The Best Password Managers of 2024

1. Total Password - Best Cross-Device Capabilities

SecurityScore:

9.7 /10

View Packages Links to Total Password

How We Review

Product Specs

App Store rating	4.1 Stars
Supported platforms	iOS, macOS, Windows, Android, Linux
Encryption standard	AES-256
Cross-device login	Yes
Data breach scans	Yes
Passwordless login	Yes
Lifetime free plan	No, only a 30-day free trial
Pricing	Premium plans start at $1.99 per month

View Packages Links to Total Password

Total Password Overview

Made by the same company as our favorite antivirus software, TotalAV, we weren’t surprised to find that Total Password lives up to its name. Just like when we tested TotalAV, we found Total Password gave us that same balance between security, ease of use, and capabilities. And, it’s one of the least expensive premium password managers we’ve tested with prices starting at $1.99.

What made Total Password special for us is its cross-device capabilities. Since it relies on browser-based password management, we could use our passwords on all of our devices without resaving them. So, when we made new accounts on our laptop, those passwords automatically synced to our iPhone. It worked that same way when we updated our passwords too.

Is Total Password Easy to Use?

We’ll be honest, we were surprised to see that Total Password doesn’t have a desktop app. That’s usually how we use password managers since it’s easier to use a full-window app than a small browser extension panel. But, a password manager without a desktop app isn’t completely new to us. Dashlane and Aura worked the same way when we tested the best Windows password managers.

With our extension ready to go on Safari, it was time to import our passwords. This is one of the spots where Total Password shines. We could easily import our passwords from any password manager we used. In our case, we imported them from the built-in Apple password manager, iCloud Keychain.

Then, we went over to our Android phone to see how well it worked there. As soon as we downloaded the app and logged in, all of our passwords automatically synced to our Android device from our MacBook Pro. Then, we made a new Hulu account on our Android and checked back on our MacBook Pro. Within a minute, the new account got synced to our MacBook Pro too.

Needless to say, using Total Password was easy. The only drawback is that we had to download the extension for each browser we used. But that shouldn’t take more than two minutes.

Is Total Password Expensive?

When buying Total Password on its own, there’s only one option at $1.99 per month for an annual plan. But, there’s another way to get Total Password and that’s by bundling it with an antivirus through the TotalAV site. And while there’s no option for a free plan with the password manager, both the bundled version and Total Password on its own comes with a 30-day free trial.

Here’s how much you can expect to pay for Total Password whether you bundle it with TotalAV (antivirus) and Total VPN or buy it on its own:

We do want to point out that the $1.99 per month rate is for the first year only. Renewals will cost you more – way more. That’s not unusual for password manager subscriptions, as NordPass also increases the rate after the introductory period. But with Total Password, the cost increases by nearly five times. That’s something to consider if you’re looking to use it long-term.

We also didn’t like that there are no options for families. While there are no limits to the number of devices and browsers you can use Total Password on, we don’t recommend sharing your master password and vault even with family members, especially kids and teenagers. Our pick for families here – Dashlane – lets you add up to 10 members each with separate vaults and master passwords.

Is Total Password Secure?

Like most password managers, Total Password uses AES-256 encryption to keep your passwords safe.1 That’s the same encryption protocol the U.S. government uses to keep classified documents safe. In our opinion, that’s plenty secure for our passwords and yours.

But, our favorite part about Total Password’s security measures is the feature that lets us log out of our accounts remotely. We were able to use Total Password on our Android phone to sign out of our online banking account on our MacBook Pro. When we forgot to sign out of an account on our computer when we left the house, we could log out from our phone. That’s the same way we use our favorite smart lock to lock up our home when we forget to lock the door on our way out. So, we know it’s a feature we’ll use often.

2. NordPass - Best Price-to-Feature Ratio

SecurityScore:

9.5 /10

View Packages Links to NordPass

How We Review

Product Specs

App Store rating	4.7 Stars
Supported platforms	iOS, macOS, Windows, Android, Linux
Encryption standard	XChaCha20
Cross-device login	Yes
Data breach scans	Yes
Passwordless login	Yes
Lifetime free plan	Yes, for one user
Pricing	Premium plans start at $1.29 per month

View Packages Links to NordPass

NordPass Overview

Coming in at No. 2 is NordPass — a user-friendly password manager that works seamlessly across your devices and offers premium features like persistent login and strong security. It’s an all-around reliable choice for managing all of your sensitive information.

When we reviewed NordPass, we were impressed with its sleek interface and intuitive design. As such, NordPass caters to both tech-savvy users and those new to password management.

Users can easily create, store and autofill passwords, enhancing the overall browsing experience. Beyond basic password storage, NordPass offers features such as a data breach scanner, email masking and password health assessment that make it a comprehensive tool for digital safety.

Is NordPass Easy to Use?

When we reviewed NordPass, our experts found it to be a little challenging to import passwords at first, but NordPass became really easy to use after it was all set up. Once we completed the initial setup, which includes creating a master password and importing existing passwords, we found the interface really straightforward.

The Chrome browser extension provided immediate access to features like autofill and password generation, streamlining our login process across various websites. The ability to generate strong, unique passwords with customizable options adds to the convenience.

We were also impressed by the app’s email masking feature that allowed us to create temporary email addresses for signing up on new sites, further simplifying the process. Overall, NordPass dramatically improved our online convenience and experience. Its user-friendly design and useful features made it so we could manage all of our sensitive information without feeling overwhelmed.

Is NordPass Expensive?

We’d say NordPass’ prices are extremely affordable, with premium plans starting at $1.39 per month. It also offers a free lifetime option and family plans, providing excellent value compared to other password managers. The free tier gives users access to essential features, making it one of the most generous offerings in the industry — and our favorite free password manager. The premium plan unlocks additional features, such as the data breach scanner and password health assessor, which can significantly enhance your online security.

If you’re not ready to pull the trigger, NordPass offers a 30-day free trial for its premium features, allowing users to experience the full range of benefits without any upfront costs. Family plans, which accommodate up to six users, make it easy to share premium features with loved ones without breaking the bank. Here’s a quick cost breakdown:

Is NordPass Secure?

Yes, NordPass employs top-tier security protocols, ensuring that sensitive information is well-protected. While most password managers out there use AES-256 encryption, NordPass uses the XChaCha20 standard. Both are extremely secure, but XChaCha20 is a little better when it comes to simplicity and speed.

This innovative encryption method allows NordPass to run efficiently on a variety of devices, including lower-powered smartphones. Also worth pointing out — NordPass utilizes a zero-knowledge architecture, meaning that only you have access to your data; not even NordPass can see your passwords. Also worth pointing out is the fact that NordPass has never been hacked, and the company itself has a great reputation for digital security. This really improved our peace of mind during our tests.

Just so you know, they’re the ones behind NordVPN, one of the best virtual private networks available today. This backing underscores their commitment to security and privacy, making NordPass a trustworthy choice for managing sensitive information in an increasingly digital world.

3. Aura - Best Online Account Protection

SecurityScore:

9.3 /10

View Packages Links to Aura

How We Review

Product Specs

App store rating	4.7 stars
Supported platforms	iOS, Android, Windows, macOS
Encryption standard	AES-256
Cross-device login	Yes
Data breach scans	Yes
Passwordless login	Yes
Lifetime free plan	No, only a 60-day money-back guarantee
Pricing	Premium plans start at $1.99 per month

View Packages Links to Aura

Aura Password Manager Overview

If you’ve heard of Aura before, it’s probably from identity theft protection circles. We ranked Aura as our #1 identity theft protection service, and one big reason are all the cybersecurity features it includes that comprehensively protect users’ digital personal information. Those features include a password manager that we tested when we reviewed Aura’s identity protection service.

You don’t need a full identity protection subscription to use the password manager either. You can get it for as low as $1.99 per month, and that plan includes antivirus software and a VPN. That’s affordable, especially compared to Dashlane that charges $4.99 per month for a password manager with only a VPN included.

We also like that Aura offers features that can directly protect your online accounts from hacking and being compromised. It can generate email aliases to hide your real email address, there’s a spam and phishing site protection, and if you upgrade to the mid-tier plan or higher, you’ll get basic identity monitoring as well.

Is Aura Easy to Use?

We decided to create another account and purchase a subscription just to Aura’s password manager. We had three options to choose from, and as the tier got higher, the line between device security and identity protection became more blurred. The Ultimate Plan (highest tier) already includes identity monitoring, one-bureau credit monitoring, and identity theft insurance. It left us wondering at what point should we just switch to a full-blown Aura identity protection plan.

We settled on the mid-tier Passwords Plus plan ($2.99 per month), and fortunately, the experience got better from there. We were able to install it on five devices – two Androids, one iPhone, one Windows, and one MacBook Pro. For Windows and MacBook Pro, we installed Aura’s browser extension for Chrome and Safari.

Our experience importing passwords into our Aura vault was similar to NordPass. It took just a couple of minutes once we had our .csv file from Chrome. All our devices synced as well. The one thing we noticed is that the auto-fill feature sometimes didn’t work. In those instances, we had to open the browser extension, search the site we were filling details into, and copy/paste the username and password manually. This happened about 10-percent of the time. It’s no biggie, but we hope Aura will fix it.

Is NordPass Expensive?

Aura isn’t really that expensive. It’s either $1.99, $2.99, or $3.99 per month, but everything is billed on a per-year basis. And although the prices will increase after your first subscription, the jump isn’t as outrageous as that of Total Password. The mid-tier Password Plus plan will increase to only $69.99 ($5.83 per month). Here’s the breakdown:

The device limit is something we didn’t see from other password managers we tested though. Most of them would let you install the app or extension on as many devices and browsers you want. With Aura, you can use the password manager on either three, five, or 10 devices. There are no family plans either; if you’re buying for the whole household, pretty much your only option is to get an Aura identity protection family plan. It’s the best family identity protection on the market, but it does come at a cost of $32 per month. That’s for a maximum of five users.

Is Aura Secure?

This is the one thing you can count on from Aura. Security is one of its priorities since the brand specializes in protecting personal information. At the very least, you’ll get 256-bit AES encryption for passwords, credit card information, and insurance and medical documents you’ll store in your vault.

Beyond that though, all password manager plans include scam and phishing site protection. Aura can recognize fake phishing sites asking you to enter your login credentials and won’t auto-fill for those. And when signing up for new accounts, you can also generate email aliases like you can with NordPass.

There are other features included as well, such as antivirus software and a VPN, spam and junk mail removal in the Password Plus and Ultimate plans, and of course, basic identity and credit monitoring in the Ultimate plan. And all that for a maximum of $3.99 per month in the first year? Count us in!

>> Learn More: What Are Identity Theft Protection Services?

4. 1Password - Best Analytics

SecurityScore:

9.2 /10

View Packages Links to 1Password

How We Review

Product Specs

App store rating	3.5 stars
Supported platforms	iOS, macOS, Windows, Android, Linux
Encryption standard	AES-256
Cross-device login	No
Data breach scans	Yes
Passwordless login	Yes
Lifetime free plan	No, only a 14-day free trial
Pricing	Premium plans start at $2.99 per month

View Packages Links to 1Password

1Password Overview

When we reviewed 1Password, we found a versatile password manager with some pretty interesting features like a password strength audit and a travel mode that can temporarily remove select partitions of your vault from your devices. This travel feature is particularly useful for those who often travel to countries with strict data privacy laws, as it enhances your security by reducing the amount of sensitive information accessible on your devices.

1Password also offers a 14-day free trial of the full version, which makes it an interesting option for people looking for short-term use. The trial allows users to explore its extensive features, like password generation and secure sharing, without having to make any commitment. Keep in mind, though, that once the trial expires, the service will start charging you.

Is 1Password Easy to Use?

Definitely. 1Password is user-friendly, allowing for easy password importing and updates across devices. Its intuitive interface simplifies the process of managing your passwords, and the browser extension seamlessly integrates with most major browsers for autofill functionality.

That said, there have been a few updates that caused some interface changes on the iPhone that some users were a little frustrated by, but these updates enhanced the service’s capabilities. Despite some minor learning curves during updates, we’ve found that 1Password really works to streamline customers’ online experiences. The inclusion of helpful tutorials and prompts also ensures that even those less tech-savvy can navigate the program confidently.

Is 1Password Expensive?

Smack in the middle of our top three picks, 1Password is competitively priced starting at $3.99 per month. While this pricing reflects its robust feature set and high security, it’s important to consider the value it provides in terms of convenience and protection. In our book, it checks all the necessary boxes.

1Password also offers family and business plans (unlike Total Password and Aura) that provide more extensive features, making it a flexible option for different user needs. Given its comprehensive security measures and ease of use, we’d definitely say the pricing is reasonable, especially when compared to potential costs associated with data breaches or identity theft. Here’s a quick breakdown of their prices:

Is 1Password Secure?

1Password uses AES-256 encryption, similar to Total Password, Aura, Dashlane and most other password managers, but it does use third-party audits, publishing the results for transparency. We really like to see that — users can verify the security measures in place, and no concerns were found in the audits reviewed.

We also should point out that 1Password’s dual-layer protection system, which combines your account password with a unique Secret Key, significantly enhances your security, making sure that even if your password is compromised, the data remains protected.

5. Dashlane - Best for Families

SecurityScore:

8.9 /10

View Packages Links to Dashlane

How We Review

Product Specs

App Store rating	4.6 stars
Supported platforms	iOS, macOS, Windows, Android
Encryption standard	AES-256
Cross-device login	No
Data breach scans	Yes
Passwordless login	Yes
Lifetime free plan	Yes
Pricing	Premium plans start at $4.99 per month

View Packages Links to Dashlane

Dashlane Overview

When our experts tested out Dashlane, they quickly realized this service prioritizes ease of use. It offers straightforward password importing, keeping it simple and user-friendly. It also includes a passwordless login feature for added convenience.

One standout aspect is Dashlane’s Friends & Family plan, which allows you to include up to 10 members, making it an excellent choice for households. Furthermore, the premium subscription bundles in Hotspot Shield VPN, providing additional online privacy and security. This combination of features positions Dashlane not just as a password manager, but as a comprehensive digital security tool.

Is Dashlane Easy to Use?

Yup! Dashlane is super easy to set up and use. Most functions are available on the home screen, which is really intuitive and well designed. It only took our expert a few minutes to organize everything, and they were browsing the web, logging into all of their accounts in no time.

Overall, we found the integration across devices was pretty seamless using Dashlane. This, including mobile and desktop, meant we could manage our passwords effortlessly on the go.

Is Dashlane Expensive?

Like NordPass, Dashlane is pretty inexpensive. It has a free plan that doesn’t require a credit card and will secure up to 25 passwords, which you can securely share with family and friends, and its premium version only costs $5 per month. While that’s more than double what NordPass charges, at fractions of a cent per day, we’d argue that’s pretty budget-friendly because it also includes a VPN. It’s not as budget-friendly as Aura and NordPass, but we get the higher cost.

Dashlane’s Friends & Family plan is also competitively priced at $7.49 per month, allowing up to 10 users to enjoy premium features. Considering the added value of integrated dark web monitoring and a VPN, we can definitely see why the extra cost is justified. Here’s a quick breakdown of their prices, so you can see it all in one place:

Is Dashlane Secure?

Dashlane uses AES-256 encryption. It’s definitely secure, but it’s not as cutting-edge as NordPass’s XChaCha20. It follows a zero-knowledge principle, ensuring that only users can access their information.

Dashlane also enhances security through features like dark web monitoring, alerting users to any compromised passwords. This proactive approach added another layer of protection, which helped us feel a lot more secure about our online presence.

That said, Dashlane has not undergone third-party audits, relying instead on self-audits. While the results of these tests are readily available, we would really prefer them to be coming from third parties. We’re dinging them a bit for that.