A password manager is a tool that helps people and businesses store their login credentials securely. These credentials may include; usernames, passwords and security questions. Password management tools also help in generating strong and unique passwords for websites, and can store other important information such as addresses and bank account details.
The most reliable password management software will help you protect your online security while simplifying its management. This means you will not need to remember countless lengthy passwords. Instead, you will only need to remember a master password.
How safe are password managers?
The best password managers can create safe passwords easily. In addition they can prefill information during online registrations and some can even prefill credit card and personal information.
Password managers provide strong encryption, helping protect against cyber criminal attacks. The management of passwords is often protected with a strong encryption technique like AES. For better security, you should also enable two-factor authentication.
Creating a strong master password
The most important advantage of password managers is they only require one password, but your master password should have good and strong security.
Companies like 1Password and LastPass offer good advice on creating a master password and is perhaps surprising given that many other sites have obsolete advice. You must make a long but memorable password which may be composed of multiple random words and a number, the words can be separated by a dash. Most keylogger systems use the same basic system to generate and store keys.
The best password managers
Given the wide variety of password managers available today, it has become a challenging task to select which ones are the best.
Initially, we identified six pay options that we felt would cover a variety of use cases, these included solutions designed for companies and others for families.
A mobile app and password sharing abilites are some of the advanced features that can make a difference when choosing a password manager. Almost everyone has access to password management tools on mobile devices, but such devices are different and functionality plays an important role.
Here are some of the recommended password managers according to the different features they provide;
LastPass
This is one of the best password manager and it is easy to use. However, the free version has limited features compared to the the premium version which makes the free version not as attractive. Some of the best features include:
- Supports many browsers and platforms.
- Offers multi factor authentication.
- Offers password inheritance and secured sharing.
- Offers monitoring tools for the dark web.
Bitwarden
It has a few limitations but can handle password manager tasks well. This tool is open source and its paid plan is quite affordable. It also supports multi factor authentication. The tools are available for browsers through browser extensions. It also has a send sharing feature.
Some of the limitations it has includes:
- Premium users only get 1GB of encrypted file storage.
- Multi-factor authentication through hardware keys is only available for paid licenses.
- Some users have complained that their tools struggle with autofill and automatic capture tests.
1Password
Their password generator and password manager are great for begginers and families, they sync your personal data and passwords across multiple devices. Although it is not as capable as some of the other password managers, it is likable since it is easy to use.
It offers secure storage for iOS, Linux, Windows, macOS, and Android. It also has an intuitive password organisation feature which is desirable to many users. When you have this password manager account, authentication will be simple and secure for your new devices. It also supports 2-factor authentication. However, it doesn’t have the password inheritance option and has limited importing options.
Keeper
This password manager offers secure file storage and password management. It has a strong verification feature. Surprisingly, it can work without the internet in its offline mode. However, it requires stand-alone apps for desktop app biometrics. Also, the free Keeper version doesn’t offer the syncing feature for multiple devices.
Dashlane
This password manager has a great desktop-app user interface. It has a built-in VPN service which is unlimited. It can also have a bulk support change option.
It offers similar capabilities to LastPass and 1Password when it comes to desktop software and platform support. However, it is high-priced, a disadvantage for most small businesses. The free plan doesn’t include unlimited passwords.
Dashlane offers dark web monitoring which saves your business the cost of securing a standalone service. This also applies to VPN services.
NordPass
This password manager has essential features but it is priced higher than others. It has a consistent and clean design. It also offers its free users all the password manager features. The process for creating an account is the same for personal and company plans.
Easiest to use
For most businesses, LastPass & Dashline may be the easiest password-protecting systems to use. They are both surprisingly intuitive.
1Password features are also very easy to use and best suited for families. 1Password allows you to easily manage and control your passwords. Its easy-to-use interface is attractive, simple, and very useful for beginners.
LastPass and Dashlane are generally easy password management systems. 1Password seems pretty good to keep the guards in the middle.
Password management is quite effective for most of the options listed in this article, however Lastpass and Dashlane seemed more straightforward for business use.
Most password managers have similar essential features and functions. However, their services differ in extra options and features provided. Some options like 1Password, Dashlane, and keeper send their users alerts about data breaches, but at times for an extra price. Many also offer to save your confidential details like credit card details which they will use to easily fill online forms for you.
A password vault and manager will save you from using the same password across multiple sites hence increasing security.
How cyber-secure is your business? Find out with our free cybersecurity health check.
It’s a 30-minute Zoom call that walks through a checklist to assess your current cybersecurity levels and provide a short report with some advice and recommendations.
