Best Apps For Password Storage

You probably know someone who has a list of all their passwords taped to the back of their computer monitor. Maybe you’re even that person!

We’ve all been in a situation where we’ve had to use a password so rarely that we completely forget it by the next time we need it.

But keeping a list like that on your desk is an incredibly risky security practice, and not just because anyone could walk behind your desk and read it (although that’s definitely true). It also means that if someone steals your laptop, they can find that list and access all of your accounts—including your bank account.

So, what should you do instead? Use a password manager!

Best Apps For Password Storage

PASSWORD MANAGERS ARE the vegetables of the internet. We know they’re good for us, but most of us are happier snacking on the password equivalent of junk food. For seven years running that’s been “123456” and “password”—the two most commonly used passwords on the web. The problem is, most of us don’t know what makes a good password and aren’t able to remember hundreds of them anyway.

Now that so many people are working from home, outside the office intranet, the number of passwords you need may have significantly increased. The safest (if craziest) way to store them is to memorize them all. (Make sure they are long, strong, and secure!) Just kidding. That might work for Memory Grand Master Ed Cooke, but most of us are not capable of such fantastic feats. We need to offload that work to password managers, which offer secure vaults that can stand in for our memory.

A password manager offers convenience and, more important, helps you create better passwords, which makes your online existence less vulnerable to password-based attacks. Read our guide to VPN providers for more ideas on how you can upgrade your security, as well as our guide to backing up your data to make sure you don’t lose anything if the unexpected happens.

Updated March 2022: We’ve updated pricing throughout and added some notes about our ongoing testing of Roboform.

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Why Not Use Your Browser?
Most web browsers offer at least a rudimentary password manager. (This is where your passwords are stored when Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox ask if you’d like to save a password.) This is better than reusing the same password everywhere, but browser-based password managers are limited.

The reason security experts recommend you use a dedicated password manager comes down to focus. Web browsers have other priorities that haven’t left much time for improving their password manager. For instance, most of them won’t generate strong passwords for you, leaving you right back at “123456.” Dedicated password managers have a singular goal and have been adding helpful features for years. Ideally, this leads to better security.

WIRED readers have also written me asking about Apple’s MacOS password manager, which syncs through iCloud and has some nice integrations with Apple’s Safari web browser. There’s nothing wrong with Apple’s system. In fact, I have used Keychain Access on Macs in the past, and it works great. It doesn’t have some of the nice extras you get with dedicated services, but it handles securing your passwords and syncing them between Apple devices. The main problem is if you have any non-Apple devices, you won’t be able to sync your passwords to them, since Apple doesn’t make apps for other platforms. All in on Apple? Then this is a viable, free, built-in option worth considering.

How We Test
The best and most secure cryptographic algorithms are all available via open source programming libraries. On one hand, this is great, as any app can incorporate these ciphers and keep your data safe. Unfortunately, any encryption is only as strong as its weakest link, and cryptography alone won’t keep your passwords safe.

This is what I test for: What are the weakest links? Is your master password sent to the server? Every password manager says it isn’t, but if you watch network traffic while you enter a password, sometimes you find, well, it is. I also dig into how mobile apps work: Do they, for example, leave your password store unlocked but require a pin to get back in? That’s convenient, but it sacrifices too much security for that convenience.

No password manager is perfect, but the ones below represent the very best I’ve tested. They’re as secure as they can be while still remaining convenient and easy to use.

Best Overall
1Password
COURTESY OF 1PASSWORD
$36 PER YEAR (SINGLE)
$60 PER YEAR (FAMILY)
What sets 1Password apart from the rest of the options in this list is the number of extras it offers. It’s not the cheapest (see our next pick for that), but in addition to managing passwords, it will alert you when a password is weak or has been compromised (by checking against Troy Hunt’s excellent Have I Been Pwned database).

Like other password managers, 1Password has apps that work just about everywhere, including MacOS, iOS, Android, Windows, and Chrome OS. There’s even a command-line tool that will work anywhere, and the company recently launched a client for Linux in beta. There are plugins for your favorite web browser too, which makes it easy to generate and edit new passwords on the fly.

1Password recently announced a new version of its apps, 1Password 8, and I’ve had a mixed experience. On one hand, it finally works with Windows laptops running on ARM architecture. But on MacOS Monterey, I’ve had problems with autofill not working, keyboard shortcuts stopping until I relaunch the browser, among other issues. The problems so far are not enough to make me change our top pick, but it’s definitely something I am keeping an eye on. The company also recently reduced its free-trial period from 30 days to 14 days.

If you frequently travel across national borders you’ll appreciate my favorite 1Password feature: Travel Mode. This mode lets you delete any sensitive data from your devices before you travel and then restore it with a click after you’ve crossed a border. This prevents anyone, even law enforcement at international borders, from accessing your complete password vault.

In addition to being a password manager, 1Password can act as an authentication app like Google Authenticator, and for added security, it creates a secret key to the encryption key it uses, meaning no one can decrypt your passwords without that key. (The downside is that if you lose this key, no one, not even 1Password, can decrypt your passwords.)

1Password also offers tight integration with other mobile apps. Rather than needing to copy and paste passwords from your password manager to other apps (which puts your password on the clipboard at least for a moment), 1Password is integrated with many apps and can autofill. This is more noticeable on iOS, where inter-app communication is more restricted.

1Password Costs $3 Per Month ($36 Per Year, $60 a Year for Families)
After signing up, download the app for Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, Chrome OS, or Linux. There are also browser extensions for Firefox, Chrome, and Edge.

Best Free Option
Bitwarden
COURTESY OF BITWARDEN
FREE (SINGLE)
$40 PER YEAR (FAMILY)
Bitwarden is secure, open source, and free with no limits. The applications are polished and user-friendly, making it the best choice for anyone who doesn’t need the extra features of 1Password.

Did I mention it’s open source? That means the code that powers Bitwarden is freely available for anyone to inspect, seek out flaws, and fix. In theory, the more eyes on the code, the more airtight it becomes. Bitwarden has also been audited for 2020 by a third party to ensure it’s secure. It can be installed on your own server for easy self-hosting if you prefer to run your own cloud.

There are apps for Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS, and Linux, as well as extensions for all major web browsers. Bitwarden also has support for Windows Hello and Touch ID on its desktop apps for Windows and MacOS, giving you the added security of those biometric authentication systems.

Another thing I like is Bitwarden’s semiautomated password fill-in tool. If you visit a site that you’ve saved credentials for, Bitwarden’s browser icon shows the number of saved credentials from that site. Click the icon and it will ask which account you want to use and then automatically fills in the login form. This makes it easy to switch between usernames and avoids the pitfalls of autofill we mention at the bottom of this guide. If you simply must have your fully automated form-filling, Bitwarden supports that as well.

Bitwarden offers a paid upgrade account. The cheapest of the bunch, Bitwarden Premium, is $10 per year. That gets you 1 GB of encrypted file storage, two-factor authentication with devices like YubiKey, FIDO U2F, Duo, and a password hygiene and vault health report. Paying also gets you priority customer support.

Bitwarden Is Free ($40 Per Year for Families)
After signing up, download the app for Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, or Linux. There are also browser extensions for Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Edge, Vivaldi, and Brave.

Best Full-Featured Manager
Dashlane
COURTESY OF DASHLANE
$60 PER YEAR (SINGLE)
$90 PER YEAR (FAMILY)
I first encountered Dashlane several years ago. Back then, it was the same as its competitors with no standout attributes. But recent updates have added several helpful features. One of the best is Site Breach Alerts, something other services have since added as well. Dashlane actively monitors the darker corners of the web, looking for leaked or stolen personal data, and then alerts you if your information has been compromised.

Setup and migration from another password manager is simple, and you’ll use a secret key to encrypt your passwords, much like 1Password’s setup process. In practice, Dashlane is very similar to the others in this list. The company did discontinue its desktop app earlier this year, moving to a web-based user interface, which is a little different than 1Password and Bitwarden. (The desktop apps will officially shut down on January 10, 2022.) I primarily use passwords in the web browser anyway, and Dashlane has add-ons for all the major browsers, along with iOS and Android apps. If a desktop app is important to you, it’s something to be aware of. Dashlane offers a 30-day free trial, so you can test it out before committing.

Dashlane Premium Costs $6.49 Per Month ($60 Per Year)
After signing up, download the app for Android and iOS, and grab the browser extensions for Firefox, Chrome, and Edge.

Best DIY Option (Self-Hosted)
KeePassXC
COURTESY OF KEEPASSXC
KEEPASSXC IS FREE
Want to retain more control over your data in the cloud? Try using a desktop application like KeePassXC. It stores encrypted versions of all your passwords into an encrypted digital vault that keeps you secure with a master password, a key file, or both. The difference is that instead of a hosted service like 1Password syncing it for you, you sync that database file yourself using a file-syncing service like Dropbox or Edward Snowden’s recommended service, SpiderOak. Once your file is in the cloud, you can access it on any device that has a KeePassXC client.

Why do it yourself? In a word: Transparency. Like Bitwarden, KeepassXC is open source, which means its code can be and has been inspected for critical flaws.

KeePassXC Is Free to Use
Download the desktop app for Windows, MacOS, or Linux and create your vault. There are also extensions for Firefox, Edge, and Chrome. It does not have official apps for your phone. Instead, the project recommends KeePass2Android or Strongbox for iPhone.

Another Option
NordPass
COURTESY OF NORDPASS
FREE (LIMITED)
$36 PER YEAR (PREMIUM)
NordPass is a relatively new kid on the password manager block, but it comes from a company with significant pedigree. NordVPN is a well-known VPN provider, and the company brings to its password manager much of the ease of use and simplicity that made its VPN offering popular. The installation and setup process is a breeze. There are apps for every major platform (including Linux), browser, and device.

The free version of NordPass is limited to one device, and there’s no syncing available. There is a seven-day free trial of the premium version, which lets you test device syncing. But to get that for good, you’ll have to upgrade to the $36-a-year plan. (Like its VPN service, NordPass accepts payment in cryptocurrencies.)

NordPass uses a zero-knowledge setup in which all data is encrypted on your device before it’s uploaded to the company’s servers, like our picks above. Other nice features include support for two-factor authentication to sign in to your account and a built-in password generator (which has plenty of options to handle those poorly designed sites that put weird requirements on your password). There’s also a personal information storage feature to keep your address, phone number, and other personal data safe and secure, but easy to access as well.

NordPass also recently added an emergency access feature, which allows you to grant another NordPass user emergency access to your vault. It works just like the same feature in 1Password, allowing trusted friends or family to access your account in the event you cannot.

NordPass Is Free, But We Recommend the Premium Plan ($36 Per Year)
After signing up, download the app for Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, or Linux. There are also browser extensions for Firefox, Chrome, and Edge.

Honorary Mentions
COURTESY OF REMEMBEAR
Password managers are not a one-size-fits-all solution. Our top picks cover most use cases and are the best choices for most people, but your needs may be different. Fortunately, there are plenty of very good password managers. Here are some more we’ve tested and like.

RememBear (free, or $72 per year for Premium): RememBear does everything you’d expect of a password manager, and it has bears! Password managers are possibly the most boring software on your device, plus just the idea of them is stressful to some people. RememBear counters this by entertaining with bear puns and smoothing out anxiety with its friendly, lovable bear mascot. For beginners, RememBear has everything you need and a clever, approachable user interface, but it’s missing features advanced users might want, like a robust password strength checker. The free plan only works on one device and doesn’t include syncing, but the premium account is $6 per month and includes syncing with end-to-end encryption, secure backups, and priority customer service. Sadly, you don’t get an actual bear.
Roboform ($24 per year, $48 per year for five-user family plan): Roboform has most of same features as the rest in this list, but it lacks some of the things that differentiate our top picks, like the travel feature of 1Password or the open source aspect of Bitwarden. I’ve been testing the free plan for a while and haven’t run into any problems. There are apps for every common platform, and it’s easy to use. That said, Roboform hasn’t published a full, independent security audit.
Enpass (free, $24 per year or one-time $80 for Premium): Like KeePassXC, Enpass does not store any data on its servers. Syncing is handled through third-party services like Dropbox or NextCloud. Enpass doesn’t do the syncing, but it does offer apps on every platform. That means once you have syncing set up, it works just like any other service. And you don’t have to worry about Enpass being hacked, because your data isn’t on its servers. If you’re comfortable setting up the secure syncing yourself, Enpass makes a great password manager.
Keeper Password Manager ($35 per year for Unlimited): Keeper offers a variety of security-related tools, including a password manager. Keeper works much like 1Password and others, storing only your encrypted data, and offers two-factor authentication for logging in to your account. Like Dashlane, Keeper has a lot of extras, including dark-web monitoring, meaning it will check publicly posted data to make sure yours isn’t available.
Pass (free): Pass is a command-line wrapper around GPG (GNU Privacy Guard), which is to say this is only for the nerdiest of users. It has support for managing encrypted .gpg files in Git, and there are third-party mobile apps available. It’s definitely not for everyone, but it’s what I use.
Password Manager Basics
A good password manager stores, generates, and updates passwords for you with the press of a button. If you’re willing to spend a few dollars a month, a password manager can sync your passwords across all your devices. Here’s how they work.

Only one password to remember: To access all your passwords, you only have to remember one password. When you type that into the password manager, it unlocks the vault containing all of your actual passwords. Only needing to remember one password is great, but it means there’s a lot riding on that one password. Make sure it’s a good one. If you’re having trouble coming up with that one password to rule them all, check out our guide to better password security. You might also consider using the Diceware method for generating a strong master password.

best free password manager app

After testing every free password manager I could find, there are only a few that I think are actually decent.

A lot of free password managers are really bad — some of them are super buggy, some of them are ineffective, and some of them are actually just spyware designed to steal all of your passwords. And built-in password managers from Apple and Chrome might be convenient, but they don’t have high levels of security and they don’t offer multi-platform support.

Many of the best password managers offer free versions, but most of them hit you with so many paywalls that they basically become useless. The unfortunate truth is that if you’re looking for the best features, the strongest security protections, and the most helpful customer support, you’ll have to spend a little bit of cash.

Personally, I would never leave my sensitive data on a free password manager. If you’re like me and don’t want to deal with the hassles and limitations of a free password manager, a low-cost premium password manager like Dashlane is always the better choice.

However, there are some really good free password managers which offer powerful password security, good user interfaces, and some nice extra features. I spent the last month testing out free password managers on my PC, iPhone, MacBook, and Android to find the best free password managers in 2022.

Quick summary of the best free password managers:
🥇1. Dashlane — #1 overall password manager in 2022. The free plan limits you to 50 passwords on 1 device, but it also provides extras like auto-filling, password sharing, and password auditing. Dashlane Free comes with a 30-day free trial of Dashlane Premium, and all purchases are backed by a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.
🥈2. 1Password — Secure, easy to use, feature-rich, and comes with a 14-day free trial. It offers low-cost plans for both individuals and families, and it’s the only password manager that lets you add an unlimited number of users on the family plan.
🥉3. LastPass — Unlimited passwords on unlimited devices, but you need to choose between mobile or desktop devices. Includes auto-save and auto-fill, secure notes, password sharing, and a built-in authenticator.

4. Avira Password Manager — Unlimited storage on unlimited devices, plus an intuitive interface. Also comes with good 2FA compatibility, a built-in authenticator on iOS and Android, and password auditing (but it’s very limited).
5. RoboForm — User-friendly with an excellent form filler. Provides unlimited logins on 1 device, bookmarks storage, and password auditing. Also has limited emergency access.
   Plus 2 More Free Password Managers!
   Comparison of the Best Free Password Managers in 2022.
   How to Choose the Best Free Password Managers in 2022.
   Risks & Disadvantages of Using a Free Password Manager.
   Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut.
   Frequently Asked Questions about Free Password Managers.
   🥇1. Dashlane — Best Overall Password Manager in 2022
   🥇1. Dashlane — Best Overall Password Manager in 2022
   Dashlane is my favorite password manager in 2022. It’s secure, comes with more features than most competitors, and is easy to use across all devices, operating systems, and browsers. Its free plan has many of the features included in the premium plan, but it only lets you store up to 50 passwords on 1 device.

However, Dashlane Free includes a better set of extras than most competing password managers, including:

Autosave and auto-fill. Dashlane securely auto-fills both login forms and payment information.
Password sharing. Allows you to share up to 5 passwords with other Dashlane users.
Password auditing. Shows which of your saved passwords are weak, reused, or compromised. I especially like that you can exclude some of your passwords from the overall password security score, which is useful if you want to only audit specific logins.
Breach notifications. Provides immediate alerts if any of your saved logins show up in a data breach.
Emergency access. Grants a trusted user access to your account in case you lose your master password or are unable to log in for any reason. Dashlane is the only password manager on this list that includes full emergency access on its free plan.
TOTP authenticator. Generates and stores time-based one-time (TOTP) passwords for accounts with two-factor authentication (2FA).
Dashlane’s free plan is very good, but upgrading to Dashlane Premium brings you unlimited password storage, multi-device sync, dark web monitoring, an automatic password changer, and even a virtual private network (VPN). Dashlane is the only password manager on the market with a bundled VPN, which is secure, fast, and works with streaming sites like Netflix.

You can get Dashlane Premium at a 25% discount if you enter SAFETYD25 at checkout, so it’s only $4.99 / month, which is a pretty good deal for such a functional password manager. Families should check out Dashlane Family, which adds up to 6 users for $7.49 / month. All of Dashlane’s premium plans include a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

Bottom Line:
Dashlane is the best password manager in 2022. While its free version is limited to 50 passwords on a single device, it still provides more features than most other brands include in their paid versions, including password sharing, emergency access, and breach notifications. Dashlane Free comes with a 30-day free trial of Dashlane Premium, and all purchases are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full Dashlane review >

🥈2. 1Password — Feature-Rich & Great for Families (But It’s Not Free)
🥈2. 1Password — Feature-Rich & Great for Families (But It’s Not Free)
1Password has a ton of high-security features, an intuitive dashboard, and affordable plans for both individuals and families. Unfortunately, 1Password doesn’t actually have a free version like Dashlane or the other password managers on my list. But it has a 14-day trial, so you can test all of its features risk-free and see if it’s right for you.

1Password is one of the most feature-rich password managers on the market, and all of its features are easy to use and work as promised.

I really like 1Password’s Watchtower feature, which analyzes the entire password vault for weak or repeated passwords and also monitors the dark web for breached logins. I also like 1Password’s unique Travel Mode, which lets you hide one or more of your logins when crossing borders.

And I think 1Password has some of the best 2FA options on the market — it integrates seamlessly with one-time password apps like Google Authenticator and USB keys like YubiKey, it’s compatible with biometric scanners, and it has a built-in 2FA authenticator.

At $2.99 / month, 1Password for individuals is a really good value, costing less than what most top competitors charge for fewer features — but it’s a shame the plan lacks emergency access, an advanced security feature Dashlane includes in its free plan. And 1Password Families is one of my favorite family password managers, covering up to 5 members for $4.99 / month and allowing you to add as many new members as you want for a really small fee (no other password manager offers this kind of flexibility for families).

Bottom Line:
1Password has a ton of high-security features inside an intuitive user interface, but it’s not free. However, 1Password is one of the best-value password managers on the market, and it offers very affordable plans for individuals and families. You can try out all of 1Password’s features with a risk-free 14-day trial and see if it’s right for you.

Read our full 1Password review >

🥉3. LastPass — Unlimited Passwords on Either Desktop or Mobile
🥉3. LastPass — Unlimited Passwords on Either Desktop or Mobile
LastPass is one of the rare password managers that provide unlimited logins and unlimited devices on its free plan — but you have to choose between syncing passwords on computers or mobile devices. If you want to sync all of your passwords across all of your desktop and mobile devices, you’ll need to upgrade to the paid version.

That said, you get lots of good features with LastPass Free. It has good auto-filling capabilities, a built-in authenticator, and 2FA compatibility. I especially like its built-in authenticator (called LastPass Authenticator), which lets you log into accounts with 2FA instead of having to sign into a separate authenticator app.

It’s also great that LastPass’s free plan comes with one-to-one password sharing, which allows users to share passwords, notes, and credit card information with one other LastPass user. There’s also password auditing, which lets you check how secure your stored passwords are.

Unfortunately, LastPass Free doesn’t come with emergency access — Dashlane includes it in its free plan, and 1Password includes it in its 1Password Families plan (which comes with a 14-day free trial).

While LastPass Free provides just about everything you could want in a password manager, upgrading to LastPass Premium adds some pretty good features. For just $3.00 / month, you get unlimited access across all devices, biometric MFA, one-to-many sharing, emergency access, and dark web monitoring.

Bottom line:
LastPass’s free plan provides unlimited password storage on unlimited devices, but you have to choose between device type (desktop or mobile). It also includes a wide range of extra features, including one-to-one password sharing, 2FA, a built-in authenticator, and password auditing. Upgrading to the premium plan gets you syncing across both desktop and mobile devices, one-to-many password sharing, and emergency access.

Read our full LastPass review >

4. Avira Password Manager Free — Unlimited Password Storage Across Unlimited Devices
5. Avira Password Manager Free — Unlimited Password Storage Across Unlimited Devices
   Avira Password Manager Free allows users to sync unlimited passwords across unlimited devices — so it’s perfect for people with tens or hundreds of passwords and tons of devices. The free plan also has 2FA compatibility (including biometric logins), and there’s also a good built-in authenticator.

While Avira Password Manager’s free version is pretty limited when compared to Dashlane or LastPass, it’s one of the most intuitive options on the market. 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.

Users looking for additional security features can upgrade to Avira’s paid app, which also includes data breach monitoring, password vault auditing, and priority customer support, for just $2.67 / month. If you also need a good antivirus, you can bundle Avira Password Manager with Avira’s premium antivirus software. All Avira purchases come with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

Bottom Line:
Avira Password Manager Free is secure, intuitive, and provides unlimited password storage across multiple devices. Avira has 256-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.

Read our full Avira Password Manager review >

5. RoboForm — Easy to Use with an Excellent Form Filler
6. RoboForm — Easy to Use with an Excellent Form Filler
   RoboForm Free is secure, intuitive, and comes with the best form filler on the market — most password managers store and fill simple web forms, but RoboForm’s form filler is able to fill out even the most advanced web forms with perfect accuracy.

RoboForm Free also offers unlimited password storage and includes password auditing, bookmarks storage, and emergency access. But, unlike Dashlane, RoboForm’s emergency access only lets you receive emergency access, not grant it to others.

Unfortunately, RoboForm Free only covers a single device, and it’s missing 2FA options. To get access to multi-platform support, 2FA, cloud backup, and a secure folder for sharing logins, you need to upgrade to RoboForm Everywhere ($1.16 / month). Families should take a look at RoboForm Everywhere Families that covers up to 5 users for $33.40 / year. Both of RoboForm’s paid plans are significantly more affordable than competing brands with a similar set of tools.

Bottom Line:
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. It’s also got password auditing, bookmarks storage, and unlimited password storage — but only for a single device. It’s a great choice for new password manager users looking to cover a phone or a laptop, but I’d like to see RoboForm offer multi-device sync in its free version, like LastPass and Avira Password Manager do.

Read our full RoboForm review >

6. Sticky Password — High Browser Compatibility + Portable USB Version
7. Sticky Password — High Browser Compatibility + Portable USB Version
   Sticky Password Free offers unlimited password storage on unlimited devices, but it doesn’t sync between devices, like LastPass and Avira Password Manager do. That said, unlike most password managers that are only compatible with the most popular browsers, Sticky Password works on 10+ browsers, including specialized ones like Pale Moon and Seamonkey.

On Windows, Sticky Password Free also includes USB portability — you can download your vault to a USB drive to access Sticky Password on any Windows PC. This is especially valuable for students and travelers who need to access their online accounts on different computers.

I also like that the free plan includes biometric logins, so you can use a fingerprint or face scan to access your password vault on any device that supports biometric scanning.

On the other hand, Sticky Password’s free plan doesn’t include password sharing. Dashlane’s free version lets you securely share 5 logins with friends, family, or work colleagues.

Upgrading to Sticky Password Premium ($29.99 / year), adds syncing between multiple devices, password sharing, secure cloud backup. Plus, a portion of every purchase goes to a non-profit dedicated to saving manatees!

Bottom Line:
Sticky Password Free offers unlimited password storage on unlimited devices. It also supports 15+ browsers, comes with biometric logins, and includes USB portability on Windows, which is perfect for travelers and students. But it doesn’t provide emergency access and secure password sharing. Upgrading to Sticky Password Premium gets you multi-device sync and password sharing for a pretty low price.

Read our full Sticky Password review >

7. Bitwarden — Open-Source Option with Unlimited Password Storage
8. Bitwarden — Open-Source Option with Unlimited Password Storage
   Bitwarden Free provides unlimited password storage and covers an unlimited number of devices. Avira Password Manager is the only other 100% free password manager on this list that also does that (LastPass also lets you store unlimited passwords, but only on mobile or desktop devices).

Bitwarden is open-source, which means that its source code is freely available online, so anyone can inspect it to make sure it’s free of vulnerabilities. It’s also great that Bitwarden has been independently audited and verified — it makes it easy to trust this provider.

But Bitwarden isn’t very user friendly, so it’s not great for beginners. While it’s much harder to use than competitors like Dashlane and 1Password, it may be a good option for tech-savvy users looking for a highly customizable password manager.

That said, Bitwarden’s auto-save and auto-fill are pretty inconsistent. 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.

Upgrading to Bitwarden’s premium version, which costs just $10.00 / year, gives you access to some great security features — biometric 2FA, password auditing tools, and encrypted storage.

Bottom Line:
Bitwarden Free is a secure, open-source password manager that provides unlimited password storage on unlimited devices. It’s definitely the least easy-to-use password manager on my list, and its auto-save and auto-fill can be pretty inconsistent. However, if you don’t mind getting into the nuts and bolts of your password manager, Bitwarden is a great choice.

Read our full Bitwarden review >

Comparison of the Best Free Password Managers in 2022
Password Manager Starting Price Free Trial/ Money-Back Guarantee Number of Passwords Number of Devices Password Auditing Emergency Access
1.🥇Dashlane $3.99 / month 30-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee 50 1 Yes Yes
2.🥈1Password $2.99 / month 14-day free trial Unlimited (paid version) Unlimited (paid version) Yes (paid version) Yes (paid version)
3.🥉LastPass $3.00 / month 30-day free trial Unlimited Unlimited (either desktop or mobile) Yes No

4. Avira Password Manager $2.67 / month 30-day money-back guarantee Unlimited Unlimited Yes, but it’s limited No
5. RoboForm $1.16 / month 30-day money-back guarantee Unlimited 1 Yes Yes, but you can only receive it, not grant it
6. Sticky Password $29.99 / year 30-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee Unlimited 1 Yes No
7. Bitwarden $10.00 / year 30-day money-back guarantee Unlimited Unlimited No No
   How to Choose the Best Free Password Manager for Your Needs in 2022
   Security. I only recommend free password managers that use 256-bit AES encryption, have two-factor authentication (2FA) support, and provide zero-knowledge architecture.
   Features. Password managers usually hide their best features behind a paywall, but all of the password managers on my list have free plans that include basic password management features like secure password generation and auto-save and auto-fill. And some even have extra features like password auditing, password sharing, and biometric logins.
   Ease of use. If a password manager is hard to use, then it’s not good. The products on my list make it easy to detect and save new passwords, auto-fill saved logins, generate passwords, and edit password vault settings.
   Customer support. All my top picks provide friendly and responsive support through email or live chat and come with helpful support guides.
   Risks & Disadvantages of Using a Free Password Manager
   I usually recommend avoiding free password managers because most aren’t safe to use — they usually lack strong encryption, have exploitable security flaws, and don’t have zero-knowledge protocols (which means the password manager could access your password).

But there are also good free password managers out there, like the ones on my list. They all provide industry-standard features like bank-grade encryption, auto-save and auto-fill capabilities, and secure password generation.

But most of them also lack important extra features like password sharing (lets you securely share logins with trusted contacts), password vault auditing (checks how strong your passwords are and if they were leaked), and dark web monitoring (alerts you if your accounts were leaked in a data breach).

While all of the free password managers on this list are good, they still have noticeable limitations — for example, Dashlane Free only stores 50 passwords on 1 device, and Avira Password Manager Free doesn’t include comprehensive password security audits or account breach alerts.

If you’re looking for the best protection for all of your passwords, you’ll need to pay for a premium password manager. But the good news is that high-quality password managers are pretty affordable — for instance, Dashlane Premium is available for only $4.99 / month, and 1Password Personal only costs $2.99 / month. Plus, most top password managers come with a free trial or a generous money-back guarantee (Dashlane has a 30-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, and 1Password provides a free 14-day trial).

Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
RememBear. RememBear is very secure and easy to use, but I don’t like how bare-bones its free plan is — you get unlimited password storage on 1 device and a password generator, but that’s it. And upgrading to the paid plan won’t get you extra features like data breach monitoring and password auditing because RememBear doesn’t have them.
True Key. True Key is a decent password manager, but its free plan only lets you store 15 passwords, which is not enough for me (or anyone, really). I also don’t like that True Key is missing a password sharing feature.
KeePass. KeePass is free and open-source, but its official version is only available on Windows and I found its app very difficult to use. Also, you need to use additional plugins to use KeePass with your browser, which is extremely inconvenient.
Frequently Asked Questions — Best Free Password Managers
Doesn’t my device/browser already have a free password manager?
Are free password managers good enough?
Are third-party password managers safe?
How do accounts get breached?
Doesn’t my device/browser already have a free password manager?
Browsers like Chrome and Firefox as well as mobile operating systems like Android and iOS have free built-in password managers, but they just aren’t as useful as third-party password managers. All third-party password managers provide better features and security than the ones already built into Chrome, iOS, and Android.

Free third-party password managers include a variety of unique features that aren’t on built-in password managers, like:

Password auditing. If your passwords are simple and repetitive, it’s super easy for a hacker to crack your logins. Password auditing scans your entire vault for simple and repeated passwords — Dashlane has a password auditing tool that works as promised and is very intuitive.
Two-factor authentication (2FA). Many password managers, like Dashlane and 1Password, are compatible with third-party authenticators which use a one-time password to verify your identity. This means that your password vault stays secure, even if your Master Password gets stolen.
Secure encryption. Password managers use 256-bit AES encryption, which is the same encryption used by banks and militaries around the world. Many built-in password managers don’t have as good encryption.
Built-in authenticator. Products like LastPass and Avira Password Manager include a built-in authenticator, saving time when trying to log into 2FA-enabled websites.
Are free password managers good enough?
Free password managers have a lot of great features, but every free password manager has some limitations that will affect your user experience and security.

For example, Dashlane Free limits you to 50 passwords, which might not be enough for everyone. And LastPass Free doesn’t include emergency access, which means that no one else can access your account in the event of a crisis.

Paid password managers aren’t very expensive, and the best ones include dark web monitoring, encrypted chat and storage, unlimited password sharing, and emergency access in case you’re unable to access your account. Dashlane Premium even provides a surprisingly fast VPN!

Free password managers may be good enough for some people, but I still recommend paying a few bucks a month for a high-quality premium password manager.

Are third-party password managers safe?
Password managers are designed to protect all of your passwords, as well as credit card information and private notes. It can be scary to trust all of this sensitive information to one program, but password managers actually make you safer online. Here’s how:

Secure encryption. Most password managers store your vault on their servers, which makes it easy to sync between devices. Before your data leaves your device, it’s encrypted using end-to-end 256-bit AES encryption, which scrambles your data so thoroughly that it’s impossible to decipher.
Zero-knowledge architecture. Good password managers are built using zero-knowledge architecture, meaning only you can access your stored data. Not even the password manager company or its developers can view your stored passwords or payment card details, which means even if the password manager company’s systems were hacked, no one could view or steal your information.
Auto-fill. Hackers often steal user passwords using screen logging and keylogging spyware — this dangerous malware can record what’s happening on your screen, as well as every keystroke on your keyboard. By auto-filling your passwords, password managers keep your login data from being seen on your screen or entered into your keyboard.
Password generators. If you aren’t using a password manager, then your passwords are probably easy for you to remember and easy for a hacker to crack. Password generators are built into every password manager, and they create completely random and complex passwords with tons of symbols, numbers, and letters that your password manager can easily remember, but which are super difficult to crack.
Password managers increase your security by protecting you from screen loggers, generating hyper-complex passwords, and protecting your data behind secure encryption. It’s much safer to use one of these password managers than to try and juggle all of your passwords on your own.

How do accounts get breached?
Password breaches most frequently happen because of user error. Passwords can be stolen using keylogging malware or cracked through brute force attacks — which throws thousands of passwords in the login field until one of them clicks.

LastPass allows you to protect your password vault using authenticator apps like Authy, which generate a temporary one-time password — you need both the one-time password and your Master Password to log into LastPass. This means that anybody using your Master Password to hack your vault remotely can’t do it without also having your physical device with the authenticator app on it.

Large websites can also succumb to data breaches — hackers will break into a company’s servers and release all of their users’ login information to the dark web. Hackers can then access your account on the breached site and use the information from your account to crack into more and more of your accounts. This is why it’s so important to use a password manager that provides breach notifications — like Dashlane, 1Password, and LastPass.

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Tim Mocan
TIM MOCAN
Lead Contributor
UPDATED ON: April 1, 2022
About the Author
Tim Mocan is a cybersecurity journalist who has been writing about the VPN industry for the past 5 years. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, eating good food, video games, using VPNs (yes, really!), and watching anime.

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