Best Overall

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On NordPass's website

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• Strong encryption and security
• User-friendly interface
• Free version is limited to one device at a time

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Best Free Password Manager

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On Bitwarden's website

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• Fully functional free plan
• Open-source software
• Sharing limited to one person with paid plan

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Best for Password Sharing

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On LastPass's website

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• Helpful features like family profiles and a password generator
• Compatible with lots of browsers, OS, and devices
• Multiple data breaches including November 2022

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Best Password Organization

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On 1Password's website

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• No history of being hacked
• Unique features, like Travel Mode
• No free version

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Best for Simple Password Management

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On RoboForm's website

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• Affordable plans
• No history of data leaks or being hacked
• Free plan lacks key features

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Do you ever struggle to remember the password for one of the hundreds of online accounts you likely have? Between bank accounts, email addresses, and streaming platforms, you have a lot of passwords to keep track of. And you likely have a set of work passwords you also need to remember and that your employer expects you to keep safe.

So how does anyone keep track of all of these passwords, especially when cybersecurity experts tell you not to use the same password twice? According to a 2021 GoodFirms study, 35.7% of people are still writing passwords on sticky notes or pieces of paper to help remember them and/or keep them organized.[1]

The bad news is writing your passwords down on paper isn’t either safe or effective. The good news is that there are a variety of password manager apps available to help you create strong passwords for every account and remember them. When using a password manager, you only have to remember your master password to access your vault.

Our testing showed NordPass offered the best set of features and price, while Bitwarden was a great choice for its free plan. LastPass still made the cut despite recently addressed security issues thanks to its easy password-sharing features as well. All of the password managers we evaluated offer browser extensions and mobile apps so you can easily save new passwords and login on any platform. Here are our top five.

The best password managers 2023

• NordPass: Best overall
• Bitwarden: Best free password manager
• LastPass: Best for password sharing
• 1Password: Best for organizing your passwords
• RoboForm: Best for basic password management

Top five password managers compared to each other

Password manager	Best Overall NordPass	Bitwarden	LastPass	1Password	RoboForm
Starting price	Starts at $1.69/mo for 2 yrs	Starts at $0.83/mo	Starts at $3.00/mo	Starts at $2.99/mo	Starts at $1.99/mo
Password sharing
Two-factor authentication
Form filler
Password generator
Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox, Edge	Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome, Safari	Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox	Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome, Safari	Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Chromebook, Firefox, Chrome
Learn more	Get NordPass	Get Bitwarden	Get LastPass	Get 1Password	Get RoboForm

NordPass: Best overall

NordPass Is Hands-Down the Best Password Manager

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On NordPass's website

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• Strong encryption and security
• User-friendly interface
• Free version is limited to one device at a time

Who it’s best for

NordPass is a great solution for someone who wants to use a password manager to organize all the important and confidential information in their lives. You can store your passwords, notes, credit cards, and personal information inside your NordPass vault.

NordPass is also beneficial for someone who needs more guidance as they build their password vault. NordPass walks you through the setup, and all of the elements are fairly self-explanatory so you don’t have to search too hard to add any type of information.

NordPass also has other solutions like NordVPN and NordLocker cloud storage, so if you’re already using one of its other apps, you’ll likely understand the user interface pretty easily. (And we highly recommend using a VPN as an additional layer of security for your Wi-Fi connection.)

What we liked

The first things that stood out to us were how simple NordPass was to set up and the prompts it gave us to add the browser extension and download the mobile app. It almost felt like someone was there walking us through how to get the most out of the password manager.

The overall design of NordPass was also one of our favorites. It was easy to navigate through all the different categories like passwords, secure notes, and credit cards. We liked that you can attach files within each password, and it shows you the strength of your current password too.

What we didn’t like

NordPass offers quite a few additional features with its Premium plan, including the password health feature, data breach scanner, and emergency access. We think these are all beneficial tools to have available, so we don’t like that they’re an additional cost. Other than that, there wasn’t much we didn’t like about NordPass.

NordPass specs

Bitwarden: Best free password manager

Bitwarden's Free Plan is Generous and Secure

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On Bitwarden's website

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• Fully functional free plan
• Open-source software
• Sharing limited to one person with paid plan

Who it’s best for

If you’re looking for a quality password manager that emphasizes security and ease of use, Bitwarden is a great choice. All Bitwarden plans are built on zero-knowledge encryption and allow you to save unlimited passwords on an unlimited number of devices.

However, Bitwarden isn’t as intuitive as some of the other options. If you’re not tech-savvy or you don’t want to have to learn how everything works, you may want to take a look at NordPass or RoboForm instead.

What we liked

Bitwarden’s functionality is simple and easy to use. You can add passwords quickly, and Bitwarden also pings to ask if you want it to remember a password when you’re on a site that isn’t already saved in your password vault.

Bitwarden offers some useful reports about your passwords and their overall security as well.

With the free plan, you can see if your data was involved in a data breach. The Premium plan includes reports that show whether you’ve had any exposed passwords or any reused or weak passwords, and it includes a data breach report.

These reports can help ensure you’re using strong passwords and practicing good cybersecurity habits.

On top of all this, Bitwarden is an open-source password manager, which means it’s constantly being tested and analyzed for potential vulnerabilities that are quickly patched and secured.

What we didn’t like

Bitwarden doesn’t make it easy to share passwords with people without a little bit of legwork. In order to share a password, you need to organize passwords into different categories or, as Bitwarden calls them, “collections.”

Once you’ve established a collection, you can share it with someone to give them access to the passwords inside. However, there isn’t the functionality to just share a one-off password outside of a collection.

Setting up the collection isn’t difficult; it’s just an additional step. You’re limited to two collections with the free and premium accounts, but you can have unlimited collections with the Families plan.

Signing into Bitwarden is a bit unusual. First, you sign into your Bitwarden account, and then you have to enter a different master password. On the one hand, it’s added security, but on the other, it seems like an unnecessary step. We had to complete a captcha each time we logged in, too, which got a bit annoying.

Bitwarden specs

LastPass: Best for password sharing

Despite Data Breaches in 2022, LastPass Still Offers Fantastic Features

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On LastPass's website

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• Helpful features like family profiles and a password generator
• Compatible with lots of browsers, OS, and devices
• Multiple data breaches including November 2022

Who it’s best for

LastPass is one of the most popular password managers available, and it accounts for 22% of the overall market based on 2023 data.[2] LastPass is a great solution for someone looking for an easy-to-navigate password manager that is widely used.

It’s also easy to share passwords with other LastPass users, making it a useful solution if you want to share logins with your coworkers or family members.

LastPass did have a security breach in 2022, which gave us pause. But even with the data breach, we felt that LastPass was still an important option to include on this list.

We were LastPass users during the data incident, and they did a good job of communicating with us about the data breach and the harm it could have on users. They encouraged us to change our master password as well as the passwords housed inside the platform.

What we liked

LastPass makes it easy to share passwords with others. You can give the recipient permission to view the password, or you can keep the password private and allow LastPass to autofill the password without the recipient knowing what it is.

LastPass has a robust security dashboard that helps you see the overall strength of your password safety. It also alerts you if any of your email addresses or login information has been compromised on the dark web. Being cognizant of these alerts allows you to stay on top of any questions about your overall password health.

What we didn’t like

LastPass disclosed a major security breach in December of 2022. Two incidents happened during this breach, one of which jeopardized customer information.

According to LastPass, “The data accessed from those backups included system configuration data, API secrets, third-party integration secrets, and encrypted and unencrypted LastPass customer data.”

Due to this incident, LastPass alerted its users of the hack and also communicated the steps to ensure that user accounts were protected moving forward.

The data breach was concerning because, if they were able to access master passwords, hackers could access any password you had saved inside your LastPass vault. Unlike a data breach involving a specific company, the LastPass breach could have jeopardized the security of every password you had saved.

LastPass specs

1Password: Best for organizing your passwords

1Password Makes Organizing Hundreds of Passwords Easy Breezy

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On 1Password's website

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• No history of being hacked
• Unique features, like Travel Mode
• No free version

Who it’s best for

Originally only for Apple users, 1Password is an impressive password manager with a variety of bells and whistles to make password management more convenient for all types of devices. 1Password is definitely for someone who understands the value of a trusted password manager and is willing to pay for it since it doesn’t offer any free plans.

Similar to NordPass, 1Password walks you through the setup process and provides tips and tricks for password management. 1Password also allows you to create collections that can include a combination of different vaults and groups.

What we liked

1Password has some nice features that make it easy to organize passwords. You can create multiple vaults to house different passwords. From each vault, you can search for passwords, share individual passwords, or give someone access to the entirety of the vault.

While we were testing 1Password, it released version 8. This new version has many small improvements that make using 1Password more convenient.

Overall, the update was mostly cosmetic, but it brought 1Password up to the same user-experience standards as some of the easier-to-use password managers. The update also gives you more flexibility for reorganizing fields in iOS and Android.

One of our favorite features of 1Password 8 is Watchtower. The Watchtower section is where you can check on the overall health of your passwords and the security of your vault. 1Password almost gamifies the Watchtower portion and makes it fun to have a great score.

What we didn’t like

One downside to 1Password is that it doesn’t have a free version, so there is a monetary commitment to using it. 1Password offers a 14-day trial that you can use to test its password storage. Outside of having to pay for 1Password, there wasn’t much we didn’t like, especially with the latest version that was recently released.

1Password specs

RoboForm: Best for basic password management

RoboForm Is Simple and Good at What It Does

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On RoboForm's website

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• Affordable plans
• No history of data leaks or being hacked
• Free plan lacks key features

Who it’s best for

RoboForm is the most simplistic password manager we tested. It’s great for password management, but it’s focused on just that: managing credentials (though you can save a few other items, including contacts, personal information, and notes).

What we liked

We appreciated the simplicity of RoboForm. From inside the Chrome extension, you can find your passwords and form fills, as well as a password generator. (The password generator is indicated by a slot machine icon in the top right-hand corner of the window, which took us a second to figure out.)

RoboForm is bare-bones but functional, especially in its free version. If you want a simple password manager, you’ll be able to easily navigate this one. RoboForm also has a mobile app and browser extensions, which make it easy to use on any device.

What we didn’t like

One aspect of RoboForm we didn’t like was that you can’t use two-factor authentication unless you have a paid plan. For a solution designed to keep your accounts secure, it seemed odd to have to pay extra for added security.

RoboForm was also the hardest to use. To add a password, you must navigate to the website and input your credentials; you can’t just add passwords manually through the desktop app. It seemed as though the Chrome extension and the desktop app had problems working together as well.

RoboForm specs

The best password managers FAQs

Bottom line: The best password managers

A 2019 Google/Harris poll showed that 66% of people use the same password for more than one account.[3] Bitwarden, LastPass, NordPass, 1Password, and RoboForm can help you avoid being part of that statistic. By using the built-in password generators and saving your unique passwords in a password manager, you can strengthen your online security and still remember your passwords.

Overall, these five password managers offer a variety of features to help make account and password management more efficient. Based on our testing, we found NordPass to be the best overall solution. It is newer to the market, but it helps you remember passwords, share information, and protect your personal information easily.

We previously were avid LastPass users, and this research helped us find a new solution (NordPass) after having to update all of our passwords from the LastPass data breach. And if you’re wondering how difficult it is to switch password managers if one of these options seems like a better fit for you, it’s not difficult at all. You can export your current password manager data and upload it into a new solution fairly easily.

Five best password managers 2023

	Starting price	Best for	Learn more
NordPass	Starts at $1.69/mo for 2 yrs	Best overall	Get NordPass Read NordPass Review
Bitwarden	Starts at $0.83/mo	Best free password manager	Get Bitwarden Read Bitwarden Review
LastPass	Starts at $3.00/mo	Best for password sharing	Get LastPass Read LastPass Review
1Password	Starts at $2.99/mo	Best for organizing your passwords	Get 1Password Read 1Password Review
RoboForm	Starts at $1.99/mo	Best for basic password management	Get RoboForm Read Roboform Review

How we tested the best password managers

Finding the best password manager was no easy task. There are quite a few available on the market. To start, we looked at a few password managers and compared the overall solution and features available.

From that list, we picked our top five and started testing. We signed up for an account with each service, downloaded the macOS desktop app, and started setting up our accounts.

We installed the Chrome extension and mobile app for each password manager so we could test those alongside the desktop app. We found that the browser extension and the mobile app are more important — and used more frequently — than the desktop app.

Once we set up our accounts with each password manager, we tested the ease of adding passwords and other information, how simple it was to share a password with a friend, and how any additional features performed.

How to choose the best password managers

Choosing the best password manager depends on your individual needs and how you plan to use it. Here are some questions to ask to help narrow down exactly what you need from a password manager.

• Would you like to save other information besides passwords?
• How often and with how many people will you share passwords?
• How much money do you want to spend on a password manager?
• Would you like the flexibility to organize your passwords based on the type of account or other qualifiers?
• Do you want the ability to give emergency access to a family member?

These are only a few aspects to consider when picking a password manager. It’s best to find the solution that works best for you and your family. Since many password managers offer a free version, you can try a few to see which one works best with your lifestyle.

Do I need a password manager?

If you’re still writing down your passwords on a sticky note or saving them in a Google Doc, you definitely need a password manager. In some cases, someone having access to your confidential passwords could give them access to every facet of your life, including bank accounts, social media accounts, and others. Password managers can help keep this information secure.

If you’re using a built-in password manager like Google’s, you may want to consider switching to a dedicated password manager so you can ensure your data is encrypted and safe. Google Password Manager isn’t safe since it gives someone access to all your passwords if they have access to your Google account.

Password managers work by providing a guarded place to store passwords. It is also a good way to leave a digital legacy for your family in the event that they need to access your passwords in an emergency. You don’t want a family member rifling through your house looking for a colored Post-It note with the password to your life insurance policy, right?

Learn More

On NordPass's website

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• Strong encryption and security
• User-friendly interface
• Free version is limited to one device at a time

Author Details

Andrew Adams

About the Author

Andrew Strom Adams is a freelance writer focused on online privacy and digital security. He writes on various topics to help individuals protect themselves on the internet. Andrew has worked in legal marketing, technology, and startups. He has more than 12 years of experience in marketing and communications. He holds an M.B.A. from Westminster College and a B.A. in journalism from Oklahoma Baptist University. When he’s not writing, he’s playing with his two kids or watching reality TV.