Free password manager might be your best reliable and secure companion, not Sticky Notes!
It’s becoming increasingly difficult for anyone to remember all of their passwords, as proof that we do not have enough brainpower to remember too many passwords.
If you are using all of our recommended free cloud storage, you’ll know that it’s quite impossible to be able to remember all your login credentials for all the free accounts that you had created.
Do You Know:
Never use the same password for different accounts. 86% of the passwords are just terrible and Passwords are no longer a paradigm that you can really trust in.
Creating a strong password is easy. But remembering them is difficult.
The best companion would be a free password manager.
Only a few decades ago, our entire digital existence could have been narrowed down to two or three passwords. We used to be able to remember those codes without any issue, much like we could remember a phone number.
However, those days are gone.
Nowadays, we store all of our contacts on our smartphones.
And today, we’re going to talk about the equivalent of a contacts app for our passwords – the password manager.
No one could conceivably commit a series of jumbled upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols to memory.
And so, here comes the handy free password manager.
So let’s talk about what these password managers are and how they can improve your life, especially the free types.
What Is a Password Manager?
Password managers are computer programs that are designed to replace your old paper notepad as the place you keep your passwords.
The concept is fairly self-explanatory and practical.
Pretty much anyone could glean access to your hastily scribbled passwords, no matter how closely you guard them.
Still using “123456” or “qwerty” as your passwords?
Maybe you need to rethink your strategy here.
Even if you’re a bit more advanced, and keep your passwords in a note draft on your smartphone, you can’t guarantee that you’ll never lose your phone.
Well, password managers are here to save the day.
They don’t only exist on your phone or in your notepad, so you can’t lose all of your passwords in one fell swoop.
Instead, this kind of software should keep all of your passwords safe and accessible through a single master password or biometrics.
That way, you’ll only have to remember one jumbled mess of numbers and letters instead of dozens.
Is Password Manager Important?
Simply put, password managers are the wave of the future.
Just think of your poor email account. If you’ve been a citizen of the Internet for long enough, you probably actually have several email accounts.
On top of that, all of those emails are burdened with dozens, if not hundreds of other accounts that all (hopefully) have different passwords.
Netflix, banking login passwords, email accounts, social media accounts, Target, Walmart, American Airlines, Home Depot, and the list goes on…
Yes, the password manager is not without their flaw, but you still should be using one, at least a free one for now.
One person couldn’t possibly remember all of that.
Besides, the number of memberships we keep signing up for can only go up from here.
Eventually, you’ll have more passwords than your old-timey physical password binder can fit!
Furthermore, good password managers can also help you keep your passwords fresh. And you won’t even need to cross out the previous passwords to add the new ones.
So who and what are some of the features we should look for if we want the password manager service we use to be airtight?
SIDENOTE. We love to hear from you as well, let’s vote for your favorite best password manager here. Cast your vote here.
*Result of the poll shows after voting (see previous responses). No personal information will be collected for the voting process.
Now let’s get to the list, shall we?
1. Dashlane
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: 50 Passwords | 1 Device
Lowest Plan: $3.33/mo
Since: 2012
What we like about Dashlane is the simple pricing plan. It’s free or you pay a small amount of money per month for premium features. Trusted by over 11 million users around the world and for me, the free version does more than enough.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow Dashlane on Twitter
2. Keeper
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: 1 Device
Lowest Plan: $2.50/mo
Since: 2011
Keeper is utilizing Amazon AWS for all of their architecture and solution. If you examine their security information, you’ll be scratching over your head and asking, do we really need all of those? Well, in Keeper Security, Inc (KSI) stance, we do deserve all the protection. Best of all, there is no cap on the passwords that you can save or create.
NEXT STEP
Get 15% Discount Here
Follow Keeper on Twitter
3. Lastpass
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: 1 user
Lowest Plan: $3.00/mo
Since: 2008
They just increase their premium price plan from $24 to $36 annually early this year. Acquired by LogMeIn, Inc in 2015 and there were a few security issues on Lastpass with the latest fixed patch done in 2017.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow Lastpass on Twitter
4. LogmeOnce
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: No selfie authentication | No Personal USB token
Lowest Plan: $1.00/mo
Since: 2011
They are doing it ‘passwordless’ even though they are a password manager app. Using a photo or selfie as your login to replace your current password key in the process is their main advantage.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow LogmeOnce on Twitter
5. Password Boss
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: 1 device
Lowest Plan: $2.50/mo
Since: 2014
A privately funded company located in Minneapolis. They can scan the Dark Web to find out if your password had been hacked or stolen. According to them, 28 passwords are stolen every second!
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow Password Boss blog
6. StickyPassword
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: No syncing ability | No Password sharing
Lowest Plan: $2.50/mo
Since: 2001
The game-changer for them is the lifetime for $149.99, but it’s only for 1 user. If you sign up now, you’ll get a 20% discount to $129.99 with no recurring fee which is very tempting. The downside is that there’s no multi-user plan.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow StickyPassword on Twitter
7. 1Password
Free Version: No
Limitation: 30-day free trial
Lowest Plan: $2.99/mo
Since: 2006
A product from Toronto, Canada. They do not offer any free version of the password manager service; instead, they invite you to try them out free for 30 days. Again, they are running on Amazon Web Services and have a 128-bit identifier as your Master Password.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up
Follow 1Password on Twitter
8. RoboForm
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: No syncing ability | No 2FA
Lowest Plan: $1.99/mo
Since: 1999
Siber Systems, a software company from Virginia owned RoboForm. Play with their free password strength checker to know how secure your password is all these while! Password strength was calculated based on zxcvbn, if you had any idea what was that.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow RoboForm on Twitter
9. True Key
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: 15 Passwords
Lowest Plan: $1.67/mo
Since: 2012
Formerly known as PasswordBox and founded by McAfee as we known is an antivirus software company. Re-brand it to True Key and I bet you already know that McAfee was purchased by Intel in 2011. 15 free passwords are just not enough for real-world usage.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow True Key on Twitter
10. Zoho Vault
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: No syncing ability | No Password sharing
Lowest Plan: $0.90/mo
Since: 1996
Zoho Vault is just one of the many services from Zoho Corporation. Headquarters in India and had over 40 million users around the world using their web-based online office suite service. Vault is just one of them. FYI, I am an existing user here.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow Zoho on blog
11. F-Secure KEY
Free Version: No
Limitation: 30 days free trial
Lowest Plan: €2.50/mo
Since: 1988
Available in over 30 languages and the support should not be a problem even if English is not your native language. Headquarters in Helsinki, Finland is a corporation with expertise in the anti-virus industry. Trusted by the top 5 UK banks where cybersecurity is critical.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up
Follow F-Secure on Twitter
12. Kaspersky Password Manager
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: 15 Passwords | 1 user
Lowest Plan: $1.25/mo
Since: 1997
Kaspersky is another antivirus company from Russia that provides password manager service. Even with the paying plan of $14.99 per year, the password manager is only for one user, but you get unlimited password storage.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow Kaspersky on Twitter
13. Intuitive Password
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: 20 Passwords
Lowest Plan: AUD $2.00/mo
Since: 2013
Based in Australia and they aim to provide a military-grade password manager to all users. There was no password capture which is a big letdown from a good convenient user experience point of view.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow Intuitive Password on Twitter
14. RememBear
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: 1 device | No Sync
Lowest Plan: $3.00/mo
Since: 2011
Love the tagline and the overall presentation using a Bear. Remember and auto-fill all your passwords with ease. It came from Toronto, Canada through TunnelBear LLC (now owned by McAfee) which provides a VPN service. However, all the bear photo representing their employee does not convince me enough in putting my money though it’s cute.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow RememBear Password on Twitter
15. SplashID
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: 1 device | No Sync
Lowest Plan: $1.99/mo
Since: 2000
With over 10 years of experience in the industry and over 1 million users, it’s good to say that SplashID had a foot ahead of its competitors.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow SplashID Password on Twitter
16. Trend Micro Password Manager
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: 5 Passwords
Lowest Plan: $1.25/mo
Since: 1988
Not supported by the Linux platform for a starter. 5 passwords for the free account is simply not enough though you can get unlimited passwords if you upgrade to paying customers. Trend Micro does hold up to its reputation when it comes to cybersecurity.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow TrendMicro on Twitter
17. Blur
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: No Sync | No Credit Card Masked
Lowest Plan: $3.25/mo
Since: 2008
Blur is owned by Abine, an online privacy company from Massachusetts. A recent report exposed that data from their 2.4 million of users are being exposed online. This might be alarming for most of us who are very concerned about our privacy.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow Blur on Twitter
18. Enpass
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: 20 Passwords
Lowest Plan: $11.99 – Lifetime
Since: 2006
A product from India by Sinew Software Systems. What is great about them are you only pay once and there’ll be no subscription-based password manager service. All your password is stored locally.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow Enpass on Twitter
19. Avira Password Manager
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: No Security Status Analyzes
Lowest Plan: €2.10/mo
Since: 1986
A German-engineered antivirus company that starts at Lake Constance. What I like here is the ability to turn off the backup and sync function to their Cloud. All your data is stored locally for the utmost privacy protection.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow Avira on Twitter
20. KeePassXC
Free Version: Open Source
Limitation: –
Lowest Plan: –
Since: 2016
An open-sourced project from the community. Do take note that they have not gone through an external security audit as of the time of my writing. Nevertheless, it is a great effort in providing a free and secure password manager service.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow KeePassXC on Twitter
21. ManageEngine
Free Version: No
Limitation: For Enterprise Only
Lowest Plan: $595
Since: 1996
Mainly designed for Enterprise password management usage. In short, it’s not suitable for someone who is more to personal usage as opposed to the Zoho Vault. ManageEngine is a division of Zoho.
NEXT STEP
Find Out More
Follow ManageEngine on Twitter
22. Google Passwords
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: For Chrome Only
Lowest Plan: –
Since: 2015
A web-based password manager from Google. You are tied to the Google ecosystem. The whole setting is as safe as your Google account if you know what I meant here. Yep, you see it right, I never saved any password there.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Google Support
23. IceCream Password Manager
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: Not for Mac users
Lowest Plan: –
Since: 2017
IceCream might sound weird for most of us when it comes to computer, security-related stuff. But wait to see when you know how many applications had they created and the password manager is just one of the many. What’s to complain about when it was free right?
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow IC Password Manager on Twitter
24. SafeInCloud
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: Only for the Desktop version
Lowest Plan: $4.99 – Lifetime
Since: 2012
A free password manager that is only available for the desktop version, if you want to use it on your phone, you’ll have to get the Pro version. What’s good is that you only need to pay once and use them for a lifetime.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow SafeInCloud on Facebook
25. Firefox Lockwise
Free Version: Yes
Limitation: For the Firefox browser
Lowest Plan: –
Since: 2019
The latest project from Mozilla is the free password manager called Lockwise. No way near perfect or developed application like 1password or Dashlane but it’s free and it’s from Mozilla.
NEXT STEP
26. Clipperz
Free Version: Open Source
Limitation: –
Lowest Plan: –
Since: 2007
An open-source password manager is not a good place to start for most average users. But if you know what you are getting, it might be a great bargain to start with. Clipperz was launched in 2007 and redesigned in 2015.
NEXT STEP
Sign Up for Free
Follow Clipperz on Twitter
27. One Identity
Free Version: No
Limitation: 30 days free trial
Lowest Plan: Contact Sales
Since: 2016
Similar to ManageEngine which provides Enterprise or Business solutions when it comes to a password manager for those related parties. You would have to pay a premium price for it. Pricing is by request to One Identity sales.
NEXT STEP
Find Out More
Follow OneIdentity on Twitter
28. Password Genie
Free Version: No
Limitation: Depend on the license purchased
Lowest Plan: $1.25/mo
Since: 2003
Originating from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Password Genie falls under their Residential services. No free trial and the auto-fill system were unimpressive. I wouldn’t recommend it.
NEXT STEP
Find Out More
Follow Passwoor Genie on Twitter
Honorable Mentions
The first thing we ought to note when it comes to looking for password managers is the location where the particular service in question keeps your passwords. Some of them store your data locally, on your computer, while others keep the passwords on an online server.
But nothing feels as great and secure as you holding the security power within your hands. A Bluetooth device that replaces your password or key might be the ultimate answer.
This had been a common practice by most of the big pharmaceutical companies where security matters the most to them.
Now we as a consumer are also able to benefit from this with an affordable price point.
Here goes:
Key Feature: Auto Lock & Unlock | Auto Website Login | Secure Password Generation
From: Cleveland, United States
Price: $69
Everykey does more than just what the password manager can. They hold 3 layers of the encryption security system. They help to lock out all your devices when you are away and most importantly, all your privacy and data are held with you and not on a remote server or within your computer.
Key Feature: Secure Password Vault | Smart Lock | Security Key
From: Redwood City, United States
Price: $59
It is simple and secure password management with a hardware-based device. It works perfectly as a password manager but certainly can do more with its RFID and Bluetooth features.
Key Feature: Hardware authentication device | Compatible with hundred of services
From: Palo Alto, United States
Price: $45
YubiKey could work seamlessly with Google, Facebook, and even LastPass which is a password manager itself. Not exactly a password manager but YubiKey is usually used for one-time password authentication.
Even though most people tend to lean toward using cloud-based services, local managers are still a good option. You’d install the program and enter all your passwords into it, so it would encrypt them before storing them on your hard drive.
The concern would be what if your computer crashes or is hacked?
That’s another question that needs to be answered.
That’s why we mentioned and introduced the advantages of these Bluetooth hardware-based password managers.
In addition to these basic features, there are some other things you might like to see in your password manager software.
Many of them include random password generators you can use to replace your current passwords with stronger ones.
Some managers can even automatically change your accounts’ passwords. You can also set up two-factor authentication, or even share some of your passwords with other people.
Who Needs a Free Password Manager?
If you have any kind of sensitive information about you floating around on the internet, you should do your best to secure it before it gets into the wrong hands.
Our email and social media accounts already hold plenty of sensitive information about us. Aside from the photos and messages that might get out, there are other data we might want to keep safe.
Remember, most people’s banking information is online as well. If you have anything on your online accounts that you wouldn’t want to get out (and chances are, you do), you need to invest in a solid password manager.
The days of paper notebooks and post-it notes are long gone.
Those password-keeping methods were never all that reliable to even begin with. Ink faded, the paper lost, and not to forget that your kids might be the culprit for it.
The possibility of financial fraud is also one of the main reasons why we ought to thoroughly vet several password manager services before committing to one.
What Are the Drawbacks of Free Password Manager?
Finally, we’d like to end with a word of caution. Although there are many benefits to using password managers, there is one major drawback as well.
Namely, storing all of your passwords in one place is not the safest solution.
It’s particularly concerning to have all of them protected by a single master password.
If you’re using a manager that stores your passwords locally, you might lose all of your accounts if you lose your computer. Or, your computer might break or lose all of your data. That would result in your losing your accounts as well.
Now, many local managers do offer cloud backups as well. However, the kinds of people who tend to use local managers aren’t likely to make use of the backup feature.
There’s a reason why Avira Password Manager had the option to turn off the cloud backup for instance.
As for cloud storing options, hackers would only need to use a keystroke logger to figure out the main password.
After they figure that one out, getting the rest would be easy.
Some password managers have already fallen prey to similar schemes, even though most password managers use heavy encryption.
The security incident that caused user data to be stolen is not unusual nowadays.
Final Thoughts on Best Free Password Managers
Ultimately, we firmly believe that password managers will continue to gain popularity.
After all, we’ve shown that the demand for them exists. According to some sources, most email addresses are currently attached to upwards of a hundred accounts. We don’t expect that to change in the coming years.
We can only imagine that we all need a secure free password manager.
Even though some of them may require improvement, there are simple ways to protect yourself against hacks.
Namely, we recommend opting for a password manager that uses biometrics such as fingerprints to access your account.
If your computer or mobile device doesn’t already have a fingerprint scanner, you might want to consider upgrading.
Additionally, you can use a separate two-step authentication app with your password manager.
Most of the free password manager services listed above provide 2 FA and you might want to take a closer look at it.
That should ensure that your accounts would be safe even if someone steals your master password.
Here is what you can do if your identity is stolen.
You can also use two-step authentication with some of your most important accounts, so no one will be able to access them even with the passwords.
My best advice, prepare an umbrella before it gets rains. Do not put all the eggs in the same basket!
Exclude some of the most important passwords or credentials to store on the password manager.
Wrote those down and keep them safe just like in the old times.