Best free password managers of 2023

The best free password managers make it simple and easy to stay safe online, all without spending a cent. 

Password managers (opens in new tab) are relatively simple but very important, powerful tools to keep you safe when online. If you're unfortunate enough to be a target of hacking, they work hard to keep your passwords secure. In addition to that, a password manager will provide you with a much easier method to manage your passwords and logins. Therefore, rejoice, the days of keeping passwords scribbled on post-its affixed around your monitor bezel are long gone.

Many of us have a lot more online accounts compared to just five, or ten years ago, and that number just keeps growing. When studied, the average number of unique logins per user comes in at 100 to 150, each with a password of a certain length. The reality is that most users will not be able to keep so many passwords memorized. Given this challenge, it's tempting and convenient to use the same easy to remember password for most of our logins (ie: password123), but that puts us right in the middle of danger. That's why having a good password manager is more than crucial.

There is no shortage of password managers on the market right now, and naturally, for the best of the best, you'll have to pay. Realize that there are some very good free offerings if you don't want to spend any money, and if your needs are not particularly demanding, it just might get the job done for you.

So, without any further delay, let’s take a look at our top picks for the best free password managers.

We've also featured the best password generators.

Why you can trust TechRadar Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Our expert review:

LastPass password manager is easy to use, super-secure, packed with features, and offers both free and premium tiers if you want to upgrade later on.

LastPass stores the data using AES-256 bit encryption with PBKDF2 SHA-256 and salted hashes to keep it secure, and this works for more than just passwords. For instance, credit card details and delivery addresses are stored as well, and they can be entered automatically when shopping online. Insurance policy details, encrypted notes, and a few more are stored too as part of the ‘Secure Notes’ feature. 

We also like that the free tier can work with an unlimited number of passwords, that can automatically sync between devices, and it can save with each new password typed, and then autofill to get login credentials entered seamlessly. It also allows for ‘One to one sharing’ which allows you to share your passwords with another user, typically a trusted family member.

Do note, though, that the free account has a pretty severe limitation. LastPass Free users will have to choose whether they want their accounts on mobile or desktop, with the company saying it will only include access on unlimited devices of one type. Given that most users have both a computer and a smartphone (if not even more devices), this is a pretty good reason to then upgrade to the paid plan to get around this issue. 

Other good reasons to upgrade for the modest monthly cost include the ability to share passwords beyond a single user, more personal support than just the self help options, and Emergency Access to grant one time access to another user in a crisis. 

Read our full LastPass review (opens in new tab).

Our expert review:

Bitwarden is open-source software, user-friendly and highly secure. It includes almost everything consumers, teams, and businesses require in a password manager. Naturally, the free plan is only for consumers, as there are two tiers of paid plans for businesses. Less expected, is that while the software is open source, and there is a free tier of consumer plan, above that for consumers there are two tiers of paid plans, that while quite affordable, still have a cost.

That out of the way, Bitwarden’s free plan tier has a surprisingly large number of features, including ones usually found only in paid plans; we also appreciate that it states “Free forever” right below the plan so you can have some confidence entrusting Bitwarden with your passwords, and there won’t be a charge in the future. Notable features of the free tier include multi-device sync, two users, free cloud hosting, unlimited passwords and devices, and finally being able to share the vault items with another user.

There's also the two-step login, better known as two factor authentication, an industry wide recommended best security practice. Although it is limited only to email and an authenticator app in the free version (the paid version adds support for YubiKey, FIDO2 and Duo), it's still a welcome additional security that you usually have to pay for.

Not particularly surprising for a free app, but be aware that support for Bitwarden is of the self help variety. While there is a Help Center of documents, and a community forum, the support portal for more direct support is limited to a paid plan. Further, we did not find any phone or email for direct support on any tier of plan.

Bitwarden is not just one of the best free password managers available, it’s so advanced and feature-packed it could put some paid password managers out of business, as well.

Read our full Bitwarden review (opens in new tab).

Our expert review:

LogMeOnce is a password management solution that offers cross-platform support, including for both the Android and iOS platforms. Regardless of the device you use, whether desktop or mobile, your passwords, and logins are still accessible at all times. 

Unusually, LogMeOnce gets rid of the need for a master password by putting in place additional security settings. That way, you can't get locked out of your account simply by forgetting your master password. Two-factor authentication is present as well (only via email and Google authenticator, though).

LogMeOnce also offers additional security features, such as the ability to encrypt via AES and store your logins online to help with accessibility. There is also support for two factor authentication (2FA), a password generator, and a password calculator. There is also an Apps Beneficiary.

The free version, unlike some others, lives up to its name as the Premium Plan, and comes with unlimited password storage, passwords, autofill, and cross platform devices & sync. As for the encrypted file storage, you only get 1MB of storage, and it can also store info for up to three credit cards. It also supports secure password sharing for a generous 5 users, more than other free tiers that max out at a single other user.

With so many features, LogMeOnce is an easy choice, but there are some downsides as well. This includes that on the free tier, that there are ads displayed unfortunately. Also, while at least there is some encrypted storage offered, it is quite limited to just 1 MB, hardly enough for anything other than to upgrade to a paid plan that then ups it to a more reasonable 1 GB. Finally, tech support on the lowest tier has but a single option of a support portal, but at least there is a searchable database of articles for a self help option. 

In addition, LogMeOnce is built to provide Single Sign-On functionality, so once you're logged in with a service you shouldn't expect to need to keep signing in again. 

Read our full LogMeOnce review (opens in new tab).

Our expert review:

Roboform is another versatile password manager, with plugins for all the major browsers and mobile apps for both iOS and Android. It offers a free tier of plan, along with an upgraded plan, and a family plan.

The free version is superb, providing you with a secure vault for your logins (though you also have the option of only storing your data on your device if you prefer), an auditing tool to help you identify weak or duplicated passwords, and a password generator for replacing them with strong, unguessable combinations of numbers, letters, and special characters.

The service also allows you to store an unlimited number of logins, and after the data is saved, you can just log back to sites with a single click. There is also multi-platform support, the ability to manage bookmarks, the option to securely send logins, and the capability to complete web forms.

Unfortunately, the free version of RoboForm doesn't sync your passwords across multiple devices. It is also missing two factor authentication, and on the free tier support is a support portal and a knowledge base with no phone or email for a more direct connection. For any and all of that you'll need a premium subscription, but prices are very reasonable if you decide to pay.

Read our full Roboform review (opens in new tab).

Our expert review:

Dashlane is one of the most popular password managers in the world, and for good reason. When it comes to the free version, there are a couple of things worth mentioning. For starters, while Dashlane's free plan formerly only allowed up to 50 passwords to be stored in a secure vault, that significant restriction has been lifted, and it now thankfully supports unlimited passwords. However, like a few other competitors, Dashlane still imposes the single device limit, which is an issue as most folks have multiple devices, and the whole point of password management software is to have your passwords available on whatever device you are using.

That said, there are some good features here. The always welcome autofill feature is there which doesn't only work for passwords but also stores various information and fills out stuff like contact details or delivery addresses. We also like the password generator for the creation of strong passwords, and the ability to organize and search your passwords.

There is also an emphasis on security, as Dashlane states that they have never suffered a data breach, and they don’t actually see any of your data. Furthermore, they also indicate that you can take your passwords and data when you leave, so that is further proof that their users are satisfied.

Overall, Dashlane is a useful password manager for users that can work within the single device limit.

Read our full Dashlane review (opens in new tab).

We've also listed the best business password managers

When deciding which free password managers to use, first consider what your actual needs are, as free versions may only provide basic features, so if you need to use advanced tools you may find a more expensive password manager is better suited to you. Additionally, higher-end software can usually cater for every need, so do ensure you have a good idea of which features you think you may require from your password manager.

To test for the best free password managers we first set up an account with the relevant provider, then we tested the service to see how the software could be used for different purposes and in different situations. The aim was to push each password manager to see how useful its basic tools were and also how easy it was to get to grips with any more advanced tools.

Read more on how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar (opens in new tab).