Upper case, lower case, more than 12 characters, Special characters, longer words, not those
words, make it unique!
With these password requirements are getting harder and harder to manage, the old ways
of remembering your password or heaven forbid - writing it on a post it note - just don’t
cut the mustard these days.
Fortunately, there are several password managers available to help us manage our passwords
and keep our accounts secure.
But with so many options, which one is the best one to use?
That’s what we’re here to help you find out.
We compared some of the leading password managers on the market and put them head to head in
an epic battle.
The battle of 5 password managers: Roboform vs Lastpass vs Dashlane vs 1Password vs NordPass.
You can get discount links for all of these including our winner in the description.
We looked at four factors: Privacy and Security
Ease of Use and Features Password Generation and Sharing
And Price Giving a score in each category for each brand.
Our goal is to identify which of these password managers is the most secure, user-friendly,
and offers the most value to its users.
So let’s begin!
Privacy and Security
First up is Privacy and Security.
When it comes to privacy and security, most password managers tend to take the protection
of user data seriously, offering end-to-end encryption to ensure that users' passwords
and personal information are kept secure.
All except NordPass use AES 256-bit encryption - NordPass has its own different encryption
method.
So there are a lot of key similarities.
However, there are some differences in how they implement these security measures and
additional features they have.
For example, LastPass has security features like hardware tokens and biometric authentication.
It also has a feature called "Security Challenge," which identifies weak or reused passwords
and prompts users to update them.
However, LastPass was hacked in January 2023 and some encrypted user data was stolen, which
brings down its security score.
Dashlane comes with a cool extra feature called "Dark Web Monitoring," which scans the dark
web for compromised accounts and alerts users if their accounts are at risk.
This can be useful if you’re not sure about how secure your existing passwords are.
1Password has a feature called "Watchtower," which alerts users if their passwords are
compromised in a data breach, but not much else.
Roboform offers two-factor authentication options, including support for hardware tokens,
fingerprinting, and facial recognition.
You also get a master password known only to you, an extra layer of security that ensures
the passwords themselves have an encrypted password, and they also offer reports and
security audits on your passwords.
[x]
NordPass - the same company which makes NordVPN - uses XChaCha20 encryption, which is also
considered a strong encryption method that prepares for a future where standard AES-256
may no longer be viable.
It also offers two-factor authentication options, and has a feature called "Data Breach Scanner,"
which checks if users' passwords are compromised in data breaches.
Logically, as password managers, security is the highest priority and every one we’ve
looked at here is very strong, So let’s also look at what else can set them apart:
Ease of Use and Features
Being easy to use is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing a password
manager as they should be intuitive and convenient before they become just as much of a hassle
as a mountain of post-it notes Here's how each password manager fared:
Roboform, LastPass, Dashlane, 1Password, and NordPass all offer user-friendly interfaces
and the ability to store and autofill passwords.
They also let you securely store payment information and share passwords with others.
This gives them all a base score of three stars:
However, there are some differences in their feature sets.
For example, Roboform offers an awesome digital wallet feature that makes online purchases
quick and easy and its one-click Login feature is super simple to use.
LastPass has a decent UI but doesn’t have much extra, but particularly in customer support
it’s found lacking, with no live chat, and free users unable to submit tickets if something
is wrong.
Dashlane goes a step further by providing users with a feature called "VPN for Wi-Fi
protection," which encrypts your internet connection and protects your online activity.
Really useful when you’re on the go!
1Password has a "travel mode" feature, which allows users to remove sensitive information
from their devices when travelling and restore it upon arrival.
It also has great password management controls for families.
NordPass is unique in that it uses "XChaCha20 encryption," which is considered one of the
most secure encryption algorithms and really sets it apart in this category.
All the password managers were evenly matched, and which one has the best features really
depends on what you need day to day.
1Password might be great for those of you who are more nomadic, and Roboform is a must-have
for the online shopaholics (or for anyone else for that matter), but if you’re only
looking for the basic functionality, then prioritise the other factors we’ll be looking
at shortly.
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don’t miss a single tech video, including guides, reviews and more.
Done?
Great!
Let’s now take a look at …
Password Generation and Sharing
With all the complex varieties of passwords, being able to generate one that works in each
situation is essential.
And being able to share them is also an increasingly important feature when you’re working in
collaboration with others, or across devices.
So how do they fare?
In terms of password generation, all five password managers have the ability to generate
strong and unique passwords, but only two offer more significant customization options
than others.
Roboform, for example, allows users to set a customised password length and complexity
criteria.
While LastPass provides users with the ability to exclude certain characters from password
generation.
When it comes to password sharing, all five password managers allow users to share passwords
with others securely, but there are some differences in how they handle it.
For example, Roboform and LastPass allow users to share passwords with others without revealing
the password, while Dashlane and 1Password require users to create a shared vault and
grant access to it.
NordPass offers password sharing through a feature called "NordPass Groups," which allows
users to share passwords with a group of people.
Which earns it 4 stars total.
Roboform and Lastpass stood out as the most intuitive to use when generating and sharing
passwords which gives them a 5 star score.
As for Dashlane and 1Password the lack of major additional features earns them 3 stars.
Pricing
When it comes to pricing, all five password managers offer free and paid plans.
The free plans generally have basic features and limited storage, while the paid plans
offer more advanced features and increased storage.
Prices vary depending on the plan and the number of users.
Roboform, for example, offers a free plan with basic features and paid plans starting
at $23.88 per year (around 1.99 a month) for a single user.
You can get even better value if you seek out a discount link like the one in our description
which gets you x% off.
LastPass also has a free plan and paid plans starting at $3 per month for a single user,
while 1Password and NordPass are just a cent less, as both offer a free trial and paid
plans starting at $2.99 per month for a single user.
Of all the managers, Roboform has the lowest price point at $1.99 a month with an annual
plan.
The most expensive was Dashlane which offers a free plan and paid plans starting at $4.99
per month for a single user.
Conclusion
Overall, all five password managers are excellent choices, and come with a whole host of different
unique features for different uses.
But the scores don’t lie.
In 5th place, with a total of 15/20 stars, is LastPass.
The security breach really lets it down here.
In 4th place is 1Password with 15.5 Stars.
Here it was the lack of any major additional features in the password generation and sharing
that reduced the score.
In 3rd place is DashLane at 16 stars out of 20.
It’s a strong password manager but was by far the most expensive, over double the cost
of Roboform, for example, per month.
In 2nd place is (drumroll) NordPass, with its high security and great range of features
that earns it a 17 stars out of 20.
But that extra dollar a month could be the difference for whatever you’re saving up
for.
But thanks to its high security, low price point, really cool features like the one-click
Login feature and extensive password customizability, Roboform stands out as the winner with 18.5
stars out of 20.
Their experience in the password market, having first existed as long ago as the late 1990s,
has really shone through with their ability and knowledge on full show.
Thank you for watching!
Join us next time for more tech content and let us know in the comments down below what
you thought about our picks!
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more content just like this.