Best password storage programs

But if you find none of our three recommended password managers works quite how you want, a handful of other apps are worth considering. These all have free versions available.

Dashlane provides a simple and secure way to manage your passwords and keep other login information stored. Just for managing passwords, we like it as much as our picks, but the free Dashlane app limits you to one device and 50 passwords. A free version gives you unlimited password storage on one device. KeePass, another open-source software password manager, started on Windows and has been ported using the same code base to other platforms, including MacOS, Android and iOS.

On the plus side, it's totally free and endorsed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. On the other hand, it's really for advanced users only: Its user interface takes a bit of fiddling to get all the independently built versions of KeePass to work together. There's been a shift in the market for VPN and antivirus software in recent months.

Many of the companies behind these software packages are expanding them to become wider software suites. We haven't specifically reviewed these password storage managers, if only because they don't yet appear to have a feature set or pricing option that beats any of our preferred options above.

If and when that changes, we'll check them out in more detail. Still need more info on what password managers are, and why they're better than the alternatives? Read on. To get started, a password manager will record the username and password you use when you first sign in to a website or service.

Then the next time you visit the website, it will autofill forms with your saved password login information. For those websites and services that don't allow automatic filling, a password manager lets you copy the password to paste into the password field. If you're stuck picking a good password, a manager can generate a strong password for you and watch that you aren't reusing it across multiple services.

And if you use more than one device, you want a manager that is available across all your devices and browsers, so you can access your passwords and login information -- including credit-card and shipping information -- from anywhere through the manager app or its browser extension. Some provide secure storage so you can store other items too, such as documents or an electronic copy of your passport or will.

Take note: Many password managers keep the master password you use to unlock the manager locally and not on a remote server. Or if it's on a server, it's encrypted and not readable by the company. This ensures your account stays secure in case of a data breach. It also means that if you forget your master password, there may not be a way to recover your account through the company.

Because of that, a few password managers offer DIY kits to help you recover your account on your own. Worst-case scenario, you start over with a new password manager account and then reset and save passwords for all your accounts and apps. Enpass has a completely free desktop version, plus a free limited mobile version you can store up to 25 passwords.

Enpass is a decent password manager that handles all the basics pretty well — and it comes with extras like a portable USB version and smartwatch compatibility. Enpass only has local data storage, which is good for advanced users. However, users who want to store their data in the cloud have to pay for third-party cloud storage.

Enpass has a free version and is also the only password manager on this list to offer a lifetime subscription. Get Enpass Now. All of the password managers on this list use the incredibly strong bit AES encryption method, or an equivalent encryption method, so a hacker would need an extraordinarily powerful supercomputer to steal your data. Many of the top password managers offer similar features — securely saving and storing passwords, generating new passwords, and syncing across multiple devices.

But, there are a lot of things that set them apart. Dashlane has top-notch security, easy-to-use integration across devices, and even a VPN. RoboForm has the most advanced form-filling features around, while Keeper includes lots of secure storage, and Sticky Password gives a portion of all proceeds to the Save the Manatee Club! You probably do. Both of those situations leave you extremely vulnerable to having your accounts broken into, so you likely need something that can store and recall all of your online logins.

All top password managers have a zero-knowledge protocol. Professional Reviews. Affiliate Commissions. Reviews Guidelines. Katarina Glamoslija Updated on: January 1, This article contains. Keeper — Most Secure Password Manager 5. LastPass — Best Free Plan 6. Bitwarden — Best Open-Source Option Short on time? Quick summary of the best password managers in 1.

Keeper — Advanced security, intuitive apps, and flexible pricing. LastPass — Good free plan, advanced security on the paid plans. Comparison Table of All Top Products. Get Deal. Try 1Password risk-free for 14 days! Are all password managers the same? Do I really need a password manager?

Can password manager companies see my passwords? Share It: 0. While the browsers can generate passwords, the security of all your passwords and sensitive information is crucial. Unfortunately, the browsers do not provide any multi-factor authentication when accessing the password vault for the first time when using another computer. Another misconception is that people try to keep their credentials safe by keeping them in a spreadsheet or document and saving it with a password, but this is by-passable as there are many tools available online that can be downloaded and used to crack the password.

Using their master password, users can access their stored passwords on any device, and the password manager will autofill them on all their sites and apps. Most people have dozens, even hundreds of different online accounts. The likes of NordVPN , Norton and others have noticed this already; expect many more to follow suite. There are dozens of password managing services and even more applications that offer password manager features.

Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or even Bitdefender Total Security , a popular antivirus solution offer a password manager feature. To make things even more complicated, you have mobile-only password managers that focused primarily on smartphone users, literally dozens of them. At present, we have reviewed more than 20 password managers:.

Brian has over 30 years publishing experience as a writer and editor across a range of computing and technology titles, and has been interviewed multiple times for BBC News and BBC Radio. He is also a science fiction and fantasy author, writing as Brian G Turner.

North America. Jump to: The best password manager: How did we test? Frequently asked questions. As a new year dawns, its the perfect time for a security upgrade, and the best password manager can help with exactly that. The best password manager in comes with a free VPN. Dashlane Premium. View Deal. Reasons to avoid - Premium plans come at a high price. Reasons to avoid - Occasional server hiccups. Reasons to avoid - No form autofill option.

Reasons to avoid - No free version. Reasons to avoid - Not quite as premium as some others. Reasons to avoid - Not as much customization as other options. Reasons to avoid - No free device syncing. Reasons to avoid - Basic desktop app. Reasons to avoid - No secure password sharing.

Zoho Vault. Reasons to avoid - For corporate rather than individual use. Brian Turner. Euphoria season 2 is exactly what HBO Max needed in Honor's new foldable phone is bigger and more powerful than the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Motorola Razr 3 foldable phone leak says it'll get top-end chipset and lose the notch.

Thousands of open-source projects taken down by disgruntled developer. The Tinder Swindler trailer will make you think twice about using dating apps. This zero-knowledge policy is great for privacy, but I wish that Avira would include some account recovery options, like LastPass provides with its free plan.

That said, Avira Password Manager is very easy to use. During my tests, the app was able to generate passwords, save logins to my vault, and auto-fill saved logins with just a few clicks.

I was able to easily import my saved passwords from Chrome to Avira, and the app automatically synced all of my passwords between my desktop and mobile devices. Avira Password Manager Free is secure, intuitive, and provides unlimited password storage across multiple devices. Avira has bit AES encryption, a zero-knowledge policy, and offers biometric login for mobile devices and a built-in TOTP authenticator.

Upgrading to the paid version of the app brings you vault security auditing and data breach monitoring. Download Avira Password Manager Free. RoboForm Free also offers unlimited password storage and more security features than most competitors offer in their free plans, including password auditing, bookmarks storage, and emergency access but you can only receive emergency access, not grant it to others.

RoboForm is easy to use and it has the best form filler around, which consistently auto-fills both simple and complex web forms without errors. Download RoboForm Free. However, Sticky Password does offer a few unique features that make it a compelling choice, such as:. Plus, a portion of every purchase goes to the Save The Manatee Club! Sticky Password Free offers unlimited password storage on unlimited devices. However, it is compatible with a bunch of niche browsers, and its USB portability is a useful feature for students or travelers.

That said, Sticky Password Premium is much better — it offers multi-device sync and password sharing for a pretty low price. Download Sticky Password Free. Bitwarden is a powerful open-source password manager with a generous free plan — it gives unlimited password storage and covers an unlimited number of devices. Avira Password Manager is the only other password manager on this list that does that LastPass also lets you store unlimited passwords, but only on mobile or desktop devices.

Unfortunately, open-source also means that Bitwarden is not very user friendly. Tech-savvy users will love the customizability of Bitwarden, with its optional command-line interface and deep submenus, but everyday people will find Bitwarden harder to use than competitors like LastPass and Avira Password Manager. I spent a lot of time editing my password vault and manually entering new logins because Bitwarden had trouble properly saving and auto-filling my passwords.