TLDR: If you’re in a hurry NordPass is the Best Password Manager! You can try it out for free, but the premium version is worth it
Click Here To Try NordPass For Free
Password managers are computer programs that let users store, generate, and manage their passwords for online services. A report from LastPass says people have 191 passwords on average to remember. Every new website or application that we sign up for means a new password to remember. It becomes complicated to remember all these passwords. People end up using the same password for multiple websites or applications. It could be a massive threat to your security.
Instead of using the same password to access multiple Internet accounts, you need a password manager to save time and remember different passwords. Password managers store your passwords in an encrypted database locked behind a master password.
If you have to shop for password managers you need to know what to look for in a good password manager. Here are the features to look for before you choose a password manager:
Features of a Good Password Manager
- Security: Make sure that the password manager that you choose has encryption protocols in place to ensure your data is safe from any hacks. The current industry standard is the AES 256-bit encryption. A zero-knowledge storage approach ensures that a password manager cannot access credentials stored in your vault. This adds an extra layer of security.
- Multi-platform support: Password managers that support various platforms ensure that you can access your password vault no matter which OS you use. It should support Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS. Password managers have browser extensions to fill in details on the login page.
- Vault storage location: Password managers store your passwords and other personal credentials in a vault. They are saved on a cloud or your local device.
- Recovery options: A Master Password is a primary key to your encrypted vault. The recovery option helps you get access to your vault if you forget the master password.
- Save and autofill passwords: This feature auto-fills usernames and passwords manually. The save feature stores new passwords and credentials automatically.
- Automatic device sync: Syncing devices help you find up-to-date information when you switch to other devices. You will have your passwords and information stored across all devices you use.
These are the standard features that any password manager should have. Our favorite password managers are listed below. We have taken these recommendations from Reddit. Reddit dives deep into online discussions so you can dig deeper and get answers on any topic you might have.
Let’s take a look at our top recommendation for password managers.
Best Password Managers
1. Nordpass – Best Password Manager 2024
Nordpass (by NordVPN) is a relatively new password manager and has quickly gained popularity due to its design and pretty aesthetic. It has great security features and added features like password sharing, password health checks up, and a data breach scanner.
The free version comes with basic features and unlimited storage. It is a simple and secure password manager with the latest encryption technology. NordPass creates a more user-friendly experience than its competitors.
Click Here To Try NordPass For Free
What Redditors had to say about it
u/Jaibamon “Advantages of NordPass: It looks prettier. The extension connects to the Desktop client, which I consider a usability improvement.”
u/Laurul95 “Oh boy does it look pretty. On a computer, NordPass adds these little buttons to a username & password form, that opens a small popup with the saved passwords for that website”
u/2k18_till_infinity “NordPass pros- nicer and somehow more user-friendly UI- it has a password strength indicator when you create passwords + for existing logins”
Highlights
- Security: NordPass is very secure and uses the latest encryption technology like XChaCha20 encryption which is better and more secure than AES encryption. It has a zero-knowledge policy and multiple-factor authentication (MFA). Some other security features are Biometric logins, secure password sharing, data leak scanning, password health checks, and emergency access.
- Great Password Vault: The password vault can be accessed from desktop apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux and also through mobile apps and web browsers. This means you can access your account from anywhere irrespective of the device you are using. You can create multiple vaults to manage your data.
- Data Breach Scanner: The data breach scanner checks if your credit card information or account logins have been compromised. You get an alert in case your account is breached. However, you have to run the scan manually.
- Password Generator: The NordPass Password Generator is easy to use and uses lots of variables to create a strong password. You can also view your generated-password history. This is something that other competitors don’t offer.
- Pricing and Plans: NordPass offers a free, a premium, and a family plan. There is a 7-day free trial for the premium plan and is valid only for 1 user. The free version offers unlimited storage for passwords, password import and export, auto-save, auto-fill, password generator, automatic sync, and MFA.
1Password is the most recommended password manager. It has all the standard features and much more. It is available on all major platforms and has a very user-friendly dashboard. With its unique features, the price point is very affordable. Overall it is the best option available on the market today. What Redditors had to say about it: u/BeanBagKing: “I highly recommend 1Password. It’s easy to use, has a client on every platform, and browser plugins work well. It’s an old name within password managers, so it’s well past its growing pains. “ u/Gre3Gre78: “I don’t know how I’d ever live without 1password now. Worth trying the free trial. It’s so comforting to know your passwords are synced and you won’t forget anything.” u/plaidmo: “I did a 1,000-user trial of 1Password. 1Password was the crowd favorite, by far. 1Password scored higher in all “usability” categories we evaluated. I recommend 1Password to all my family and friends.” Highlights: This is another frequently recommended password manager. It is a highly secure and open-source password manager. Its free tier offers a lot more than most competitors. It is great value for those with a budget. The premium plan has extra features like security audits and advanced two-factor authentication. It is an obvious choice for those looking for a free plan. What Redditors had to say about it: u/payne747: “Bitwarden has the cross-platform, browser and phone integrations, ability to store files, ability to self-host, audited code, and did I mention free.” u/slackjack2014: “Bitwarden is good for personal use since I can use it on just about anything. It’s open source and I can host it personally if I want instead of using the cloud version.” u/jakegh: “Most people can use Bitwarden completely free. If you do need to pay, it’s MUCH cheaper. BW is open-source. You can host BW yourself with no reliance on cloud services.” Highlight LastPass is pretty cheap and comes with multiple layers of security. They offer you a great variety of features that are easy to understand and use. LastPass has a great free plan that includes unlimited password storage. It is well-designed and user-friendly. Loaded with rich features, this makes for an excellent password manager. u/OakenRage: “I very much enjoy LastPass. They charge for use on more than one device so in the future I may end up doing my solution using my NAS.” u/dmburl: “I got into LastPass years ago. I love that I can give LastPass to my kids and we can share passwords. I have been fairly pleased with my LastPass experience.” u/letees: “I use LastPass and I like the cross-platform feature, I log in everywhere no matter if I’m using my phone, my tablet, or one of my computers.” Lastpass Update LastPass, the most well-known and widely used password manager, confirmed in August 2022 that an unauthorized party had gained access to certain elements of customers’ information within a third-party cloud storage service. It was revealed that hackers had obtained extensive information from user accounts such as billing and email addresses, end-user names, telephone numbers, and IP address info. However, LastPass’ data breach woes continued, as in March 2024, LastPass announced that the hacker behind the previous breach in August 2022 had hacked a senior engineer’s home computer and obtained access to a critical corporate vault available to only four top employees. This vault gave the hacker access to a cloud-storage environment that contained encryption keys for 30 million customer vault backups. This news was concerning to users of LastPass. Since then, many users have shifted to other LastPass alternatives like NordPass. Highlights: KeePassXC is an open-source fork of KeePass and developed by the community. It differs from KeePass as it is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux. KeePassXC gives you more control over your passwords as it stores everything in a secure local file instead of a remote server. If you are worried about data breaches then this is a solid choice. What Redditors had to say about it: u/noahdvs: “I use KeePassXC myself. It locks automatically when I lock my computer. It’s fairly simple to use and I can use the same KeePass database file on all my devices, including phones.” u/fuzzyinterval: “Another vote for keepassxc. Cross-platform & browser integration being the biggest reasons.” u/asleepyguy: “I use KeePassXC for 2 reasons. It stores passwords locally rather than in the cloud & its cross-platform looks good, open source, and community supported.” Highlights: While this may not be the most popular password manager out there it is the next best option. It is easy to use, well-designed and has good security features. It has a free plan and the premium plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Its top-notch security features are what makes it a good choice. What Redditors had to say about it: u/MASKEDBOYO: “Is generally safe and has a pretty nice user interface. I chose to use Dashlane after doing some research. Despite Dashlane not being open source, I’d consider it a good choice for the average user.” u/atoponce: “Another proprietary password manager available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and major browsers. Dashlane offers instant security alerts when it knows about password breaches.” u/excoriator: “5-year customer here. From a security standpoint, I love it. End-to-end AES-256 encryption.” Highlights: A password manager is an effective way to secure your online life but it is important to note that the most popular password managers aren’t necessarily the best. The above list will help you in choosing the most secure and best password managers available today.2. 1Password – Most Popular Paid Password Manager
Platforms: It supports various platforms like Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Chrome OS, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD.3. Bitwarden – Best Open Source Password Manager
4. LastPass – Popular Free Password Manager
What Redditors had to say about it:
5. KeePassXC
6. Dashlane
Password Generator: This can be accessed through the browser extension and shows up when you create a new password.
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