Best password managers

Best password management apps for 2021, ranked

1. LastPass
2. 1Password
3. KeePass
4. Dashlane
5. Keeper

LastPass

An excellent and affordable cloud-based password manager.

Why we chose it

LastPass is a LogMeIn-owned entity that a lot of reviewers love for the fact that its free tier offers up a lot of features typically locked behind a paid product, including syncing passwords across multiple devices for a single user. The paid tier for consumers starts at $4.53 a month and adds multi-factor authentication, online storage and one-to-many password sharing, with a family pack at $6.04 a month offering up a 6-licence pack. LastPass relies on a cloud-based storage model, rather than local or allowing you to pick, which could be problematic for some. It has had reported incidents in the past that could have led to password leakage, although it has been very rapid in patching those holes when they've been reported, which is encouraging.

1Password

A flexible password manager that's especially good for iPhone or Mac users.

Why we chose it

1Password's heritage is in the Mac space where it used to be a standalone paid app, but it's now more of a subscription password service, with support for Macs, PCs, Linux and mobile devices. That Apple heritage does make it a good match for iOS users, with a lot of support for autofill options on iOS apps that many other services tend to fall over on. Vaults can be stored locally or on iCloud or Dropbox, but sadly there's no support for alternative online cloud storage services for your encrypted vault. Reviewers also note that if you're coming from other apps that it can be tricky to get 1Password to fully import some password types.

KeePass

Free and incredibly powerful, if you've got the technical nous to set it up.

Why we chose it

If you want password management but don't want to spend any money on it, KeePass has long been the go-to solution for storing all your passwords, because it's a totally free open source password management client. It has been ported to just about every operating system ever in a variety of forms. While that does give it a lot of configuration flexibility, it also means that there are lots of KeePass "clients" out there. It also means that it relies on you to do the configuration of how and where you store your encrypted vault and which features you want to bolt onto it. KeePass can be amazingly powerful with plentiful extensions to cover security needs, but that also means it can be baffling for the less technically adept, especially if you're trying to get it sorted on a mobile device.

Dashlane

Good monitoring and password management with solid security extras.

Why we chose it

Dashlane is well liked by many reviewers for its complex suite of features, most notably on the paid version which not only includes password management and two-factor authentication but also VPN access for additional online security and dark web monitoring to inform you if there are breaches involving your information. There's a free tier, but it's limited to a single device with no cross-syncing and you can only store a maximum of 50 credentials on it before you'd need to step up to the paid version.

Keeper

Why we chose it

Keeper provides a robust suite of tools for either personal or business use with a lot of scalability in terms of the features it can offer beyond simple password storage. These include features such as dark web monitoring, an optional paid encrypted communication platform and cloud-based storage. Keeper is well regarded for this, although the range of features does mean it's got an array of price points depending on whether you want a personal licence, a family group licence or a business set-up. The costs can rise pretty quickly if you want everything Keeper has to offer. There is a free version, but it's limited in the number of passwords it can store and pushes you heavily towards trialling the paid version.

Methodology

21
Password management apps considered

5
Best password management apps ranked

• We've compared reviews from everyday consumers and professional technology writers to assess the best password managers.
• Our editorial team has a combined 60+ years of experience writing about tech and reviewing the latest devices.
• The password managers on this list are chosen by our editorial team and are not based on commercial relationships.

• Why you can trust our picks

  While password management is rather inherent in the name of the app category, a good password management app needs to do more than provide a single repository of stored passwords. We've considered not only the simple features such as password generation and relative pricing, but also factors around additional features such as password and identity management, how easy each app makes it to share your password credentials across multiple devices and potentially to trusted third parties, as well as additional reviewed features such as the ease of use of the user interface and any known security issues that a given provider may have had. We've considered reviews from both consumers and trusted online resources to come up with our list of the best password managers.

  We value our editorial independence, basing our comparison results, content and reviews on objective analysis without bias. However, Finder may receive compensation when you click some links on our site. Learn more about how we make money from our partners and why you can trust our guides.

How to choose a password manager

Here's what you should consider when choosing a password management app:

For more information, check out our password manager comparison.