The Best Password Managers of 2024

Despite the concern of internet users regarding their passwords getting hacked, it’s not uncommon for them to create compromised passwords or easy-to-remember, weak, or reused passwords. They’d even create the same password for their personal and work accounts.

Doing so allows them to simply rely on their memory so they can log in to online accounts and other networks effortlessly.

Here’s the thing, though: It’s problematic.

The better — and perhaps, the best — approach to this issue is to use a password manager or password protection software and create secure passwords. Luckily, 44% of people in the US know this.

They know that not only does a password manager keep their passwords secure, but it also grants them easy access to networks, safe password sharing, and more.

In this article, we’ll look at the best freemium and premium or paid password managers for 2024.

What Are the Best Password Managers? 

1. LastPass

Best Overall

What is the best password manager?

LastPass is arguably recognized as the best password management app available and an easy-to-use and feature-rich freemium password manager. It has browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera, and works on Windows, iOS, and Android phones.  Even today, LastPass is recognized as one of the best password managers.

The main reason it stands out from other password protection software and is the “best overall”? Its free version can equip users with all the necessary and basic security features with regard to passwords.

It also comes with multiple account recovery options. If you forget your master password, you can easily get back into your account.

Key Features

Some of the impressive features of the tool include:

• Multi-Factor Authentication and Time-based One-Time Password (TOTP): Adding an advanced layer of security grants you better security. You can say the same when you use a time-sensitive authenticator.
• Dark web monitoring: This is a robust feature that enables you to monitor accounts and receive notifications if there are cybersecurity threats or data breaches.
• LastPass Authenticator: With a LastPass mobile app, you can easily access the cloud password vault and enable one-tap authorization.
• One-to-one sharing: You can securely share passwords, log-in credentials, and other sensitive data with a trusted person.
• Secure notes: In addition to letting you store passwords, you can securely access safe and other valuable information in your encrypted digital vault anytime.

LastPass Pricing

LastPass’ cost-effective pricing is reasonable to most personal users. But the price can be rather expensive and dissuade business owners — notably, those with plenty of team members. Still, it offers robust features that make it one of the best enterprise password managers you can use.

Single Users & Families

Business Plans

Pricing options:

• Single Users & Families
  • Free
  • Premium – $3.00/month
  • Families – $4.00/month
• Business Plans
  • Teams – $4.00/month (per user)
  • Business – $6.00/month (per user)

2. Dashlane

Best for Extra Features

Dashlane is a simple and easy-to-use paid password manager with a free version. It may come as a desktop app that’s compatible with Windows and Mac computers, and its mobile app works on iOS and Android devices.

Its basic functions are impressive — every foundational security approach you’d want in a password manager will be taken care of., making it a top password manager And of course, so do its extra features. 

Of the many outstanding factors, the tight security it offers is a strong selling point, which makes it one of the best business password managers. Whatever you put in the digital vault is protected by the latest encryption algorithm, making it the best company password manager.

Key Features

Some of the impressive features of the tool include:

• VPN for Wi-Fi protection: With a built-in Virtual Private Network (VPN), you’re free to decide on ideal server locations and browse the internet anonymously. Dashlane is the only password manager on this list that comes with a VPN.
• Dark web monitoring with personalized security alerts: The identity dashboard allows dark web monitoring and notifies you of any stolen or leaked information.
• Automatic password changer: If your initial passwords were compromised, the password manager is built to automatically modify them with one click.
• Emergency access feature: Your trusted peers can go through your selected accounts in the event of unexpected occurrences.
• Topnotch security: It features zero-knowledge security, Advanced Two-Factor Authentication, and biometric login making it one of the best password manager for businesses.

Dashlane Pricing

If you’re an individual or a business willing to pay a premium for a password manager designed to go above and beyond when it comes to passwords and account security, Dashlane’s plans are ideal.

Personal plans

Business plans

Pricing options:

• Personal
  • Free
  • Premium – $3.99/month
  • Family – $5.99/month
• Business
  • Team – $5.00/month
  • Business – $8.00/month

3. 1Password

Best for Families

1Password is a people-first password manager that brings together first-class security and laudable design to offer a reliable family password manager. It works as a desktop app, and it provides browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Brave.

On top of earning great password manager reviews for the excellent security it provides, it’s a hassle-free password management software that makes it the best password manager for 2024.

Additionally, the fact that it comes with an intuitive password-sharing capability is what makes it best for families. It has several sharing options and even free users can create vaults for personal and sharing purposes.

Key Features

Some of the impressive features of the tool include:

• Watchtower: This feature crawls a website to ensure if your existing passwords are compromised. It also alerts you of any vulnerabilities.
• Dark web monitoring: It keeps tabs on events on the dark web and alerts you if anything problematic comes up.
• Simple user interface: People — notably parents, grandparents, and “non-techy” relatives — will find it easy to use. On their own, anyone can create an account and get started right away.
• Great layer of security: It lets you set up Two-Factor Authentication to protect your data when accessing sensitive websites. 
• Data categorization: If you have multiple data to store in addition to your password, the tool allows you to categorize them to keep matters organized. The categories include Secure notes, identities, and credit card details.

1Password Pricing

The good news is, that you can try 1Password for free. The bad news, though, the free version only lasts for 14 days.

Personal & Family

Team & Business

Pricing options:

• Personal & Family
  • Personal – $2.99/month
  • Families – $4.99/month
• Team & Business
  • Teams Starter Pack  (for 10 users) – $19.95/month
  • Business – $7.99/month
  • Enterprise – Custom quote

4. Bitwarden

Best Free Plan

Bitwarden is known as the best online password manager that’s open-sourced, ideal for small businesses Many assume there’s only the free version, but it’s actually a freemium tool that can take your need for cybersecurity protection up a notch.

Be sure to remember your master password, though. Unlike other password managers, Bitwarden doesn’t come with account recovery options.

Key Features

Some of the impressive features of the tool include:

• Biometric login (for selected mobile devices): If your phone is running on Windows 10 and above, iOS, or Android, you can log in to your account with a face scan or a fingerprint.
• Unlimited password sharing: Find a trustworthy peer — you can share your password all you want with them.
• Unlimited password storage: You’re free to store unlimited passwords across multiple devices. You can store them across unlimited devices, too.
• Excellent layers of security: In addition to its cloud servers being protected by a military-grade layer of protection, it features zero-knowledge security, Two-Factor Authentication, and an option for Multi-Factor Authentication. You can also use it to scan logins and check for Two-Factor Authentication compatibility.
• Secure file storage: If you’re conscious about safekeeping passwords and other data types in thumb drives, hard disc drives, and other physical or external storage systems, this feature will come in handy. 

Bitwarden Pricing

Bitwarden is one of the most affordable password managers out there. It offers various plans — some are even free.

Personal

Business

Pricing options:

• Personal
  • Basic Free Account (Individual) – Free forever
  • Premium Account (Individual) – $10.00/year
  • Free 2-Person Org – Free forever
  • Families Organization – $3.33/month
• Business
  • Teams Organization – $3.00/month (per user)
  • Enterprise Organization – $5.00/month (per user)

5. Keeper

Best for Enterprise

Keeper offers a highly secure password management solution. It works on major web browsers and mobile devices.

What makes it an exceptional password manager for enterprises is its persistence in keeping matters under its wing. With the tool, team members can converse securely as much as they want.

Key Features

Some of the impressive features that make it one of the best password management tools are:

• Private master password: You — only the user — are the only one with access to the master password and the key for encrypting and decrypting information.
• KeeperChat: This is the password manager’s encrypted messaging app. It uses innovative encryption, a massive (50 GB) file storage system, and state-of-the-art security protocols. Its design will keep your chats completely private.
• Deep-level and strongest encryption: Other than the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256-bit protection, it uses Password-Based Key Derivation Function 2 (PBKDF2) — the strongest encryption level — to encrypt information. It also encrypts and decrypts information not in the cloud but at a device level.
• Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 Validated: It uses cryptography that received certification and validation.
• Multi-Factor Authentication: It supports biometric login, Fast ID Online (FIDO) hardware keys, and Keeper DNA to validate your identity before you gain access to your account and stored passwords. 

Keeper Pricing

Personal

Family

Business and Enterprise

Pricing options:

• Personal
  • Personal – $2.91/month
  • Plus Bundle – $4.87/month
• Family
  • Family Plus Bundle – $8.62/month
• Business
  • Keeper Business – $3.75/month (per user)
• Enterprise
  • Keeper Enterprise – Custom quote

6. Zoho Vault

Best for Personal Use

Zoho Vault is a delight for personal use because it’s a winning password security software with winning features. Even its free plan — with high-end security features and basic password management capabilities— is so robust!

As a tool introduced by Zoho, it should come as no surprise that you can integrate it with Zoho’s other line of products — notably, Zoho Desk and Zoho Mail. You can also integrate it with OneLogin, Microsoft Office 365, G Suite, and more.

Key Features

Some of the impressive features of the tool include:

• Single Sign-On (SSO), biometric login, and Multi-Factor Authentication: You can use a single set of credentials for authentication. And you can log in more securely.
• Organizational system: You can group your password and other sensitive information into folders for a more organized system. This also lets you take advantage of the bulk sharing feature.
• Detailed reports: You can monitor user behaviors and every action taken in your password vault. This feature is ideal for teams — for identifying the most active users, reviewing accounts, viewing accessed passwords, and more.
• Role-based access: You can restrict access to critical passwords, easily share your password and collaborate with groups, and leverage multi-level sharing permissions. Additionally, you can grant and revoke access to your password anytime.
• Unlimited password storage: You’re free to store an unlimited number of passwords. You can also take advantage of unlimited encrypted file storage.

Zoho Vault Pricing

Zoho Vault’s free version is for personal accounts. If you wish to upgrade to one of its paid plans, they’re all so affordable, too.

Pricing options:

• Free forever
• Standard – $0.9/month (per user)
• Professional – $4.5/month (per user)
• Enterprise – $7.2/month (per user)
• Get a custom quote

Best Free Password Managers

Most of the above-mentioned password managers have free versions. And those versions are great for personal accounts and users who need no more than password manager basics.

For users who work in teams and those who hold highly sensitive information, though, it could pose a problem. Not only that, but the limited functionality of the free version of these tools is a minor issue.

To resolve this matter, upgrading to paid plans is the answer. After all, most paid offers come with more security features.

Best Password Managers for Small Businesses

Choosing the best password manager app for a single user can be challenging. And this task is twice as challenging when the objective is to find a password manager suitable for a small business.

If a small business doesn’t have a top-of-the-line password manager (one with a simple user interface and powerful features), its operations won’t run smoothly. And not only will their operations be interrupted, but they’ll also be left vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. 

Password Managers Buyers Guide

There are many password managers available up for grabs — each designed with unique features, as well as unique sets of benefits and limitations.

What follows is a guide that’ll help you choose the best password management software for you.

What Is a Password Manager?

A password manager is a tool that manages all your passwords — collecting, organizing, and storing them — safely and securely. Its approach is to lock your passwords and hide them behind one master password.

Each tool helps you in managing passwords uniquely. Some are mobile and desktop apps, and the rest are tools that work on major browsers.

And while few password managers simply collect passwords, others are designed to generate complex (random and nearly impossible to guess) passwords for your online accounts and then store these generated passwords for later use.

What Are the Benefits of Password Managers?

A simple benefit of password managers is helping people remember passwords. While creating “obvious” and “easy-to-recall” passwords can help people remember passwords easily, they’re aware it renders them vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

With a password manager and the effortless ability to create a secure password, they no longer have to concern themselves with data breaches and other cybersecurity threats. 

The benefits of a password manager are so promising for cybersecurity that an increasing number of cybersecurity companies expressed their interest in dipping their toes into the industry.

Recently, in fact, Nord Security (among the trusted VPN providers and antivirus software providers) started moving into this space.

Here’s a closer look at the benefits of password managers:

• Better password strength: They generate strong passwords. And these strong and complex passwords result in increased security. 
• Quick and easy access to strong passwords: Passwords managers are easily downloadable on unlimited devices — as long as these devices are connected to the internet. And with them, access to user accounts is instantaneous.
• Efficient shared account management: Because multiple users can access a single account, a password manager can help teams collaborate on projects more easily.

What To Look for In the Best Password Managers?

All dedicated password managers are designed to keep your passwords safe and secure in case of a data breach or any cyber-attack. And while some tools are a cut above the rest, there are obvious features most password managers should offer.

Here’s a list of those features:

Tight Security

Considering one of the main reasons you want to invest in a password manager is to safeguard your passwords (and your business’s passwords), the security features of a password manager should be one of your priorities. 

For starters, choose a tool designed with a tight security feature like AES 256-bit — the same security feature used by governments and financial institutions worldwide.

Automatic Syncing

Using multiple devices and then logging into your online account on each device can be exhausting — not to mention, time-consuming.

But thanks to the best password managers’ automatic syncing feature, you can get rid of this concern. As long as you downloaded and installed the password manager on your devices, you can simply log in to your password manager account, and this feature will log in on your behalf.

Password Generator Feature

A password generator is a tool that comes up with a random sequence of letters, numbers, and symbols.

And a good password manager should also come with a highly secure password generator. After all, password generators play an essential role in letting you create the ideal passwords.

Autofill Feature

Most password managers also automatically fill out usernames, password fields, and other credentials when you log into your online accounts — disregarding the need for manual typing or copy-pasting information.

As a result, this feature saves plenty of time and effort, and therefore, is a major advantage. You’ll appreciate this perk even better if you’re using accounts on multiple devices.

Shareability Option

Go with a password manager that allows you to freely share login credentials with your trusted peers. You should also be free to share the other contents in your password-encrypted vault or password manager account.

If you work alone, a password manager’s lack of a shareability function may not bother you. For teams, though, this feature is vital.

For most teams, this is a deciding factor when evaluating the best password app. Regardless of how rich a tool is with other features, if it doesn’t support sharing, it’s a dealbreaker.

Password Managers FAQ

Here are common concerns about password managers:

Choosing The Best Password Managers

It’s up to you to decide the best password manager to buy. Consider acknowledging the discussions above and using them as guidance.

Key takeaways:

• Password managers are tools that can help you with your passwords. If you have plenty of passwords for your work, personal, and online accounts, the tool can handle them all safely and securely for you.
• Password managers offer better password strength, quick and easy access to strong passwords, and efficient shared account management.
• While tiresome, create long and unpredictable passwords. Doing so will protect you from data breaches and a range of cyber-attacks.
• What to look for in the best password manager are the features you’ll find most useful. But when it comes to basic features, you should consider a password manager that offers tight security, automatic syncing, a password generation feature, an autofill feature, and a shareability option. The latter is especially important if you’re looking for the best password manager for teams.
• Password managers — freemium and premium tools — are safe to use. In case hackers find ingenious yet unauthorized ways of causing a data breach, all they’ll see are encrypted data.

Once you’ve chosen (and used) the best password manager software from the ones listed above, share your experiences in the comments section.