You need the best password manager, don’t you? (I read your mind!)
I’m giving you 7 of these, nearly all of which are absolutely free!
Why don’t you use extremely complex, different password for each site? (I know you don’t).
Cause hey, remembering or managing passwords like “3!4djzS$^4314gssd%213” isn’t very easy.
Password managers do just that.
They generate, store, and remember even the most complex passwords, and then auto-fill them.
Furthermore, you aren’t prone to phishing.
Even when a site looks and feels the same, the manager will only fill-in the password on the exact same URL the password was saved from.
And then, these managers also “sync” your passwords on multiple devices.
Create an account on any device, auto-login on any other device without typing in the password!
7 Best Password Managers
Here are the best password managers, (almost) all of which free, end-to-end encrypted (zero knowledge) and extremely secure.
Name | Website | Cheap Plan | Premium | E2E Encryption | Pass. Sharing | 2FA | HQ. Office |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nordpass | https://nordpass.com/ | Free | $2.49/Month | Yes | Yes | Yes | Switzerland |
Lastpass | https://www.lastpass.com/ | Free | $3/Month | Yes | Yes | Yes | US |
1Password | https://1password.com/ | Free (30 Days) | $2.99/Month | Yes | Yes | Yes | Canada |
Let’s secure your accounts then?
NordPass – Free and Premium Both Available
Website: https://nordpass.com/
NordPass is client-side encrypted and uses the zero-knowledge architecture.
Meaning, it at no time has access to or knowledge of your passwords.
As for encryption, it uses XChaCha20 combined with Argon2 key derivation. (What on earth are these? I’ll simplify).
Let’s just say that XChaCha20 is used by companies such as Google and Cloudflare.
That tells us it’s pretty secure, doesn’t it? And no, don’t believe me, or NordPass.
Cure53 is an audit company which has independently tested and verified these claims!
NordPass is 100% free (no cards required). [Honestly? Skip this piece, grab NordPass now. It’s self-explanatory, easy to use, and extremely secure].
If you are using some kind of password manager? like Lastpass, 1Password or etc. NordPass can help you to easy credential migration on Nordpass. It’s allows one-click imports and export backup.
Maybe you need to share passwords with your family and friends? (We all share amazon prime, Netflix, don’t we?)
NordPass offers a sharing feature so you can share passwords in an encrypted form.
Then, only specific users selected by you can decrypt and view the password.
The best part? It’s available for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS and even as a browser extension.
The account is synced across all the devices.
So, set your password on any device, you can login on all the other devices without remembering the password!
It can also be used to store notes, card details and other non password-related but confidential data.
Guess what, no manual typing of card numbers required.
Using its exclusive OCR feature, you can simply scan your card and it auto-detects the numbers and other details.
It also has an in-built password generator. Simply choose the strength for the password you need.
And lastly, it supports 2-FA via fingerprints, voice, and even face IDs if you’ve a compatible device.
There’s a completely optional paid plan, which costs just$2.49/month. It allows 6-device simultaneous access.
Despite offering a 100% free plan, it still offers a 30-day moneyback policy on its paid plan.
Protect Your Password with Nordpass
LastPass
Website: https://www.lastpass.com/
If you need the best password manager, and you aren’t going with NordPass, LastPass is the next best choice.
It’s actually much older than NordPass and already has a user-base consisting of 25.6 million users.
It too offers zero-knowledge encryption.
The encryption key is created simply by using an email ID and a master password.
AES-256 encryption which is often considered military-grade encryption, used by the U.S military is used for encryption.
It even notifies us when we use the same password on multiple sites.
It has specific sections for notes, addresses, payment cards, bank accounts etc.
“Shared folders” can be created for secure, encrypted sharing of passwords.
Also allows “one to many” sharing (sharing the password with multiple users).
Does offer a “password generator”, and it’s pretty advanced.
Passwords can be imported from over 2 dozen services and password managers, or just upload a CSV file.
2-FA authentication too is available, not limited to just fingerprints but also supports YubiKey and Sesame.
It’s available as a browser extension, or as an app for Android, iOS and Windows phone.
1GB encrypted storage too is provided so the most important documents can be stored safely.
Is free, however, there’s a premium plan which costs $1.00/month and a “Families” plan priced at $4.00/month.
1Password
Website: https://1password.com/
1Password too stores, manages and auto-fills passwords.
But, it obviously offers a lot more.
For starters, it makes use of a “secret key” in addition to the master password to secure your 1Password accounts and data.
This makes sure that even if the master password is compromised, the 1Password account and data remain safe.
Additional 2-FA can be activated further securing your passwords.
Moreover, it can also be used as a 2-FA tool by itself!
It’s cross-compatible, and supports everything including Windows, MacOS, Android, browsers, iOS and even command-line interfaces.
The passwords are synced and can be used on any of these devices.
Sharing passwords too is allowed and made secure.
Specific folders available for storing different “types” of info, such as licenses, cards, memberships, passports etc.
An emergency kit can be created for account recovery at a later time.
Team-creation is possible. The team members can also be used to recover access by sharing recovering keys with them beforehand.
There’s this “Watchtower” feature which monitors, and alerts us if and when a security breach is detected.
Up to 5GB document storage is provided for each user.
Rules can be created for passwords, specific IP addresses or locations can be banned, and sign-in attempts too can be checked for breaches!
Unfortunately, no free plan exists. Paid plans start at $2.99/month, however, there’s a 30 day free trial.
RememBear
Website: https://www.remembear.com/
It’s a Bear, who manages your passwords.
I’m kidding.
But yes, this tool for managing passwords seems extremely fond of Bears.
For starters, it’s independently audited by Cure53 (alike NordPass).
Then, it too offers end-to-end encryption.
Hence, no data can be read by the RememBear team.
Uses AES-256 bit encryption. Pretty satisfactory!
Offers “achievements” for following certain rules or completing steps. Helps build good password-habits.
Auto-sync across all the devices is available as well.
Its “Key Management System” is advanced-enough to protect your passwords even if RememBear servers get hacked.
Additionally, it offers a “New Device Key” (NDK).
It’s a key unique to your “device”. Meaning, even if your master password is compromised, no one can log into your account without physical device access.
This NDK is also your “recovery key” in case you forget your password.
Most password managers offer a password generation tool, RememBear does too.
You get to select the length, no. of digits/symbols/capitals etc. for your new password.
The primary attraction for me was its extremely easy to use interface.
It’s the best password manager because truly even a Bear can use it.
It’s available on Mac, Windows, Android and iOS.
The premium plan is optional as is the case with most other password managers, and costs $3.00/month.
Dashlane
Website: https://www.dashlane.com/
Many consider Dashlane to be the best password manager.
It sure is one of them, but not the best (in my personal opinion).
If you need to store 50 or less passwords, for free, in that case Dashlane is perfect.
Well yes, that’s the limit on the free account.
It too offers the sharing feature which helps share passwords with teams or family members.
Managing a group or a team?
Monitor their password health and recommend changes when required. The level of access/permissions too can be controlled.
It monitors the web (even the Darkweb) and alerts you if and when any of your credentials are leaked.
Shows password “last updated” date. Helps identify and change old passwords.
How amazing would it be if you could change your password for multiple sites, in one-click?
That’s exactly what its “Password Changer” feature offers.
Its primary attraction is its free VPN Service. 20+ countries, unlimited connection and devices. In-built into the password manager.
The paid plan is optional, and starts at $3.33/month.
RoboForm
Website: https://www.roboform.com/lastpass-alternative
Not as popular as NordPass or LastPass, yet a pretty impressive password manager.
It offers multiple versions of the same data to be saved in the same category.
It’s available on Mac, Windows, Android apps. Obviously browser extensions are available as well.
Unlike most other password managers, it also provides offline access to the saved data.
Data can be imported via CSV files, or from other popular password managers.
The password generator too is available.
AES-256 bit encryption is used for encryption.
It supports 2-FA via Authy, Microsoft authenticator and Google authenticator.
An “emergency contact” can be set who will have access to your account and data. Can be used for recovery.
It even records and auto-fills the passwords for system apps (software).
Impressively also allows the “sync” to be turned off. No data is then stored on RoboForm servers, completely isolated locally to the device.
Free version exists.
Multiple paid plans available, starting at $19.00/year (heavy discounts on longer-term plans).
LogMeOnce
Website: https://www.logmeonce.com/
I’ll be honest, it’s not the best free password manager.
But, if you need to auto-fill your passwords and store them safely, Logmeonce does the job.
Its free plan allows for unlimited passwords and autofills.
The encrypted storage sure isn’t impressive, and is limited at just 1MB on the free plan.
But, the paid plans offer up to 10GB storage (encrypted).
It also has a “login audit” feature which allows you to monitor and review login attempts.
Does allow storing card information (with specific limits even on paid plans.)
The sharing feature is available, but again, limited. The same goes for notes.
2-Factor authentication is available.
An Emergency access kit too is provided, but again only on the paid plans.
The most expensive plan allows up to 6 simultaneous device logins.
It does offer the unique “scheduled login” feature.
This lets you specify login times, even with all the credentials, a hacker can’t login because he/she/they wouldn’t be aware of the scheduled login time!
Paid plans start at $2.50/mo.
Blur by Abine
Website: https://www.abine.com/
Blur is a tool provided by Abine. As the name suggests, it does a lot more than just password management. One of its primary features is that it “blurs” your identity.
Meaning, it offers “masked emails” which can be used to hide your real E-mail IDs and use the provided ID to enter on websites and other platforms.
Similarly, it also instantly generates masked credit/debit cards which can be used temporarily. Hence, you do not have to share your real card details on eCommerce and other similar platforms. The same masking can also be applied to your phone numbers.
Moreover, it also blocks trackers and trackers on the web. There’s also an in-built ad blocker which blocks ads.
Without doubt, it still is primarily a password manager and it too is End-to-End Encrypted. And it does autofill data without requiring you to enter data manually.
There’s a forever free version, or, you can get a more feature-rich premium plan which starts at $14.99/month.
Keeper
Website: https://www.keepersecurity.com/
Keeper is a cybersecurity solution which provides many other services, including a password manager. The features are pretty basic, yet secure. Meaning, you won’t find any “wow” features, but, you’ll find everything that you need from a password manager.
For starters, it obviously generates and stores passwords. It auto-syncs on devices. There’s no limit on the number of devices and it can also store unlimited passwords. It also supports fingerprint and face ID login as long as your device supports them. Other 2-FA modes such as SMS, TOTPs and U2F security keys too are supported.
It can also scan & store card information. It also has a “record sharing” information. You can create records and share them with family, colleagues, and friends.
It also has an “Emergency Access” feature. Friends & family get access to your vault given the rules set by you are met. It also has an add-on called “BreachWatch”. It basically monitors the dark web for password leaks. There’s also a cloud storage add-on.
And, finally, there’s live-chat in case you’ve got doubts. Plans start at $2.91 and go up.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
When I was first learning of password managers, I sure had these questions.
I guess you do too? At least, some of you do. Well, let me get you clarity.
Which is the Best Password Manager?
In one word? NordPass.
It’s developed by the NordVPN team (the most private, secure, and proven “no log” VPN).
HQ based in Switzerland (it matters from a privacy, security, legal point of view). Swiss law protects IP address like personal data.
Is free, and extremely feature-rich.
Can these Password Managers Access/See/Use/Sell/Share My Passwords?
No, they can’t. Each of these password managers are zero-knowledge.
This means, they have absolutely 0 access to your passwords, Because data has been encrypted format, only authorized users can access that data.
Can Password Managers be Hacked?
Not exactly.
Mostly, these are hacked via social-engineering (creating similar-looking apps, fake emails, guessing passwords etc.)
The actual password managers can’t generally be just “hacked into”.
Even when they are hacked, the servers at no time have your password in any useful form.
In a nutshell, using extremely secure passwords and enabling 2-FA (and multifactor authentication) should keep you safe.
Can I Store Ultra-confidential Information on Password Managers?
Can you? Yes.
Should you? No.
At least, not the most sensitive information.
E.g. your Bitcoin wallet keys, or log in to your primary bank account, finance information, and anything that are very important to you.
In my opinion, these managers are best for storing credit card information (for sub-accounts), social media accounts and other logins.
Final words
If you need the best password manager, go with NordPass.
Need an alternative for some reason? LastPass is equally impressive.
Note that I’ve only included End-to-End encrypted password managers in this list.
This means every single one of these is just as secure as the others.
Do let me know which in your opinion is the best password manager?