The best password managers for 2021 By Mark Coppock March 10, 2021 Using unique passwords and changing them often is a sound strategy for protecting your data online. 9 Best Password Managers to Choose From (Free and Paid Tools) Perhaps you’re new to password managers and just want to know what’s the all-in-one solution for your password needs. Below we’ve highlighted our top contenders for the best password managers on the market. This takes into account security, usability, price, and functionality. The Best Free Password Managers for 2021. A password like '123456' may be easy to remember, but it's also equally easy to guess or hack. Use one of these top free password managers to help you.

It can be a headache to create a secure unique password for every account and then memorizing it. Imagine the horror when you’re locked out because you can’t remember the password. In this post, I’ll be sharing the five best password managers for Windows for an ultimate solution for you.

A password manager will essentially create secure passwords, organize them and store it all in one safe vault which only you can access using a master password.

Phew! That’s easy. Rather than remembering 50 unique passwords, all you have to do is memorize one single master password. It’s your pick. Mac address for blackberry.

Now, let me start by sharing what precisely a password manager is. Let’s start.

What is a Password Manager?

A password manager is primarily a software or a program that is an excellent utility for securing your online identity and sensitive data online. For starters, a password manager can create secure passwords for multiple accounts you hold and memorize it for you. These strong passwords will act as a shield protecting you from cyber attacks and hackers.

Further, it organizes these strong passwords at one place which can be either a cloud-storage, local storage or a removable disk. These password managers also remember all your information by filling in the credentials automatically when you wish to log in to any app or website. Moreover, the best password managers in the market have many advanced features as well.

These out-of-the-box features include cross-platform support, cross-browser sync, and multifactor authentication, to name just a few. Many password managers also audit your existing passwords to ensure they are secure enough to use online.

In case, your account gets compromised, it can also replace the old password with a new one to prevent further damage.

Now, that I have covered just about everything a password manager can do for you, I think it would be wise for you to invest in a good password manager that comes with additional security tools like encryption mechanism for sharing your password with emergency contacts and organize your passwords in a secure place.

Let’s start with the list of the best password managers for Windows 10 to secure your passwords and memorize them effortlessly.

List of Best Password Managers for Windows

Bitwarden

Bitwarden is an open-source password manager that can generate and save your passwords across platforms. It is basically free but also comes with the premium version with some advanced options. It effectively balances the features set of free and paid versions. Bitwarden has advanced multi-factor authentication. The basic premium version would only cost you $10 for a year. There is also a family subscription plan, which costs $40 per year.

Keeper

Keeper is one of the best password managers that secure your login details through many security features such as robust two-factor authentication support, good sharing capabilities, and full password histories. It also provides a free version, but that is limited to only one device use. So that is a limitation, but its premium version is worth its price. With its modern design, it is quite sleek across all platforms. The premium version costs $34.99 annually.

1Password

1Password is one of the best managers to keep your login information secure. It can sync your passwords across all devices and platforms. It is straightforward to use and does not have any complicated or confusing options. 1Password also lets you generate strong passwords and replace your existing weak ones. However, it lacks a free version but comes with a 14-days free trial.

LastPass

LastPass is the password manager that comes with the best free version. Many of its free version features are only available in the premium versions of its competitors. If you are worried about cloud storage safety, LastPass primarily safeguards your data using AES 256-bit encryption and salted hashes to ensure security in the cloud. Like other password managers, it creates secure passwords for you and audits your current passwords to find weak ones and prompts to generate secure passwords for you, and memorizes them on your behalf. The two-factor authentication adds an additional layer of security to your LastPass vault. You can also rest assured of your data’s safety on all devices with its cross-platform and cross-device support.

Dashlane

Dashlane is another excellent password manager that comes with both free and premium versions. With Dashlane free version, you can generate strong and secure passwords for your accounts and store 50 passwords on your favorite device. Other features in the free version include security and breach alerts to notify you if hackers have access to your account. Further, you can change the password from within the classic and effortless UI with just a few clicks. With the free version, you won’t get the cross-platform synchronization and only share five of your accounts.

With the premium version, you can access additional features like VPN protection, 2-factor authentication, unlimited password sharing, secure account backup, and sync across various devices. It will cost you $59.99 for an annual subscription.

KeePassXC

If you are a fan of open-source and freeware products, your search ends here. Meet KeePassXC Password safe – the best open-source, freeware, and lightweight password manager for you. KeePass offers multi-language support for over 45 languages and secures all your passwords with an AES 256-bit encryption. You can input seed characters, and KeePassXC will create random secure passwords for you. Unlike other password managers, KeePass is portable that can be carried on a USB stick and run on Windows without any installation. However, this password manager is more suitable for advanced users because of its complicated UI.

Roboform Everywhere

Roboform Everywhere has been around for a long time since the advent of auto-fill tools and password managers. Roboform automatically remembers your passwords, allows one-click login, auto-fills web forms, and organizes all your passwords (be it 100 or 1000) efficiently in one place. With Roboform, you can generate random strong passwords for every site and ensure protection from dictionary attacks, brute force, and other cyber threats. It also supports multiple identities and offers both online and offline password management. Roboform Everywhere premium would cost you $23.88 per year.

Sticky Password

Sticky Password Manager is a secure password manager and form-filler, which saves all your passwords and remembers them for you. You can generate extra-strong new passwords whenever you need them and let sticky password remember them and auto-fill for you. It can even store your credit card numbers for express checkout. The free version does not allow cross-device syncing and password sharing. The premium version costs $29.99 per year.

If you tends to forget passwords and could not create a strong password than a password manager can do that for you. A good Password Manager can lower your burden of remembering and filling the login details on your different account.

It is very DIFFICULT to hack a password manager since most of them uses a strong 256-bit AES, or equivalent encryption method. A hacker would need an extraordinarily powerful supercomputer to steal your data. BUT, if your master password is weak then your password vault could be hacked easily.

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We hate to break it to you, but your brain may not be the best password manager.

Trying to remember a unique password for each of your online accounts is nearly impossible. And yet, many security experts consider strong passwords a vital tool in keeping your information secure.

“You don’t want to use the same password with every site,” says cybersecurity expert Eric Meadows. If a hacker gains access to just one of your accounts, other aspects of your digital life — from your banking information to your social media profiles — could be compromised.

“That’s where password managers come in,” says Meadows. He notes that many of the best password managers “can generate a password for each site.”

Some password managers can actually do a lot more than that. On that note, let’s take a look at our editors’ picks for the best password managers. Then, we’ll dive deeper into the security and usability features that help them stand out from the pack.

The best password managers

How does a password manager work?

A password manager is an app or program that generates, encrypts and stores passwords for your online accounts.

Different password managers may work slightly differently, but most of them use what’s called a “master password.” Entering this one password will allow you to retrieve or use the passwords associated with your various accounts on the password manager site.

That’s basically how it works, but the best password managers don’t stop there. They also offer additional features including:

• Auto-fill functionality, so you don’t have to waste time entering individual usernames and passwords.
• Online syncing across devices for a more streamlined user experience.
• Two-factor authentication, so you can bolster your account’s security with an additional code required to finish the login process.
• Secure sharing features, so you can share information with trusted friends and family members.

How to choose the best password manager for you

There are many password managers to choose from, and our list isn’t exhaustive.

Other password managers, such as 1Password and Enpass, may also be good options for you to consider. Assuming a password manager offers some basic security features such as two-factor authentication and strong encryption, a consumer’s choice often comes down to personal taste.

Based on our editors’ personal experience and our analysis of the factors listed above, LastPass, Dashlane and KeePass stood above the rest. Still, each password manager has its pros and cons, and each may appeal more to a specific type of user.

Now, let’s get into the picks.

Best free password manager: LastPass

Why we like it

LastPass is one of the best-known password managers around, and it offers a wide range of features.

For starters, it works on all major platforms, so you’ll likely be covered as you switch between computers, laptops and smartphones. Syncing between devices is also included with the free version.

The free version comes with enough of the essential features that you might not even want to upgrade to a premium subscription ($24/year for a single user; $48/year for up to six people). Just keep in mind that the few differences — such as being able to share a single password with more than one person, advanced multifactor authentication options, and 1 GB of encrypted file storage — may appeal to some.

Watch out for

Being one of the most popular password managers can have its downsides.

In June 2015, LastPass announced that it found suspicious activity on its platform and that user information was compromised. LastPass says that the encrypted information in their vaults wasn’t at risk. Still, information such as account email addresses, password reminders and authentication hashes along with other information was compromised in the attack.

While LastPass says it has since taken steps to improve security, this event should serve as a reminder that there’s no such thing as “guaranteed” security — even from a trusted password manager.

How to use it

When you create your account, you’ll input your email and choose a master password. You can then add accounts to your “vault.” If you’re logged into LastPass with the browser extension enabled, LastPass may prompt you to store your username and password as you log into different websites.

Once your vault has your passwords stored in it, you can use the LastPass Security Challenge to test for weak, old or duplicate passwords that you may want to change. The LastPass browser extensions or apps can also auto-fill your username and password when you visit a site or app.

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LastPass is supported across a wide variety of browsers and operating systems.

Best premium password manager: Dashlane

Why we like it

“I use Dashlane because there’s a stand-alone browser extension that I can use with almost every platform,” says Meadows.

Although that’s true of other password managers as well, Meadows says he likes Dashlane’s interface and how easy it is to use.

While you’ll need to pay for a premium edition to save more than 50 passwords and sync your information across devices, the paid versions come with other features that could be worthwhile. These include a VPN, which can help keep your information secure while you’re on an unsecure Wi-Fi network, and dark web monitoring.

Watch out for

If you’re looking for a free password manager, Dashlane might not be a good fit. The free version limits you to one device and 50 passwords. Since you should try to use unique passwords for every account, you might quickly hit the 50-password limit.

Dashlane’s free subscription has some other potential pitfalls. If you install Dashlane on one device, update all your passwords and then decide to uninstall Dashlane, you might lose access to your passwords if you haven’t created a backup file or synced them. Syncing requires a premium account.

How to use it

The free version of Dashlane must be downloaded and installed on your device, while the premium versions can run via a web app. Wine for mac os sierra.

Once you install Dashlane on a computer, you can install a browser extension to auto-fill your usernames and passwords.

Best Password Manager 2020

Dashlane’s password changer lets you automatically change passwords on multiple sites from within Dashlane. It’s available on Windows, Mac OS X and iOS devices.

Best free password manager for offline storage: KeePass

Why we like it

KeePass is an open-source password manager that works completely offline. Because it’s open source, anyone can review the software and offer suggestions for changes. Some people have also created plugins of KeePass based on the original code.

Yes, KeePass may be a little intimidating to beginners. But it’s a good option to consider if you’re looking for a free password manager that keeps your data offline.

There are some obvious trade-offs to this. On one hand, it doesn’t connect to the internet or offer cross-device syncing (at least without installing an optional plug-in). But since it doesn’t store your data online or in the cloud, it could be less vulnerable to data breaches and targeted attacks.

Though it may not sync with your online applications as seamlessly as LastPass and Dashlane, KeePass is still pretty easy to use. You either install the software or run KeePass directly off a USB stick without installing the program, meaning you can take your passwords with you as you move from one computer to another.

As mentioned above, there are also a variety of plug-ins and extensions that can expand KeePass’s functionality.

Watch out for

KeePass doesn’t have a flashy interface like some other password managers, and it might be more difficult for non-techies to use.

Also, while there’s an active community that can help you solve problems, there’s no clear place to seek tech support. Some users might not want to go through the hassle of searching for an answer.

KeePass doesn’t currently offer an “official” version of its software for mobile devices. So if that’s a must for you, it may not be the best fit. Community members have created versions of KeePass for some mobile devices, but these haven’t necessarily gone through a strong vetting process and we hesitate to recommend them.

How to use it

You can download the latest release of KeePass online and follow the first steps tutorial to get started. As with other password managers, you can create a master password that grants you access to your database of passwords.

Who should use a password manager?

Prodrenalin for mac. A password manager can be a helpful tool for anyone who regularly logs into online accounts or mobile apps.

Even if you have a few strong passwords memorized, your information could be compromised during a public data breach. That’s why using unique passwords for each account can be important.

Meadows suggests searching to see if your information has already been exposed in a public data breach. Credit Karma’s ID monitoring service can help you check if your information has been exposed in another company’s public data breach. You provide your email and Credit Karma can let you know if your email address shows up in a database of more than 13 billion breached accounts. If your information has been exposed, we also offer tips on protecting yourself from ID theft.

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Bottom line

Using a password manager and moving away from using the same login information for all your accounts could help keep your information more secure.

Since there are free options to choose from that offer many similar benefits, it may be a good idea to test a few password managers out and see which one you like most.

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