Password Safe Review 2024: Tried and True or Too Outdated To Compete?

Password Safe is a very safe, basic password manager with an outdated user interface. As an open-source program, your information is never uploaded to the cloud. Instead, it's saved directly on your computer and protected by a master password. If you want to move your info around, you can save the program and vault to a key drive.

But in an age where we expect instantaneous updates thanks to lightspeed internet, this can feel like taking things a bit too far. During our testing, we found the program doesn't offer much in the way of bells and whistles, though it does have a password generator and autofill. 

If your #1 priority is keeping your passwords off the cloud, read on to see everything this password manager has to offer.

Password Safe review at a glance

Price	Free ($2.99-$14.99 for Apple clones)
Number of users	1
Compatibility	Windows, Linux (Clones available for Apple and Android)
Browser extensions	Safari (Clone)
Import/Export tool	Yes, but importing is limited
Password sharing	No
Encryption	Twofish with a 256-bit key
Password generator	Yes
Password strength report	No
Autofill	Yes
Digital legacy	No
Cloud storage	No
Learn more	Get Password Safe

Our Password Safe experience

When testing Password Safe, our overall impression was that it's a secure password manager that does its job, but lacks the polish we're used to with modern password managers. That doesn't mean it's a bad option, just that it doesn't live up to current standards. It does what it promises to and, because it's not connected to the internet, is very safe.

Our first hint that this password manager would be outdated was right at the download page that looks like it hasn't changed since 2008. We did enjoy the various detailed documentation they have available, an obvious product of dedicated and passionate users who love this password manager.

When we got the program downloaded, we felt a little thrown into the fire. We were faced with an outdated interface with no tooltips or icon labels to guide our way. There was no step-by-step tutorial with the app either, which most modern software includes.

Password Safe does have a few options for importing passwords, but we couldn't get any of them to work. We tried each file available but received an error. We would've loved to see the option for any type of CSV file, since that's what most password managers export as these days. Alas, we were forced to add our passwords manually. This would be a significant time sink for a brand new user.

Once we got a couple passwords in, we were happy with some of the features like the password generator and note saving. We were actually kind of shocked that the autofill feature worked, but it was pretty efficient.

While playing around with it more, we kept getting errors that our vault wasn't saving properly so we had to go and save it manually each time. This would drive us crazy with any sort of long-term use, so definitely a significant drawback if you can't get that fixed.

Overall, we found it did what it said it would, but didn't provide much fanfare or ease.

How much does Password Safe cost?

Password Safe is an open-source, free password manager unless you also want to use it on Apple devices. That’s because the product isn’t actually available on Apple devices, but it does offer cloned versions that cost a one-time price of $2.99 for the iOS version and $14.99 for the macOS version.

There’s also a cloned version for Android devices that’s a free download. As far as we can tell, you’ll have to purchase the macOS and the iOS versions separately to be able to use them across all your Apple devices.

Password Safe features

Password Safe offers almost none of the features that modern password managers offer: The ability to share passwords, use two-factor authentication, and sync passwords across devices are all features that make a password manager convenient and worthwhile, and Password Safe doesn’t offer them.

Importing and exporting passwords

Password Safe does offer options for importing and exporting passwords from your vault, but we weren't able to get the import feature to work. The options you had were also extremely limited compared to other password managers, only being compatible with KeePass files. Other than that, you could only import text or XML files, not CSV.

Exporting passwords wasn't much better, not offering one of the most common file types (CSV). You basically had a couple experimental options and then text or XML at your disposal.

Overall, starting up with Password Safe and moving to another password manager was not made much easier by their import and export options. We were disappointed.

Password sharing

There’s no easy way to share passwords with this manager. Other products have an intuitive design that allows you to sync with contacts and securely share encrypted credentials, but with Password Safe, that technology doesn’t exist.

Based on our testing, you would need to copy the credentials from the folder or subfolder where they’re stored, then send them unencrypted through whatever channel you choose. You may as well not even use a password manager in this case. We would strongly recommend not sharing any usernames or passwords this way, as there’s too high a chance of the information becoming involved in a leak.

Password generator

Password Safe's password generator is a surprisingly robust way to create extremely secure passwords. It offers many customization options so you can make sure your new password fits into the rules each site requires.

You can even save password policies with specific rules indicated so you can easily create new passwords meeting your preferred criteria.

Autofill

Though we were skeptical at first, Password Safe does provide an autofill option called AutoType. It's a bit more convoluted than most autofill features that allow you to simply click on an icon next to the password field and select the right account.

To use it, you need to go to the website you wish to log in to, put your cursor in the username box, then open up Password Safe. From there, you navigate to the relevant password entry, right-click on it, and select Perform AutoType. The program will automatically input the user name, hit tab, input the password, hit tab, and hit enter for you.

It worked when we tested it and only felt a little bit like letting a robot take over our computer for a second.

Password strength report

There are no password strength reports available. This is a useful feature that detects any weak or reused passwords so you can take action to make them more secure.

While there's no overall option for this, Password Safe does encourage strong passwords by warning you when you enter weak ones.

Digital legacy

This is another feature that Password Safe doesn’t provide. The digital legacy feature allows you to designate a digital heir who will inherit your passwords after you pass on.

Different services handle this in different ways. Some services allow you to create a PDF version of your master password and other emergency information, while others allow you to designate an heir to receive the information digitally.

Whatever the method used, this feature ensures that important information like bank account credentials or life insurance policies won’t be hindered in the event of your sudden passing. Unfortunately, Password Safe doesn’t offer this feature.

Bonus features

There is a disk-on-key feature that allows you to download PasswordSafe2Go onto a device that you plug into your laptop. This is outdated technology and cumbersome. Also, if you lose your USB, then, theoretically, whoever finds it has access to all your passwords. We would recommend against using this feature.

Password Safe privacy policy

There’s no actual privacy policy on the site that we could find, but the iOS and macOS versions had a privacy policy listed. It’s pretty basic, collects very little data, and notes that it doesn’t share anything with third parties. This is good because when you’re handing over a lot of data to a service like a password manager, you want to make sure it isn’t sharing personally identifiable information (PII) with third parties.

We weren’t able to find any instance where the privacy policy received an independent audit, so its validity can’t be verified. Independent audits are a way to make sure that a company is adhering to its privacy policy. Still, it costs money to do so not having one isn't necessarily a red flag, especially for an open-source product.

Is Password Safe safe to use?

As far as saving your passwords with encryption, yes, Password Safe is a safe and encrypted service. It's a completely local service, which means it never saves your information to the cloud where it becomes much more vulnerable. Instead, all your information is stored on your computer and protected by a proprietary algorithm developed by Bruce Schneier, the "renowned security technologist" who designed the program.

Unfortunately, due to a lack of features, like password sharing and digital legacy, it isn’t really safe to use when it comes to needing to share information. Also, the PasswordSafe2Go feature, where the manager can be downloaded onto a device like a flash drive, makes your data extremely vulnerable if that device is ever lost.

Two-factor authentication

Password Safe offers the ability to use Yubikey or OnlyKey as secondary forms of authentication. Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a secondary form of authentication that can keep your account secure. If you’ve ever had an app or service text you a code, then ask that you fill in that code from the text, you’ve used 2FA.

We prefer biometric authentication, a form of passwordless authentication that uses FaceID or a fingerprint scanner to verify your identity, but 2FA is a fantastic way to secure your information.

Password Safe’s Yubikey setup can be confusing and requires you to purchase the authenticator from Yubico or an authorized reseller. Most password managers don’t require you to purchase a separate authenticator and will usually use your phone number to verify your account. The Yubikey method is more involved, pricier, and seems to be more of a pain than it’s worth.

Password Safe customer service

There’s a single page with links to web support forums for Password Safe. Each version — the original and the Android and Apple clones — has its own kind of support.

We find this to be cumbersome because you’ll need to access different support forums depending on how many places you’re using Password Safe. Other than that, there’s no other place to reach out for assistance. Because this is an open-source product, which means it's built and maintained by an army of volunteers, we didn’t expect customer service to be robust or offer a lot of options.

Password Safe compatibility

The original version of the software is available only on Windows, but there are cloned versions of the software available for Android and Apple products. The iOS version costs $2.99, and the macOS version costs $14.99. If you want both, you’ll have to pay for each one, as there’s no universal compatibility across Password Safe’s products.

The Android version is a free download, and so is the Windows version, which is the original code written by the developer. If you’re someone who uses a variety of devices, this isn’t really an economical or practical option as far as a password manager is concerned.

Top alternatives

One of the best ways to increase your online security is to use robust, secure passwords that are different for every account. With the best password managers, this is an easy task that can keep you from becoming a victim of a hack. For anyone wanting security, convenience, and advanced features, these products can help you upgrade your security settings.

Password Safe FAQs

Bottom line: Is Password Safe good?

Password Safe safely encrypts your data and keeps it hidden. However, there are so many drawbacks to using this outdated technology that it probably isn’t a good choice. While Android and Windows users can get it for free, Apple users will have to pay twice to install it on Macs and mobile devices like iPhones and iPads.

Instead, we think you’ll have a lot of success with our alternative suggestions. They’re some of the best password managers available, with lots of features and proven security. The best part is you can sync them between all your devices, so you have access to your passwords no matter where you go.