Best Password Manager

Each person has dozens of internet accounts. You should have a unique password for each account to make sure you don't get hacked. But remembering so many passwords is difficult, so we frequently use the same or a variation of it. Luckily, there are solutions to this problem. Use one of the best password managers that work as a digital vault where all your passwords are stored and to access that, you really only need to remember one password. Read our guide and learn everything about them.

Ben Grindlow

Ben Grindlow is the founder of ProXPN, a company that provides reviews about VPN products and services. Ben's interest in cybersecurity and privacy led him to start ProXPN, which has become one of the most well-respected VPN providers in the world. Ben is passionate about his work, and he is constantly exploring new ways to improve ProXPN's in-depth guides.

Last updated: 17:17PM 9/18/2024

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Table of Contents

To protect your personal information, email accounts and banking, it is important to use unique and strong passwords. This means most people have many accounts and passwords to keep track of. A password manager can help you manage all your passwords.

In this file we show:

  • What a password manager is
  • How secure a password manager is
  • Which are the best password managers

Let's dive right in.

What are password managers?

Remembering multiple passwords may have you tearing your hear out, but it is dangerous to use the same password over and over, endangering multiple accounts at once. (Pro tip: Don't do this — either tearing your hair out or reusing passwords.) A password manager solves this problem.

Here's a site where you can check whether your password has ever been leaked and, if so, where it happened.

A password manager is a digital ‘encrypted vault' where all your passwords are stored. This encrypted vault can be unlocked with one master password. The advantages of a password vault are:

  • You only have to remember one password.
  • You can use a unique password for each account (much safer).
  • You can also store other important data in a password manager, such as addresses and bank numbers.

The number one precaution you should take when using a password manager is to have a terrific password you use to access the password manager and be sure nobody else learns that password! The best password is one that is fairly complex and memorable to you, yet not easily guessed every by someone who knows you fairly well.

Most password managers usually also come equipped with a tool to automatically generate strong passwords for you, so you don't have to come up with them yourself. (Let's see, was that two capital letters and a special character, or two special characters and a number? Have I used my shoe size yet?)

In addition to managing passwords, a password manager can be used to automatically fill in data when logging in, such as logging into Windows via your iPhone or Android.

How secure is password management software?

Most password managers use strong 256-bit encryption. The ‘256-bit’ part refers to the length of the key used to protect a file. Someone who wants to crack into your encrypted vault using this type of encryption must come up with a combination of 2 to the power of 256 different combinations. That is a number that consists of 78 digits. Cracking such a combination is virtually impossible, even for the fastest computers on the planet.

In short, your passwords and usernames are stored securely with a password manager.

Choose a strong master password

As mentioned above, the actual security of a password manager mainly depends on the strength of your master password (the one you use to get into the password manager account). We therefore recommend that you choose a strong master password that includes:

  • A minimum 12 characters
  • A combination of lowercase, uppercase, numbers and characters

What is the best password manager?

There are several reliable password managers available. Some are free, but for the nicest software you might pay a small contribution of €1 to €3 per month.

Here is an overview of the three best password managers:

1. NordPass

NordPass is part of the well-known NordVPN. It is a streamlined and easy to use ‘password vault' or service for securely managing your passwords on all your devices, such as your desktop, smartphone. It uses a very secure cloud connection for this.

The application has a number of useful extra features such as a data breach scanner, a security report for your passwords and an option to transfer passwords to your next of kin.

Pros

  • Nice software
  • Good password generator
  • Automatically fills in passwords, for example in browsers
  • Easily imports and manages all your existing passwords
  • Has many useful tools and extras
  • Independently audited for security by a third party

Cons

  • The free version offers insufficient options for use on multiple devices

NordPass comes in a free version and a paid version. Unfortunately, the free version does not allow you to request your passwords on multiple devices. We therefore recommend that you use the paid version. That way, your passwords stay synced across all your devices. With a 2-year subscription, NordPass costs €1.39 per month.

2. KeePass

KeePass is an odd one out when it comes to the password manager universe. The software looks simple in appearance, but this makes it quite easy to use. You could almost call it old school. Still, it turns out to be a great tool for password management.

An important difference with KeePass and other password managers is that your passwords are stored locally on your device, for example on your PC or in your smartphone. Most other password managers manage all data in the cloud.

A tip is therefore to save your KeePass file with passwords in the cloud, for example in OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox. This way, everything stays synced across all your devices.

Pros

  • Free
  • Does what it should do
  • Has strong encryption

Cons

  • No cloud sync
  • The app and interface are not intuitive
  • It does not work on all operating systems
  • It is less suitable for non-technical people

KeePass is completely free and open source.

3. 1Password

1Password is considered one of the best password managers in the world, mainly because of wealth of features it offers. For example, the service makes it possible to easily create more than one password vault.

In addition, you can easily set up two-factor authentication, auto-save passwords, auto-fill passwords, and there is a feature that warns you if you add a weak, duplicate or hacked password.

Pros

  • It is very pleasant to use
  • You can autofill passwords
  • There are many useful extra functions
  • It supports multi-factor authentication

Cons

  • The import options are limited.
  • There is no next of kin feature.

1Password costs $2.99 per month (for one person).

4. Lastpass

One of the best password managers is Lastpass, which is a very powerful and easy-to-use tool for managing all your passwords. Lastpass can help you create strong, unique passwords for each of your accounts and automatically save them in a secure vault.

One of the best things about Lastpass is its advanced functionality, such as password sharing and multi-factor authentication. The application also offers a number of useful extras, such as a password strength checker and security reports.

Pros

  • Very easy to use
  • Great features for managing passwords securely
  • Supports multi-factor authentication
  • Provides excellent customer support

Cons

Lacks import options for existing passwords

The free version offers limited functionality compared to the paid version

Lastpass comes in a free and paid version. The free version has enough features for most users, but if you want to use Lastpass on multiple devices, you'll need to upgrade to the premium version, which costs $3 per month.

5. Dashlane

Another excellent password manager is Dashlane, which offers all the features you could possibly want in a password manager. With Dashlane, you can easily create strong, unique passwords for all your accounts and automatically save them in a secure vault.

In addition, Dashlane offers a number of useful extras, such as the ability to share passwords with others, generate security reports, and set up two-factor authentication. The only downside is that the software can be a bit overwhelming at first.

Pros

  • Great features for managing passwords securely
  • Provides excellent customer support
  • Supports multi-factor authentication

Cons

  • A bit overwhelming to use at first
  • No free version available, though the 30-day trial should give you enough time to decide if it's right for you or not.

6. Google password manager

Google also has its own password manager in Chrome. We find this a pleasure to work with. As soon as you create a new account somewhere, it is immediately suggested that you save it via Google. This password manager is ideal for less important accounts.

Pros

  • Easy to use and free.

Cons:

  • Limited functionality compared to other password managers.

All in all, I would recommend using NordPass or 1Password for your most important passwords, and then Google Password Manager for less important accounts that you don't want storing all the time. Both of these options are easy to use and offer a wide range of powerful features to help keep your data safe. For important data, such as banking and credit card numbers, we prefer NordPass, KeePass or 1Password.

7. Roboform

Roboform is one of the oldest and most well-known password managers. It's been around since 1999 and has millions of users worldwide. Roboform makes it easy to create strong, unique passwords for all your accounts and automatically save them in a secure vault.

The software also offers a number of useful extras, such as the ability to share passwords with others, generate security reports, and set up two-factor authentication. However, the software can be a bit overwhelming at first, and it doesn't have a free version.

Pros

  • Very easy to use
  • Great features for managing passwords securely
  • Supports multi-factor authentication

Cons

  • A bit overwhelming to use at first
  • No free version available

If you're looking for a powerful, versatile password manager that doesn't cost anything, I would recommend trying out one of the other options on my list. However, if you have specific needs or simply want to use a premium product, Roboform is an excellent choice.

8. Password Boss

Password Boss is another excellent password manager that offers all the features you need to keep your data safe, including the ability to create strong, unique passwords for all your accounts and automatically save them in a secure vault.

The software also comes with a number of useful extras, such as the ability to share passwords with others and generate security reports. However, the free version only supports one device and lacks some of the more advanced features, such as two-factor authentication.

Pros

  • Supports multi-factor authentication
  • Offers a range of helpful extras

Cons

  • No free version available

All in all, Password Boss is a great choice if you're looking for a reliable and easy-to-use password manager that can manage your passwords securely across multiple devices. However, if you only have one device or are on a tight budget, I would recommend exploring other options before deciding to invest in this software.

9. Sticky Password

Sticky Password is a fantastic password manager that has all of the features you need to keep your information safe, including the option to generate strong, unique passwords for all of your accounts and have them automatically stored in a secure vault.

The program also includes a number of useful features, such as the capacity to share passwords and generate security reports. The free edition, on the other hand, only supports one device and lacks some of the more advanced capabilities, such as two-factor authentication.

Pros:

  • Supports multi-factor authentication
  • Offers a range of features that improve safety

Cons:

  • There is no free alternative

If you're looking for a great password manager that can manage your passwords securely across multiple devices, Sticky Password is a great choice. However, if you only have one device or are on a tight budget, I would recommend exploring other options before deciding to invest in this software.

10. Enpass

Enpass is a great password manager that offers all the features you need to keep your data safe, including the ability to create strong, unique passwords for all your accounts and automatically save them in a secure vault.

The software also comes with a number of useful extras, such as the ability to share passwords with others and generate security reports. However, the free version only supports one device and lacks some of the more advanced features, such as two-factor authentication.

Pros:

  • It allows you to set up several different forms of authentication at the same time.
  • Offers a variety of helpful extras.

Overall, Enpass is a great option if you're looking for a powerful password manager that doesn't cost anything. However, if you need to manage your passwords on multiple devices or want access to advanced features

What are the most important features of the best password managers?

The most important features of the best password managers are:

The ability to easily and securely generate strong passwords

This might be important to you, depending on how many online accounts you have and the level of security that you require. Obviously you need to save your master password safely so that you an always recoup your passwords when you lost one of them.

The ability to easily import existing passwords

Many people already have a set of passwords that they use regularly, and it can be useful to be able to import these into your password manager. The best password manager you can find for this is Lastpass, this password manager is ranked on number 4 in our list of the best password managers.

The ability to easily and securely store all your passwords in one place

The ability to easily and securely sync your passwords across all your devices might be one of the best features of your password manager, but security and ease-of-use are just as important. Most password managers give you the option to store all your passwords in once place.

The ability to easily and securely fill in passwords on websites and apps

A password manager should make it easy for you to log into your accounts by autofilling and securely storing your passwords, without exposing you to any security risks. This can be especially useful if you use many different devices or frequently switch between different online accounts.

Other features such as multi-factor authentication, two-factor authentication, next of kin access, password sharing, and cloud sync might also be important to you depending on your personal needs and preferences. Ultimately, the best password manager for you will depend on what features are most important to you and how comfortable you feel using it.

Frequently asked questions about password managers

Obviously we might have answered a lot of questions to make sure you find the best password manager in 2024, but here are some of the most common questions we get about password managers:

What is a password manager?

A password manager is a tool that allows you to securely store and manage all your passwords in one place, making it easier for you to access your accounts and surf the internet safely. Some of the most important features are easy to find in our best password manager guide.

What is two factor authentication?

Two factor authentication is an extra layer of security that can be added to your account, requiring you to enter a code from your phone or another device in addition to your password. This makes it much more difficult for someone to hack into your account.

What is a strong password?

A strong password is a password that is difficult for someone to guess or brute force. It should be at least 8 characters long and include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, the features in password managers will help you out to find a safe and realiable mix of passwords.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, it is safe to use a password manager as long as you choose a reputable one and take care to keep your master password safe. We recommend NordPass or 1Password as the best options currently available.

A good password is at least 8 characters long and includes a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Avoid using easily guessed words or information like your birthday. You can find more tips in our guide to creating strong passwords.

The master password is the password you use to access your password manager. It should be unique and different from any of your other passwords, and you should never forget it.

If you forget your master password, there is usually no way to reset it. This is why it's important to choose a strong, easy-to-remember master password that you won't forget. If you do, some password managers may offer a way to reset it if you have access to another account on the same device. Otherwise, your only option may be to create a new account and start over.

Password managers offer superior encryption, which is a great deterrent to cybercriminals. Many password managers are protected by strong encryption such as AES, the government-approved protection standard that the United States uses to protect sensitive data.

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