On a tight budget? Need password protection? Good news: Some of the best password managers we've reviewed over the years also offer free service plans. A password manager is vital for keeping track of your credentials and keeping your accounts secure, which is why PCMag has been testing and reviewing security services for more than 30 years. Bitwarden is currently our Editors' Choice award winner in the category because it's free and packed with helpful features. NordPass is another top pick thanks super easy to use, making it good for newbies. Keep reading for more of the best free password managers we've tested, followed by everything you need to know to pick the right one for you.

Are There Free Editions of Paid Password Managers?

If you see a paid password manager with features you like, you might be able to check it out during a free trial or use a free, feature-limited version of the premium password manager. All of the free password managers on this list are feature-limited versions of a company's premium password manager.

For example, some companies let you create and store passwords but not sync them across your devices, share credentials, or set up a password inheritance contact without subscribing to the premium service. Some services—Bitwarden is a good example—are less stingy with their free versions.

This list doesn't include free password managers that limit the number of credentials you can store in your vault or don't allow cross-platform syncing. For example, Dashlane's free version limits subscribers to 25 stored logins, only Enpass' desktop version is free, and Keeper's free tier is limited to a single mobile device.

How We Test Password Managers

Each app undergoes functionality tests on multiple platforms. We ensure it captures and replays credentials, stores user data in an encrypted vault, fills in web forms, and creates new and unique passwords, in addition to other features described in the sections below. Check out the in-depth article about our password manager testing process for details.

To summarize, we prefer products that include the following:

• A diverse selection of multi-factor authentication options
• A password generation policy that creates strong, unique passwords
• Security features such as password inheritance, secure credential sharing, dark web monitoring, and password hygiene monitoring

We compare each app's price to similar products in the category. To hold companies accountable for the trust their subscribers have in their products, we interview company representatives via email about the product each year. We also take time each year to check out the company's data security policies and public responses to past security incidents.

How Does a Free Password Manager Work?

For most people, getting started means installing a password manager's apps for desktop and mobile, along with an extension for your browser of choice. When you log in to a secure site, the password manager captures the username and password and saves them to your vault. The best password managers capture your credentials during account creation, and when you change your password online, they offer to update the stored password for that site.

When you revisit a site, most password managers can automatically fill in the saved data. If you have more than one set of credentials, you can choose which to use. Another handy (and common) feature of most of these browser extensions is that clicking an entry sends you directly to the site and logs you in.

Many of us are just as likely to log into a secure site from a mobile device as from a desktop computer, so finding a password manager that syncs your credentials between all your devices is vital. Most password managers use encrypted cloud storage to sync between devices. Some keep your data local, syncing between databases on different devices without keeping anything in the cloud. The real benefit of having your password manager on your phone is that you can autofill credentials for any mobile apps you use.

One great thing about free password managers is that you can try several and find out which one you like best. If you're thinking of doing such a survey, look for products that can import from other password managers. Otherwise, you have to go through the password capture process again for each candidate.

What Else Can Password Managers Do?

The point of adding a password manager app to your security arsenal is to replace each weak and duplicate password with an unguessable, strong password. But where do you get those strong passwords? Most of these apps have a password generator, many of which give you control of things like password length and which character sets to use. The very best ones perform password auditing to ease the process of identifying and fixing poor passwords.

(Credit: Bitwarden)

Automatically filling in usernames and passwords isn't so different from filling in other data in web forms. Many paid password managers can streamline the process of filling forms with personal data, such as addresses or payment card details. Another thing password managers sometimes give you is storage space for secure documents, though the allotted storage is typically insufficient to replace a dedicated cloud storage service.

In addition to using your passwords on multiple devices, you may want to share logins with other users. Some free password managers do not support secure sharing. It's also uncommon for free password managers to let you choose someone to inherit your passwords.

Free Password Manager Security Features

When you put all your passwords into one repository, you'd better be extremely careful to protect that repository. That's where your master password comes in. This is the password used to encrypt the contents of your password vault, so it needs to be as strong as possible. On the flip side, it is unlikely you can recover it if you forget it. Store your master password in a secure place or risk permanently losing access to your password manager.

Setting up multi-factor authentication (MFA) is another way to mitigate the risk of possible attacks. MFA could be biometric, requiring a fingerprint, facial recognition, or even voice recognition. Some password managers rely on mobile authenticator apps; others use SMS-based methods or hardware security keys to authenticate. Allowing access only from registered, trusted devices is yet another form of MFA.

Should You Use a Passkey Instead of a Password Manager?

Passkeys are a relatively new way to log in around the web. Instead of using an email address and password combination, you create a unique key for each website and store it on your device.

PCMag reached out to Steve Won, the chief product officer at 1Password, to talk about the benefits of more people using passkeys. He told us that passkeys could solve serious security issues by replacing traditional username and password combinations.

"If we reduce 30% of our footprint of passwords being used on the web," Won explained, "it makes a meaningful dent in terms of our surface area of attack."

However, widespread passkey adoption will take time, so experts recommend keeping your password manager and using it to store passkeys, too. Many of the password managers we've tested, including Bitwarden, allow customers to store passkeys in their password manager vault. Try out passkeys by creating one for one of these websites.