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You’re probably wondering if password managers are really necessary.
The short answer: Yes.
The long answer: You may no longer be using the same easy-to-guess combo of your hometown and the year you graduated high school as a password for everything from your bank account to Neopets, but that doesn’t mean you have strong password game.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve perfected your Sherlockian mind palace, you’ll never be able to beat a computer when it comes to remembering long, random strings of letters, numbers, and special characters — and long, random strings of letters, numbers, and special characters are what makes strong passwords.
This doesn’t mean you should entrust your passwords to the first program that asks for it, however. Your browser’s built-in password manager, for example, probably isn’t particularly secure — especially if extra security steps, such as two-factor authentication (2FA) are opt-in — nor is it robust. Some built-in password managers, such as Apple’s iCloud Keychain, force you to use 2FA and are therefore more secure. But Keychain only works on select platforms — spoiler, mostly Apple. There is a Keychain extension for Windows, but it sends approximately 500 requests for 2FA per hour (I uninstalled it after a week).
A third-party password manager solves all your problems. The best password managers are extremely secure, protecting your data via 256-bit AES end-to-end encryption, zero-knowledge technology, and both 2FA and multi-factor authentication. They have apps and extensions for all major platforms, mobile devices, and web browsers. They also do more than just save passwords; they’re packed with additional tools and features, including password generators, security audits, and secure cloud storage, that will take your security from “the 11-year-old across the street could hack you” to “not worth the effort.”
So, which password manager should you be using? There’s no simple answer; it varies, based on your individual situation. After all, the biggest, and most unpredictable, variable in security is always you.
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Best Free Password Manager
Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux
Browser extensions: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, Brave, Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, Tor
Free version: Unlimited syncing
Premium: $10/year
Family: $40/year, 6 users
+ Free version has unlimited sync
+ Open-source, excellent record
- Free version is bare-bones
- User experience is not seamless
Bitwarden has an excellent security reputation: In addition to the industry-standard security protocols, Bitwarden also regularly submits to third-party security audits and makes its code open-source. Bitwarden can also be self-hosted on a local server — which, again, is not necessarily more secure, but is an option for those who want full control over where their data is stored.
Rating: ★★★★½
Best Family Password Manager
Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, LInux, Chrome OS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD
Browser extensions: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Brave, Edge
Free version: N/A
Premium: $35.88/year
Family: $59.88/year
+ Initial device login is more secure
+ Great cross-platform performance
- No free plan (14-day trial)
- Installation is not intuitive
1Password goes one step further than some of its competitors in several cases, choosing security over convenience. The first time you login to any device with 1Password, you’ll need both your master password and a secret key (received at signup) — it’s less convenient but also much safer than password managers that only require your master password.
Rating: ★★★★
Best for Storing More Than Passwords
Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux
Browser extensions: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer, Edge
Free version: Limited to one device
Premium: $354.99/year
Family: $74.99/year, 5 users
+ Well-designed interface
+ Family plan includes 10GB storage
- Limited free plan
- Dark web monitoring costs extra
In addition to a well-designed interface and a smooth cross-platform experience, Keeper also has one of the easier-to-use import tools, which is useful if you’ve got your passwords stored somewhere other than your brain. Keeper also has excellent, 24/7 customer support — another area in which many password managers are surprisingly lacking.
Rating: ★★★★
Best for Cross-Platform Syncing
Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Chrome OS
Browser extensions: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera
Free version: Sync across one device category (desktop or mobile)
Premium: $36/year
Family: $45/year, 5 users
+ Consistent cross-platform experience
+ Family plan is cheaper than competitors
- History of data breaches
- Free accounts limited to one device
LastPass is one of the most well-known and widely-used password managers — although recently it's been well-known for less-than-stellar reasons: the company suffered a serious data breach in Aug. 2022 (disclosed Dec. 2022) involving customer vault data (encrypted and unencrypted), as well as unencrypted customer information. A full disclosure of the compromised data can be found here.
Rating: ★★★★
In our quest for the best password managers, we tested a number of other well-known services. Most of these were, in a word, passable, but not good enough to be listed among the best.
While RoboForm works pretty smoothly on desktop, it is a little clunky on mobile — it still offers the same features and ultimately gets the job done, but to get the most out of the mobile experience, you'll want to switch to RoboForm's browser (though it's not required). That said, RoboForm’s plans are more affordable than most, with discounts if you purchase multiple years in advance.
NordPass offers a relatively usable free plan: You can store unlimited passwords and sync across unlimited devices, but you can only be logged into one device at a time. This means you’ll need to login every time you switch devices, but once you do you can access your vault from anywhere. But NordPass’s biggest drawback is its poor performance on mobile: It has trouble capturing credentials and filling out forms, which is…most of what password management is.
Dashlane is a well-known, secure password manager with free, paid, and family plans. The free plan limits users to 50 saved passwords on one device, while the paid individual and family plans offer unlimited syncing, secure notes, dark web monitoring, multi-factor authentication, 1GB of secure cloud storage, and Hotspot Shield’s VPN service. If you’re not swayed by the VPN service, Dashlane’s premium plans will seem pretty pricey: The premium plan for individuals costs $59.88 per year, while the family plan costs $89.88 per year (for up to six users).
RememBear is the most beginner-friendly password manager we’ve seen, with a simple, clean (and cute) interface; clear step-by-step instructions; and a much-needed injection of humor. RememBear is so beginner-friendly it might have been among the best password managers if not for this red flag: Its mobile apps haven’t been updated in over two years. An email to the company confirmed that the service is still in business, but the best password managers update regularly to stay ahead of new and developing security threats.
There’s a delicate balance between security and convenience. A password manager can be 100% locked down and secure, but if it’s difficult or frustrating to use, people will take shortcuts that compromise that otherwise perfect security. And that’s if they continue to use the service at all. That’s why it’s especially important to take your particular needs — the platforms and devices you use, the types of credentials you need to store, the extra tools you find most useful — into account when choosing the best password manager for you.
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