The Best Password Managers for Android
After testing nine Android password managers, we found NordPass is not only the most secure option, but also affordable and easy to use.
&
Last Updated on Nov 08, 2024
- Faster encryption protocol
- Zero-knowledge architecture
- Affordable subscription costs
- Easy to set up
- Monthly payment options
- Useful tools for international travelers
- Includes VPN powered by Hotspot Shield
- Dark web monitoring alerts
- Family plan covers 10 people
Over 40 percent of Americans (approximately 138 million people) are walking around with an Android mobile device in their pocket.1 We’d guess a lot of these people store their login credentials in the built-in Google Password Manager. It’s a convenient option if you are a Google loyalist. But you might encounter a few issues if you switch to an iOS device or jump into a Firefox browser.
Spending a few dollars a month on a premium password manager means you’ll gain cross-platform support and extra password security tools like dark web monitoring and weak or reused password detection. With that in mind, we tested nine premium Android password managers. Dashlane and 1Password impressed us, but NordPass stood out the most with its future-proof encryption algorithm and affordable price tag.
If you keep reading, we’ll share why we believe these three password managers are better than Google Password Manager.
>> Check Out: The Best Password Managers of 2024
Methodology
Before we start, we want to be up front about how we chose the best password managers for Android. The first thing we did was research the most popular options on the Google Play Store. We did a deep dive into the products and noted the features as well as what they claim to offer. We even took a look at the customer reviews to understand potential friction points and if there is anything we need to pay extra attention to while testing them.
Next, we became paying customers. We subscribed to the premium plans using our own money and used the password managers during our work and personal time. Using them throughout the day meant we got a good grasp of the features and thoroughly assessed their overall performance. Our experts have been testing digital security products for almost a decade, so we drew on that experience and expertise to test and rank all the password managers.
Now that you know how we chose NordPass, 1Password, and Dashlane as the best password managers for Android, let’s find out what makes them so good.
Best Android Password Managers Side by Side
| System |
NordPass
|
1Password
|
Dashlane
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Ratings | 9.5/10 | 9.2/10 | 8.9/10 |
| Google Play score | 4.6 | 3.9 | 4.5 |
| Best monthly price – Personal | $1.29 | $2.99 | $4.99 |
| Monthly price – Business | $1.79 (per user) | $19.95 (10 users) | $20 (10 users) |
| Free trial | Lifetime free version | 14-day premium trial | Lifetime free version |
| Read Review | NordPass Review | 1Password Review | Dashlane Review |
-
1. NordPass - Best Encryption Features
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
What We Like
- Uses XChaCha20 encryption, which is considered faster than the protocols used by other password managers
- Includes extra security tools, such as password health and email masking
- Zero-knowledge architecture means no one from Nord can view the contents of your vault
- You can customize the auto-lock time, so you’re not constantly entering your master password
What We Don’t Like
- Renewal costs are higher
- Only covers six people under the family plan
- All plans are billed annually
- The free plan is limited
Why We Chose NordPass
You might be familiar with NordVPN. Many, including us, consider it one of the best VPNs around. One of the reasons is that it boasts state-of-the-art security features. So we weren’t surprised when we learned about NordPass’s encryption protocols.
>> Learn More: NordVPN Review
In short, NordPass uses the XChaCha20 encryption protocol. Companies like Cloudflare and Google use it because it’s a faster and safer connection than 256-bit AES encryption, which most other password managers use. NordPass also has a zero-knowledge architecture, meaning no one from the company can see your passwords or anything else you store inside your vault.
Identifying which passwords we need to change ASAP with NordPass. It also comes with plenty of valuable security tools. NordPass scans the dark web to see if your login details have been exposed, and the password health manager lets you know which passwords have been used multiple times or are easy to guess. But the email masking tool was our favorite. It creates a new email address, so you don’t have to use your real one when you sign up for a service. This means if the website is hacked, the criminals won’t get their hands on your actual email address.
Pro Tip: NordPass can generate new passwords to replace the ones that are weak or repeated. We recommend running your new creations through our Password Strength Checker Tool to double-check that they’re safe to use.
NordPass Android Experience
We downloaded NordPass via the Play Store and entered our master password to log in. It immediately offered us the option to use biometrics from then on, which we accepted. All our details were automatically synced, as we’d already set up NordPass on our MacBook Pro. We could see which passwords needed updating, the dark web breaches to action, and the email masks we’d created. It also showed us what apps we could set up passkeys for.
FYI: Passkeys are a more secure way to log in to a website. Instead of typing in a password, you’ll use biometrics, a PIN, or a pattern. NordPass can store your passkeys and alert you to websites or apps you use that have this functionality.
We liked that we could do everything inside NordPass instead of opening our browser to access some features. For example, after reviewing our weakest passwords, we went to the Password Generator to create some new ones. It was easy to adjust the length and choose what characteristics to include, such as digits or symbols. We could even use words instead of random characters to make it easier to remember. Once we were happy, all we had to do was hit copy or save to keep it for future use.
NordPass Pricing
With future-proofed encryption and some of the best security tools available, you might think this will cost a fortune. But NordPass’ pricing for individuals starts at $1.29 a month for a two-year plan. A 12-month option is only $1.69 per month. All paid plans are billed annually but come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
NordPass lets you save your credit cards, which can come in handy when it’s time to renew your subscription. Family plans are also a good deal. A two-year plan is $2.79 a month and a one-year plan is $3.69 per month. They only cover six people, which is less than Dashlane’s 10-person family plan. But Dashlane will set you back $7.49 per month for 12 months.
We recommend signing up for the two-year option with NordPass. The main reason is that the costs will increase when it’s time to renew. The following two years for individuals, it jumps to $3.36 a month, and for families, it increases to $5.99 a month. It makes NordPass slightly more expensive than our next pick, 1Password.
>> Read More: NordPass vs. 1Password
-
2. 1Password - Best for Beginners
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
What We Like
- User-friendly setup guide
- Monthly payment options
- The Watchtower gives you a security rating and tips to improve it
- Travel mode removes vaults from your devices
What We Don’t Like
- No free plan
- The trial period lasts 14 days
- The family plan only covers five people
- Includes data-breach alerts but not dark web monitoring
Why We Chose 1Password
1Password is the oldest password manager on this list. It was released in 2005, and in some instances, it’s obvious. We think it works great in browsers like Chrome, but its apps for macOS and Android aren’t as slick as NordPass or Dashlane.
>> Learn More: Dashlane Vs. 1Password
Our 1Password emergency kit, complete with a secret key in case we got locked out of our account. However, we could tell they have almost two decades of experience in the industry just from the sign-in experience alone. Most other password managers ask you to create a master password to sign in and leave it at that. But after you create a master password with 1Password, it will generate a 34-character security key you’ll need when you log in to a new device for the first time. So don’t lose it.
Pro Tip: After you log in to 1Password, we recommend the first thing you do is set up a recovery code. You can use this if you forget your master password or lose your security key.
1Password Android Experience
As we mentioned earlier, the Android app isn’t as good as NordPass. It does the basics right, like autofilling login fields for webpages and apps. However, the tools within the 1Password app aren’t as user-friendly or are missing altogether. For example, there’s no password generator. So you’ll need to come up with something yourself to replace your weak and reused Android passwords.
The main reason for using the app is to view and manage secure documents. After learning from our password manager report that 25 percent of Americans save passwords on their devices in unencrypted files or notes, we started storing all our important documents inside 1Password’s vault. We could even create a separate vault for when we travel overseas and don’t want certain documents appearing on our devices. All we had to do was switch 1Password to travel mode, and this vault was erased without a trace.
FYI: When you return home, you can switch travel mode off. Once you’re online, the vault will reappear on all your devices.
1Password’s Travel Mode lets us mark vaults safe for travel if they contain less sensitive information. 1Password Pricing
Unlike NordPass and Dashlane, 1Password does not have a lifetime free plan. You also only get a 14-day free trial to see if 1Password is the right password manager for you. While some great free password managers are available, we think 1Password’s subscriptions are worth paying for.
We like that they have an option to pay monthly. Sure, you pay a little extra for the courtesy, but it means you’re not locked in for the year if you switch to another password manager. You also don’t get stung by renewal prices as you do with NordPass. It’s the same price every year unless 1Password decides to change their subscriptions. Here’s how much they cost.
1Password Subscription Individual Families Monthly price $3.99 $6.95 Annual price $35.88 ($2.99 monthly avg.) $59.88 ($4.99 monthly avg.) FYI: 1Password’s family plan only covers five people. If you need to include more people, we recommend checking out our guide on the best password managers for families to find an alternative.
-
3. Dashlane - Best Privacy Bundle
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
What We Like
- Includes a VPN powered by Hotspot Shield
- The family plan covers up to 10 people
- Comes with dark web monitoring for up to five email addresses
- Alerts you of compromised passwords on the Password Health page
What We Don’t Like
- The Android app is missing features like secure notes
- The free plan only lets you store up to 25 passwords
- It doesn’t monitor the dark web for credit cards
- No money-back guarantee on premium plans
Why We Chose Dashlane
If you’re just starting your digital security journey, Dashlane can cover a lot of bases. It’s not just a password manager. When you sign up for a premium plan, you also get a VPN powered by Hotspot Shield. However, if you already have a VPN you’re happy with, then Dashlane might look overpriced for what you need it for, which is managing passwords.
FYI: While Dashlane’s family plan covers up to 10 people, the VPN feature is only available for the primary account holder. They can still access all the other features as normal.
Dashlane can also monitor the dark web for your login credentials. However, it’s restricted to scanning for email addresses only. It won’t search for your credit cards like NordPass and 1Password. What it will do is tag any passwords it finds as compromised in the Password Health page so you can act on them immediately, which is something other password managers don’t do.
Dashlane notifying us to action some dark web alerts. Dashlane Android Experience
We found the Dashlane app to be user-friendly. The Get Started page walked us through everything we needed to do to set up the password manager on our Android device. The notification center was also handy. It alerted us to dark web alerts and reminded us to update passwords. We could delete alerts once they were actioned.
The only issue we ran into was that some features were missing. We wanted to add the same notes we saved in 1Password, but this page was nowhere to be found. You’ll find it in the web and macOS apps, but it’s not available in the Android app for some reason.
Pro Tip: We like that you can generate new passwords in the Password Health page. For any passwords tagged as weak, reused, or compromised, a box will appear to generate a new one now. We clicked on it, and Dashlane took us directly to the website’s Change Password page. It generated a new one within the field and saved it to our vault so it could autofill our details later.
Dashlane’s Password Generator in action. Dashlane Pricing
Dashlane’s subscriptions aren’t cheap. But it’s good value if you need a VPN. Compared to NordPass, which lets you add NordVPN at checkout, you’ll pay $5.68 a month versus Dashlane’s $4.99 a month. Keep in mind that all Dashlane plans are billed annually.
Dashlane has a free plan, but it’s pretty bare-bones compared to some of the best free password managers available. For starters, it only lets you save 25 passwords. If you import more, the app goes into read-only mode until you remove the excess credentials. So we recommend upgrading to the premium plan to avoid making the tough decisions about which ones to keep and which to cut.
The Benefits of Password Managers
You might be shocked when you stop to think about how many passwords you have. There are all your streaming services, music apps, and email accounts. Don’t forget about all the programs you use for work. Research has found that the average person has 170 passwords.2
One of the main benefits of password managers is you only have to remember one – your master password. But it can also stop some bad habits that can lead to data breaches and identity theft. Some of the worst we learned in our research on password habits are:
- More than two in three people use the same passwords for multiple accounts
- Only 20 percent of Americans use more than 12 characters
- Approximately 57 percent of respondents use slightly modified old passwords
- 21 percent of people we surveyed use their birth year in their password
- 37 percent of Americans share their password
In addition to storing your passwords, password managers can also help you generate strong passwords without racking up your brain to come up with ways to remember them. That way, you can have unique, hard-to-crack passwords for each of your accounts.
Premium Password Managers vs. Google Password Manager
Google really wants you to use Google Password Manager on your Android device. When we opened NordPass, 1Password, and Dashlane for the first time, we were told we had to go into our device settings to activate our password managers. We’ll explain in a minute how we did that, but before we do, let’s see how Google Password Manager compares to our top picks.
| Feature | Google Password Manager | NordPass | 1Password | Dashlane |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supported platforms | Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux | iOS, macOS, Windows, Android, Linux | iOS, macOS, Windows, Android, Linux | iOS, macOS, Windows, Android |
| Browser integrations | Chrome | Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge, Safari, Brave | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Brave | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Opera, Brave |
| Encryption standard | AES 256-bit | XChaCha20 | AES 256-bit | AES 256-bit |
| Passwordless login | Yes, but not available on iOS yet | Yes | In beta | Yes |
| Data-breach scans | Yes, but it is only available in Chrome and on Android devices | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Passkeys | Yes, but only on Android | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Price | Free | Premium plan starts at $1.29 per month | Premium plan starts at $2.99 per month | Premium plans start at $4.99 per month |
If you love Android devices and exclusively use Chrome, you might be fine with Google Password Manager. But we know a lot of people who have an Android phone, use Edge on their work laptop and prefer browsing on Safari when on their personal MacBook Pro. If you like some variety in your devices, you’ll want to follow these steps to change your default password manager on your Android device so you can enjoy cross-platform compatibility.
How to Set Up a Password Manager on Android
The good news is that NordPass, 1Password, and Dashlane can direct you to the settings page to change your default password manager. But if you don’t see the prompt, here’s how you do it.
- Go to the Android device settings
- Scroll down to passwords, passkeys and autofill
- Select the cog symbol next to Google Password Manager
- Choose your preferred password manager
From there, you should be able to access your saved passwords when you log in to websites and apps on your Android.
How to Set Up a Password Manager on the Chrome App
Unfortunately, following the steps above only works for apps on your Android device. If you use the Chrome app, you’ll need to activate your password manager again in Chrome’s settings. Here’s how you do that.
- Open the Chrome app
- Select the three dots in the top right-hand corner
- Scroll down to settings
- Hit Google Password Manager
- Pick settings in the bottom menu
- Turn off the offer to save passwords
- Turn off auto sign-in
>> Check Out: Best Password Managers for Chrome
Do You Need a Password Manager for Your Android Device?
Adding a password manager to your Android device gives you extra functionality and security. Some of the advantages you gain include:
- Enhanced security, as all your passwords are stored in a secure, encrypted vault
- Password managers autofill your login information so you can use complex passwords instead of something easy to hack
- You can sync your vaults across multiple devices, whether they’re within the Google ecosystem or not
- They come with extra security features like password health checks, dark web monitoring and passkey management
- It alerts you when you try to use the same password or if a password is considered weak by their standards
While not everyone needs a password manager, we believe it’s one of the building blocks of digital security. So yes; if you want to enjoy better digital security, you need a reliable password manager for your Android.
What to Look For in an Android Password Manager
We tested nine Android password managers and narrowed them down to our top three recommendations. There was a lot to consider. Here are some of the factors we took into account.
- Security: At a minimum, we expect the password manager to have AES 256-bit encryption and zero-knowledge architecture. But we’re open to new encryption protocols like XChaCha20.
- Costs: We want to pick a password manager that suits our needs and budget.
- Device compatibility: While we use Android devices today, who’s to say we won’t switch to an iOS device in six months? It should be easy to sync our vault so our items are available on day one.
- Browser compatibility: We prefer to use Safari on our iPhones and Chrome on our personal laptops. A friend of ours has no choice but to use Edge when they’re at work. We expect the password manager to cater to every scenario.
- Features: Automatic login and autofill are the minimum expectations. We also want a password generator, secure storage, and password health reports. It’s also helpful to see if our credentials are available to hackers on the dark web.
- Family users: Password managers should cater to families of all sizes. Or at least those friends who pitch in for a shared account.
Recap
If you’re an Android user, we don’t recommend sticking with Google Password Manager.
Dashlane is expensive on paper but comes packed with extra security tools. If you don’t have a VPN subscription or a tool to monitor the dark web, it will save you shopping around for these services.
As for 1Password, it’s more affordable and has been available for nearly two decades. It might not be as user-friendly as other apps, but it’s reliable.
NordPass is our top choice. It includes a more secure encryption protocol and throws in some bonus features like email masking that can hide your identity online. While it will charge you more when it comes time to renew your subscription, you can pay for two years in advance to keep costs down.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Is there a built-in password manager on Android?
Android devices come with Google Password Manager. However, it doesn’t sync with non-Google accounts. This means if you use a browser different from Chrome or decide to move from a Pixel to an iPhone, your passwords won’t transfer.
-
Are password managers safe for Android?
Yes, they are. Password managers like NordPass, 1Password, and Dashlane use state-of-the-art encryption and zero-knowledge architecture to secure the data in your vault.
-
Can password managers sync data between different operating systems?
Some of the best password managers will sync across operating systems and internet browsers. For example, the passwords you set up and save in Chrome will appear in your Android app.
-
Are password managers safe for banking?
You can store important documents and financial information inside your secure vault. Thanks to zero-knowledge architecture, which all our top picks use, only you can see this data.
-
Is a free password manager worth it?
NordPass and Dashlane have free password manager plans. However, they offer limited features. For example, Dashlane only lets you store 25 passwords, and NordPass won’t allow you to access the password health page.
StatCounter. (2024). Mobile Operating System Market Share United States Of America.
gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/mobile/united-states-of-americaNordPass. (2024). People have around 170 passwords on average, study shows.
globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/05/21/2885556/0/en/People-have-around-170-passwords-on-average-study-shows.html