The 5 best password managers

1Password

1Password is the world’s most loved password manager. By combining industry-leading security and award-winning design, 1Password protects startups by making it easy to create, use, and share strong passwords. 

With 43% of breaches involving small businesses, startups must prioritise security from day one.

Key benefits

• Easy to roll out: 1Password is easy to deploy yourself, but if you’d like to and our business support team is on hand to help. They also provide training, demos, and extensive support documentation so that you can focus on building your business.
• Grows with your business: 1Password Teams is a secure, scalable, and easy-to-use password manager that works for businesses of every size — from startups to enterprises. As your business grows, 1Password grows with you.
• Tries and trusted:  1Password is trusted by 50,000 businesses to secure their data and is the highest rated password manager on Trustpilot.com.
• Cost-effective but not a compromise: 1Password is packed with powerful security tools that guard against costly breaches, 80% of which can be traced back to weak and compromised credentials.

A breach is a huge blow to any business, especially to startups, who may struggle to cover fines or recover their reputation.

1Password protects your business by making it easy for employees to create and use strong passwords. Colleagues can securely share passwords and other important information, reducing the risk of them using insecure methods like email and instant messenger. Watchtower alerts for compromised websites and vulnerable passwords so you can take action to stay secure.

Dashlane

Dashlane isn’t as cheap as some rivals, but for only around £1 more a month you can save bags of time and hassle.

With Dashlane Free, you get much the same as Dashlane Premium, but (as with most password managers) there’s one big downside: you only get it on one device. That’s a problem because if you spill coffee on your laptop, you lose the lot.We think that makes Dashlane Premium worth the peace of mind for less than the price of the coffee (around £2.50 a month).

There’s also Dashlane Business for a pinch more (around £3 a month) which makes sharing certain logins with your coworkers easy, plus it comes with extra security thanks to two-factor authorisation.

Key benefits

• Password Generator: Picking a secure password is harder than it sounds, so Dashlane will do it for you (and remember it, so you don’t have to).
• Dark web monitoring: Online identity threat is growing each year. Dashlane keeps an eye out for any leaked personal data, so you can act fast.
• Secure sharing: It’s easy to share passwords, without even revealing what they are – and you can revoke access anytime.

Dashlane is the a convenient password manager and a great choice for small businesses. It has the most user-friendly platform, and its features really are second to none. Tools like the password strength analysis, multi-password update, and auto-receipt storing are big time-savers – and life-savers if you’re ever hacked (or even just for those important online security spring cleans).

LastPass

LastPass is one of the most affordable password managers you’ll come across, and even the free version is generous on features.

LastPass Free comes with the time-saving browser add-on and even lets you sync your passwords across your devices (you’ll have to pay for this perk with most other password managers). So if you’re looking for a free password manager, we think LastPass is well worth considering.

Though for under £2 a month, LastPass Premium gives you full access to the full shebang: password sharing, more storage, VIP tech support etc. It’s one of the cheapest paid-for plans around, and we think for small businesses the secure sharing feature will be a game-changer.

Key benefits

• Flexible data storage: LastPass makes it easy to save all sorts of private data (passwords, payment details, licence codes and any secure notes).
• Password Autofill: LastPass will remember your passwords, so you only need to fill it in the first time you visit a new site – the browser plug-in will take care of the rest.
• Emergency Access: What happens if you need someone to get in? You can nominate a trusted contact and time delay as a security back-up.

LastPass is an excellent password manager – and the most affordable one around.

It combines all the tools you need to keep your online accounts safe and easy to access – and the browser extension helps it support you seamlessly. If you’re big on value for money, LastPass will be for you.

Sticky Password

Sticky Password’s monthly price plans are some of the most affordable. The Premium Plan is just £1.90 ($2.50) a month, and comes with an added feel-good bonus (supporting the Save the Manatee Club).

There’s a free version with all the must-have tools, but you can’t sync between devices. You’ll find this with almost all password managers (except LastPass), and we think it’s a deal-breaker because one day you’re sure to lose everything.

But if budget is your priority, Sticky Password’s unique Lifetime subscription is by far the cheapest password manager. At just £114 ($149.99) for life, it pays for itself after just five years (and you’re bound to still be using passwords then).

Key Benefits

• Extra flexible syncing: You decide whether to store your encrypted information online or offline (there’s even a USB-only option).
• Auto-login: The browser add-on means you can stay signed in, with seamless access to all your logins.
• Password analysis: Easily run a check on all your passwords, and fish out any weaklings.

Sticky Password was made for savvy people who like knowing where their data is, and want to store it on their terms. The Lifetime plan is hard to beat on price, and it’s always good knowing you can wipe all your private information if you ever want out.

Logmeonce

Like LastPass, you can sync your account on multiple devices (we think it’s just too risky not having this perk), which makes LastPass and LogMeOnce the two best free password managers.

The paid-for version is hard-to-beat on price at just 80p a month, and gets you even more bang for your buck, including more than five secure shares, quick access to key features, and over 1MB storage.

Key Benefits

• PhotoLogin: Logging in with a selfie offers an extra security boost, not to mention convenience.
• Go passwordless: When you open your account, you can actually opt to go password-free, or create a master password if you prefer.
• Password Calculator: It can be tough thinking up strong passwords, so the password calculator does this for you, and at 15-characters, it’ll be one of the hardest to crack.

LogMeOnce promises more features than any other password manager, and even the LogMeOnce free membership lets you sync passwords between devices.

If you’d like a fuss-free password manager, LastPass has everything you need. But if you like the sound of bonus features like logging in using a selfie rather than a master password, LogMeOnce has you covered.