A reliable password generator can offer you more security and peace of mind. We looked at leading password generators, testing each of them, sitting through demos, comparing pricing and features, and evaluating customer reviews.
See how we rated password generators and some of the most important factors to consider as you choose the best for your needs.
I’m a passionate security practitioner with eight years of experience in the cybersecurity industry. I work as a technical security engineer and architect instructor in my spare time. Spreading the word of cybersecurity is a passion of mine.
I surveyed and spoke with past and current power users of each platform to get real-world feedback on these platforms and take them into account in my reviews.
How I Rated Random Password Generator Providers
Generate strong passwords
The most valuable function of password generators is ensuring it can generate strong passwords based on industry standards. So, we looked for products that:
Can generate mixed-case alphabet, digit, symbol, and length passwords
Have the ability to customize or regenerate on the fly
Include obfuscation
Adhere to the National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST) best practices
By including the above features in our random password generation criteria, we effectively narrowed it down to the best options.
Supports integrations
Your random password generator should integrate seamlessly with your company’s infrastructure — for example, your Internet browser. We looked for products offering a plethora of third-party integrations.
Self-service options
Another essential password generator feature is a self-service option that empowers customers to help themselves without contacting your 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
A random password generator is a significant financial investment, 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 user interface (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?
Does it integrate with my day-to-day process?
Costs and ease of cancellation
Consider your team at scale. The cost difference between $4 per user for a small group with minimal growth will feel less significant than a team that adds user licenses more frequently.
Some solutions offer progressive pricing; the more users you have on your plan, the lower the price per person. Larger companies should keep this in mind when evaluating their choices.
Dashlane, an extremely popular password manager, has a built-in password generator that is free on its website and within its free and paid subscription.
Dashlane maintains a stellar reputation in a crowded field and is not only our pick for the best random password generator but also the top zero-knowledge architecture used in its adjacent password manager solution.
It offers both free and paid accounts and I was impressed with its huge feature set. Its strongest selling points are top-tier security and its intuitive web version, which ensures that secure passwords can be generated conveniently.
Who is Dashlane best for?
My testing showed that Dashlane is great for beginners. As your company grows, you can easily upgrade your business plan accordingly.
Recent upgrades to Dashlane
Dashlane is continuously working on updating and improving the services it offers. This starts with a constant effort to keep its website service up to date but goes much further. Dashlane has recently launched a new feature that allows payments and notes to be seen within the web extension. It also pushed some fixes for a save password bug that was discovered.
Dashlane pricing
Dashlane’s pricing is cheaper than its competitors, with services running from $2 per user per month. This is a third of the cost of entry-level plans from Bitwarden and LastPass, which also offer a free plan. It does require a minimum of 10 users per business plan, so it’s not ideal for solo users.
Bitwarden is an open-source evolution that drives collaboration to boost productivity and help generate security passwords within an enterprise setting. It offers an intuitive community edition and a paid version of its product.
Bitwarden is our pick for the top enterprise because of its flexible options for hosting its service. In my testing, it was totally capable of handling self generation of passwords. And it offers shared, dedicated, managed, and unmanaged hosting.
Bitwarden provides 24/7 support through phone, email, community forums, and live chat options. Its strongest selling points are strong encryption, Chrome extension, and a great open-source free offering.
Who is Bitwarden best for?
My testing showed that Bitwarden is great for businesses or open-source gurus. As your company grows, you can easily grow with it.
Recent upgrades to Bitwarden
Bitwarden is continuously working on updating and improving its product regularly. Some of the recent updates include exporting encrypted password-protected files, a username generator on mobile devices, and a full DuckDuckGo integration. Bitwarden releases updates once to twice a month.
Bitwarden pricing
Bitwarden’s pricing is more expensive than its competitors. Its services run from $3 per user/per month with an annual plan; add an extra $2 on the per-user price for the enterprise-wide plan. This is almost double the cost of entry-level plans from Dashlane and NordVPN which also offer a free plan.
1Password’s built-in password generator enables you to automatically create secure passwords, and the automatic form-filling function eliminates the need to handle forms manually.
1Password earns its superlative due in part to its integration-rich portfolio, including products like Okta, Azure, Rippling, and Apple. I found the seamless sync between devices to be a rich experience on multiple Apple-branded products.
Another important security feature is Watchtower, which informs you if a password is weak or has been compromised. 1Password also offers biometric authentication, which makes it even easier to securely access with a finger or face recognition on supported devices.
I was able to access 24/7 support through its intuitive online portal, with the strongest selling points being its automatic device sharing and shared password approach. Automatic syncing means data is kept up to date on every device, so you always have access to your current passwords. Password sharing also allows sharing of important information with trusted colleagues or family members.
All versions work with unlimited devices and are compatible with multiple platforms, making it easy to manage passwords on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
Who is 1Password best for?
Our testing showed that 1Password is great for everyone, especially for Apple users with multiple devices. If you are just starting, you won’t go wrong signing up for a 1Password 14-day free trial. It comes with all the right tools, such as automatic device sync, password sharing, and an enhanced password generator.
Recent upgrades to 1Password
1Password continues its efforts on its desktop beta clients for Linux, Mac, and Windows. On the mobile side, it focuses on improvements like quick access to the home screen, boosting the Watchtower security module, and the ability to access all items across all accounts.
1Password pricing
1Password pricing is more expensive than its competitors. Its services run from $2.99 per user/per month with an annual plan; add an extra $4 on the per-user price if subscribed to the business plan. This is triple the cost of entry-level plans from Dashlane and Bitwarden, who also offer a free trial.
The password generator provides strong passwords via its website or application, and like LastPass, you get to choose which characters to include or exclude. NordPass generates up to 60 characters for stronger passwords and is optimized for your devices. It simplifies browsing with an available extension for Edge, Chrome, Firefox, and Brave.
NordPass is 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.
In my testing, I found smart device integrations, shared device compatibility, and automatic syncing between devices and its VPN solution. On top of its fast VPN, NordPass has premium features like a password health check, a data breach scanner, and secure password sharing.
Lastly, NordPass includes a browser extension that is one of the best. The extension automatically saved and filled in my passwords on the go, so I didn’t need to remember each password.
Who is NordPass best for?
My testing showed that NordPass is great for anyone seeking a password management solution integrated with VPN.
Recent upgrades to NordPass
NordPass provides in-depth coverage with its release notes and has a dedicated page for each operating system. It even includes simple tweaks in the updates, like adjusting the profile photo or fixes to the in-app rating scale. Updates seem to be very frequent, every one to two weeks.
NordPass pricing
NordPass is one of the cheapest among its competitors. Its services run from $1.49 per user per month with individual plans; add an extra $1 on the per-user price if paying for a business plan. This is twice as cheap as entry-level plans from Dashlane and Bitwarden, who also offer a free plan. It does have a maximum cap of 250 total users for the business plan.
LastPass offers a password generator that is easily accessible on its website and automatically form-fills and syncs across multiple devices to save you time. You can include or exclude uppercase and lowercase letters, symbols, and numbers. This password manager and generator work with various platforms and devices, including iOS and Android.
LastPass is the best free random password generator because of its unlimited use cases free version that is perfect for any small business or individual.
In my testing of the LastPass free version, the password generator produced up to 50 characters and supports unlimited devices.What makes LastPass stand out is its package designed for families, which includes unlimited sharing for family members.
LastPass also includes a password alert feature that notifies you when your password becomes weak or compromised.
On top of its amazing free version, LastPass is best known for automatic syncing, wide-range compatibility, and smart device integrations. The cheapest plan is $3 per month for individual premium and $4 per month for small team support.
Who is LastPass best for?
My testing showed that LastPass is great for small businesses. It comes with advanced features like a free version, a password audit tool, and biometric authentication.
Recent upgrades to LastPass
LastPass includes very detailed and timely release notes for all its plans. Some recent changes include support added for KeePass XML integration, Bitwarden importation, and fixing an issue on the starter page.
LastPass pricing
Dashlane pricing is more expensive than its competitors. Its services run from $3 per user, per month with an annual plan; add an extra $1 on the per-user price if paying for a team's plan. This is just above the cost of entry-level plans from Dashlane and Bitwarden, who also offer a free plan. It does require a paid plan to activate the password-sharing feature.