It’s now worth considering storing your passwords in an online vault — rather than a desktop notebook — especially when there are many free options. Data breaches rarely go away, and weak passwords are often the culprit in many cases, including a pet’s name or even a default passcode that has never been changed.
Today there are many good suggestions on how to protect your data – for example, we have 12 ways to lock down your digital life. These seven all offer at least two-factor authentication, which is crucial and, frankly, should be standard for most websites. Some have free pricing tiers, and all cost less than what you’re currently likely spending on coffee for a month. But putting passwords behind a strong online manager is undoubtedly an option.
At Google’s annual Google I/O developer conference last year, the company announced that it would allow users with multiple passwords for the same websites or apps to automatically group them across Chrome and Android devices. This additionally helps users move their password management files to Google’s own password manager, which is also a free option. But for now here are seven of the best password managers you can download – for personal use and families – that we would recommend.
LastPass
Basic: FreePremium: $36 per year Family (six users): $48 per year LastPass is a quick and easy way to create strong passwordsLogMeIn
LastPass has three pricing options and includes a family plan for $48 per year that allows six people to store all of their passwords in one place. The free option, a great way to try the service, does not have priority technical support, and you can use the program on only one type of device. That’s an update LastPass didn’t implement until 2021, and that means you’ll have to choose between a smartphone or a computer. Sign in with an iPhone, for example, and you can use it from that and also from an Apple Watch – but not from a computer.
However, the free tier includes 30 days of free premium to try and see if the tech support is something you need. With the premium version you get 1 GB of encrypted storage space, dark web monitoring and emergency access, among other things.
You can use LastPass by logging in with a password — what the company calls a passphrase — and then using the tool as a browser extension that works on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Explorer.
The password manager also works on iOS devices, Android and Windows products, tablets and smartphones.
LastPass uses multi-factor authentication to identify individuals, and you can access your account with a fingerprint. Your account will be synced across all your devices and your password will be automatically filled into a mobile device.
Download LastPass Password Manager
1password
Personal: 14-day free trial, then $2.99 per monthFamily: 14-day free trial, $4.99 per month for up to five family members1Password includes space to store notes and software licenses1Password
1Password has two plans for families and individuals, including a 14-day free trial. The basic individual plan includes 1GB of document storage per person, 24/7 email support, and the ability to reset and recover deleted passwords for 365 days. Switch to a family plan and you get all that, plus five guest accounts with limited sharing, the ability to restore accounts for suspended family members, and you can add more family members for $1 a month each.
The tool works on Mac, iOS, Windows, Android, Linux, and Chrome OS, and on as many computers or devices as someone owns. 1Password also highlights a travel mode that might be worth considering for international travelers. This allows someone to temporarily erase data from a device and restore it with a single click when you’re ready. And you can even use iPassword on an Apple Watch.
Free Trial: 1Password Families 14 days
dashlane
Free: $0 per yearExtended: 30-day free trial, $3.49 per month; annual billing reduces this to $2.75 per month Premium: 30-day free trial, $6.49 per month; annual billing reduces this to $4.99 per month Friends & Family: 30-day free trial, $8.99 per month; Annual billing reduces this to $7.49 per month. Like most password managers, Dashline works on a variety of devices and web browsers. dashlane
Dashlane offers four pricing options; all include at least two-factor authentication—and all come with a free 30-day trial. With a free model, you can save up to 50 passwords (which isn’t much) plus security alerts. However, you can only use the tool on one device. An Essentials plan grants you unlimited saved passwords and a one-click solution that automatically strengthens weak passwords and can be used on two devices, like your smartphone and a computer. The premium plan gives you all that plus 1GB of secured storage, dark web monitoring across five email addresses, and a private VPN for WiFi protection—and you can use the program on as many devices as you like. Finally, a Friends & Family plan gives you everything in premium but for ten private accounts in one plan.
Dashlane works on multiple platforms and devices running on Windows, Android, Mac and iOS and browsers like Safari, Chrome, Edge and Firefox. You can also use Linux on these browsers.
Get Dashlane
guardian
Personal: 30-day free trial, $34.99 per year or $2.92 per month Family: $74.99 per year or $6.25 per year Student: Currently you can get 50% off plan Keeper offers several services, which can be bundled with Keeper
Keeper is a password manager with multiple offerings depending on how you want to use its service. The personal plan starts with unlimited passwords, the ability to generate and autofill passwords, use with unlimited devices, and more. Users can add BreachWatch, a dark web monitoring service for just $19.99 per year that scans for password beaches, safe file storage, and more.
You can try a personal 30-day plan for free. Family plans have a similar breakdown, but with these you get five private vaults instead of one with the personal plan. And currently, students can also unlock a 50 percent discount for projects. The service is unlocked with fingerprint and Face ID, works on Mac and Windows desktop computers as well as iOS and Android devices and on browsers such as Chrome, Safari, Opera, Firefox, IE and Edge.
Keeper also has specialized add-ons, including the aforementioned BreachWatch, which increases to $39.99 for families. There’s also secure file storage for $9.99 per year for a personal account and $39.99 for a family account, which allows you to store more than passwords and documents from your tax returns in a copy of your passport.
Get the Keeper Password Manager
Bitwarden
Basic: FreePremium: $10 per year ($1 per month)Family: $40 per year ($3.33 per month)Bitwarden is an open-source solution that includes a free serviceBitwarden
Bitwarden is a bit different from a tool as it is open source – and its base model is free.
The free version can be used on any number of devices; There’s two-factor authentication, and you can store items in a vault and invite someone else to share them with you. The $10-a-year version also gets you 1GB of file storage, the ability to use it with Duo, U2F, and YubiKey, priority support, and emergency access. A family version also includes 1GB of storage for personal files and 1GB of additional storage, unlimited item sharing, and use for six people.
You can use the tool on Windows, macOS, and Linux desktops and it works with eight different browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Vivaldi, Brave, and Tor Browser. The tool also works with iOS and Android mobile devices.
Open source means anyone can add and extend the code to Bitwarden stored on GitHub. No, that doesn’t mean users can use the code to enter their passwords. This means that the code can be updated – and importantly improved. And you can choose to use the cloud version or host yourself.
Create a free Bitwarden account
North Pass
Free: $0 Premium: $1.99 per month ($47.76 for the first two years) Family: $2.79 per month ($66.96 for the first two years)
NordPass allows storage of notes and credit cards, as well as NordPass passwords
There are three options with NordPass. With Free, you can store unlimited passwords, notes, and credit card details and sync them across multiple devices. A family plan is premium – but for six people, each person can use it on six devices. Pay more for Premium and stay signed in to NordPass even if you switch devices, access a data breach scanner, securely share items, and more. You also get a 30-day money-back guarantee.
NordPass works on six browsers including Chrome, Mozilla, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Brave, and Opera and is supported on macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS.
