Bitwarden vs LastPass vs Dashlane vs Roboform
You're probably already aware that LastPass just announced some changes to their free Password manager which basically makes it well, pretty useless.
Follow that up with Dashlane's similar announcement that they're going browser only, and so it's high time I made a post to try and find the best FREE password manager.
INTRO
Before we get started and for those new here, hi, my name is Pete, and I make videos and blog posts around tech, business, and money stuff. If you're looking for reviews on the latest gadgets, interested in using tech to help grow your business, or want to know which pokemon cards will make your bank - then please head over to my YouTube channel and subscribe for more.
I kid, I have no idea about Pokemon cards. I'm too on fleek for that....
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Now there are tonnes of options when it comes to free password managers!
Lastpass, yes, but also Bitwarden, Dashlane, KeePass, Myki, Roboform, NordPass and so many more.
In this post I'm going to run through my top 5, to help you decide which is best for you!
Before we get started though, no. Please don't use the password manager built into your browser. Other than the obvious issue of only having access to your passwords in-browser, it's also been proven numerous times that passwords stored in the likes of Google Chrome are not secure, which is why I'm a huge advocate for using a dedicated password manager.
1. BITWARDEN
First up is Bitwarden. With Bitwardens free tier you can store unlimited passwords, across unlimited devices. You can sync across those devices and you also get 2FA.
You might be wondering what you DON'T get with this free product?
Well, you're missing minor features like file attachments, health reports, better support, and being able to use Bitwarden to generate 2FA codes for other websites - but for a free product, that is Incredible.
2. MKYI
The second is a relatively new one to the scene, MKYI. It's cross-platform, does offline syncing, and does authentication in a very different way to all the other password managers, as there is no master password. You simply download the app to your mobile then scan a QR code to allow MYKI to sync with that computer. You just use face id, fingerprint, or a pin code instead of a master password and it can generate 2FA codes.
When you want to login to a site on your computer, you just grant access to it via your phone - you can also store credit card information which is a really nice feature not seen on many other free password managers.
3. ZOHO VAULT
The third is one that surprised me, Zoho Vault. One of the very few free password managers that has a pretty fully-featured product and with no restrictions around the numbers of devices or passwords that it can store. It works on desktop and mobile, gives you password assessment reports, and has offline access, that's a really good feature set for the low low price of nothing!
On to number 4... what wait? There is no 4?! That's IT!?
No really - when you are talking about FREE products, I found that most password managers significantly restrict their products which means I have a tough time recommending them to anyone.
Because of course - the reason people offer a free but limited product, is to get you to upgrade to their paid-for product - you know, so they can stay in business and pay their staff and overheads?
But the likes of Bitwarden, MYKI, and Zoho are very, very strong products when looking at what they offer for free, without needing to upgrade.
So my recommendation is to check out one of these 3 or continue watching to see if there is a free password manager where you are happy to work within their limitations. OR better, look at one of the paid-for apps which provide you better support and features by watching this video where I compare them all.
Personally, I don't think anybody should expect all of the security and all of the features from a free app. And I know my online security is well worth the small amount of money all of these password companies charge.
So, with that said, that's my top errr...3 What about all of the other free password managers, and what are their limitations?
Well...
FREE PASSWORD MANAGERS
Dashlane only works on 1 device and only stores up to 50 passwords, and later this year is going browser only so that's a hard pass from me but could be an option if you only have a few passwords and want to access it from one device.
LastPass is again, now limiting you to 1 device - and I don't like their kinda shady business practice of spending a tonne on marketing, luring everybody into a free product, and then restricting that product which then forces people to take the easy option of paying to upgrade or the difficult option of finding another password manager and exporting your data. Can you tell I'm not a fan of LastPass? I don't think they're going to be sponsoring any of my videos...!
1Password doesn't even have a free version so that's a no for this one.
Keeper also doesn't have a free version, another no from me.
Roboform won't sync across devices and doesn't support 2FA but doesn't limit the number of passwords you store so that could be an option for you if using just one device.
PassHub only stores 100 records and doesn't auto-fill or capture passwords as you enter them, which means that it becomes a pretty manual job to open up the app each time to copy and paste your information or create new logins. That, for me, is a hard pass.
Nordpass only lets you log in to 1 device at a time which can be extremely frustrating switching back and forth between mobile, laptop, or desktop as it forces you to enter your master password to log in each time, so that's a no go for me, but again could be an option if you want to store a lot of passwords but only from one device.
LogMeOnce does have a lot of the features, but it's heavily supported with Ads - which I'm not a fan of when there are other better products out there.
Enpass works on desktop only and limits the number of passwords you can store and StickyPassword doesn't sync across multiple devices.
Those are all of the 'other' password managers. Like I say, I wouldn't personally recommend them because they wouldn't fit what I need. Unlimited passwords, across multiple devices and with good security - but they might fit you, so your best bet is to take a look at the ones that fit your needs.
With that, all said, don't forget that this post is comparing the FREE password managers - and I'd highly recommend looking at the paid-for products as they do typically offer better features, better security, and have full support. I did do a password comparison video last year but here's an update for 2021 in regards to that video.
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