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6 Best Free Password Managers

Password managers are fantastic privacy tools, but they are even better when they are free! In this article, we list the six best free password managers. As well as being completely free, all the services in this article respect your privacy, offer fantastic security features, and are open source.

 

If you are tired of remembering passwords for all your online accounts and services, you are probably considering getting a password manager. 

The hassle of remembering passwords evaporates with a password manager, allowing you to set tricky, unique passwords for every single account.

However, we understand that not everybody has a lot of money to spend, which is why we have analyzed the market to find the best free and secure password managers out there. Our recommendations will work across all platforms, and because they are known to be robust in terms of privacy and security – you can opt for these free password managers without compromising your safety.

The best free password managers

Below, we have a list of the best free password managers out there. All of these services offer fantastic features, so if you want to find out more about any of the services below, click the links to the provider's website or scroll below this list for a summary of what makes each service great.

  1. Keepass - An excellent free password manager
  2. Keeper - A reliable, secure and inexpensive password manager, though its free version is heavily limited.
  3. Bitwarden - An open-source password manager built to be user-friendly.
  4. RoboForm - Highly-featured and easy to use.
  5. Dashlane - An easy-to-use premium password manager that you can use on 1 device for free.

Free Password Managers - Summaries

Below we have summarized the features that make the best free password managers. If you need more information about any of these services website.

1. Keepass
Editor's Choice | October 2024

KeePass is an excellent service that we consider the best free password manager.

  • Pros

    • Open-source
    • Highly flexible with add-ons
    • Strong end-to-end encryption
    • Tons of awesome features
  • Cons

    • Can be fiddly for newcomers
    • UI could be improved
    • No password strength indicator

KeePass is an open-source service, which means that the code can be verified by any security professional. And you retain full control over your passwords because it provides end-to-end encryption.


This does mean that passwords are non-recoverable, so you must never forget your master password. However, sacrificing that bit of convenience cements KeePass as the gold standard for password management security.


In addition, KeePass is highly flexible, has a lot of available add-ons, and gives you complete control over your .kbdx databases. Although KeePass only stores passwords locally by default, you can easily share your .kbdx database via a secure online storage platform.


As long as you don’t mind learning how to use it, KeePass is a highly featured password manager that allows you to do anything with passwords you can think of. Admittedly, KeePass is a bit trickier to use than our number two recommendation, Bitwarden, meaning it might be preferable to stick to one of the other services if you are a complete technophobe.


KeePass is available for all popular platforms and it can be set up to work with browsers using the KeeForm, the KeePass HTTP-Connector which will allow you to auto-fill passwords in all popular browsers.

Keeper offers support for multiple devices and Operating Systems, a clean, easy to use interface and the ability to save images of important documents

  • Pricing

    • Personal: $2.91/mth
    • Personal Plus Bundle: $4.87/mth
    • Family: $6.24/mth
    • Family Plus Bundle: $8.62/mth
    • Business: $3.75/mth
  • Pros

    • Strong security
    • Reasonably priced
    • Random password generator
    • Supports folder sharing
  • Cons

    • Form filling requires second app
    • Add-on modules can get expensive
    • Most features locked behind premium service

Keeper launched in 2009 and is specifically designed to help individuals and businesses keep track of vast quantities of passwords. While the firm is located in Chicago, USA, which is not the best place for a privacy service to be based, the good news is that Keeper provides a fully secure service. Offering end-to-end encryption for passwords, a zero-knowledge pledge, and regularly conducting independent third-party audits means the service is a secure solution that will keep your passwords secure no matter what.


While the premium version is a feature-rich service, the free version is (unsurprisingly) quite limited, and the aim is to encourage people to test the water with the free service in the hopes they'll upgrade to a premium account. Fortunately, they offer a 30-day unlimited free trial for you to take the service for a spin and decide if it's the right choice for you before you commit to the cost.

Bitwarden is a superb open-source, easy to use password manager!

  • Pricing

    • Yearly: $0.83/mth
    • Free: $0/mth
  • Pros

    • Open-source
    • Variety of browser extensions
    • Strong end-to-end encryption
    • Zero-knowledge
  • Cons

    • Customer support could be improved
    • UI feels a little outdated
    • Some features a bit complicated to use

Bitwarden is available for all popular platforms (Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS). Being open-source means that the software is freely available online for any security professional to audit. As a result, this password manager can be trusted to do exactly what it claims with your passwords. 


One of the most important factors when it comes to password management is whether the passwords are protected with end-to-end-encryption (e2ee). With e2ee, only you hold the master key to your passwords, meaning that they are absolutely secure. Of course, this also means that if you forget your master password, you will be automatically locked out of the client and, therefore, your remaining passwords. 


With Bitwarden all passwords are protected with e2ee, which is perfect for security reasons. However, if you are highly concerned about being able to recover access to your account (in the event of password loss), you may want to opt for a different service. 


In addition to apps for all platforms, Bitwarden has extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Microsoft Edge, and Safari. These extensions allow you to add passwords to your database easily as you log in – and will permit you to easily autofill passwords on the fly. 


We think this is one of the best open-source password managers available for free, providing everything required to store passwords without concerns.

RoboForm's free tier packs more features than you can shake your fist at - but it's still worth the cheap upgrade

  • Pricing

    • 3-Year: $1.79/mth
    • 12-Month: $1.99/mth
  • Pros

    • Feature-rich
    • Strong end-to-end encryption
    • Easy-to-use browser extensions
    • Secure login sharing
  • Cons

    • Closed-source
    • Password sync & 2FA are locked behind paywall
    • Live chat only available for paying customers

RoboForm is a free password manager that is impressive. The free version is highly featured, and it is easy to use. RoboForm is available for all popular platforms, and it provides extensions to perform auto-fill on Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Secure login sharing is available – so if you need to share passwords, you can do so via email. 


However, if you require password syncing and the added security of 2FA – you will need to upgrade to the paid plan. It is also worth noting that RoboForm isn’t open-source - which may put some people off. But when it comes to features, this free password manager really impresses, and it does have secure end-to-end encryption, which means you can trust it to secure your passwords. 


As long as you are primarily in need of password management for one device – this is going to be a free password manager that works for you. However, if syncing is important to you – we recommend sticking to one of the services above. 

Dashlane is a world class password manager that has a fantastic free version.

  • Pricing

    • Premium: $4.99/mth
    • Premium Plus: $9.99/mth
    • Premium Family: $7.49/mth
    • Premium Plus Family: $14.99/mth
    • Free: $0/mth
  • Pros

    • Tons of features
    • Super-secure
    • Works great on all platforms
    • Incredibly user-friendly
  • Cons

    • Free plan only allows users to store 50 passwords
    • Closed-source
    • Browser extensions could work better

Dashlane is quite expensive when you pay for a premium account, however, you do get what you pay for. It is an extremely well-liked service that offers both a free plan and a 30-day money-back guarantee.


The free plan may not suit everybody because it only permits you to store 50 passwords. It can also only be used on 1 device. However, if you are a mobile user (or you only have one laptop, for example) and you don't need more than 50 passwords saving (most people don't) this is a truly amazing free password manager! 


The service is available for all popular platforms, and it has one of the richest feature sets we have ever encountered in a password manager. This includes emergency lockout protection, password sharing, dark web monitoring, and much more! It is also considered highly secure, despite being closed-source. Overall, a feature-filled password manager that is well worth trying for free on any platform! 

LastPass is more of a household name than its competition, offering both free and premium services including emergency access, random password generator and breach monitoring.

  • Pricing

    • Free: $0/mth
    • Premium: $3/mth
    • Families: $4/mth
  • Pros

    • Feature-rich
    • User-friendly
    • Strong end-to-end encryption
    • Unlimited password storage on free plan
  • Cons

    • Closed-source
    • History of vulnerabilities, though quickly resolved
    • Importing from other sources not always a smooth experience
    • Free version not as good as it once was

This free password manager is a great option for casual internet users looking for a password manager that is both feature-rich and free. For anybody looking for an easy-to-use password manager that has all the trimmings, this password manager is certainly going to tick a lot of boxes. LastPass is available for all platforms and it provides strong end-to-end encryption to ensure that passwords are secure. Sadly, LastPass is not completely open-source, as is the case with the password managers higher in this list. 


Despite this slight drawback, which may or may not put you off depending on your personal threat model, LastPass is an excellent password manager that is going to make most consumers who need a free password manager happy. Admittedly, LastPass has suffered some bad press over the years due to some security vulnerabilities being discovered. However, LastPass has been quick to fix any problems that were discovered by security professionals, which has led to a stronger product over time.


The bigger issue is that as of March 2021, the free version has changed so that now users must pick between using it only on a PC or on a mobile device, and passwords cannot be synced between the two, which does rather limit its usefulness. They have also removed support for free users, so they cannot engage LastPass support in case of issues. Other missing features include emergency access, one-to-many password sharing and even support for some forms of biometrics on Windows OS.

Written by: Ray Walsh

Digital privacy expert with 5 years experience testing and reviewing VPNs. He's been quoted in The Express, The Times, The Washington Post, The Register, CNET & many more. 

10 Comments

Darren
on May 5, 2024
For free? It's Synology C2 Password hand down.
Arthur
on August 9, 2021
You need to update this review years out of date Lastpass is now crippled Free version is useless
Shell
on May 3, 2020
I was using LastPass but could only use it when I had internet access and apparently it was only a free trial and completely stopped working unless I paid for a subscription so I uninstalled it
Thomas
on March 2, 2020
Correction to the prior post. You do link to the correct site for PasswordSafe and the review clears up the pricing confusion on your summary here. The logo you use is not for the Schneier-produced application, though, which is confusing because it's for a competing product: https://www.passwordsafe.com/ Still object to a single-ended encrypted store being referred to as "end-to-end" encryption. There is no intervening non-encrypted path that would require end-to-end, unless you count controller buffers, RAM, or the processor cache. None of those are encrypted, but some can be bypassed. Also the disk-on-key option is now available in the regular Password Safe application.
https://cdn.proprivacy.com/storage/images/2024/01/douglas-crawfordpng-avatar_image-small_webp.webp
Douglas Crawford replied to Thomas
on March 3, 2020
Hi Thomas. The summary made a mistake in saying that cloud syncing is not available (which should now be fixed). PSAFE files can be synced over cloud services such as Dropbox, during which they are e2ee encrypted because they are encrypted locally and can only be decrypted locally with the correct password (and Yubikey if used - and yes, the open source version of Password Safe does support 2FA via Yubikey). I've informed our dev team about the logo issue. Thanks for letting us know about the disk-on-key update.

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