Written By: Oplink.net | Last Updated: December 2022
Almost all of us now have passwords for a huge number of different online accounts, and keeping track of them all has never been more difficult. Many of us still rely on traditional methods, like simply writing our passwords down or trying to remember them, but is this really the best way to stay safe and secure online?
Research published by the Pew Research Center stated that “Around half of online adults (49%) say they keep the passwords to at least some of their online accounts written down on a piece of paper – with 18% saying that this is the method they rely on most heavily.” Despite being by far the most popular method of keeping track of passwords, it’s definitely not the most secure.
Password managers are much more reliable when it comes to protecting sensitive data online, yet relatively few of us are using them. Data gathered in 2020 revealed that just “one in five Americans currently use a password manager. This equates to an estimated 45 million people.”
We know how tricky it is to remember an endless number of different passwords. And let’s not forget, the stronger the password is, the harder it’ll be to remember. Password managers provide the answer to this ever-growing problem, but which ones are the best in terms of reliability, efficiency and value for money? Our research team decided to find out.
Why do we need password managers?
We all need password managers because nowadays it’s almost impossible to adequately protect your online accounts without one.
We’re living in an increasingly digital world, and that means we now all have numerous online profiles and accounts, ranging from online bank accounts to social media profiles. And every one of these should have a unique password which is strong enough to withstand any attempts to guess it.
It might be possible for some of us to store all these passwords, with their punctuation points, numbers and randomly placed capital letters, in our heads, but for the majority of people that’s a bit of an ask!
Password managers store all your passwords in a single, secure place. That means you no longer need to remember them, and you don’t have to write them down anywhere. Once you start using a password manager, you’ll easily be able to strengthen all your passwords without having to worry about making them too difficult to remember.
Password managers: Which has the most to offer per $1 per month?
There are many password managers on the market now, with each one providing a slightly different service.
Our research team analysed the affordability of a range of different password managers, specifically their business managers. We compared the following to see which was the best value for money:
- Storage per $1 per month
- Specified features per $1
- No. of ratings score (out of 10)
- Average rating per $1
- Browser extensions per $1
- Free trial/length of free trial (days) per $1
| Subscription price / per month ($) | Storage per $1 per month | Specified features per $1 | Browser extensions per $1 | Free trial/length of free trial (days) per $1 | Features per $1 | |
| Keeper | 2.16 | 4.63 | 4.63 | 1.85 | 13.88888889 | 30.08 |
| Zoho | 3.66 | 0.00 | 16.94 | 1.64 | 4.098360656 | 20.74 |
| NordPress | 3 | 1.00 | 4.33 | 1.67 | 10 | 20.37 |
| RoboForm | 3.33 | 0.00 | 5.41 | 1.50 | 4.204204204 | 17.51 |
| LastPass | 6.20 | 0.16 | 2.90 | 0.81 | 2.258064516 | 16.62 |
| Bitwarden | 3 | 0.33 | 6.00 | 2.67 | 2.333333333 | 15.9 |
| Password Boss | 3 | 0.33 | 1.67 | 1.67 | 10 | 15.83 |
| 1Password | 7.99 | 0.63 | 2.63 | 0.63 | 1.752190238 | 15.13 |
| LogmeOnce | 3 | 0.33 | 5.00 | 1.00 | 4.666666667 | 13.55 |
| Dashlane | 8 | 0.13 | 1.75 | 0.75 | 1.75 | 10.93 |
| EnPass | 3.72 | 0.00 | 2.15 | 1.08 | 3.76344086 | 10.17 |
Overall, Keeper (business) had the most to offer, with 30 features per $1 per month. Following on from this was Zoho (professional) with 20.74 features and NordPass (business) with 20.37 features.
Storage per $1 per month
When weighing up storage availability and monthly price, we found one clear winner.
Keeper for business provides 4.63GB of storage per $1 per month, a far higher amount of space than many of its competitors. Other good options include NordPass for business, which offers 1GB of storage per $1 per month.
1Password for business provides a slightly lower amount of storage space, but it still outshines many of the other options on the market. This password manager offers 0.63GB per $1 per month.
Features per $1 per month
Some password managers excel when it comes to features. If you’re looking for a password manager that packs a punch where added features are concerned, don’t miss options like Zoho (Professional), which provides 13.11 added features per $1 per month.
Bitwarden is another feature-rich password manager that comes at an affordable monthly cost. The password manager comes with 18 specified features, for a monthly price of $3. LogmeOnce also offers numerous special features. For a monthly price of $3, users gain access to 15 different features with this password manager.
Consumer ratings
Consumer ratings are always highly informative, and of course they could prove useful if you’re still on the fence about which password manager to opt for.
Our research team analysed the number of consumer ratings that our top password managers had received on different sites, to establish the average consumer rating as well as the number of consumers providing feedback about different password managers.
In terms of consumer ratings, Keeper for business comes out on top. The password manager has been rated 4.7 on the App Store and 4.3 on Trustpilot, with over 2,952 collective ratings and reviews. This gives Keeper an overall ratings score of 2.083333333 per $1 per month.
Other high achievers in ratings include RoboForm, which is rated 4.6 on TrustPilot and 4.7 on the App Store, and has an overall ratings score of 1.3 per $1 per month.
Browser extensions per $1 per month
Bitwarden provides eight browser extensions, making it the top choice for those looking for flexibility in this category. For a monthly cost of $3 per user, Bitwarden can be used with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Microsoft Edge and Safari, as well as Vivaldi, Brave and Tor. Its rating for browser extensions per $1 per month is therefore 2.67.
Close runners up in the browser extensions category include Zoho, which also provides plenty of options for users. Its monthly fee of $3.66 gives users access to six browser extensions, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Vivaldi and Brave.
Free trial availability per $1 per month
Most of the password managers analysed provide a free trial option to give new users a feel for their product. However, some free trials are more generous than others.
To establish which option provides best value here, we analysed the number of days users have to try the service for free, bearing in mind any other terms and conditions attached to the free trial offer.
The top free trial offers came from Keeper, Password Boss, Zoho and RoboForm, all of which come with a lengthy free trial period of 30 days. In terms of monthly cost, Keeper, at $1 per month, is at the lower end of the scale. This gave Keeper the top score in the free trial availability per $1 category, by some margin.
Zoho also ranked highly for free trial availability and affordability. Zoho’s free trial period lasts for 15 days. Its monthly fee is a reasonable $3.66 per user, making it a good option for those looking for value for money.
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