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Best Password Managers in 2023
With more people working from home password managers have become almost essential to many people’s lives including my own. We have to remember more and more passwords that slowly become too strong and too difficult to remember.
A password manager makes managing passwords so much easier, and they also help create secure and reliable passwords whenever you want. If you want to be more secure online check out our best VPNs.
Finding a password manager that picks your needs can be hard since there isn’t a “perfect” password managers that work for everyone. Every service offers unique features that can be useful for different people and their specific needs.
Could I Use My Browser?
Third-party managers such as the ones below can be used on different devices, platforms, and browsers. The password manager that’s built into your browser is often limited to just that browser. If you use Google Chrome it will only autofill if you are using Chrome (or a google application), and the same goes with safari and others.
Third-party managers are able to autofill on all browsers and devices that a built-in password manager simply can’t. Plus password managers are dedicated to managing your passwords meaning they have better technology and dedication to keeping your password safe.
The browser passwords usually only store your passwords and give you simple passwords that can easily be cracked. Third-party managers can create strong and reliable passwords alongside more useful features.
Dashlane - Best Overall
Dashlane has become a unique and prominent competition in the password manager market. Before Dashlane was similar to other password managers, but since then it has updated and gone through changes. Now Dashlane offers unique features such as DarkWeb tracking to see if they can find any of your information on there, it also notifies you if your passwords are at risk.
The desktop and mobile apps offer great performance making accessing your data easier than ever. If you want your passwords to sync you need to purchase the premium version ($5 a month). Dashlane also offers a free account that stores up to 50 passwords/accounts with multi-factor authentication.
The premium plan offers unlimited passwords, devices, and a VPN for wifi protection. ($60 per year for individuals, and $7.50 for families).
1Password - Best Value
1Password’s goal is to make keeping passwords easy and secure. It first began as an Apple-oriented password manager but over time it has expanded into more platforms and devices. They’re known to offer additional features that other services don’t have, they also act as an authentication app similar to Google Authenticator. There is also a browser extension for 1Password which makes logging in easy and hassle-free.
Another upside to 1Password is that they offer amazing mobile integration, this means you don’t have to copy and paste your passwords from your manager to the app/service you’re trying to use. 1Password can autofill of mobile devices and even works on iOS devices (iOS is known to restrict app to app communication).
1Password stores your information securely in the cloud, and an encryption copy of your information directly on your devices just in case you don’t have access to the internet. 1Password has a feature called Travel Mode which allows you to delete any personal data from your devices before you travel then restore it easily after you’ve crossed. This restricts anyone from accessing your personal passwords and info.
1Password offers plans for everyone ranging from individual accounts to large businesses. They have a 30-day free trial, so you can check it them out and see if you like it. It costs $3 a month ($36 a year, and $60 a year for family accounts).
LastPass - Great Free Version
LastPass is a well-known and popular password manager with many years of experience. It offers both a free and paid version of its services, and both are honestly pretty good. LastPass is created by LogMeIn (a remote access desktop tool). The issue with LastPass is that it’s been hacked in the past, but mistakes do happen and every software isn’t foolproof.
For encryption, LastPass uses AES-256 bit encryption to not only keep your passwords safe but to also keep your credit cards, addresses, and other personal information. This makes purchases much easier since it automatically fills all the boxes.
My favourite part about LastPass is that it supports multi-factor authentication which can help prevent phishing attempts by requiring additional forms of authorization before logging into your accounts (like a code, face, or fingerprint). Not all password managers have this feature quite yet, but it’s a pretty good feature to have.
The best part about LastPass is its free version. It offers great features but most importantly it can autofill on mobile devices (most password managers don’t have this option for free). Even if you lose your phone all your passwords will be in one place. The pricing of the premium plans is also very reasonable and very affordable.
LastPass is great if you’re on a budget and want to find a great Password Manager that can do a lot. It has its famous free version which is available on most popular devices. Its premium plan starts at $3 per month ($4.25 cad) and offers 1 GB of encrypted storage and the ability to share passwords between devices. They also offer a family account that allows up to 6 members.
Bitwarden - Best Free Option
Bitwarden is an open-source password manager that has become a popular choice among users. It offers user-friendly and super secure applications and can be used by individuals, teams, and companies/enterprises. But the best part about Bitward is that it’s free!
Since Bitwarden is open-source anyone has access to the full code, this means it will have fewer flaws making it more secure. It has been audited by a third-party service to make sure it’s secure and safe for users to trust. Bitwarden can also be installed on servers in case you prefer to running it from the cloud.
The service stores your data securely in their cloud. If you want to use Bitwarden offline you can but in a read-only mode. Since Bitwarden uses cloud it makes cross-platform much easier, allowing all your passwords to be synced and in one place.
Bitwarden also has a semi-auto password fill-in tool. It’s super convenient because it logs you in automatically when you click the Bitwarden browser icon (click which password you want to use for the website). It makes getting things done much quicker and hassle-free.
Bitwarden does offer a premium plan, the cheapest option being $10 a year. It gets you 1GB of encrypted storage, 2fa (two-factor authentication with YubiKey, U2F, and Duo), and a password strength and vault health analysis. Premium also comes with better or priority support.
NordPass - New Option
NordPass is a branch of NordVPN, one of our favourite and highest rated VPN services. NordPass is relatively new to the password managing industry but it comes from a well-known company in the VPN field. It offers users unique features similar to how NordVPN does. Installing NordPass easily and it’s available on all major devices and platforms (including browser extensions).
While NordPass might have had a bit of trouble at the start it’s now a reliable and safe password manager. It uses the XChaCha20 encryption protocol to make sure that’s your passwords are secure and unhackable. NordPass is unfortunately not an open-source application, but it does come from a good background in the VPN space.
Another “cool” thing at NordPass does is use a zero-knowledge setup which means all your passwords/info is encrypted then uploaded to the servers. They also offer 2FA (two-factor authentication) which is great if you want that extra security.
Additional to storing passwords you can now store personal information such as addresses, phone numbers, and other information all on one app.
The free version of NordPass is quite limited as you can only use it on one device without any sync. They offer a 7-day free trial, which you can use to test the features and see if it suits you. The premium plan costs $36 a year (and yes, they do accept cryptocurrencies).
KeePassXC - Self Hosted
The unique feature of KeePassXC is that it stores (and encrypts) your passwords locally and requires no internet connection to access your passwords. Other managers like Bitwarden and 1Password store your passwords securely in the cloud or in third-party services such as Dropbox or SpiderOak. Which is still pretty secure.
KeePassXC is a great option since it offers so much power and flexibility, and the best part is that’s open-source! It’s often used more by computer experts like engineers, and IT people.
Basics of Password Managers
A password manager is a convenient tool many use to keep track of their passwords. It generates and securely stores your passwords in one place. It only will cost a few dollars per month, but it will save tons of time and effort.
Browser Extensions
Most current password managers offer multiple apps for different devices. Most will even have a browser extension making it easy to access your passwords without even needing to switch the application. The only thing you need to do is click on the extension, select which account you want to use, then it will do most of the work after that. All your passwords will be encrypted and stored in a safe.
Master Password
In order to access all of your passwords, you will need to remember your master password. This is the password you use to access your password manager, without this password you can’t access your passwords to make sure you write it down somewhere. Make sure this password is ultra-strong.
Choosing a master password can be intimidating but creating a secure password is actually easier than it may look. I would recommend using passwordgenerator since you can customize how long your password is and the types of symbols used within it.
Compromised Passwords
Even if you have a password manager there’s nothing you can do if the website itself becomes breached. The best thing you can do is make sure each password is unique and no password is similar/repeated. Some password managers alert you if your password might have been compromised. This is yet another reason why password managers are extremely useful.