows you to evaluate its UI. Some critical questions to ask yourself:
Is it an intuitive platform?
Does it have a steep learning curve?
How quickly can I train my team to use it?
Costs and ease of cancellation
The cost difference between a per-user license model and an enterprise package can be significant yearly; it is important to understand these models and what it takes to cancel if you ever grow out of the solution.
Dashlane is a password manager that offers free and paid accounts with a wide range of features. The free version works with one device and stores up to 50 passwords, but the paid options offer unlimited password storage on an unlimited number of devices.
Dashlane protects user data with 256-bit AES encryption, the industry standard for preventing unauthorized access to online accounts.
Dashlane maintains a stellar reputation in a hot market and is our pick for the best password management solution and secure password generation.
It offers free help to create strong passwords difficult for hackers to guess. I was able to choose the combination of my passwords from uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and even symbols, limited to up to 40 characters.
Dashlane provides 24/7 support through phone and live chat, and while not the most customizable, its feature-packed plans are well-configured and supported. Its most vital selling points are automatic syncing across the device, including VPN protection and dark web scans that will alert you if any of your accounts have been compromised. These features are significant when considering future-proofing your overall security posture.
Other advanced features that help support the security of your passwords include biometric authentication, automatic form filling, and 256-bit AES encryption. These features helped solidify Dashlane as the best overall password manager by exceeding the security threshold standard in the industry.
Who is Dashlane best for?
My testing showed that Dashlane is great for beginners, but can grow with you. I found that it’s easy on your pocket and comes with all the right tools, such as AES encryption, advanced authentication, and even automated form-filling. This premium-rich service will grow with you as both a password solution and a security tool.
Recent upgrades to Dashlane
Dashlane is continuously working on updating and improving its services to keep its solution secure and bug-free. Recently, Dashlane released a new feature to view the Payments section within the browser extension, not just the web app. Also, this upgrade includes some bug fixes applied to the Firefox version of the web app.
Dashlane pricing
Dashlane offers a limited free version, an individual plan starting at $3.33 per month, and a family plan for $4.99 monthly. That’s on par with leading competitors LastPass and NordPass. The company is not the cheapest, but you get the most premium features available within a password manager.
1Password offers individual, family, and business accounts with 256-bit AES encryption to prevent unauthorized access to your data.
The built-in password generator enables you to create secure passwords. 1Password also offers biometric authentication, which makes it even easier to securely access with a finger or face recognition on supported devices.
1Password is trusted by more than 100,000 businesses to ensure its password management remains a secure and seamless process. The company is mainly recognized as the best unlimited password manager due to its infinite storage and features available on many devices, including Linux.
I found device flexibility to be an essential feature, as I was able to use it across all of my devices. It’s especially helpful for a growing business that may be exploring different devices offered for its employees, including tablets and smartphones.
Another important feature that plays into 1Password’s ranking is its ability to integrate with other IAM providers like OKTA, Azure, and Rippling. This integration is critical to some organizations looking to onboard a password manager into their current infrastructure.
Lastly, the 1Password’s Watchtower feature helps to proactively scan and monitor your passwords to determine if they have been found on the web as compromised.
Who is 1PassWord best for?
My testing showed that 1Password is great for medium to large enterprises that are constantly growing. I found if you are just starting, you won’t go wrong signing up for a 1Password plan, as some of its best features are tailored toward the business. Also, with the lack of a free version, it deters the average individual user from giving it a try.
Recent upgrades to 1Password
1Password recently overhauled and released a new agent 1Password 8, which brought some major changes and fixes to the service, including updated browser support for Opera, updated templates for medical records, an improved export feature, and a new translator solution. Finally, 1Password fixed a handful of issues related to its locking mechanism.
1Password pricing
1Password offers competitive pricing for its individual and family plans. Starting at $2 per month for individuals and $4.99 per month for families, 1Password is on the lower end of the price spectrum for its offering. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a free trial, which may deter most curious people, but it provides tempting unlimited storage and devices and its robust enterprise features set it out front amongst its competition.
LastPass is a password manager that offers free and paid accounts with the broadest range of premium features. The free version provides password storage on an unlimited number of devices. What makes LastPass stand out is its package designed for families.
This family account costs $4 per month and comes with six premium licenses to make it easier for family members to share passwords.
LastPass offers one of the best free versions available on the market. Most users do not need to upgrade with the premium features included with the free version. Upgrading essentially gets you access to the ability to share with friends and family.
Another vital feature LastPass offers in both plans: it supports native biometric authentication and provides password strength tips. These features are great ways for users to improve their overall security strength on all accounts. Since 2FA is the de facto standard, LastPass must incorporate an option for both paid and free users.
I found the mobile and browser extension experience robust. It’s fully optimized to enable you to take your passwords anywhere. Empowering users to access their credentials from any device or location strengthens the use case for password managers as a whole.
Who is LastPass best for?
My testing showed that LastPass is great for individuals and small businesses. There are a lot of features and the UI is not too bad to navigate, but novices may be overwhelmed at first glance. I found that, for larger businesses, it is common to outgrow LastPass as the experience is tailored towards that smaller family mindset, so sharing options can be limited.
Recent upgrades to LastPass
LastPass recently fixed multiple issues related to the Safari app extension as well as an issue related to a copy/paste concern for federated users. Overall, LastPass seems to be on top of patching and upgrading efforts, as on average LastPass releases updates at least every two weeks.
LastPass pricing
LastPass offers a free version as well as two different paid plans: a $3 per month premium individual plan and a $4 per month family plan. It is competitive pricing as far as other industry leaders go and the family plan comes with six individual licenses and the ability to share between them all.
Pros and cons of LastPass
Pros
Hugely popular amongst individuals and families
Biometric 2FA
Password strength tips
Free version with premium features
Cons
Free version requires authentication app instead of built-in
NordPass is a cutting-edge password manager designed to help you generate, save, autofill, and securely access any password on any device for a simpler and safer online experience.
It’s brought to you by the team behind NordVPN so you can expect the same focus on security, including zero-knowledge architecture, a third-party security audit, and two-factor authentication options.
NordPass is optimized for your devices and simplifies browsing with a currently available extension for Edge, Chrome, Firefox, and Brave. The extension automatically saved and filled in my passwords on the go, allowing me to choose a secure password everywhere a secure login is required, alleviating the need to remember each password.
Its built-in data breach scanner is a top-notch feature that helps to identify if any of your accounts may have been involved in a breach-type situation. This feature gave me the peace of mind that LastPass is doing everything possible to keep track of its online accounts.
Lastly, with its password-sharing feature, there is less of a chance that multiple versions of a set of credentials are created or stored elsewhere, as seamless sharing is encouraged amongst members.
Other intuitive features include:
Biometric access
Automatic encryption
Password generator
Password health (Premium feature)
Data breach scanner (Premium feature)
Secure password sharing (Premium feature)
Who is NordPass best for?
My testing showed that NordPass is great for novices. If you are a beginner, you won’t go wrong signing up for a NordPass plan. The best part is that a free version allows you to determine if NordPass is the best solution for your needs.
Recent upgrades to NordPass
NordPass’ update release notes are a bit vague, giving you a high-level overview of any major changes but mostly using lingo to express changes that have been made. For example, “We have waved bye to some pesky bugs and spruced the place up a bit.” But NordPass has recently updated some password info fields, applied bug fixes, and added some language syntax features.
NordPass pricing
NordPass offers multiple plan options that are on the cheaper side of the market. It has a free version, a premium individual license for $1.49 per month, and a family plan for $4.99 per month. The family plan includes six user accounts and both premium and family plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee.
For families, this attractive option also offers 24/7 customer support to ensure you are fully operational with your purchase.
Keeper offers a free version of its password manager and a paid version that costs $2.91 per month, depending on the type of account selected. The free and paid versions work on an unlimited number of devices and have no limit on the number of passwords that can be stored.
Keeper also has several standard security features, including 256-AES encryption, support for biometric authentication, and a secure password generator that makes it easier to create strong passwords.
I was pleased to see Keeper respects your privacy with some advanced methodologies and features to enhance protection. Its main feature, the Zero-Knowledge model, ensures Keeper cannot access any of your master passwords, or encryption keys to decrypt your data.
Keeper also offers password sharing; when a password is shared with a trusted employee, that person can log in to the account without knowing your credentials. Syncing across devices also ensures that you consistently access the current credentials.
This Zero-Knowledge model is widely popular amongst agencies that deal with sensitive or confidential information and need that extra assurance their credentials are fully protected. Keeper also has a customizable UI, so if needed, you could develop a new interface that works for any business requirements using the toolkit. This tailored experience sets Keeper above the rest for individuals that value the ability to customize the password manager.
Who is Keeper best for?
My testing showed that Keeper is popular amongst small legal firms and individuals that value privacy. I found that most users have used a password manager before and are considered more advanced clients seeking a more customized experience.
Recent upgrades to Keeper
Keeper recently released some new features to improve the overall product, including the ability to perform offline edits in the new UI, iOS one-time sharing feature, and native support for NFC on Android. It also provides customers with up-and-coming features to provide a transparent look into the product’s roadmap.
Keeper pricing
Keeper offers a 30-day unlimited free trial that includes all the premium plan features and a free, scaled-back version that lacks specific access or sharing features. The premium for Keeper is $2.92 per month for a personal license and $6.25 per month for a family (five licenses).
Keeper also offers enterprise pricing at $3.75 for a single license. For larger rollouts, you would have to work with a sales consultant to get a quote for your company.
RoboForm was one of the earliest password managers on the market. Since its early days as a form-filling tool, RoboForm has added many additional features, including unlimited password storage for free and paid accounts, a secure password generator, password sharing, and device syncing for premium accounts.
Like many competitors, RoboForm uses AES-256 encryption to safeguard your data and a password audit tool to help you understand how to improve online security.
RoboForm, one of the original password managers, continues to support its free offering, which is fully unlimited in terms of storage and devices. The best feature I discovered about RoboForm is its easy setup experience for new users.
Outside of creating an account (username and password), RoboForm does all the heavy lifting for you. Once you download and install the desktop client, with permission, it will attempt to identify your primary browser and set up its extension. The free version also has an expedited setup process but lacks some premium features like syncing and sharing.
Lastly, I found its audit tool blows the competition out of the water as it can identify weak passwords and those that have been compromised in a breach or used elsewhere on your other accounts. These features get users up and running quickly and allow them to focus on doing instead of password managing.
Who is RoboForm best for?
My testing showed that RoboForm is best used amongst individuals and families who seem more experienced with password management. I found that its easy and streamlined setup encourages technical users to give its solution a try. The UI can be somewhat confusing to navigate for the novice user and the learning curve tends to be a bit steep to learn all the premium features.
Recent upgrades to RoboForm
RoboForm recently addressed some issues regarding some JSON login errors users were reporting, as well as some algorithm bugs. From a holistic perspective, it provides new updates, like some new designs throughout the UI, and includes instructions for hard-to-understand areas of the platform.
Overall, it seems RoboForm does a decent job posting updates and release notes for everything it supports.
RoboForm pricing
RoboForm has a free version, a premium individual version priced at $23.88 per year, and a family version for $47.75 per year. The free version offers unlimited password storage on an unlimited number of devices, but it omits some of the features available with premium plans, such as device syncing, cloud backup, two-factor authentication, and priority 24/7 support.
In terms of security, Enpass uses industry-standard 256-bit AES encryption to prevent unauthorized access to user credentials. Enpass also supports biometric authentication, has a secure password generator, and offers a password audit tool that helps users create strong passwords that aren’t as vulnerable to hacking attempts.
If you want to share accounts with friends and family members, Enpass offers password sharing, which makes it possible to allow other people to log in to streaming services and other accounts without having access to the account credentials.
Enpass is the cheapest subscription for a very important reason: it offers the ability to use your device for local storage of files, credentials, and backups. I found the thought process genius as the Enpass solution references the stored items via an encrypted channel, making it much more difficult for hackers to compromise your credentials.
More impressive yet, it is able to accomplish this local storage feature on all three of the major OS types (Mac, Windows, and Linux).
Who is Enpass best for?
My testing showed that Enpass was popular with individuals as the pricing model is exceptional. I found that many users also appreciated the local storage feature as it ensures Enpass does not store secrets in the cloud somewhere. Also, with seamless synchronization features, it was the best sell to the individual that has multiple devices across all types of operating systems.
Recent upgrades to Enpass
Enpass does a great job addressing and fixing minor bugs and glitches on the platform. More important upgrades included the integration of Microsoft 365 to Enpass Business plan to manage permissions and access rights within your organization – from your employees' onboarding to offboarding.
Enpass pricing
Enpass offers a free version as well as a paid subscription at just $1.99 per month. For $79.99, users can also upgrade to a lifetime subscription. The free account stores up to 25 passwords and works on one device, while the premium version stores unlimited passwords and works with an unlimited number of devices.
F-Secure offers automatic form-filling, which saves you time when logging into websites and mobile applications. Additional features include a secure password generator and automatic syncing across multiple devices. F-Secure doesn’t offer password sharing, however.
F-Secure works with the Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems, the iOS and Android mobile platforms, and the Safari, Opera, Edge, Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer browsers.
F-Secure works with various platforms. To protect your credentials against unauthorized access, it uses 256-bit AES encryption and supports biometric authentication, utilizing a unique method to verify your identity before allowing access to any accounts.
The built-in password report highlights potential security flaws, I was alerted when my passwords weren’t strong enough to resist brute-force attacks by hackers.
Its built-in device locator and remote account management are unique features that make it stick out to use as best for parental controls. These two features give parents peace of mind about where their child's device may be physically located and the ability to manage the device remotely if needed.
The parental controls, also built in, allow you to limit which accounts have access to specific websites per device.
Who is F-Secure best for?
My testing showed that F-Secure is great for families. I found that, if you are just starting out, you will enjoy F-Secure’s remote management ability as well as the parental controls for restricting account access.
Recent upgrades to F-Secure
F-Secure is a massive suite of tools that is constantly improving upon itself. Most recently, it has made some bug fixes and improvements to the virus scan feature. Family rules and parental control options now support streaming media controls to allow parents to restrict specific platforms from being accessed.
In addition, F-Secure has updated the mobile application to allow you to manage your account instead of just logging in through the website.
F-Secure pricing
F-Secure offers a single paid version priced at $29.90 per year for unlimited password storage. Additional packages include a monthly package for $4 for five devices, $40 per year if paid upfront, or $6 per month/$60 per year if upgraded to 10 devices. While there is no free version, there is a full five-day free trial as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee clause.
To keep your data secure, Bitwarden uses 256-bit AES encryption and a secure password generator to help you generate strong passwords difficult for hackers to guess. You also have access to a tool that identifies weak passwords. Additional features include device syncing, password sharing, and automatic form-filling.
Bitwarden is compatible with multiple platforms and devices, including the Android and iOS mobile platforms, making it possible to manage passwords at home, in the office, or on the go.
Bitwarden's best feature is the most obvious one; it is open source. Some may see this as a security limitation, but the open-source developers' transparency is optimal for fully understanding how your credentials are being handled.
Other impressive features include its secure password generator and clean UI. I found these features essential to adapting quickly to the platform.
Who is Bitwarden best for?
My testing showed that Bitwarden has a tailored product for each type of user. I found that, if you are just beginning, you will find the UI intuitive and easy to use and if you are a more advanced user, you will appreciate the control you have.
Recent upgrades to Bitwarden
Bitwarden provides regular updates (at least twice a month). The most recent include items like iOS accounting switching enhancement, vault filtering on mobile devices, and even some accessibility improvement to the overall experience.
Since it is an open-source solution, Bitwarden is very transparent about what is being worked on and the roadmap for future releases. Lastly, if you have ideas for enhancements, these can be easily submitted for review.
Bitwarden pricing
Bitwarden offers a free version for personal use and team and enterprise accounts with additional options for business users. The free account can be used on two devices simultaneously, and the team and enterprise accounts work on unlimited devices.
Storage capacity also depends on the version; the free version stores up to 50 passwords, while the paid versions have unlimited password storage.
Outside of the free version, the paid subscriptions are $3 per month per person for organizations or $5 per user for enterprises. Enterprise features include SSO options as well as more streamlined administration tools.
For personal use, there is the free version, or the premium, which is about $1 per month (billed annually at $10) or $3.33 per month for families of up to six users.
True Key’s additional security features set it apart from its closest competitors. Because McAfee offers True Key, it comes bundled with most of McAfee’s security suites, giving you an extra layer of protection when accessing websites and mobile applications. True Key also has several types of multifactor authentication, making it more difficult for hackers to access your accounts.
In addition to these extra features, True Key offers standard AES-256 encryption and supports biometric authentication.
The most significant advantage True Key has over its competition is its complete McAfee security bundle, which provides you with a full scan antivirus and anti-malware solution. Some of the other solutions like F-Secure and Nord products charge for an additional subscription.
I liked True Key’s additional features, including automatic form-filling, device syncing, and a secure password generator, but neither version comes with password sharing. It also works with a wide range of browsers and platforms, including Linux and Opera, if you like to switch between desktop and mobile devices.
Who is True Key best for?
My testing showed that True Key is great for beginners. I found that newbies won’t go wrong signing up for a True Key password management plan. It makes sense if you are just trying to get up and running and want to have a security solution.
Recent upgrades to True Key
True Key has a whole community portal dedicated to the McAfee products. Overall, I didn't find much about True Key’s upgrade notes or feature releases. I had to dig into some of the community chats to find relevant information about bug fixes or feature updates.
True Key pricing
The free version of True Key stores up to 15 passwords, while the premium version offers unlimited password storage at $19.99 per year.
I test each password manager by signing up and purchasing a plan to check out what each provider offers new users and how easy it is to navigate around each brand's dashboard. Also, I pay a great deal of attention to the support provided.
Weighing the details, I rank each password manager based on the quality of its features and how transparent the company is regarding its product.
It's crucial to pick a password manager you can trust, so I focus on whether each provider presents its products honestly, clearly, and transparently. In my tests, this is easy to pick up on as I compare the list of features each company claims it offers to what I have access to once I begin using their service.
Lastly, I base the reliability and efficiency of these password managers by weighing their pricing, versatility, and security features.
Then, I check the compatibility and the level of encryption of each password manager with the most widely used browsers, mobile platforms, and operating systems, including the biometric authentication features that tighten security when logging into your accounts.
Each password manager provider has been selected based on its being at the top of its game.
