Tools We Recommend
If you use the same password everywhere — or if you can remember your password — it's not strong enough. A password manager fixes this. These are the ones we trust.
Disclosure: some links below are affiliate links. We only recommend tools we'd use ourselves.
Why you need one
The companies we grade are often doing their part wrong — max password lengths, paste blocking, no breach monitoring. A password manager lets you generate strong, unique passwords for every site so that when one company gets breached, the damage stops there.
See which companies are making this harder for you →Bitwarden
Free tierOpen sourceFree, open-source, and trusted.
Bitwarden is the best free password manager available. It's open source, audited by third parties, and works on every platform. The free tier covers unlimited passwords on unlimited devices — more than enough for most people.
Why we like it
- ✓Fully open source
- ✓Unlimited free tier
- ✓Self-hostable
- ✓Excellent browser extensions
Best for
Everyone, especially those new to password managers
1Password
The gold standard for teams and families.
1Password is what security professionals actually use. The interface is polished, the Watchtower feature flags breached and weak passwords automatically, and the Travel Mode feature lets you hide vaults at border crossings. Paid only, but worth it.
Why we like it
- ✓Best-in-class UX
- ✓Watchtower breach alerts
- ✓Travel Mode
- ✓Strong family/team plans
Best for
Power users, families, and teams
Proton Pass
Free tierOpen sourcePrivacy-first from the makers of ProtonMail.
Proton Pass is a newer entrant from the team behind ProtonMail and ProtonVPN. End-to-end encrypted, open source, and deeply integrated with the Proton ecosystem. A strong choice if you already use Proton services.
Why we like it
- ✓End-to-end encrypted
- ✓Open source
- ✓Proton ecosystem integration
- ✓Generous free tier
Best for
Proton users and privacy-conscious individuals
Dashlane
Built-in dark web monitoring.
Dashlane differentiates itself with built-in dark web monitoring that alerts you when your credentials appear in breach databases. The VPN bundled in premium plans is a bonus. Slightly pricier than alternatives but the monitoring is genuinely useful.
Why we like it
- ✓Dark web monitoring
- ✓Bundled VPN on premium
- ✓Clean interface
- ✓Password health scores
Best for
Users who want proactive breach alerts
NordPass
Simple and XChaCha20-encrypted.
NordPass uses XChaCha20 encryption (more modern than the AES-256 most competitors use) and has a clean, beginner-friendly interface. Made by the NordVPN team. A solid choice if you're already in the Nord ecosystem.
Why we like it
- ✓XChaCha20 encryption
- ✓Beginner-friendly
- ✓Data breach scanner
- ✓Nord ecosystem integration
Best for
NordVPN users and beginners
The best password manager is the one you'll actually use. Any of the above is better than reusing passwords. Start with Bitwarden if you're not sure — it's free, open source, and excellent.