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Best Password Managers of 2026: 6 Compared and Ranked

By · Updated · Prices checked October 3, 2026

The short answer: Bitwarden is our top pick: its free plan covers unlimited passwords on unlimited devices, it is open source and independently audited every year, and Premium costs $19.80 a year.456 Proton Pass is a close second with a similar free plan plus email aliases, and 1Password is the most polished paid option for families.915

At a glance

Password managers ranked, prices as published on October 3, 2026
#ServiceBest forPaid plan (per year)Free planScore /10
1 Bitwarden Almost everyone $19.80; Families $47.88 for six people54 Yes: unlimited passwords and devices4 9.7
2 Proton Pass Privacy-minded users who want email aliases $35.88; Family about $59.88 for six people1011 Yes: unlimited logins and devices, 10 email aliases9 9.2
3 1Password Families who want the most polished apps $47.88; Families $71.88 for five people1415 No; 14-day free trial16 7.8
4 Keeper People who want government-grade certifications $39.99; Family $84.99 for five people21 Limited: one phone, 10 passwords22 6.6
5 Dashlane Large households of up to 10 $59.88; Friends & Family about $89.88 for 10 people2726 No; ended September 202528 6.1
6 LastPass Existing users only; we don’t recommend it for new users About $36; Families about $4830 Limited: one device type31 5.3

A password manager creates a long, random, different password for every account, stores them in an encrypted vault and fills them in for you, so one leaked password can’t unlock the rest of your life. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recommends passwords of at least 16 random characters, unique to each account, and recommends a password manager to make that practical.1

All six services below encrypt your vault so the company can’t read it, and all support passkeys, the password replacement now offered by many banks and big websites. What separates them is price, how open they are to outside scrutiny, and their record when something went wrong.

The 6 password managers, ranked

1

Bitwarden

Best for almost everyone

9.7/10

Paid plan (per year)
$19.80; Families $47.88 for six people54
Free plan
Yes: unlimited passwords and devices4

The best free password manager, and the cheapest paid upgrade. The free plan has no limit on passwords or devices and includes passkeys.4 Premium adds a built-in authenticator, vault health reports, encrypted file storage and emergency access.5

  • Open source, with yearly third-party audits by firms including Cure53, and published results.6
  • Apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, plus browser extensions; you can even host it yourself.7

Pros

  • A genuinely complete free plan
  • Open source and audited every year
  • Lowest price for Premium and Families

Cons

  • Less polished than 1Password
  • Premium doubled in price in January 2026, though it is still the cheapest here8

Visit Bitwarden

2

Proton Pass

Best for privacy-minded users who want email aliases

9.2/10

Paid plan (per year)
$35.88; Family about $59.88 for six people1011
Free plan
Yes: unlimited logins and devices, 10 email aliases9

From the Swiss company behind Proton Mail. The free plan stores unlimited logins on unlimited devices and includes 10 “hide-my-email” aliases, so you can sign up for sites without handing over your real address.9

  • Open source and audited by Cure53, which rated its security “commendable”.12
  • Proton is primarily owned by a non-profit foundation.13

Pros

  • Generous free plan with email aliases
  • Open source and independently audited

Cons

  • Prices shift with promotions; Plus was $2.99 a month on a yearly plan when we checked10
  • A younger product than Bitwarden or 1Password

Visit Proton Pass

3

1Password

Best for families who want the most polished apps

7.8/10

Paid plan (per year)
$47.88; Families $71.88 for five people1415
Free plan
No; 14-day free trial16

The best-designed password manager, with apps for Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android.17 It is the easiest for a whole household to adopt, but there is no free plan, and prices rose in March 2026.14

  • Publishes independent penetration tests and holds SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 certifications.1819
  • Pays up to $1 million to researchers who find serious flaws.20

Pros

  • Best apps and family sharing
  • Strong audit and certification record

Cons

  • No free plan
  • Individual rose about 33% and Families about 20% in March 202614

Visit 1Password

4

Keeper

Best for people who want government-grade certifications

6.6/10

Paid plan (per year)
$39.99; Family $84.99 for five people21
Free plan
Limited: one phone, 10 passwords22

A long-established manager with an unusually long list of certifications, including FedRAMP High authorization, and quarterly third-party penetration tests.23 The free version is too limited for most people.22

  • Supports passkeys on iOS and Android.24

Pros

  • Extensive certifications and frequent testing
  • Family plan includes 10 GB of file storage21

Cons

  • Family plan is the most expensive here
  • Free plan works on a single phone only

Worth knowing: In 2017 Keeper sued Ars Technica and one of its reporters over an article about a browser-extension flaw found by a Google researcher. Keeper had patched the flaw within about a day.25

Visit Keeper

5

Dashlane

Best for large households of up to 10

6.1/10

Paid plan (per year)
$59.88; Friends & Family about $89.88 for 10 people2726
Free plan
No; ended September 202528

A capable manager that bundles dark-web monitoring and a Wi-Fi VPN into Premium.27 It covers the most people on one family plan, but it dropped its free plan in September 2025 and is the most expensive individual option here.28

  • Its mobile app code is published for inspection, though under a non-commercial license rather than as full open source.29

Pros

  • One family plan covers up to 10 accounts
  • Dark-web monitoring and VPN included

Cons

  • Most expensive individual plan
  • No free plan any more

Visit Dashlane

6

LastPass

Best for existing users only; we don’t recommend it for new users

5.3/10

Paid plan (per year)
About $36; Families about $4830
Free plan
Limited: one device type31

Once the most popular password manager. In December 2022 LastPass disclosed that an attacker had copied a backup of customer vaults, including unencrypted website addresses and encrypted passwords protected only by each user’s master password.33

  • Researchers have linked cracked vaults from the breach to more than $35 million in cryptocurrency thefts.34
  • The UK Information Commissioner’s Office fined LastPass £1.2 million over the breach in November 2025.35

Pros

  • Reasonably priced
  • Now supports passkeys32

Cons

  • Stolen vaults can still be attacked offline years later
  • Free plan limited to computer or phone, not both

Worth knowing: If you used LastPass before 2023, change the master password and every important password that was in the vault, and move any cryptocurrency whose seed phrase you stored there. In June 2026 LastPass disclosed a separate incident at a vendor that exposed customer contact details, though it says vaults were not affected.36

Visit LastPass

How we ranked them

We rated each service from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) on 5 criteria, weighted by how much each matters for security wealth. The score is the weighted average, scaled to 10. Ratings come from each company’s own published prices and features and from the independent reviews in the sources list, checked on October 3, 2026.

  1. Security and transparency (30%). Independent audits, published reports and certifications, and whether the code is open for anyone to inspect.
  2. Price (25%). The yearly cost of the individual and family plans.
  3. Free plan (15%). Whether a free plan exists and whether it is usable on all your devices.
  4. Features (15%). Passkeys, sharing with family, apps for every major platform, and extras such as email aliases or breach alerts.
  5. Track record (15%). Breaches of customer data and how the company handled security reports. A breach of encrypted vaults weighs most.
Ratings by criterion (1–5)
ServiceSecurityPriceFree planFeaturesRecordScore /10
Bitwarden555459.7
Proton Pass545459.2
1Password531557.8
Keeper432436.6
Dashlane421446.1
LastPass242415.3

Free alternatives worth knowing

The password managers built into Apple devices and Google Chrome are free and far better than reusing passwords. Their limit is that they work best inside one company’s devices. If your household mixes iPhone, Android and Windows, a dedicated manager like Bitwarden or Proton Pass works everywhere for free.

Whatever you choose, turn on multifactor authentication for your email, bank and the password manager itself, so a stolen password alone can’t unlock an account.2 Current federal guidance also says long passwords beat complex ones, and you don’t need to change them on a schedule unless one is compromised.3

How to choose

  • Want it free? Bitwarden or Proton Pass.
  • Setting up a whole family who isn’t technical? 1Password is the easiest to live with.
  • More than six people? Dashlane Friends & Family covers 10.
  • Care most about inspecting the code? Bitwarden and Proton Pass are open source.

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Common questions

What is the best password manager in 2026?

In our comparison, Bitwarden ranks first because its free plan has no limits on passwords or devices, it is open source and audited every year, and Premium costs $19.80 a year. Proton Pass is a close second, and 1Password is the most polished paid option.

Is there a good free password manager?

Yes. Bitwarden and Proton Pass both offer free plans with unlimited passwords on unlimited devices. Dashlane ended its free plan in September 2025, and the free versions of Keeper and LastPass are limited to one device or one device type.

Are password managers safe?

Reputable password managers encrypt your vault with your master password, so the company cannot read it. The main risk is a weak master password: if a vault is stolen, as happened at LastPass in 2022, a long, unique master password is what keeps it from being cracked.

Should I still use LastPass?

We do not recommend LastPass for new users because vaults stolen in its 2022 breach have since been cracked and linked to more than $35 million in cryptocurrency thefts. Existing users should at least change their master password and important passwords.

Is a password manager better than my browser's built-in one?

A browser or phone password manager is free and much better than reusing passwords. A dedicated password manager is better if you use devices from several companies, want to share passwords with family, or want emergency access for a trusted person.

Sources

  1. Use Strong Passwords — Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
  2. Turn On MFA — Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
  3. NIST Special Publication 800-63B: Digital Identity Guidelines, Authentication — National Institute of Standards and Technology
  4. Bitwarden Password Manager Pricing & Plans — Bitwarden
  5. Bitwarden launches enhanced premium plan — Bitwarden
  6. Security FAQs — Bitwarden
  7. Download the Bitwarden Password Manager App — Bitwarden
  8. Bitwarden Free vs Premium (2026) — PanicVault
  9. Proton Pass: Pricing & Plans — Proton
  10. We’re changing the price of Proton Pass Plus — Proton
  11. Introducing our new plan: Pass Family — Proton
  12. Proton Pass is open source and audited for security — Proton
  13. Proton Pass: Free password manager with identity protection — Proton
  14. 1Password Getting More Expensive Starting in March — MacRumors, 2026
  15. 1Password’s annual subscription plans are getting a price hike next month — 9to5Google, 2026
  16. Password Manager Pricing for Individuals & Families — 1Password
  17. Password Manager — 1Password
  18. Security audits of 1Password — 1Password
  19. 1Password is ISO 27001 certified, and more — 1Password
  20. Strengthening our investment in customer security with a $1 million bug bounty — 1Password
  21. Secure Password Management for Families and Individuals — Keeper Security
  22. Keeper Unlimited Free Trial vs. Free Version — Keeper Security
  23. How Keeper Secures Passwords, Secrets and Access — Keeper Security
  24. Keeper Announces Passkey Management and Autofill for iOS and Android — Keeper Security, 2024
  25. Keeper Sues Ars Technica Over Reporting on Critical Flaw — SecurityWeek, 2017
  26. Personal Password Manager Pricing — Dashlane
  27. Dashlane Price & Subscription Costs in 2026 — Security.org
  28. Dashlane to Retire Free Password Manager Plan in September — CyberInsider, 2025
  29. Dashlane’s Mobile Code Now Publicly Available — Dashlane
  30. LastPass Review and Pricing in 2026 — Security.org
  31. LastPass Free vs. Premium — LastPass
  32. LastPass Now Supports Passkeys — LastPass, 2025
  33. Security Incident December 2022 Update — LastPass, 2022
  34. Experts Fear Crooks are Cracking Keys Stolen in LastPass Breach — KrebsOnSecurity, 2023
  35. Password manager provider fined £1.2m by ICO for data breach — UK Information Commissioner’s Office, 2025
  36. Klue Supply Chain Incident & LastPass Response — LastPass, 2026

This guide is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not financial, medical, legal, or tax advice, and it is not a recommendation to buy any product. Prices and features change; confirm them with the provider before you sign up.

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