January 20, 2023
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0The Best Password Managers to Save Your Data
We need to get out of the habit of using the same password on all sites and instead choose an assistant for storing all the different text that needs to be hidden from prying eyes.
In this article, we will tell you about the best password managers that will absolutely keep your passwords safe and sound.
Read our previous guide on choosing passwords here.
What is a password manager?
A password manager is a program that allows you to store and manage all the passwords you enter (and not only passwords.) Such an application acts as a data warehouse, often tied to the servers of one company, which undertakes to protect this data from criminals.
The password manager helps you fill out authorization forms faster and automates this process. But more importantly, it takes over the password creation procedure. Careless users choose their passwords along the lines of “123456” or “password.” They do this so as not to have to remember something more complicated, but as a result they endanger their data and the services they have registered for (and they may put hundreds of them at risk because the same password is used for all of them.)
A password manager gives you security and relieves the headaches associated with inventing access codes for each site and remembering them.
If you want to forget about threats and have all your accounts in one place, then choose the Utopia P2P ecosystem with built-in tools for messaging, file sharing, data transfer, etc.
5 reasons to get a password manager
To understand if you need such a manager, take a look at the list below and honestly answer whether you recognize yourself at any point. If you find at least one description that fits you, then you should use a password manager.
- You don’t know how to create complex passwords and remember them.
- You have already become a victim of hacking after a massive data leak and you were not able to react in time.
- You lose notes, work contacts, and other data that you need to store in a safe and hidden place from prying eyes.
- You often make purchases online and are already tired of manually entering information from bank cards every time.
- You have a large database of logins from a bunch of browsers for a lot of years, and you want to transfer it to a single repository.
These are the main reasons why people start using the manager, but not the only reasons. Some download such applications to control the confidential data of the whole family, and some choose to store information in it because of a convenient tag system.
All password threats are here.
The list of the best password managers
Let’s consider the best password managers. All services and applications in this collection have a positive user rating and are developed by companies that know a lot about security.
1Password
The best password manager of 2020 and the number 1 on our list, 1Password is good by all measures:
- Concise and intuitive interface.
- Support for different data formats for storage.
- Monitoring of hacks/leaks and an alert system for the presence of weak passwords in your collection.
- High-quality protection.
- The ability to use one license with the whole family or a group of friends.
1Password is a brand you can trust. In 2019, Apple bought a license for this password manager for each employee. This suggests that 1Password is trusted even by world-class corporations, which means that you should not doubt it either.
1Password exists in two versions — as an application for computers and smartphones and as a browser extension. Each version has identical functionality and is not limited in any way. The utility can store passwords, email addresses, secure notes, passport data, and so on. The content in the app can be protected with a fingerprint and face ID.
1Password also has a built-in browser that helps you quickly enter not only logins with passwords on web pages, but also payment data (card number, CVV, etc.).
LastPass
Password manager for Windows and macOS, which regularly gets into similar top lists. The capabilities of LastPass are practically the same as those in 1Password:
- The ability to quickly fill in the login and password columns on the network.
- The ability to securely store payment data and automatically use it during online shopping.
- A password generator that creates difficult-to-match codes according to predefined parameters.
- An automatic hacking alert system that helps protect user accounts.
The key advantage of LastPass over competitors is the price. This manager is distributed free of charge in its basic version. Yes, there is a Premium with additional features, but you can secure your password collection without it.
A premium subscription allows you to store files in encrypted LastPass storage, receive priority support, share passwords with several users at once, etc.
Dashlane
One of the main competitors of 1Password, Dashlane has been running a serious business of protecting user data for a long time. The brand was positively reviewed in Wired and New York Times magazines. It was awarded the “App of the Day” badge on the App Store several times. During the product’s existence, there has not been a single data leak. That inspires confidence.
Dashlane integrates closely with the operating systems for which it is available. It automatically saves the data that you enter in the browser, offers to create new ones when registering on websites, and prompts already saved passwords when logging in to applications.
Naturally, like competitors, Dashlane can store other data: credit and debit cards, mini-notes, addresses, and passport data. However, it displays them at the same time more clearly than in 1Password.
The developers are concerned about protecting confidential data, so they do not sell information about their users. All their money comes from the sale of licenses, so there is no reason not to trust the creators of this utility. This is a product that can be trusted.
Padlock
The history of this password manager began with GitHub. Padlock developers decided to create an open source repository for codes and confidential data so that any programmer could check how the application works and how it manages user information.
The creators of Padlock decided not to change this principle. Even though the service managed to grow into a full-fledged commercial product, the code remained open. Any GitHub user has constant access to the Padlock source code and can comment on it, check for quality, and even fix it if there is a bug somewhere.
Moreover, Padlock developers regularly invite independent experts to conduct an audit and make sure that their password manager is secure. So there is no doubt about the reliability of this application.
But reliability is not the only advantage of Padlock:
- It can store up to 50 pieces of data for free.
- There are convenient apps for macOS, iOS, Windows, Linux, Android, and even Chrome OS.
- There is a generator of complex passwords.
- Paid accounts are divided into Premium and Family (the latter being cheaper).
iCloud Keychain
A free password manager from Apple, built into all its products based on macOS and iOS. The standard Keychain was previously integrated into the Safari browser. Now it is a full-fledged application for macOS and a separate section in the settings for iOS. All passwords from iCloud Keychain can now be used in any part of the system, including third-party apps.
Among the advantages of the iCloud Keychain, you can allocate unlimited storage of passwords from web resources, applications, and Wi-Fi networks without having to pay money for it every month. It can also store credit and debit card data, but they will only be displayed in the Safari browser. This is probably the only serious limitation of the program.
In general, this is an excellent choice for owners of Apple equipment. If you do not need to use products of other brands, then you can safely stop at the built-in password manager and not look for an alternative.
Other ways to store passwords and their security
If you don’t use a password manager, then you can use something else:
- Store all accesses, bank card data, and secret entries in text files somewhere in the bowels of the hard drive. This can protect information from the prying eyes of relatives and friends using your PC, but it will not protect against cyber intruders or a failed hard drive.
- Write down each password on a piece of paper with a pencil. This approach will save you from the problems associated with storing codes on a PC. But don’t forget about pets and children who can destroy a piece of paper, as well as guests who can look into your records. A steel safe connected to the remote control of the rapid response unit will help to make this method more reliable.
- Store passwords in your head. So far, it is impossible to read thoughts, so this method will definitely protect you from hackers. However, there is a high probability of being left without some portion of the “saved” codes, in particular as you grow older.
Use password managers. Protect your data online and take confidential information more seriously. There are too many bad people on the internet to feel comfortable on it.
