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Matt Davies Stockton Discusses the Best Password Managers

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Introduction

According to Matt Davies Stockton, hundreds of apps, thousands of websites, and several social media platforms make it very difficult to create unique and secure passwords for each one of them. That’s where password managers come in. Let’s check out the best password managers.

The Applications

  1. Free password managers from Google and Apple – If you use any of Google or Apple products, you’re already familiar with their free password managers. Google has the Google Password Manager while Apple has the iCloud Keychain. Both these password managers allow you to save passwords in a secured vault linked to your Gmail or Apple Id and fill up the passwords automatically when you log in to a website.

However, this only works when you exclusively use their products and services and are entirely dependent on their ecosystem. While both of those password managers boast strong encryption, they become useless when you move out of their ecosystem. So, if you decide to use a Windows PC or an Android tablet, Keychain becomes useless. On the other hand, Google Password Manager only works when you use a Chromebook, an Android phone, an Android tablet, and nothing else.

  1. LastPass – LastPass has been one of the mainstream password managers for many years and has done a splendid job at making its software easy to use and highly secure. Unfortunately, the free version has severe limitations. It’s best to opt for the paid version of the service so that you can use it anywhere and anytime across multiple devices and browsers. It has multi-factor authentication(supports biometrics, a secondary device, YubiKey, Microsoft Authenticators, and more), strong encryption, and password-strength reports.

  1. 1Password – While it is limited to a handful of mainstream browser extensions, it’s more than most people need. You can use it across multiple devices and platforms and access everything with one master password. This password manager also supports biometrics like Face ID or Fingerprint and has built-in two-factor authentication.

There’s a very low probability of you losing your 1Password account since they guide you to create an emergency kit. It’s basically a PDF document with everything you need to sign in to your account. Just make sure to print it out and delete it from your phone, computer, and the cloud.

  1. Dashlane – Dashlane is one of the most versatile password managers. While it costs more than the others, it makes up for it with its incredible features. It has multiple authentication methods, offers dark web monitoring, and even comes with a built-in VPN service. While the VPN service is not on par with the best VPNs, it encrypts your traffic, hides your IP, and allows you to avert censorship.

Conclusion

Matt Davies Stockton suggests that you use the free password managers from Apple or Google if you’re deep into that ecosystem. On the other hand, if you use devices from different brands and switch ecosystems quite often, then it’s best to opt for one of the above-mentioned password managers.