Having a password manager is one of the best courses of action if you want to keep your online presence secure, and it’s one of the very first recommended apps we should be installing on our phones. It has been known for a long time that keeping the same password (or just slight variations of the same password) across several websites, is insecure as once someone manages to get their hands on your password, they can have easy access to all of your other accounts. Password Managers take away the effort from memorizing unique passwords for hundreds of websites. They also make logins easier by taking away the extra step of manually having to type out your password, and since you don’t have to type it out, you can make it much more complex, secure, and unguessable. These are a few of the many reasons why today we’re bringing you the best free password manager apps you can get for your smartphone right now!
From simple, straight-to-the-point apps to ones with lots of features, we have something for everyone here.
KeePass and KeePass2Android
KeePass can be considered the “old reliable” of password manager applications. Sure, it might not look as fancy as some of the other options in our list, but it has been around since the year 2003 when the first version launched for computers. But it’s open-source, completely free to use, and since the initial launch in 2003, it has changed a lot, updated to modern times, and added a bunch of new features. If you’re looking for a no-frills password manager that keeps your passwords secure and does its job, you need to look no further than KeePass. Unlike other options in our list, KeePass doesn’t have an official Android app, but since KeePass is open source, there are several unofficial ports on Android that you can check out. We recommend KeePass2Android as it does the job just fine.
Keepass2Android Password Safe (Free, Google Play) →
Bitwarden
After LastPass tightened their free tier, a lot of users started looking to Bitwarden as a decent, no-frills password manager alternative. While the app has a Premium tier, all of the core features of the app remain fully free, including a secure password generator, syncing across all devices, and more. You only really need to pay for the app if you’re looking for features such as the built-in two-factor authenticator and file sharing, but otherwise, you will be served more than okay with the free tier of Bitwarden. The best part of all? It’s open-source. Who doesn’t love some good old open-source software?
Bitwarden Password Manager (Free, Google Play) →
LastPass
LastPass used to be one of the best options for free password managers currently available. The bad news is that its free version was recently handicapped. You can use LastPass on an unlimited amount of computers or an unlimited amount of phones, but it’s either phones or computers, not both. The good news is that, if you’re willing to ignore that limitation, LastPass is still a decent option. Make a master password to manage all of your passwords and let LastPass automatically log you into apps and services. It even includes features such as two-factor authentication from services such as Authy and Google Authenticator.
LastPass Password Manager (Free+, Google Play) →
Zoho Vault
If you’re looking for a more unlimited experience as a free user, Zoho Vault might just be what you need. Unlike LastPass, it doesn’t really have any fancy features like two-factor authentication. But it actually manages to have way fewer limitations than other services usually do, which is absolutely great if you don’t really feel like paying for a subscription for your password manager (not that there’s something bad with that, I’ve been there). The browser extension may be a little bit clunky and unwieldy UX-wise, but it’s still one of the best password managers currently available.
Zoho Vault Password Manager (Free+, Google Play) →
Dashlane
Dashlane is amongst one of the most solid options for free password managers currently available. That’s because, much like LastPass, there’s a lot of nifty features to love about it, including a built-in VPN. Unfortunately, much like LastPass, it also suffers from very similar limitations, particularly on the number of passwords you can use and the number of devices you can access your passwords with. Still, it remains a good option for anyone looking for a password manager that does the job.
Dashlane Password Manager (Free+, Google Play) →
LogMeOnce
LogMeOnce is one of the very few options in this list that is actually completely free to use and doesn’t have a paid version, and it includes features such as multi-device support and even a secure wallet feature for storing your sensitive credit/debit card information and keeping it handy. But it’s also very basic in ways other apps in this list completely ace. Many users complain about the cumbersome UI and relative lack of features, not to mention that it contains ads. Still, if you’re willing to look past that though, then you got yourself something that does the job and scrapes by.
LogMeOnce Password Manager (Free, Google Play) →
RememBear
RememBear is made by the developers of TunnelBear, the renowned VPN app, and just like other apps in this list, it allows you to autofill your passwords and your payment information on a whim. It also has a Premium subscription (of which you get 30 days free by downloading the app), but bear with me (pun definitely intended) as the free version is actually still quite capable. The only things you’re losing out on the free version are backups, priority support, and syncing between devices. It’s definitely one of the better free password manager apps from this list.
RememBear: Password Manager and Secure Wallet (Free+, Google Play) →
Avira Password Manager
Avira Password Manager is made by the same folks who brought you the Avira Antivirus. While you probably don’t need to download their antivirus on your phone, you might find a little bit better value with their password manager as its free version is one of the most competitive ones out there. Most of the features of Avira Password Manager are available to users in the free tier, and the Pro tier actually only offers a few “enhanced security” features such as breach reporting and security analysis of your passwords. If you don’t need that though, then you’ll do just fine with the Free tier.
Avira Password Manager (Free+, Google Play) →
MYKI
Don’t want your stuff to be loaded online? Want to keep your passwords with you and only you? Then you might be served well by MYKI as your go-to free password manager app. It features a very modern-looking UI and includes features such as a vault for your payment information and a two-factor authenticator for generating 2FA codes. It’s all stored in your smartphone — nothing is on the cloud. Everything is synced across your devices using end-to-end encryption, and constantly backed up across your devices (and not the cloud) in the event your phone gets stolen or damaged. There’s a lot to love here.
MYKI: Offline Password Manager & Authenticator (Free+, Google Play) →
NordPass
NordPass is brought to you by Nord Security, the same folks who brought you NordVPN, which is still, to date, my favorite premium VPN. The free version of NordPass, unlike other password managers (even some from this list), puts no limits on how many passwords you can store or how many devices you can sync your passwords with. Just like other options in this list, this app has options to save your payment information and even your personal information, and it can all be autofilled. Of course, there’s a premium tier, but you might be well served by the free one as well.
NordPass® Password Manager & Digital Vault (Free+, Google Play) →
Many of us in the XDA team have been using KeePass and Bitwarden for years at this point, so those do get our vote. My personal favorites here are Avira Password Manager and RememBear, due to their relatively large amount of features for their respective free versions. If you need something a little bit different than a simple password manager app that syncs to the cloud though, then you’ll probably be better served by something like MYKI.
Most of these apps have premium versions as well. So if you like any of them, consider upgrading to the premium version or donating to the developer in order to support their work.
The post These are the Best Free Password Managers: Bitwarden, KeePass, and more! appeared first on xda-developers.
source https://www.xda-developers.com/best-free-password-manager/