Password managers vastly simplify your life while simultaneously improving your security. They can generate secure passwords and two-factor authentication codes, and make it easy to share credentials. Today we’ll look at the best free tools for the job.
Should You Use a Free Password Manager?
The importance of a password manager cannot be overstated. You must use unique passwords for each account you create. Using a single password all over the web could be disastrous. If your password is exposed in a data leak, you could lose access to more than just one account.
Password managers make it easy to keep track of your unique passwords. You only need access to your password manager to autofill or copy and paste login credentials. The alternative is to either remember everything (which is impossible) or to write everything down on a notepad (which is unwise).
If you can’t afford to pay for your password manager, a free alternative is better than nothing. Most of the choices below share the same basic feature set while some have premium options that provide extra features like easier password sharing. All rely on zero-knowledge encryption, so not even developers can access your credentials.
The apps we have included below do not limit the number of passwords you can store or the number of devices you can use with your password manager of choice. Many other (paid) password managers like Dashlane offer free tiers, but this is so limiting that these tiers are best suited to evaluation purposes than long-term use.
Since you’re trusting the developer with your most sensitive login credentials, you should always approach this decision with care. Ask yourself: do I trust the company or developer? Does the product have a proven track record? Have there been breaches in the past, and how damaging were they?
1. iCloud Keychain
iCloud Keychain is Apple’s own password manager. It’s built into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, and it’s also available for Windows as part of the iCloud for Windows suite. It’s completely free to use if you have an Apple device like an iPhone or a Mac and syncs automatically between devices using Apple’s iCloud cloud storage platform.
It should come as little surprise that iCloud Keychain works seamlessly with Apple devices. You’ll get autofill suggestions within Safari and other apps across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. iCloud Keychain will automatically suggest, generate, and save passwords to your database. There’s even a password warning indicator that lets you know which passwords have been leaked in security breaches.
On top of this, iCloud Keychain also works as a code generator for two-factor authentication purposes. Set this up with a QR code or setup key to enable autofill for codes when prompted. There’s also a “Notes” field for each entry within your passwords.
The process of using iCloud Keychain on Windows is a little more cumbersome, with browser extensions only available for Chrome or Edge. For Apple users, it’s a great choice since it’s free and deeply integrated into most software. The password database is encrypted end-to-end, which means not even Apple has the keys to access it.
KeePass is a long-running free and open-source password manager that was first released in 2003. KeePassXC is a fork of the original project that’s been rewritten in C++. Unlike KeePass, which relies on the Microsoft .NET runtimes, KeePassXC runs natively on Windows, Mac, and Linux. The app uses the same KeePass database format, it’s just billed as a more modern front-end for desktop users.
Since both KeePassXC and KeePass are open-source projects, anyone can have a look at the source code and stress-test the application. This transparency makes the app highly trustworthy from a security standpoint, plus the project has previously been subject to an external security audit. KeePassXC can be used to store a range of information including login credentials, URLs, attachments, notes, and more.
KeePassXC stores all of its data in an encrypted database file. There is no built-in cloud syncing, nor are there mobile versions of the app. This isn’t a problem though, since you can just store and access your KeePass database in the cloud (on a platform like Google Drive or Dropbox) and access it using a mobile app like KeePassDX (Android) or Strongbox (iPhone, iPad).
Managing passwords in this manner isn’t for everyone, but this solution is surprisingly feature-rich. You can generate passwords, customize entries with icons, and download extensions for browsers like Firefox, Chrome, Vivaldi, and Edge. There is no paid option, and the app is under active development.
Bitwarden is a freemium open-source password manager with a rich set of features that you can use completely free of charge. The free tier is “free forever” and allows you to store an unlimited number of passwords which you can sync and access with an unlimited number of devices.
The service is available for a wide range of devices with native apps available for Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, and Android. There’s also a web interface for logging in to Bitwarden on unsupported or guest devices using a standard web browser. The service offers syncing through Bitwarden’s servers, with the option of using your own choice of service to self-host if you’d prefer.
An open-source codebase means that developers are transparent about how the application works, and even have a bug bounty program that rewards users for finding potential security threats. Bitwarden’s database is encrypted end-to-end and designed in a way that not even the company can get access to your login credentials.
Secure your account with basic two-factor authentication for free, with support for passkey devices like YubiKey limited to paid tiers. Free users cannot upload files, but if you choose to upgrade you’ll get 1GB of personal secure storage. Free users are also limited to only username data breach reports (paid accounts get more detailed alerts about password leaks) and can share up to two collections with two other Bitwarden users.
NordPass is a password manager from Nord Security, the company responsible for NordVPN. The Free tier has all the basic features you need to store and sync an unlimited number of passwords with as many devices as you need. The drawback here is that you’ll have to log in each time you switch accounts, a limitation that Premium users don’t have to deal with.
The password manager has native apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, and Android. There’s also the NordPass Web Vault which lets you access your saved passwords from any device using a web browser. These apps all support autosave and autofill, for quickly logging in and saving new passwords to your NordPass database.
The free version of NordPass includes a password generator, password import and export, and some nice extras like the ability to fill out forms quickly with personal information. Your account is protected with two-factor authentication (including authenticator apps, security keys, and backup codes). You can even save additional information like credit cards and notes to your NordPass database.
NordPass is a closed-source application, but the free tier offers the same level of security as NordPass premium. End-to-end encryption means that even Nord Security cannot see what’s contained within your vault. Upgrade to get password leak alerts, sharing features, and to nominate emergency contacts.
Your Browser Has a Password Manager Too
Many browsers also include the ability to save passwords, like Google Passwords which works with Chrome. Despite the convenience, there are some big potential drawbacks in relying on your browser to store your passwords. Top of the list is the fact that browsers are common targets for attacks. These include zero-day exploits that may already be in use before developers have a chance to patch them.
Though browsers are catching up to standalone password managers, they’re still relatively spartan affairs that only allow you to store the basics. They lock you into one ecosystem and have poor interoperability with other browsers or platforms. This is one reason you might want to give iCloud Keychain a miss if you don’t rely almost entirely on Apple devices, except with browsers it tends to be even more limiting.
If you’re looking at purely free password managers, you might find that you are limited to a relatively small set of features. You’ll find that the amount of choice and features you get access to greatly increases when you commit to a premium product.
Consider a Paid Password Manager
There are lots of good reasons to pay for a password manager. Some of the best solutions like Dashlane have such heavy limitations on their “free” accounts that they don’t truly become useful until you pay up. You’ll also get additional features like password sharing or bundled VPN access.
Check out our round-up of the best password managers for our top recommendations.
