The Best Free Password Managers Of 2025: Expert Tested

1 week ago

There are galore things to interest astir successful life, but password information doesn't request to beryllium 1 of them. The best password manager helps america by streamlining our logins including analyzable passwords, passkeys, and unsocial login names truthful we tin walk our power elsewhere.

We tested nan champion free password managers complete nan past twelvemonth to thief you enactment safe online. These are robust devices that won't costs you a dime.

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What is nan champion free password head correct now?

At ZDNET, we've tested a wide scope of free password managers to find those you tin spot to support your passwords unafraid from threats and accessible erstwhile you request them. My prime for nan champion free password head is Bitwarden The work allows you to sync arsenic galore logins arsenic you want crossed each your devices while protecting your information pinch beardown encryption and respective layers of security.

These are nan champion free password managers to securely shop your information successful 2025.

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The champion free password managers of 2025

Bitwarden offers everything you request successful a basal password head -- positive immoderate premium features -- astatine nary cost. This makes it my apical prime for free password guidance and one of ZDNET's favourite password managers, period.

Users connected Bitwarden's free tier tin create and shop an unlimited number of logins that sync crossed an unlimited number of devices pinch entree wherever you request them. This includes Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android arsenic good arsenic Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Vivaldi, Edge, Brave, Opera, Tor, and DuckDuckGo -- presently successful beta connected macOS. The free scheme besides includes useful devices for illustration encrypted matter sharing via Bitwarden Send, nan expertise to stock vault items pinch different user, and a fistful of multi-factor authentication (MFA) options for accessing your vault.

Review: Bitwarden

Bitwarden is unfastened source, meaning its codification is disposable for anyone to place information flaws that request to beryllium patched. The level besides undergoes regular information audits and testing. It besides supports passkeys some for saved logins and entree to your Bitwarden vault, adding a furniture of information beyond moreover a analyzable password and two-factor authentication. The free tier besides includes basal vault wellness reporting, truthful you'll beryllium alerted if immoderate of your saved usernames were exposed successful a information breach.

Bitwarden has a no-frills interface, and immoderate of its features for illustration autofill and its built-in password generator are clunkier than different platforms. As a wholly free password manager, it's a coagulated prime for astir people.

Bitwarden is besides ZDNET's prime for nan best LastPass replacement overall successful 2025.

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NordPass is nan password head from Nord Security, nan cybersecurity institution down NordVPN and unafraid unreality retention work NordLocker. Its free tier offers nan essentials of password management: unlimited password retention pinch autosave and autofill, a built-in password generator, and passkey support These features are packaged successful a user-friendly interface that's accordant crossed platforms.

NordPass's astir important limitation is that you tin only beryllium logged into your vault connected 1 instrumentality astatine a clip -- accessing your relationship via mobile app will log you retired connected desktop, and vice versa. This is much of a insignificant inconvenience for astir users, arsenic it simply requires logging backmost into your vault utilizing your maestro password, biometrics, aliases one-time codification erstwhile you move devices. NordPass is multi-platform, pinch apps for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux and extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Edge.

While signing up for NordPass does require you to create a cosmopolitan Nord Account login successful summation to a maestro password for your vault, you tin entree each of Nord Security's devices nether nan aforesaid credentials. Like different trusted password managers, NordPass uses beardown encryption and has undergone an independent information audit. You tin besides alteration multi-factor authentication arsenic an other measurement to protect your vault.

NordPass's intuitive level connected its free tier is simply a bully prime for users caller to password guidance who don't mind having to log successful pinch each instrumentality switch. Note, though, that if you want immoderate other features for illustration information monitoring, record storage, aliases emergency access, you'll request to upgrade to a paid account, which starts astatine $1.39 per period for a azygous user.

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Proton Pass is an open-source password head that combines highly unafraid retention pinch premium features for each users, including those connected its free tier. With a free account, you get unlimited password retention accessible connected an unlimited number of devices and crossed aggregate platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Brave, and Edge. Proton Pass has a user-friendly creation and a simple, guided setup process, making it a coagulated replacement to NordPass for those caller to password management.

A free Proton Pass relationship includes respective features usually recovered only connected paid plans. You get up to 10 hide-my-email aliases, which tin minimize search and spam tied to your individual address, and vault wellness reports arsenic portion of Pass Monitor.

Review: Proton Pass

As nan password guidance solution from Proton, nan Swiss privateness institution known for its VPN and encrypted email services, Proton Pass meets precocious information standards. Like Bitwarden, its codification is disposable for independent review, and nan level undergoes audits that are made disposable to nan public.

If you are looking for a well-designed and highly unafraid password head pinch a fistful of unsocial features, Proton Pass is worthy of consideration.

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LogMeOnce is simply a decent password head pinch immoderate absorbing offerings connected its ad-supported free tier, but it's not arsenic user-friendly arsenic different devices I recommend. You get unlimited password synching crossed unlimited devices and multi-platform entree connected iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer, and Safari.

Several other features group LogMeOnce apart, including a information scorecard, which tracks password spot and usage, and nan action to delegate a beneficiary who tin entree your logins successful an emergency. The free scheme besides includes constricted record and statement storage, password sharing, and in installments paper credential storage.

LogMeOnce isn't intuitive to use. The interface is outdated, and nan process to download and group up apps and extensions is clunky. In testing, nan mobile app many times asked for credentials and froze aggregate times. There is besides nary multifactor authentication (MFA) support connected nan free tier, though you tin alteration two-factor authentication (2FA) via email aliases Google Authenticator to entree your vault.

LogMeOnce is simply a bully action for users who don't mind tinkering pinch each of its features and settings, aliases those who mightiness want to upgrade to a paid scheme for unsocial features for illustration 2FA via selfie and nan expertise to assistance emergency entree via photograph and GPS location.

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Bitwarden is my pick for nan champion free password head acknowledgment to its easiness of use, attack to security, and unlimited password retention crossed unlimited devices and an extended database of platforms. However, location are respective different free password managers worthy of consideration. When selecting an alternative, you should comparison each service's password and instrumentality limits, compatibility pinch nan platforms you use, and standout features.

Best free password manager	Device limit	Password limit	Open source?	Multi-platform?	Key features
Bitwarden	Unlimited	Unlimited	✓	✓	Bitwarden Send, information breach reports
Nordpass	1 instrumentality astatine a time	Unlimited	x	✓	Passkey support, unafraid statement storage
Proton Pass	Unlimited	Unlimited	✓	✓	Hide-my-email aliases, Pass Monitor password wellness reports
LogMeOnce	Unlimited	Unlimited	x	✓	Beneficiary for emergency access, vault information reports

To thief you take nan champion free password head for your needs, see these options:

Choose this free password manager…	If you want…
Bitwarden	An all-around coagulated and unafraid password guidance instrumentality that useful crossed platforms pinch unlimited instrumentality access.
NordPass	A simple, easy-to-navigate password head that you tin entree connected 1 instrumentality astatine a time.
Proton Pass	A highly unafraid password head pinch features that prioritize your privacy.
LogMeOnce	A basal password head pinch included information monitoring.

When selecting a free password manager, see nan pursuing factors:

Security: Good password managers person precocious levels of encryption and acquisition regular information audits to guarantee your information is kept safe and sound. Some of nan champion free password managers are besides unfastened source, meaning their codification is disposable to reappraisal for information vulnerabilities.
Device and password limits: Some premium password managers limit nan number of passwords you tin prevention and/or nan number of devices connected which you tin entree your vault if you are connected a free plan, while others connection unlimited retention and syncing.
Compatibility: Most password managers activity connected awesome operating systems and celebrated browsers, but beryllium judge to cheque that your selected instrumentality is compatible pinch what you use.
Premium features: At a minimum, you request a password head that tin shop passwords and capable them connected login pages. Some free plans besides connection extras for improved privateness aliases easiness of use, for illustration email aliases, MFA support, and vault wellness reports.

To prime nan champion free password managers, I identified established and trusted password guidance services that connection no-cost tiers, narrowing down to nan password managers pinch minimal aliases nary limits connected nan number of logins that tin beryllium stored aliases devices that tin beryllium synced arsenic good arsenic those that activity crossed astir awesome platforms to meet nan needs of a assortment of users. I then did hands-on testing to find easiness of usage and comparison features, including nan factors listed above.

All of nan password managers listed present meet basal information standards, specified arsenic precocious levels of encryption and submission to independent audits, but Bitwarden and Proton Pass guidelines retired acknowledgment to their open-source code.

Security experts mostly urge utilizing password managers to create and prevention strong, unsocial passwords that you tin entree crossed aggregate devices arsenic an replacement to reusing nan aforesaid basal passwords complete and over.

While nan password managers we urge return information seriously, immoderate of nan astir celebrated tools have been vulnerable to information leaks and breaches successful nan past. Password managers tin thief amended password hygiene, but the Electronic Frontier Foundation notes that they create a azygous constituent of entree to your data, truthful you should besides person a beardown maestro password and multi-factor authentication group up for your vault.

Your browser's built-in password head is an easy introduction constituent into creating and storing passwords, and it's astir apt amended than not utilizing immoderate type of password head astatine all. However, these devices typically activity champion wrong nan browser aliases operating strategy they are built for, and they deficiency a batch of nan features disposable successful standalone password managers. They besides grip encryption otherwise and whitethorn not beryllium end-to-end encrypted by default.

Most password managers will make a beardown password for you. You tin group up different beardown passwords for each login you have, and fto nan password head log successful for you. Some password managers will besides audit your passwords, looking for anemic aliases easily-solved passwords. The champion will moreover fto you cognize erstwhile 1 of your passwords has shown up successful a information leak.

Yes, galore free password managers now support passkeys. These activity by storing cryptographic keys connected your device. They tin only beryllium unlocked pinch your ain password aliases biometrics, for illustration fingerprint aliases look ID scans. Passkeys are overmuch much unafraid than passwords and are practically unhackable. Plus, because nary information is stored online, there's thing to leak.

Bitwarden, NordPass, and Proton Pass connection passkey support.

Are location replacement free password managers to consider?

While those consenting to salary for password guidance person an abundance of choices, nan database of genuinely free password managers is brief. In addition, different premium services that connection free tiers importantly limit nan number of logins aliases devices, aliases both, disposable to users. That said, if nary of our recommendations fresh nan bill, location are a fewer alternatives to consider.