Best Password Managers (Archive)

[one9712745]

If only need to save passwords & urls, just use ms word and save & password protect. & transfer to device if necessary. Super cheap.

 

[cyberarkdemo]

Hey Ding Dong...Your so called ding against Keeper for not having a PIN is actually a huge advantage. See, where as a fingerprint is unique a PIN can easily be hacked. Just look over someones shoulder to get their pin, or on a camera replay, or look for the finger smudges on the phone and try that combination. I guess what you're saying is if want to make it easier for a malicious user to get your passwords go with Dashlane or Lastpass.

 

[genej101]

I wonder if everyone knows something I don't. I've been using BLUR by Abine for two years now. It does everything, form fill, credit cards, customizable as far as what kind and how complex you want your passwords to be. I bought a 3 year subscription. It operates as an APP on my iPhone and iPad, I can easily get into it, grab a password from one device and paste it into another, it works with my MacBook Pro - where I use Safari, Vivaldi (primarily) and Chrome, it works with Win10 where I use it with FF, Vivaldi (primarily), Opera, Pale Moon and Chrome - it sync's automatically across all those browsers and operating systems. Their customer service is outstanding. So how does that not even get a mention? What am I missing? Or everyone else? :^)

 

[overheadless]

@ONE9712745
Super easy. Right.
Super secure. Wrong.
Access to a word doc can be gained in 2 mins. Tools are available.

 

[jasondecordoba]

Your review of KeePass is incomplete, yes tech savy, but yes to all features other solutions offered. It's not really for my Grandparents, and for good reason.

For example Keepass's Database files works just fine on your own self hosted or any other webdav service.

KeePassXC has browser plugins Safari/Chrome/Firefox.... Gosh what KeePass really is, is a Password keeper file type encrypted and has dozens of open source clients which work with it. OPEN AND PORTABLE FILEFORMAT ANYONE?

 

[kalmereek]

Lastpass biggest problem have, you cant on phone switch off autofill on the some webpage, like bank sites. For costumer be easy if have in the pop-up autofill window 3 buttons; "autofill", "add new" and "never".
But they dont want add more buttons.
Dashlane support not good (not answering within 24h at all). Dashlane not worked 100% for all countries ( problems with phone codes if your country not on the list and problems with adding banks) I not living Usa, but for Dashlane i most pick-up fake country.
And this is 2 top applications

 

[Paul NZ]

If you have to pay to use it forget it. I'll stick with saving passwords in whatever browser

 

[geeksalive]

JOHNM719 (7 months ago) wrote, "I am shocked at your comments about KeePass." So you DELETED all mention of KeePass?!?!

Paul Wagenseil, what on earth possessed you to do THAT? How is it even possible to have an article about password managers with NO MENTION AT ALL of the oldest and most popular password manager, and the only one which is completely free?

 

[Marc_24]

I use Dashlane but it uses far too much resource on your computer. I've read complaints about this for quite some time and yet they haven't resolved the issue.

 

[ianmacd]

The last time I looked at Dashlane, it couldn't compete with LastPass for ease of use and feature set. This was particularly true for me, a Linux user. Inspired by your review, however, I decided to give it another go.

Linux support is now available in the form of a Chrome extension. This was trivial to install, but I couldn't work out how to import my exported LastPass passwords into it. Well, it turns out that you can't. You still need the stand-alone app for that, and there is still no stand-alone app for Linux. Many other features, such as the entire Security Dashboard, are also not available in the Chrome extension. That's a significant disadvantage compared to LastPass.

So, I used WINE to install and run the Windows app in Linux. This worked pretty much flawlessly and I was able to get my passwords imported from LastPass.

As a first test, I decided to log into bbc.com. Unfortunately, Dashlane didn't offer a password for the site. I thought about this for a second an then quickly realised the problem. My password is tied to the domain bbc.co.uk, with bbc.com defined as an equivalent domain in LastPass. A quick Google search revealed that Dashlane still has no notion of equivalent domains. That's another major disadvantage compared to LastPass, as I use equivalent domains a lot.

Next, it turns out that 2FA can't be used to log you into the web extension. It works only with the stand-alone apps. LastPass wins here again.

I abandoned by investigation at this point, since no matter what else Dashlane does right, it can't compensate for the three problems noted above. I don't want to have to use WINE to get to certain information or to configure certain features; I don't want to have to save the same password multiple times for equivalent domains, thereby also triggering reused password warnings; and I don't want to have to use an authenticator app to log into Dashlane when I have a perfectly good Yubikey in my desktop and laptop.

Oh, and Dashboard still costs $40 per annum, compared to LastPass' $24.

So, no contest, really. LastPass still wins hands down if one is a Linux user. Maybe in another year or two, Dashlane will have caught up. For now, however, the lack of equivalent cross-platform functionality and the omission of support for equivalent domains are both deal-breakers in their own right.

 

[zoltan.boese]

I am shocked at your comments about KeePass.

First, opposite of what you claim, it is extremely as easy to use and extremely flexible as well. As a testimoney to this, it is simple enough that my sons, my daughters, and my extremely non-techincal wife all use Keepass and love it.

Second, sync is not a problem. I have it sync with a free DropBox account so it is available on my cell phone, my pc, my laptop, etc. On my cell phone, I just go to DropBox, click on the keepass data file to open it, DropBox downloads the latest file if there is one, kicks off KeePass, and away I go.

Even better, KeePass allows this sync via DropBox to be MORE secure than the others. Why? Because to open, keepass can require a combo of BOTH the password you type in, AND a local file with a very long 1k+ byte passcode. This local file never touches the internet. I will grant you that setting up this "dual-authentication" takes a small modicum of savvy, but the core strength is there to use. And it is fully explained in the manual, for those who will take a few moments to read it. The only savvy required is that you read a page explaining it.

Its "AutoType" feature allows KeePass to work with virtually everything. It does the typing for you.

As a testimony to its power and simplicity, my more inventive son dreamed up using it in for a very non-standard application. His job is renting apartments in at a very large complex. For a particular apartment style, he creates a KeePass entry that would normally just hold a username and password. But, since KeePass can save an arbitrarily large data base of user defined fields beyond just a username field and a password field, he creates fields AD1, AD2, AD3, etc. and types in slightly differently worded advertising text. He will then go onto Craig's List and have KeePass "Autotype" whichever AD he wants to post. This lets him easily and very quickly re-post a slightly changed AD to keep his AD near the top of the list, when people search Craig's List.

What's not to like about all this! And it is totally free!!

Lately I have problems using Keepass with firefox. Do you know of any trick, update I could try?
I had it set up with the addon keepasshttp, but i can not get it working lately.

 

[mdd1963]

LastPass rocks!!!!!

 

[Paul Wagenseil]

Hey Ding Dong...Your so called ding against Keeper for not having a PIN is actually a huge advantage. See, where as a fingerprint is unique a PIN can easily be hacked. Just look over someones shoulder to get their pin, or on a camera replay, or look for the finger smudges on the phone and try that combination. I guess what you're saying is if want to make it easier for a malicious user to get your passwords go with Dashlane or Lastpass.

We make that point in the current review.

 

[Paul Wagenseil]

JOHNM719 (7 months ago) wrote, "I am shocked at your comments about KeePass." So you DELETED all mention of KeePass?!?!

Paul Wagenseil, what on earth possessed you to do THAT? How is it even possible to have an article about password managers with NO MENTION AT ALL of the oldest and most popular password manager, and the only one which is completely free?

We didn't delete it. The KeePass review was done a few years ago, so it's no longer listed on this page. But here it is if you'd like to read it: https/www.tomsguide.com/us/keepass,review-3768.html