Why would you need a password manager? When it comes to creating passwords, lets face it, we are all terrible at it and even more so at recalling them.
A huge percentage of us often forget and then find ourselves sharing them carelessly among friends and family. This only shows how much of a problem is our own online security. But anyway, password managers were created a while back so we wouldn’t have to worry about remembering complicated authetication codes because let’s be honest, those easy ones are quite weak at protecting us.
Choosing Password Manager
The following are a few things that you should consider when looking to invest in privacy and a good password manager.
Security & Compliance
Look for minimum AES-256 security ideally coupled with PBKDF2 and should provide both local and cloud/server encryption. The provider should also have GDPR compliance and Data Protection guidelines.
Be sure that if a service mentions password restoration service this means that they don’t delete data when you do and keep a historical record of your activities.
Password Generation
A good password manager should be able to create unique and complex passwords using numbers, letters and other special characters.
This should therefore be a feature that shouldn’t be missing in a good password manager.
Auto-fill and Auto-login
Another useful feature which most password managers offer is the ability to auto-fill and let you auto-login from the same device.
A time-saving feature which is usually an optional one in managers, but if the service has it, make sure the apps for mobile have it as well.
If the password manager has its own app for iOS and Android devices then its a huge boon.
Two-Factor Authentication
I do believe that anything made by man can also be destroyed by man thus even a password manager cannot stand a chance against a highly skilled cyber criminal. This is why most password manager are now supporting a multi-factor authentication.
Just to reduce the risk of being easily hacked, they will often provide you with a second method to ensure your security is tightened. This might include a fingerprint, a PIN or any other third part device for extra verification.
Just to be safe, look for a software with this feature.
Secure Sharing
Well, in as much as you shouldn’t be sharing your password with anyone else, sometimes you just can’t help it. Maybe you want to share it with a co-worker or even a family member.
A good password manager should be able to let you carry out this process without exposing you or your other security concerns. This is generally achieved through browser extensions.
Protecting Personal Data
Bank account numbers, addresses, and credit cards are some of the things we frequently use online among other things.
With a good password manager, these, together with your other personal data can be stored safely and automatically be filled in forms online whenever you are shopping or are registering for a new account.
Free Trial or Money Back Guarantee
Almost every online service comes with a free trial. Make sure the password manager you want to invest in comes with a free trial or a free account letting you test almost all features.
You should also look at money back guarantee as well as refund policies because you may run out of free trial days and then face an issue which you didn’t foresee, so, best to check if there is a full money back guarantee and/or refund policy in place.
Subscription Based
Most of these good password managers usually have a subscription fee and it wouldn’t be a good thing if you keep on paying for something that isn’t even helping you. So make sure subscription is also part of the deal.
With all this being said, let us now look at some of the best password managers out there which have good consumer reviews.
Best Password Managers
Keeper
The Keeper password manager can also be counted as one of the best in the market. It can be used on all browsers and other popular platforms. It also provides you with the ability to share your credentials safely and supports the password inheritance functionality.
With this software, you will also get an extra secure file storage that you can use if you want to. Another thing that makes Keeper really stand out is the fact that it can retain the full history of both your files and passwords. Keeper can also fill in your web and app logins automatically.
Word of advice, when purchasing a plan, be sure to enter your email and location to get accurate calculation of price. Keeper also puts add-ons that you can easily remove and get the password manager for $29.99/yr. Keeper Unlimited also supports Fingerprint & Face ID login access
Keeper comes with a 30-day free trial, working phone numbers for support, money back guarantee (if you purchase outright) and payments via Stripe and PayPal.
Sticky Password
We all know AVG Antivirus. The team that worked for them, developed Sticky Password.
For a software in its price range, this is definitely something worth considering. Just like the other password managers, the Sticky Password can also sync encrypted information across many devices, generate strong passwords, do your logins, remember logins, offers master password facility, keeps credit card info safe for easy and secure checkout, offers controlled and secure sharing of passwords, 2-step verification, AES 256 bit encryption of data and works on USBs.
If you go for their free plan, you get 30-days of premium plan as a trial and then its back to free with downgraded facilities. But the premium plan has everything (along with 30-day free trial) and a donation to Save The Manatee Club.
Sticky Password offer Annual ($29.99) and Lifetime plans ($149.99), payable via all major credit cards and PayPal with a 30-day money back guarantee.
AgileBits 1Password
1Password is a nice cross platform password management software for personal and business use.
The service supports two-factor authentication, comes with some great extensions for Chrome and Firefox for cross browser compatibility, master password, clean and minimal interface, 1GB of document storage space, 365 days history collection, two-factor authentication, secure sharing of passwords, password generator, advanced encryption and unlimited device installation and access with one account.
Plans for 1Password start from $2.99/M for personal use or $4.99/M for family (5 users). Signing up for an account is a breeze. You get 30-day free trial with every plan. If you purchase, then you will get the option of annual or monthly billing. You can buy 1Password via all major credit & debit cards.
Intuitive Password
Intuitive Password is an extremely affordable password manager for the extensive feature list it provides. First of all, it uses AES-256 encryption that encrypts passwords on the web browser before sending it to Intuitive Password servers. They provide a host of features; most notably: password generator, storage, password sharing, access to passwords on any device, auto logout, emergency access, anti-phishing protection, 6 digit passcodes for easy login into devices, etc. The free plan however has limited no. of stored passwords to 20 which is more than enough to test out the service before signing up with a plan.
Their paid plan starts at AUD$ 2/Month and includes additional features such as offline access, data import/export, email notification, data backup & restore functionality. If you upgrade your plan to Advanced (AUD$ 5/Month), you also get password inheritance, secure messenger, sms notifications and two factor authentication.
If you choose to go with a paid plan, you can easily pay via PayPal or Stripe payment gateways. They also have a 30 day money back guarantee.
Intuitive Password have a fairly comprehensive Data Processing agreement and are GDPR compliant with data centers in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia.
RoboForm
RoboForm has several amazing features; a user friendly interface and its capability to outperform some of the best password managers.
Among several notable features that it comes with, a few of them are: two-factor authentication, password generation, secure sharing options, cloud sync, filling web forms and its compatibility with any platform you may want to use it on.
Along with easy master password functionality, it has the ability to identify weak passwords and suggest powerful alternatives in order to protect your identity and privacy. The only off-point is, several people, when use it for the first time, they find its interface a little bit old-fashioned but that has nothing to do with the functionality.
RoboForm gives a free account to users. The free account is good enough if you are a single device owner and have no need to share new passwords accross devices. Paid plans for individuals start at $23.88/yr whereas a family plans allows 5 users and is for $47.75 only. To pay, you can opt for credit card, PayPal or check/money order. They have a 30 day money back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with their product.
Zoho Vault
For someone who does not want to enforce additional security or accessibility protocols on their accounts, Zoho Vault should be their only choice.
Priced at a considerably economical rate, Zoho Vault is accessible from any browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Vivaldi, and Brave) whatsoever. Key features include password generation, two factor authentication, offline access, permit sharing, login activity reporting, Mobile apps (Android and iOS) and strength reporting. The best part is, this password manager has a free edition available which lacks some services and features but still ensures credibility and security.
Zoho Vault is one of the best free password managers currently available.
Their paid plan starts at $0.99/mo and is billed annually. All paid plans have a 15-day free trial period, that is sufficient enough. After that, you can pay via all major cards or PayPal. There is no refund policy unless they terminate your account. Yikes!
In short, Zoho Vault handles password management in an impressive manner and keeps an account of all your recent login activities which makes it even more agile. Worried about them keeping a record? Zoho Vault is GDPR compliant.
Password Boss
Password Boss is fairly simple and straightforward password manager with AES-256 encryption. You can store passwords across many devices, automate form filling, 2-step authentication, save everything under master password, secure sharing, save encrypted notes and get priority support.
There is no free trial and you need to pay $29.99 via card or PayPal. If you’re unhappy there is a 30-day money back guarantee.
LastPass
Possibly the most well known password manager on the list, LastPass is partnered with LogMeIn. It has a password generator, secure notes, an authenticator and a few multi-factor authentication. The premium plan has the ability to manage your application passwords automatically, provides 1 GB of encrypted file storage, emergency access and priority tech support.
Their customer support is also great. It has no ads and at $24/hr, the budget is quite affordable. However, you can still use the free edition and still be safe.
Mobile Authenticator & Password Manager
Authenticators have quickly replaced One Time Passwords (OTP) due to vulnerability in SMS or text messaging. Authenticators reside on mobile devices and some now include password vaults as well. Lets take a look at these.
Microsoft Authenticator
Authenticator by Microsoft is possibly one of the best and is very user friendly. Its user interface is divided into two distinct portions: authenticator and passwords. Using aunthenticator is a breeze and takes zero-knowledge.
The passwords portion auto imports any and all passwords saved under your Microsoft ID via Edge browser. As you create new passwords on your mobile apps, the application asks if you wish to save it. Authenticator locks access behind a biometric fingerprint lock so only the phone user has access to its functionality. You can store unlimited passwords via authenticator.
In this time and age, you should be able to know what being careless with your online information might cost you. A lot of online hackers do prey for those accounts with weak passwords and if yours is one of them, they will hit jackpot.
Start using reliable softwares and minimise the risk of your privacy being violated. If you have used a service which you are very happy with, please let us know and we’ll look into in.