I still consider BitWarden to be a cheaper option for most people, but there are some very cool features in 1Password that you won’t find anywhere else. If you frequently travel across national borders, you’ll appreciate my favorite 1Password feature: Travel Mode. This mode allows you to delete any sensitive information from your devices before traveling and then restore it with one click after you have crossed a border. This prevents anyone, including law enforcement at international borders, from accessing your entire password vault.
It’s worth noting that 1Password uses a combination of two keys to unlock your account, your password and an additional generated secret key. While that adds a layer of security that will protect you against weak passwords, it also means that part of what you need to unlock your passwords is something you didn’t create. 1Password makes sure you have this key as an item in your “emergency kit,” but I still prefer to combine an auto-generated password with a Yubikey.
In addition to being a password manager, 1Password can act as an authenticator app like Google Authenticator and, for added security, creates a secret key for the encryption key it uses, meaning no one can crack your passwords without that key. The downside is that if you lose this key, no one, not even 1Password, will be able to crack your passwords. (This can be mitigated by setting a custom group who has the “Recover Accounts” permission.)
1Password also offers tight integration with other mobile apps. Instead of having to copy and paste passwords from your password manager into other apps (which puts your password on the clipboard at least for a moment), 1Password is integrated with many apps and can autofill. This is more noticeable on iOS, where communication between applications is more restricted.
After registering, download the application for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Chrome OS or Linux. There are also browser extensions for Firefox, Chrome, Brave and Edge.
Best Full Featured Manager
Courtesy of Dashlane
I first encountered Dashlane several years ago. Back then, he was just like his competitors, without outstanding attributes. However, updates over time have added several useful features. One of the best is Site Breach Alerts, something other services have since added as well. Dashlane actively monitors the darkest corners of the web, looking for leaked or stolen personal data, and alerts you if your information has been compromised.
Setting up and migrating from another password manager is simple and will use a secret key to encrypt your passwords, much like BitWarden’s setup process. In practice, Dashlane is very similar to the others on this list. The company doesn’t offer a desktop app, but I mostly use passwords in the web browser anyway, and Dashlane has add-ons for all major browsers, along with iOS and Android apps. If a desktop app is important to you, you should be aware of that omission. Dashlane offers a 30-day free trial, so you can try it out before you commit.
After registering, download the application for Android and iOS, and get browser extensions for Firefox, Chrome and Edge.
Best DIY Options (Self-Hosted)
Do you want to maintain more control over your data in the cloud? Synchronize your password vault yourself. The following services do not store any of your data on their servers. This means that attackers have nothing to attack. Instead of storing your passwords, these services use a local vault to store your data, and then you can sync that vault using a file sync service like mailbox; NextCloud; or that of Edward Snowden recommended service, SpiderOak. There are two services to follow in this scenario, which makes it a little more complex. But if you’re already using a file sync service, this may be a good option.
Courtesy of Enpass
Enpass does not store any data on its servers. Synchronization is done through third-party services. Enpass doesn’t do syncing, but it does offer apps on all platforms. That means that once you have sync set up, it will work like any other service. And you don’t have to worry about Enpass being hacked, because your data is not on their servers. Enpass supports syncing via Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud, Box, Nextcloud, or any service that uses WebDAV. Unfortunately, SpiderOak is not currently supported. You can also sync your data over a local WLAN or Wi-Fi network.
All the features you’d expect from a password manager are here, including automatic password generation, breach monitoring, biometric login (for devices that support it), password autofill, and options to store other types of data , like credit cards. and identification data. There’s also a password audit feature to highlight any weak or duplicate passwords in your vault. One extra I particularly like is the ability to tag passwords for easy searching. Enpass also makes it easy to set up syncing through the service of your choice. Enpass recently added support for access keys.
