Top 5 Password Managers for Personal Use

What is a password manager?

A password manager is an application that acts as an encrypted digital vault helping you to create, store, manage, and autofill passwords for all of your online accounts. The main purpose of a password manager is to remove the need to remember all of your passwords by yourself.

With a password manager, you only have to remember one— the master password.

There are many benefits of using password managers. They're not only convenient but they can also help bolster your online security. The best password managers will also generate stronger passwords for new accounts, send alerts if any sites you have accounts with have been compromised, and let you easily reset the passwords for them.

Are password managers safe?

Password managers use zero-knowledge architecture and AES 256-bit military-standard encryption to secure your passwords before they even leave your device. This means that not even the password manager provider has a way to decipher them.

Of course, this doesn't stop the cybercriminals from trying. The main risk of using a password manager comes from putting all your eggs (or passwords) in one basket. As such, that basket becomes a very attractive target for attacks. If a bad actor was to succeed, they would get access to your entire online life with real-life consequences.

So, the quick answer to the question “are password managers safe?” is, they are safer than not using them!

Password managers do have a pretty good track record and they are much safer than using easy-to-crack passwords or reusing passwords— a practice that is surprisingly common.

Security firm Spy Cloud recently released its 2022 Annual Identity Exposure Report which found that 64% of people exposed in a data breach had used the same password for other accounts.

Password managers: pros and cons

Password managers have a number of benefits and a couple of disadvantages for the individual. Let's take a look at password managers' pros and cons, kicking off with the good stuff:

Avoid password overload

A study in 2020 by Nordpass revealed that digitally active people had, on average, 70-80 passwords to remember. With the pandemic forcing even more of our personal and professional lives online, that number has since risen to around 100.

The more services we sign up for and the more apps we download, the more passwords we are required to remember. This password overload can make reusing passwords or choosing common words all the more tempting.

The Spy Cloud report shows the Top 100 reused passwords of 2021 which includes duds like pass, password, 123456789, monkey, superman, and football...

Using a password manager means you don't have to rely on your own memory (and risk getting locked out) or resort to poor password hygiene. With a secure password manager, you only have to remember one master password for all of your online accounts.

Stronger passwords

When we have to remember our own passwords, we tend to make it easier for ourselves (and for hackers) by choosing pet names or date/year of birth. But these are details that are easily discoverable online and even easier for password-cracking programs to hack.

Using a password checker like Password Monster, you can see that a password such as “fluffy1987” would take hackers less than 3 seconds to crack.

The best password managers for personal use give you the ability to generate a different random password per online account. Longer passwords made up of a combination of lower and upper case letters, numbers, and special characters are much harder, if not impossible, for hackers to crack.

In comparison, the example password consisting of 14 characters would take hackers 8 hundred trillion years to crack. Quite the difference!

Simplify cybersecurity

Trying to stay on top of password management can be difficult even for the most tech-savvy and security-aware netizens. But for mere mortals, it can be mission impossible or mission-not-even-aware-of. Both scenarios leave them open to identity theft, all sorts of fraud, or losing life savings. Just like the Hoody app, password managers are a simple way to give your online activity an extra layer of security without the need for any technical know-how.

The best password managers will all have the same core features such as strong encryption and autofill capabilities. But we want to look at what password manager is better for individuals with different needs or budgets.

What about the disadvantages of password managers?

As we already mentioned, password managers do have a weakness in that they represent a single point of failure. Should a hacker be able to compromise their systems, then all of your passwords will be at risk. The other downside is that if a user forgets their master password, then they lose access to all of their passwords.

But it's up to you to weigh up the password managers' pros and cons.

Now, it's time to take a look at the best password managers on the market and review what makes them noteworthy.

Dashlane: Best overall password manager

If you want a premium service but aren't so keen on paying a premium price tag, then Dashlane fits the bill. Their Premium individual plan will set you back $3.99. For that, you get unlimited password storage and autofill across unlimited devices, a password generator, dark web monitoring, and a VPN.

Their free plan is pretty decent if you're a light internet user. It will store and autofill unlimited passwords on one device. The Advanced Plan, for $3.49, is probably the best compromise though. It has all the features of the Premium plan apart from a VPN.

If you opt for annual billing, you'll get a 20% discount making Dashlane one of the most affordable password managers for individuals.

In answer to the question “are password managers safe?”, all of Dashlane's plans come with AES 256-bit encryption, data breach security alerts, and 2FA (2-factor authentication). It is also compatible with all the main operating systems and browsers.

1Password: Best full-featured password manager

1Password has come a long way from its Apple-only days. The password manager using AES 256-bit encryption is now compatible with all the major operating systems including Linux, Windows, Chrome OS, and Android.

The one downside of 1Password is that it doesn't have a free version but it offers plenty of features to make the personal plan worth the modest fee of $2.99 a month. There are no tiers to choose from, you just get everything 1Password had to offer.

1Password has robust phishing protection and alerts for any compromised websites or vulnerable passwords. But the feature that puts 1Password in our top 5 list is the Travel Mode.

This removes any sensitive data from your devices when you cross borders. It secures your data from nosey border guards or unauthorized access should your device happen to go AWOL during transit. Once you arrive at your destination, you can restore access with just one click.

Bitwarden: Best password manager for tech-savvy users

Bitwarden is an open-source password manager which means that its codebase is continually audited and improved by security experts.

The free version has all the core features that you'd expect from a premium password manager. You've got zero-knowledge encryption, two-factor authentication (2FA), and email alias integration, as well as unlimited devices and syncing password. But the paid-for Bitwarden Premium plan for an individual is less than $1 a month!

It's certainly affordable but not quite as intuitive in its design as the other password managers on our list. But if you've got a technical head on you, you'll be grand.

In fact, you're the type of user that will get the most out of Bitwarden. You can install and deploy the software on your own server and use their command-line tools (CLI) for even greater control and customization.

LastPass: Best premium password manager

The free version of the LastPass password manager is a bit thin on features. You can save unlimited passwords, logins, and credit card details but only on one device type (mobile or desktop). Yet, LastPass is still one of the most popular password managers for individuals.

It could be because LastPass is one of the oldest password managers on the market, or that it is one of the most secure. It uses end-to-end 256-bit AES encryption with advanced Transport Layer Security preventing in-transit attacks.

Or, it could be because the Premium version is packed full of features and costs just 2.90EUR a month. It also provides a 30-day free trial so you can try before you buy.

LastPass Premium gives support to unlimited device types, dark web monitoring, a security dashboard with data breach monitoring, emergency access, safe one-to-many password sharing, and advanced multi-factor authentication.

Keeper: Most user-friendly password manager

Keeper has two main plans, a Family plan for up to 5 users, and an Unlimited plan for individuals. The Keeper personal plan starts at $2.91 per month with a 30-day free trial.

After the 30-day trial expires, you can unlock a very basic free plan that lets you use Keeper as an encrypted password vault on one device. You won't get the use of auto-fill, secure file storage, or emergency access. There are better free password manager plans out there, so what is it that puts Keeper on our list?

Well, it��s super affordable but it's also one of the easiest password managers to set up and use. The layout and navigation on the desktop app, website, and mobile app are consistent and intuitive. They also have a huge directory of user guides to talk you through the setup for any browser or operating system.

The best password managers for personal use

Now that you have the answer to “are password managers safe?” and we've explored password managers' pros and cons, it's up to you to decide which one (if any!) of the best password managers is right for you.

Password managers can make life easier and give extra security to your online accounts and all the personal information within them. So stop using passwords like “123456”, stop reusing the same password you've had since high school, and stop relying on your fading memory. Any one of these top five password managers for personal use will help you protect your privacy.

Looking for tips on how to secure your digital existence? Check out 10 Ways To Improve Your Privacy Online.