Best Password Managers Compared
Thinking of a new password and remembering it has been a challenge since the introduction of passwords. But security is important, so using unique and strong passwords is essential. A great tool to help you with managing passwords is a Password Manager. Password managers facilitate the generation, storage, and population of passwords across devices, services, or websites.
This way, you only need secure access (strong password or another method) to the password manager, and all other passwords you do not need to remember. This way, you will prevent using the same password for multiple services, or choosing simple passwords that are easy to remember.
There are free solutions, like the ones in browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari). Google, Mozilla, Microsoft, and Apple all have free solutions. The advantage of them being free of course. But there are also drawbacks. They are not available on all devices (or platforms) where you might need a password manager. You might not want to use a single service provider for all online services.
Independent Password Managers
By independent we mean third-party developers. This can mean open-source or a software vendor. But not the same software vendors that produce your operating system or web browser.
The most important aspects for password managers (apart from the price of course), is how secure they are and on which platforms they are available.
Since there are so many password managers out there, here is a quick overview of the best currently available with their features compared. You can use this as an initial quick assessment, before looking in more detail to see which one is right for you.
| KeePass | Dashlane | 1Password | LastPass | RoboForm | NordPass | Bitwarden | PassHub | Keeper | Sticky Password | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ease-of-use | 5 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 6 |
| Local storage | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Synchronization | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6 devices | Yes | n/a | n/a | Yes |
| Fill webforms | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Password sharing | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dark Web monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes | Paid | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | $20 | No |
| Platforms | ||||||||||
| Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mac | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Import / Export | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Encryption | AES-256 | AES-256 | AES-256 | AES-256 | AES-256 | XChaCha20 | AES-256 | AES-256 | AES-256 | AES-256 |
| Authentication | Plugin | 2FA | 2FA | MFA | MFA | 2FA | MFA | MFA | 2FA | 2FA |
| Emergency Access | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop App | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Free version | Yes | 1 device | 14 days | Yes | Yes | 1 device | Yes | Yes | 30 days | Yes |
| Price (per User per Year) | $0 | $33 | $36 | $36 | $24 | $18 | $10 | $48 | $35 | $30 |
A few notes on the above:
- The prices are for the cheapest non-free version for personal use.
- The number of devices supported is the number in the free version. All paid versions have support for unlimited devices.
- In the case of Linux, the most common Linux distributions are generally supported (Ubuntu. Red Hat, Fedora, Debian, CentOS, Mint).
What does a Password Manager do?
Password managers can have different features, depending on how many additional functions were added. But the essential features of every password manager are:
- Generate passwords.
- Store credentials (login information).
- Populate the credentials when needed (webform or app); if multiple credentials are available for the site or service, choose one of them.
- Update the password when changed.
The most common additional features are:
- Synchronize data between devices; From device to device or using cloud-based storage.
- Save and auto-populate additional form data (like personal data and payment information).
- Security add-ons, like a VPN.
- Monitor the (dark) web for data breaches (e.g. access sites like https://haveibeenpwned.com/ to see if your data is available anywhere).
Should I use a Free Password Manager?
There are a few completely free password managers, like the open-source versions. And most password managers offer a free edition as well as a paid edition. The free versions will have limitations in the number of passwords you can store, the number of devices you can use it on, no synchronization, or similar.
There is no issue with using a free version if you can accept these limitations. The interface and security aspects of the free versions will be the same as the paid version. The free versions are great for trying out the software if you want to compare before deciding on a solution.
If you do use a free password manager as included in modern browsers, make sure to keep the version up to date. Support for other devices is improving and the security and sharing is better in the latest versions.
Do Password Managers support Passkeys?
Passkeys are an initiative that is supported by Microsoft, Apple, and Google. As a result, their integrated password managers are also the first to support passkeys. Since passkeys make passwords obsolete, the use of password managers only makes sense as long as not all websites and online services that need a user to log in are not supporting passkeys yet.
The main initial benefit of passkeys for password managers is to actually validate the access to the password manager. This will be supported more and more. Dashlane is one of the first to support passkeys. 1Password is planning a release in summer of 2023 that will use and support passkeys as a security option.
What is the Best Password Manager?
There is no easy, direct answer to this as criteria will vary per user. We do have a recommendation though: Bitwarden. It is Open Source which means a lot of public eyes on it (quality, security, support). The balance between user-friendliness and features is good, and it works well on all supported platforms and browsers. In selecting a password manager it is also good to check their history with any security breaches. LastPass for example had a breach in 2022 (update on that breach).
What is a Good Password?
In some cases, using passwords is unavoidable. So, using a good, strong password is important.
On the websites of most of the password managers in this article, you will find password generators. Or, if you want a generic password generator, try random.org. Generating a random password is the safest option since it is not traceable to any of your personal data (names, dates, etc.).
If you need a password that you can recall more easily, use these tips for a strong password:
- Avoid common passwords.
- Use a longer password rather than a shorter one. Definitely nothing shorter than 10 characters.
- Never use number sequences, character sequences, or keyboard key sequences.
- Don’t use your personal data in a password (names, dates, family, pets) as it can often easily be found online.
- Don’t reuse a password by extending it, or replacing a single character.
Thank you. It works.
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