The best password manager will store all your passwords securely and conveniently, making them easy to save and use when needed. It will also be able to generate strong passwords for you when you create a new account for a website or app (although there are standalone password generators for this purpose too).
With the sheer number of digital accounts many of us have today, it's tempting to adopt bad password habits, such as creating weak passwords for the sake of easy recollection, or reusing the same password for multiple sites and services.
These methods might be convenient, but they also put you in real danger from a cybersecurity standpoint, compromising the safety of your work and personal data alike. Again, password managers eliminate this problem by creating and remembering as many strong and unique passwords as you require.
For these reasons, password managers should be considered one of the key pillars in your online security posture, alongside antivirus software, malware removal tools and a VPN service.
Therefore, choosing the best password manager for you and your needs has never been more important, especially since the now widespread adoption of hybrid and remote working has likely resulted in your workplace credentials coming home with you.
So if you're looking for an easy way to manage your online logins, using one of the best password manager options in this article can help. After putting close to 30 products through their paces, we’ve selected the very best based on how well each performs within the following criteria: security, privacy, storage, compatibility, synchronization and - of course - price.
(opens in new tab)The best password managers of 2023 in full:
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Password managers manage all the complexity (of storing many passwords) behind one master password
JD Sharman, former CEO of Dashlane
Dashlane has established itself as one of the most prominent password managers for businesses and individuals alike, and it's not hard to see why. With the ability to store an unlimited amount of passwords and protect them with multi-factor authentication, its convenience and security are not in doubt.
Also, it comes with a host of other useful features, such as being able to store other custom information besides mere passwords, such as delivery addresses and contact details that you’d want filled out in an instant.
What’s more, it also offers a premium tier, which adds functions such as dark web monitoring to keep you abreast of any known data breaches that may affect your digital accounts, and lets you synchronize your credentials across all your mobile and desktop devices.
On top of this, there is also the option to store files in the manager - although the best cloud storage providers may be a better option if you require lots of safe and easily accessible storage. Dashlane premium also comes with a VPN, but again, you may want to consider the best VPN services available if this is a top priority for you.
The only real downside is the cost of this premium tier - $4 / £3.50 / AU$6 per month when committing annually, making it one of the most expensive password managers out there. And it's needed to get the most out of it, since its free tier is limited to only one device. But we believe it’s justified considering the level of features and support on offer.
Read our full Dashlane review.
In the video below, JD Sharman, the former CEO of Dashlane, explains in simple term what password manager is.
JD is passionate about solving the human cybersecurity problem as the former CEO of Dashlane. He brings decades of experience from leadership roles at IBM, Akamai, and most recently HubSpot, where he served as President and Chief Operating Officer since 2012.
Perhaps you will already be aware of the popular VPN NordVPN (opens in new tab)? Well, this is the password manager from the same company behind it, NordSec. This versatile service is on every platform you can hope for: there are browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Brave, and Safari; desktop applications for Windows, Mac and Linux; and mobile apps for iOS and Android devices. You can also just simply access your password vault directly via its website too.
With the free version, you can’t sync your passwords across any other devices, whereas the paid-for premium version allows up to six. Also, the free version will not detect weak or reused passwords, nor will it notify you of any data breaches affecting your accounts. However, there is a free 30-day trial for the premium version.
Again, NordPass offers unlimited storage space for passwords for all tiers, which isn’t the case for some password managers. Updates are also frequent, with new features being added on the regular. Not long ago, for example, the desktop version gained the ability to switch accounts with one click, useful if you have one for business and one for personal credentials.
All things considered, we believe NordPass to be a very capable password manager offering plenty of bang for its buck.
Read our full NordPass review.
In the video below, Gerald Kasulis, VP at Nord Security, dispels myths surrounding the safety of password managers.
Gerald spearheads Nord Security's North American business. A successful IT business growth & sales professional experienced in establishing and running international business operations, business sales & channel deployment strategies for software companies, he is a Peer Software alumni.
The first open-source password manager to make an appearance on our list, Bitwarden offers plenty for individuals and businesses alike, even with its free tier. You get multi-device synchronization, optional self-hosting and unlimited password storage all without paying a penny.
2FA is also available on free tiers, via email or an authenticator app. The premium tier, however, offers more 2FA options using physical security keys or via specialists Duo Security, who can provide authentication with its mobile app, an SMS message or phone call.
Premium plans also add weak password and unsecured website detection, as well as other features aimed at business consumers, such as password sharing, fine-grained access control and user groups.
For individual users, though, the free tier is good not just compared with other free password managers, but with its paid-for rivals as well, which is why it makes it into this buyer’s guide.
Read our full Bitwarden review.
Unlike our previous entrants, there is no free version for Keeper, although there is a free 30-day trial should you wish to try it out with no commitment. The real selling point of this password manager is its unlimited device support and advanced feature set.
Aside from support with every major browser and mobile and desktop device out there, it also features the ability to secure your vault with your biometric credentials, such as your fingerprint or via facial recognition. And as mentioned, it can sync your data across as many devices as you like.
Like any premium manager, it will alert you to any weak or reused passwords you may have, suggesting strong replacements instead, and scan the web for any breaches it can find where your passwords may have leaked.
There is also a family plan with Keeper, that lets you share files between members as well as message each other with encryption, offering an alternative to popular messenger apps such as WhatsApp.
Read our full Keeper Security review.
In the video below, Darren Guccione, CEO & Co-founder at Keeper Security, gives us his take on what makes a good password manager
As well as offering the usual features, such as cross-platform support, what sets this password manager apart is the lack of a master password requirement. Instead, you can log in with all manner of ways, from facial recognition via Apple’s Face ID or even a selfie, fingerprint scan, or PIN number.
What’s more, you can choose to lock away certain passwords of your choice with one of these different methods, thus applying different levels of security and convenience to each one.
Additional security features also include the ability to encrypt and store your passwords online to make accessibility easier. Single Sign-On (SSO) is also available as with other password managers, which allows secure authentication for third-party applications.
Read our full LogMeOnce review.
When it comes to business password managers, look no further than the manager formerly known as Solarwinds Passportal. With some seriously advanced features, administration control for large teams and high-level security possibilities, it’s one of the most powerful we have tested.
In addition, you also get great support for customers and an easy to use interface. The rest of the company’s ecosystem is also at your disposal should you need it.
The only issue we found with N-Able Passportal is that you have to get a quote from their sales team if you are interested in purchasing it - there is no free option - as there is no off-the-shelf product to choose from or even a price list to see on their website. But if you need to lock down your business tight, no matter its size, in a reliable and intuitive way, then this should be in your shortlist of password managers to use.
Read our full N-Able Passportal review (opens in new tab).
Another very popular choice for a lot of people, 1Password caters its service to individuals, organizations and families with its shared password functionality.
There are two consumer plans offered, one for personal use and another for families with up to five members. Then there are three separate plans for organizations: a teams starter plan for up to 10 users, a business plan, and an enterprise plan that can be tailored to your firm’s required specifications.
Protection is also provided against breaches, keylogging hacks and phishing attacks, and you can only use 1Password in verified browsers. In fact, in our discussion with veteran security expert Roger Grimes, he singled out 1Password as the exemplar for highly secure password managers.
One aspect that may put you off is the lack of recovery should you forget your master password. If you do, then you are locked out for good. But if you are confident you’ll always remember it, then 1Password is a great choice for individuals, families and businesses alike.
Read our full 1Password review.
KeepSolid Passwarden is a solid choice of password manager, and again can be used by everyone, from single users to families and businesses.
It can sync across multiple devices, has two-factor authentication and can be used in small teams to allow for password sharing from a single vault. The problem is its expense, which may not be worth it for personal users who may not need all the features it has to offer, such as password sharing.
If you are using a password manager as part of a small business, though, this could be a great option.
Read our full KeepSolid Passwarden review (opens in new tab).
RoboForm is another competent password manager, with extensions for major browsers and apps for iPhone and Android devices.
We were impressed with the free version, which has a lot of features considering, such as the ability to store your vault in the cloud - which is standard for most paid-for password managers - or on your device only, and the ability to check up on weak and reused passwords and a password generator to fix them.
What you don’t get, however, is the ability to sync your passwords across devices - you’ll have to pay for that privilege, although the price of its premium tiers are not unreasonable, though there is no monthly billing option. These plans also offer secure password sharing, multi-factor authentication and round-the-clock support.
Read our full Roboform review.
mSecure comes with unlimited password storage and several different categories to save more than just passwords. There are also custom fields in entries so you store more credentials for a login than just a password if an account requires them. In addition, you can also create groups for your passwords to better organize them.
There are a few minor gripes we have with mSecure, though. Firstly, the included password generator can’t be optioned to create real words, only allowing for a random mix of characters to do the job. While this is perfectly secure, it is inconvenient if you want to commit it to memory. The generator can’t create passwords without making a new entry in mSecure either.
There’s also no way to share passwords securely with families and team members, as well as a lack of user support, but all in all mSecure still remains affordable and capable enough for the majority of people.
Read our full mSecure review.
We've also featured the best password recovery software.
How we tested the best password managers
During our testing, we live with the password managers for a minimum amount of time, and stress test them in all kinds of scenarios, to try and expose any failings or weaknesses they may have that the average user might miss. Afterall, once you’ve been using a password manager for a while and built up a sizable vault, the last thing you want to do is switch again. So we aim to make sure that you make the right choice first time round by doing our best to inform you of all the features and shortcomings associated with each individual manager.
Any app that included less run-of-the-mill features, like biometric authentication were also considered. We’ve also come up with a list of the best free password managers. These may have a few limitations when compared to the paid software listed below, but they still hold up as very capable password managers.
How we choose the top password managers
As mentioned, we chose our password managers based on the most important qualities we believe every password manager should have and excel in. These include how secure they are, how well they protect user privacy, their storage capacity, their compatibility with various platforms and devices and how well they synchronize your passwords across them. Lastly - but just as importantly - we also consider their value for money. If you don’t want to pay a penny for one, though, we have a separate buying guide for the best free password managers.
When it comes to security, this is arguably the most important factor you want in a password manager. The best of them will encrypt your valuable data using industry standard methods, so we make sure the password managers featured here do.
Going hand in hand with security is user privacy. We only select the password managers that respect this to the maximum degree, and don’t share your data or personal information with third parties. They will also be transparent in what information they do have about you, and how exactly they maintain and use it.
Storage capacity may not be something you think about when considering a password manager, but we do, because not all managers offer an unlimited amount. We look for ones that allow for an unlimited amount of stored passwords, ideally for free, though some on this list do restrict this to paying users only. Even where they are limited, they will still offer a reasonable amount of storage.
Compatibility is another key feature of password managers, especially in today’s world as many of us will likely have multiple devices that we use on a daily basis. So we look for managers that work on both desktop - Windows, Mac and even Linux - and mobile platforms - such as iOS and Android - to let you save and access passwords in the browser and apps you use on your device.
Some will have an app for desktop, but otherwise they have a website where you can access your vault securely. Many will also have a browser extension, making them integrate better with your workflow if you use popular options such as Google Chrome, Apple’s Safari or Microsoft Edge to explore the web, allowing you to autofill the login pages of your accounts.
If you do use your password manager across multiple devices, then synchronization will be vital to you as well. Again, some managers may lock this synchronization behind the paywall of their premium tiers, whilst others will offer it for free. Regardless, it is an important factor for many users so we will make sure our entries have this feature somewhere in their offerings.
And when it comes to the big one - price - we are always mindful to account for not just the absolute cost - or lack thereof - of password managers, but also their value for money. We always point out whether or not there are free versions of each password manager, and what options and features you get for each tier.
Although password managers will typically show their prices as a monthly bill, quite often you will pay for the whole year in one go. The premium plans for most password managers can range anywhere from $10 to $60 a year, with you having to pay only a few dollars more for family plans that extend to four or five users.
Other prominent features that we would expect a password manager to have include the ability to access your vault via biometric login, such as via your fingerprint or facial recognition, rather than a master password for the sake of convenience and for extra security too. Password sharing with other members in your family or organization should also be featured, although this will often not come with free versions.
Another useful security feature that our password managers will include is the ability to recognize any weak or reused passwords across your accounts, and recommend strong passwords to use in their place. This is the best way to keep your accounts safe.
Ease of use and setup will also be considered, as many may be coming across a password manager from another one or the one integrated with their browser already. The best password managers will make this transition easy, allowing you to import your passwords from your existing manager quickly and without fuss, allowing you to get up and running instantly with all your apps and websites.
Why do we need password managers anyway?
Surprisingly, a lot of people do ask this simple question. A TechRadar Pro survey carried out in April 2022 found out that more than a quarter of the 1,000 respondents didn't see the point of a password manager with a further 26% preferring to store their passwords elsewhere. That's a lot.
And yet, the humble password manager is the tool of choice to manage our every increasing number of passwords.
Every computer or phone user has hundreds of login and password combinations and attempting to remember all of them is near impossible, especially when for services you registered for a while back and hardly used ever since.
Password managers also remove the mental challenge usually associated with creating near-uncrackable passwords by generating and storing them for you. They then simply store these passwords in a "vault" for access using a "master password" - so basically one password to rule them all.
How does a password manager work?
A Password manager is a very simple and easy to use utility that requires minimal user interaction, since most of its actions are automated. They will work across numerous platforms, and they should feature a browser extension for use on desktop computers, as well as an app for smart devices such as your mobile phone. The passwords you use on each platform will synchronize across all the devices you use the password manager with.
Once you set up your password manager, you can go ahead and create whatever digital accounts you want. They will usually throw up a prompt to create a strong password for you when doing so - this is the password generation feature of the manager. Once you accept, it will then store the password and username for you in its vault, so when you next go to log in, you should find your credentials already filled out for you.
If you ever want to change or update your password for an existing account, you can do this too. Again, a prompt will usually appear from the password manager, confirming whether you want to overwrite the existing password with the new one you have created, ensuring your password manager remains up to date. Some password managers even have a version history, so you can see the previous passwords you have used.
As for importing your existing passwords stored on another manager, this should be a fairly straightforward process. Many managers will give you the option to import and export your passwords as a csv file, or any one that can be opened with spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. This allows you to export them out from your old manager and import them into your new one.
If you have your passwords stored manually in a spreadsheet, you can also import that into your new manager too, providing you follow the correct formatting for the manager in question.
What are the most secure password managers?
Understandably, this is one of the most important questions to ask of a password manager. You would expect any password manager worth its salt would be secure as a given, but no one is perfect and some have had issues. LastPass, for instance, although a very reputable and popular choice, did suffer a security breach, and although the company reassured users that no passwords were accessible, it is still a cause for concern.
The managers offered by big tech companies, mainly Google and Apple, are generally very secure, as you might expect. Not only do they have the pockets deep enough to maintain the best protection possible, it would also be a huge PR disaster should they incur any major breaches, and companies of that size have an awful lot to lose.
How safe are password managers?
All the best password managers are very safe, using the best encryption methods to store your passwords securely.
Zero-knowledge architecture is one of the core principles for managers to keep your passwords as safe as possible. This means that no one but the user has access to the passwords contained in the encrypted vault. Even the vendor and providers of the cloud backup service for your passwords are unable to see what your passwords actually are - only you have the power to decrypt your stored passwords, using your master password, or biometric data if you have this set up on supported password managers.
Complex algorithms are used to encrypt passwords, and there are different methods. Some managers, such as NordPass, use something called XChaCha20, which is military grade and considered to be at the cutting edge of current encryption technology. It is also favored by big tech companies like Google, and is faster than more traditional methods such as AES-256.
Also, NordPass claims that such methods may be crackable with new technologies - for instance, quantum computing could put traditional methods of encryption at risk - but it believes XChaCha20 is resistant to these dangers.
All good password managers will also allow for biometric login and feature multi-factor authentication, two aspects which most people will be familiar with by now. The former involves technologies that recognize the physical aspects of the user, such as fingerprint scanners and facial recognition cameras, to authenticate them as the legitimate user.
Multi-factor authentication is an added layer of security on top of your password to make sure that it’s actually you who has entered your password on a given site or service, usually by sending a text message code on your phone that you have to input to make sure it is you. There are also separate authenticator apps you can have on your phone that give you a code to authenticate your login instead, if you’d rather not receive an SMS code.
And as with any piece of digital tech, how it is used by an individual or business goes a long way in determining how secure it remains. At the very least, make sure you are accessing your manager on a secure and protected network - always be cautious when using them in spaces with public wifi - and make sure you have the bare minimum of malware and virus protection on your system.
Smartphones are generally very secure in this regard, although you should always be careful when downloading apps to make sure they are trustworthy - the Google Play store, for instance, has had its fair share of malicious apps doing the rounds recently.
Also, if you are using a master password to secure your password vault, then make sure it is a strong one. This will be one that you will have to remember yourself, so a long and complex string of various random characters will probably be out of the question.
Current expert advice suggests that for passwords you choose yourself, a string of three random words together is quite strong, as it will be hard to guess and easy to remember for yourself. Whatever you use, just make sure to avoid ones that are easy to crack, like your mother’s maiden name, your birthday, or ‘password1234’.
Can a password manager be hacked?
In a word: yes - in the sense that virtually any computer system can theoretically be hacked. It’s a bit like asking if any of your possessions can be stolen; but the password managers in our list have a great safety record and utilize industry-standard encryption methods to protect your most valuable of assets. If we ever catch wind of any compromises to their security posture, we’ll be sure to let you know straight away.
Of course, many of you will probably be aware by now of the breach suffered by LastPass, one of the most popular password managers around, where users’ password vaults were stolen. The company did assure them that they remained encrypted, so unless the hackers also guessed their master passwords too, they should remain safe. However, other personal data that were stolen, including names, payment information and the addresses of their IP, email and physical location, were not encrypted. For these reasons, LastPass no longer makes it onto our list of the best password managers.
Speaking of encryption, all good managers will use the strongest methods available when storing user passwords in their databases, which are extremely difficult to crack without the digital keys needed to unlock them. So the question then becomes can a hacker obtain these keys? In the case of LastPass, its subsidiary, GoTo, recently announced the encryption keys for its users’ accounts were stolen in the same attack that affected the password manager, but it is yet to confirm whether the same is true for its service.
LastPass isn’t the only password manager to succumb to a breach, however. Many Norton LifeLock users recently had their accounts hacked via a credential stuffing attack, with the company warning them that unwarranted access to their suite’s password manager may be possible.
Passwordstate also saw its users fall victim to a devious fake software update that stole their stored passwords. Unsurprisingly, none of these password managers made it onto our list.
Should you use your browser to manage your passwords?
It of course makes sense from a convenient standpoint to use your browser’s integrated password manager, such as that in Google Chrome. And although it is a perfectly solid choice, there are some reasons why you want a dedicated password manager instead or in addition to your browser’s.
Firstly, your browser’s password manager will likely not work with other devices quite so easily.
If you use Google Chrome on a desktop and have an iPhone, then passwords associated with apps will not be saved to the manager in Chrome - by default they will be saved to Apple’s own password manager, Keychain. Keychain and Chrome password managers will not sync together, and there is no browser extension of Keychain that will work on Chrome. Therefore, you will be running two managers concurrently, one used for mobile app passwords, and the other for website passwords. If you have an account for a service that has both a website and an app, then they will be saved to both managers separately.
As you can imagine, things will start to get messy and disorganized fast. The solution would be to have a dedicated, third-party manager like those on our list, so they can centralize and sync all your passwords for both websites and apps across all your devices. They will usually have an app for mobile and for desktop, as well as an integrated extension compatible with most common web browsers, so no matter what platform you’re on, you’ll always have access to your passwords.
Secondly, dedicated password managers often come with a lot more useful features. For instance, a small but useful feature of many password managers is the ability to give a nickname to your account passwords, so you can locate them easily. Sometimes, you will find that searching for your account credentials by username or by the url that the account is stored on may not be useful or proves hard to search for.
Where to find the password manager on Chrome
Google Chrome is the most popular web browser in the world right now, so there’s a good chance you are using its integrated password manager already.
You’ll find it under settings - autofill - password manager. You can see all your passwords here, and search for them via their username or web address they are used on. It will also show you any passwords that have been compromised, based on known data breaches and leaks.
There is also the Google Password manager, which is the official password manager for Android, and has now taken over the integrated manager in Chrome as well. This means it now stores passwords you use on apps as well, not just website passwords.
Do password managers work with apps?
All the best password managers will have an app associated with them, and will work on both Android and Apple iOS devices. This means that passwords you use for other apps will be able to be stored in your password manager and easily accessible on your device, allowing for instant login.
They will be cross-platform, and can be used on your laptop and desktop as well, as they will have an extension you can download to allow them to work in popular browsers, such as Google Chrome and Safari.
However, as many smart devices now have biometric login capabilities, such as using fingerprints or facial recognition, a lot of apps will simply require this to log in instead, without the need to input a password every time. This biometric data is stored on the device itself, for instance on your iPhone or Android phone, so a password manager isn’t used in these cases.
However, many password managers now support biometric data too, so you can use them to save your biometric data rather than the operating system of your device if you prefer.
The password vault developers encrypt the vaults if and when they store it in the developer's cloud servers. You, as the user, are the only person with the decryption key. In this case, it's your strong password that secures the password vault and is unlocked when you type in the password to access all of the credentials. Using multiple browsers like Chrome, Firefox, or Edge presents a challenge to access passwords across various platforms. 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.