Remote work has become the new norm for many middle-class workers, making it more essential than ever to secure online accounts with powerful passwords. Unfortunately, it can prove a challenge to memorize dozens of passwords and outright dangerous to use the same old string of characters repeatedly.
In the event one finds themselves getting constantly locked out of their online accounts because of drawing a blank when attempting to log in, it’s critical to consider the implementation of a password manager which assists in overseeing and handling credentials. Moreover, they prove efficient for syncing data and auto-filling forms across PCs, Macs, iPhones, iPads, and Android phones.
By definition, password managers serve as an encrypted vault responsible for storing secure login information used to access accounts and apps on mobile devices, websites, and various services.
In addition to maintaining identity, keeping sensitive data and credentials safe, the best managers can also generate passwords to create unique strings of characters to ensure users aren’t using the same password in multiple places. Given all the recent news of identity theft and security breaches, having a password for each location goes a long way to ensure that if a single site gets hacked, the rest of the passwords won’t be used similarly across others.
1. BitWarden
Leading the list of managers includes BitWarden; a tool that is transparent, secure, and open-source functionality with a free plan. This software is capable of generating, storing, and automatically filling passwords across every device and a popular browser with competitive strength.
The free version lacks several of the whistles and bells of other picks but the premium versions are just as rich. Like the closest competitors, the subscription version allows for the sharing of memberships, passwords, logins, and other items with friends and family using multi-factor authentication. This also allows for 1 gigabyte of encrypted storage. Despite having fewer features than the premium, the free version provides a texting feature that allows for the secure sharing of login information with other people.
2. LastPass
For the money, LastPass exists as the best option for password management. The free version made it stand out as the best in its category by providing you the ability to store passwords, credentials, login info and sync it all wherever you want across browsers and mobile devices.
While one can currently manage and view passwords across these devices, you now have to choose to use the free version for one or the other. If the user picks mobile, they get to access their LastPass account across smartwatches, tablets, phones but not their desktop or laptop unless you upgrade.
3. 1Password
A single master password can be used to keep all login information secure and private, with 1Password remaining the best manager for this task and available on all major devices. This manager lacks a completely free version, but you can find it up to 2 weeks before signing up.
Individual subscriptions run up to $36/year and come with a single gigabyte of document storage and optional authentication through a service called Yubikey for added security. Travel mode allows the user to remove sensitive data from their device and restore it with a single easy click upon returning such that it’s not vulnerable to checks when crossing the border.