- Everyone Needs a Password Manager. Passwords are the bane of online existence. It seems like everywhere you go, every site you visit, you need a password.
- Its efficiency and ease of use prompted the New York Times to describe Dashlane as one of the best password managers for Mac. Concisely, Dashlane is an excellent option as a Mac password manager. Both, its combined features and efficiency stand out in a very competitive market.
- It features in password manager, form autofill, digital wallet, password generator, password changer and security. For personal use, Dashlane provides Free and Premium plan; for business, it also provides simple, secure password management for business of all sizes.
A password manager is an essential part of your online security arsenal as ever more software and services move to the cloud.
If you reuse the same login credentials for multiple sites and services, just one security breach or successful phishing attack could leave them all vulnerable, and simple passwords that are easy to remember are often equally easy to crack.
Best password managers for Mac Being hacked can have disastrous results. One way to make it much harder for would-be attackers is to use a password manager on your devices.
A password manager solves both these problems, generating complex, unguessable passwords for your accounts, storing them all in an encrypted vault, and filling out login forms for you automatically.
Best slim external hard drive for mac. Some password managers and generators store your encrypted login info on your hard drive, while others will upload your details to their own servers, enabling you to access them from any internet-connected device. With this list, we’ve gathered the best of both worlds in order to bring you a comprehensive list of the best password managers you can use today.
1. LastPass
Free, secure password creation and storage for all your accounts
Automatic form completion
LastPass comes in two different flavors – free and premium. Either will generate and store any number of different logins in a secure vault that’s protected by your master password, with multi-factor authentication for added security. This includes hardware authentication via YubiKey for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.
The free version of LastPass also offers secure storage for text notes, syncing of credentials across browsers, and access to your secure vault from any internet-connected device via LastPass.com. It will refuse to autocomplete forms on known phishing websites, and you can export your data at any time, if you decide to switch to a rival password manager.
The premium version adds secure cloud storage for files, advanced multi-factor authentication, and the ability to set up a contingency plan so your loved ones can access your accounts in an emergency.
The only downside of LastPass is its popularity, which makes it a popular target for criminals, but exploits are rare and there haven't been any cases of users' encrypted logins or master passwords being stolen.
For sheer convenience and ease of use, LastPass is hard to beat.
2. Dashlane
Superb password security for all web browsers and devices
Automatic form completion
Dashlane is LastPass's closest competitor and, like LastPass, it's completely worth checking out, featuring one-click password generation, world-class security, breathless ease of use and ability to store notes for future reference.
It’s not just a Windows desktop program either; there are browser plugins and mobile versions, and similar to LastPass there's a premium version of Dashlane that includes unlimited sharing and syncing.
Dashlane Premium costs $39 (about £30, AU$50) per year, but the free version features all the essentials: you get the core password manager, autofill and digital wallet features, all of which work flawlessly. Don't settle for LastPass without trying Dashlane first, and vice versa.
Plus, if Dashlane’s newly announced Project Mirror works out, we might see a future where we never have to deal with pesky passwords again.
3. Keeper Security
The tight level of security that your passwords deserve
Good browser extension
Not the fanciest design
When you're protecting your passwords, the most important factor is always going to be security. Keeper Security isn't winning any awards for style or design but when it comes down to protecting your passwords, its security is one of the best out there.
Keeper is actually one of the oldest password managers around. It claims to use a proprietary zero-knowledge security architecture, AES 256-bit encryption and is the most audited and certified product on the market. What that means in simple talk is that this is a highly protected piece of kit.
Keeper offers services from password managers to a dark web scan and private messaging systems, not just protecting your passwords. And while Keeper's main target audience is big companies and organisations, it also offers plans for students, families and personal accounts.
Experience is easy on both desktop and mobile but due to its high-level of security it doesn't allow for the use of pin codes to enter - a good or bad factor depending on your view!
4. RoboForm
A superb desktop password manager with free mobile apps
Stores unlimited logins
RoboForm claims to be the best password manager in the world, and not unreasonably so. After a recent update, they’ve added support for storing a limitless amount of logins in the free version. It also boasts application logins, secure storage of notes, multi-platform support, and the ability to gain emergency access.
RoboForm Everywhere allows you to sync across devices, cloud backup and the ability to gain emergency access yourself. If you decide to buy a premium license, it’ll cost $19.95 or £15.95 (about AU$25) for one year, $49.95 or £39.95 (about AU$65) for three years, or $74.95 or £59.95 (about AU$95) for five years. There are also family subscriptions available for up to five users.
RoboForm might not be able to claim the same robust feature lists as their rivals, Dashlane or LastPass, but it's a very good password manager regardless and the free mobile apps are fantastic. Its password generator is particularly strong, allowing you to exclude similar characters and specify which special characters you need to meet specific password requirements.
Roboform is available for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, and is a good option for anybody who wants a simple and secure way to sync passwords between laptop, desktop and mobile platforms.
5. KeePass Password Safe
A customizable password manager for more experienced users
Expandable via plugins
It isn't the most aesthetically pleasing password manager in the world, but KeePass Password Safe offers robust security, multiple user support and downloadable plugins to expand its feature set. Best multifunction printer for mac airprint.
KeePass's secure password generator can produce logins suitable for those annoying sites with very specific requirements, and clearly indicates any options that might make the generated password weaker.
The password manager features a portable installation, allowing it to run from USB without installing on a PC, it can input from and output to a wide range of file formats, and there are tons of customization options to play with.
![Best Password Manages For Mac Best Password Manages For Mac](/uploads/1/3/3/9/133947964/828291220.png)
The fact that KeePass Password Safe is open source means anyone can inspect the code for potential weaknesses, which means that any security issues can be identified and fixed quickly. It's a great app, if a bit intimidating for beginners.
6. Sticky Password
Password management from the experts behind AVG Antivirus
Cross-platform
Sticky Password comes from the team behind AVG Antivirus, so you can be sure that security is its top priority.
There are two editions of Sticky Password: free and premium. The premium edition adds cloud syncing and backup and costs $29.99 or £19.99 (about AU$40) a year. There's also a lifetime license available for $149.99 or £96.99 (about AU$200) – an option not offered by any other premium password manager.
Both versions of Sticky Password include a generator that can create secure logins for you while you're registering for new online accounts. It's straightforward to use, but doesn't offer as many customization options as the other services here.
The app works on PC, Mac, Android and iOS, supports fingerprint authentication on mobile, is available as a portable USB version and offers lots of sync options including Wi-Fi syncing with local devices.
Browser extensions are also available for Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Internet Explorer, but not Edge.
7. Iolo ByePass
A pared-back version of Iolo's premium password manager
Clear interface
The full version of Iolo ByePass is a powerful password manager that includes two-factor authentication, syncing across devices and platforms, encrypted storage for credit card details, the ability to clear your browsing history and close open tabs remotely, and lots more.
The free edition (which you can install by entering your email address without an activation key here) is much more basic, only handling your logins, but it's still an excellent tool and is compatible with Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari.
Like all the best password managers, it can generate unique, secure logins for your accounts, eliminating the risks associated with reusing passwords. Unfortunately, the free edition only allows you to secure five accounts. It's perhaps best seen as a trial for the feature-packed full version of ByePass, so you can decide whether it's the right tool for you before making the investment.
8. Firefox Lockwise
Secure storage and syncing for Firefox across multiple devices
Automatic or manual sync
Firefox Lockwise is an unusual password manager. It's available as a mobile app and desktop browse extension, and allows you to securely sync login details between desktop and mobile devices using your Firefox account.
For the time being, Lockwise doesn't work with the Master Password feature that's already built into Firefox for desktop, but Mozilla says the two will be combined in a future update. It's also worth noting that although Lockwise can store, sync and autocomplete passwords for you, it can't generate new ones.
Lockwise will only be useful if you use Firefox as your main browser on all of your devices, but if you do, we highly recommend it.
Best OverallDashlane
Dashlane has surpassed LastPass in flexibility and features, but you'll pay more for those extras.
Best Free TierLastPass
LastPass' free service is still one of the best bargains in password management.
Best SecurityKeeper
Keeper works well and has perhaps the best security of any cloud-based password manager.
Using a password manager is an easy, quick way to make your online life more secure. You won't need to remember a unique, long, complex password for every online account. The password manager remembers each password for you, minimizing your risk next time there's a massive data breach. The only password you'll need to remember is the single 'master' password to the password manager itself.
Based on our extensive testing of seven services — in which we focused on user experience, platform support, security and overall performance — the best overall password managers are Dashlane and LastPass, which offer the ideal combinations of ease of use, convenience and security.
Best stock app mac os x. Best Overall: Dashlane Password Manager
Dashlane has a well-designed desktop application and a tool that changes your passwords on hundreds of websites at once, a fully interactive website interface and support for Linux and Chrome OS. However, the price of Dashlane's Premium plan has gone up by 50 percent, giving LastPass and especially Keeper, our second runner-up, more of a price advantage.
LastPass' free version is unlimited and versatile; it recently also raised the price of its paid versions, but they're the most full-featured of any password manager.
We also liked Keeper's strong security and Enpass' flexibility, although each lacked certain conveniences.
Two other password managers are best suited for niche segments: 1Password for Mac and iOS users, and Zoho Vault for couples and small families who want to share passwords. The seventh password manager, RoboForm, is the oldest on the list, and while it does a competent job, it needs an overhaul before we can recommend it over any other product.
News and Updates
— PDF software maker Foxit was hit by a data breach affecting 'email addresses, passwords, users’ names, phone numbers, company names and IP addresses,' although 'no payment information was exposed.' ADVICE: Reset your Foxit password, make it strong, make sure it's not used anywhere else and watch out for an uptick in spam email messages.
— Apple patched a security hole that let you -- or a malicious website -- jailbreak an iPhone and install any kind of app, including potential malware. (This is not among the flaws that let several websites infect any iPhone.) ADVICE: Make sure your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch is updated to iOS 12.4.1.
— Thousands of people don't bother to change passwords they know have been compromised, a Google study found. ADVICE: Use strong, unique passwords for every online account, and use a password manager to keep them straight.
Best Overall: Dashlane
Best Overall
Dashlane
SPECIFICATIONS
Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Chrome OS, watchOS | Free-version limitations: Single device; 50 passwords max | Two-factor authentication: Yes | Browser plugins: Chrome, Firefox, IE, Safari, Edge | Form filling: Yes | Mobile app PIN unlock: Yes | Biometric login: Face ID, Touch ID on iOS, most Android fingerprint readers
Reasons to Buy
Intuitive interface across all platforms
Reasons to Avoid
Dashlane now has support for Linux, Chrome OS and the Microsoft Edge browser and has made its website interface truly interactive, matching LastPass in platform support and, with its excellent desktop software, surpassing its chief rival in interface flexibility.
Dashlane's killer feature remains its bulk password changer, which can reset hundreds of your passwords at once, saving you time and worry in the event of a major data breach. There's also a scanner that goes through your email inbox on iOS or Android to find online accounts you may have forgotten about. The password manager is well designed, easy to use and possibly the best at filling out your personal information in online forms.
Dashlane's main drawback is its high price. When we last reviewed the service, it was $40 per year for the paid plan, already more than most of its rivals. But in July 2018, Dashlane jacked its Premium plan to $60 per year and added a Premium Plus plan that run $120 per year. At the same time, it capped its free plan, which once offered unlimited password storage, to 50 sets of credentials.
To be fair, the Premium plan now comes with a dark-web monitoring service and an unlimited VPN service. To that, the Premium Plus plan adds credit monitoring, identity-restoration assistance and identity-theft insurance. Taken together, all these features may justify the higher prices, and we look forward to giving them a thorough review soon.
Best Free Tier: LastPass
Best Free Tier
LastPass
SPECIFICATIONS
Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Chrome OS, Windows Phone, watchOS | Free-version limitations: Limited password sharing, limited 2FA | Two-factor authentication: Yes | Browser plugins: Chrome, Firefox, IE, Safari, Edge, Maxthon, Opera | Form filling: Yes | Mobile app PIN unlock: Yes | Biometric login: Face ID, Touch ID on iOS & macOS, most Android & Windows fingerprint readers
Reasons to Buy
Extensive two-factor-authentication options
Reasons to Avoid
LastPass shares our Editor's Choice award with Dashlane because of its ease of use, support for all major platforms, wide range of features and variety of configurations. The free version of LastPass syncs across an unlimited number of devices and has almost as many features as the paid version. However, the paid version's price has tripled in the past few years, going from $12 per year to $36 per year.
You don't need to install an application on your computer to use LastPass. Instead, the software lives entirely in browser extensions and in a full-featured web interface.
Best Security: Keeper
Best Security
Keeper
SPECIFICATIONS
Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Chrome OS, Windows Phone, Kindle, BlackBerry | Free-version limitations: Single device | Two-factor authentication: Yes | Browser plugins: Chrome, Firefox, IE, Safari, Edge | Form filling: Yes | Mobile app PIN unlock: No | Biometric login: Face ID, Touch ID on iOS & macOS, Windows Hello, most Android fingerprint readers
Reasons to Buy
Solid browser extension and web app
Reasons to Avoid
Some security-related inconveniences
Keeper Password Manager Personal$25.49
Keeper Password Manager Family$59.99
Keeper ($25.49 per year for the premium service) is fast and full-featured, has a robust web interface, stores files and documents of any kind, offers perhaps the best security of any password manager and is now cheaper than both Dashlane and LastPass. The trade-off for that enhanced security is a bit of inconvenience: Keeper chooses not to have a bulk password changer, and it won't let you create a PIN to quickly access the mobile app. If you have an older phone that can't read your fingerprint or your face, you'll have to enter the full master password every time.
Best Value: Enpass
Best Value
Enpass
SPECIFICATIONS
Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Chrome OS | Free-version limitations: 20 items on mobile; no biometric login on desktop | Two-factor authentication: No | Browser plugins: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera, Vivaldi | Form filling: Yes | Mobile app PIN unlock: Yes | Biometric login: Touch ID on iOS & macOS, Windows Hello, most Android fingerprint readers Best optical drives for mac.
Reasons to Buy
Strong free desktop version
Reasons to Avoid
Limited features & syncing options
Enpass has a strong free desktop version, and a more limited one for Android and that's limited to only 20 passwords. But the premium software on Windows, Mac, Android or iOS costs a one-time flat fee of $11.99 per platform. (The Linux version is entirely free.) There are no recurring subscription fees.
Enpass handles all the basics quite well, but you'll have to sync your own devices via Dropbox or a similar service, as Enpass doesn't offer any cloud-syncing of its own. (Some users might see that as a security advantage.)
The Enpass desktop interface is a bit spare, but functional; the mobile apps are sleek and handle biometric logins. Enpass says a local-sync feature is in the works, which would make the service ideal for users who are wary of putting their data online.
1Password
1Password
SPECIFICATIONS
Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android. Linux, Chrome OS | Free-version limitations: Single mobile device | Two-factor authentication: Yes | Browser plugins: Chrome, Firefox, IE, Safari, Edge | Form filling: Yes | Mobile app PIN unlock: Yes | Biometric login: Face ID, Touch ID on iOS & macOS, most Android fingerprint readers
Reasons to Buy
Robust categorization options
Non-subscription option keeps data offline.
Reasons to Avoid
Stripped-down mobile experience
1Password$2.99
1Password Families$4.99
1Password's Windows and Android versions have finally reached rough parity with their Mac and iOS equivalents, but many functions still feel clunkier than they are on newer password managers. 1Password now asks new users to sign up for a $36 yearly cloud subscription, although for $65, Mac users can buy the older stand-alone application that lets them sync devices locally.
However, 1Password's new browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, dubbed 1Password X, mostly replicate the desktop experience and work directly with web browsers instead of operating systems. Better yet, they extend 1Password to Chromebook and Linux users.
Only cloud subscribers can use 1Password's killer feature, a Travel Mode that deletes sensitive data from your devices (you'll get it back later) so that snooping border-control agents can't find it. 1Password also has great form-filling abilities, and it has finally added true two-factor authentication.
Zoho Vault
Zoho Vault
SPECIFICATIONS
Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Windows Phone | Free-version limitations: No sharing | Two-factor authentication: Yes | Browser plugins: Chrome, Firefox, Safari | Form filling: No | Mobile app PIN unlock: Yes | Biometric login: Touch ID on iOS, most Android fingerprint readers
Reasons to Buy
Inexpensive family plan
Reasons to Avoid
Bare-bones mobile apps
Zoho Standard$1
Zoho Professional$4
Zoho Vault Free
Zoho Vault is part of a larger suite of paid enterprise tools, and the company makes the password manager free for individual personal use. (Group plans that can be used by families start at $12 per user per year.) You won't get consumer-friendly features such as personal-data form filling or a bulk password changer, but all of the essentials are in place and work smoothly.
Unlke EnPass, Zoho Vault will do the syncing for you using its own servers, and there's no fee to sync across all your desktop, laptop and mobile devices. The only drawbacks are that Zoho Vault sometimes trips over Google logins (there's a somewhat technical workaround) and that LastPass does even more for free.
RoboForm
RoboForm
SPECIFICATIONS
Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Chrome OS | Free-version limitations: Single device | Two-factor authentication: Yes | Browser plugins: Chrome, Firefox, IE, Safari, Edge, Opera | Form filling: Yes | Mobile app PIN unlock: Yes | Biometric login: Face ID, Touch ID on iOS & macOS, most Android & Windows fingerprint readers
Reasons to Buy
Relatively inexpensive
Reasons to Avoid
Stale, unintuitive design
RoboForm Everywhere$16.68
RoboForm Everywhere Family$33.40
RoboForm has been around since 1999 and, unfortunately, shows its age. At $24 per year, its premium version isn't expensive, and the service has excellent form filling and runs on a wide variety of platforms and browsers. But its website interface is still read-only, its desktop software can be confusing (the mobile apps are a little more user-friendly) and its functionality is limited. RoboForm needs an overhaul to compete with even the free version of LastPass.
What to Look for in a Password Manager
All seven password managers we reviewed secure your data, both on your machine and in the cloud, with the toughest form of encryption in wide usage today. All have software for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. All have free options, but none of them are entirely free.
All can be installed on an unlimited number of devices for a single (usually paid) account, store an unlimited number of passwords and generate new, strong passwords for you (though not always on the mobile version). Some alert you to the latest data breaches. Most offer a two-factor authentication option for master passwords.
Many offer to save your personal details, credit-card numbers and other frequently used information so that they can quickly fill out online forms for you. (You don't have to do this, but it's safer than letting the retail website save your credit-card information.) Finally, none can recover your master password for you if you forget it, although some let you reset that password to something else.
How We Test Password Managers
We installed and used all seven password managers on a dual-boot Apple laptop running Windows 10 and macOS 10.12 Sierra, an iPad Pro 12.9, a Samsung Galaxy S8+ and a Google Pixel. The primary browser we used was Google Chrome on all platforms, but we also used Apple Safari on macOS and iOS.
We considered each service's ease of use, user interface, variety and usefulness of features, and security practices, especially concerning two-factor authentication. Price was considered only when two or more password managers were otherwise roughly equal.
Cloud vs. Local Management
1Password gives you an option to store and sync your 'vault' of passwords and other sensitive information locally (in other words, only on your own devices) without using the service's cloud servers. There's a security advantage to that because none of the data will ever need to reach the internet, but it can be a hassle to synchronize all of your devices. (Enpass plans to add a similar local-sync feature, but for now, you'll have to sync your devices using third-party file-sharing services such as Dropbox or iCloud.)
Far more convenient are cloud-based password managers, which include LastPass, Dashlane, Keeper and Zoho Vault. (1Password's default mode is also cloud-based.) These services keep encrypted copies of your vault on their own servers, ensure all your devices are always synced and encrypt the transmissions between your devices and their servers.
Best Password Managers For Mac
The risk, though small, is that one of the cloud-based services could be compromised, and your passwords could be released out into the wild. (LastPass has had a number of documented security issues, all of which have been quickly fixed, and has not lost any passwords.) And whether it's local or cloud-synced, a password manager puts all your eggs in one basket, so to speak. But for most people, the demonstrable security benefits of using a password manager far outweigh the disadvantages.