Best password managers for all your devices

Between bank accounts, your favourite online stores, remote schooling, working from home, and social media, it’s hard to remember all your passwords. We took a closer look at password manager software like 1Password which protects your data and the accounts they work with.

The most important thing to consider when choosing a password manager is security - after all, if you're entrusting all your sensitive login credentials to a company, you want to make sure you choose the right one, which is why 1Password is our top pick.

The program works with major browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari as well as mobile platforms like iOS and Android. And with over 15 years in business and no data breach, it’s no wonder 1Password boasts service for over 100,000 companies and 15 million users.

1Password uses end-to-end encryption to secure files, which means that they are encrypted and decrypted on your device, so no one—not even 1Password—can access them without your master password.

There are times when you may need to copy and paste a password into an online field, which can leave that password exposed on your device's clipboard. 1Password detects passwords on your clipboard and clears them automatically.

It's easy to be fooled by fake sites posing as real ones, and hackers count on you not knowing the difference so they can steal your password and other information. 1Password checks a site's authenticity and will only fill in a password on the site where the password was created.

We also like that 1Password has an active and comprehensive support forum frequented by its own programmers. If you have any questions about your software or problems with it, you'll be able to easily and quickly find the help you need in the forum.

Unlike Dashlane and LastPass, 1Password does not have an automatic password changing feature. Company representatives say the programming required would be cumbersome for their team and that changes in a website could affect the programming of this feature, leaving you locked out of your account.

We'd also like to see a free version, but the 14-day free trial is better than nothing.

But it doesn't all come up roses.

The auto-change password feature is a great time-saver, but it only works on the most popular sites on the web.

And some users report that Dashlane uses up a lot of memory, which could cause your computer to run more slowly or limit valuable storage space on your handheld device.

Learn more in our full Dashlane review.

While the LastPass free version limits you to one type of device (computer or mobile), you get quite a few features with LastPass premium.

Unlike Dashlane, LastPass offers free two-factor authentication using the Google Authenticator app or a texting option. 

LastPass doesn’t charge for other perks like Secure notes and access to your cloud vault either. The Free version also comes with unlimited password storage (not bad for free). 

While we understand the appeal of free (who doesn’t?) the paid versions of LastPass only start from $4.50/month. So it’s worth checking out or at least trying the trial. 

To avoid keylogging threats, LastPass uses on-screen keyboards for you to enter in passwords and other important info by clicking rather than typing, protecting you from keyloggers.

Most password managers require you to completely wipe your system and start over if you forget your master password, but LastPass lets you create a password reminder and will let you reset your password.

Another great perk: LastPass Portable lets you install a version of the LastPass browser extension on a USB drive so you can take it with you and use it on other computers. The LastPass Pocket mobile app lets you sync different devices manually using a USB stick, so you never have to put your data online.

LastPass has a variety of categories for different types of information you may want to store, but some of the categories are unusual and probably unnecessary for most users. The overabundance can be confusing for new users.

Watch out for glitches—some users report that LastPass tries to save passwords more than once, which results in duplicated or outdated information.

Dashlane limits the number of sites where passwords can be automatically changed. LastPass suffers from the same problem, but even more so—it includes just fifty popular sites on its list (versus Dashlane's 500).

As we mentioned earlier, LastPass has experienced significant breaches in the past. Though the service maintains that its customers will be protected as long as their master password meets certain criteria, it's something you should know before signing up.

Logging into your favourite accounts shouldn’t leave you worrying about your data or take forever to do. Password managers like 1Password,  Dashlane and LastPass meet at the crossroads between convenience and security. 

To review the best password managers on the market, we studied each program's features, strengths, and weaknesses. We learned more about the pros and cons of each from security experts and users, and we compared our findings to write the top-ranked password managers. To learn more, check out our methodology.