The best password manager 2023 - test & comparison

Regardless of whether we want to start the computer, read our e-mails, do banking or buy products online: we have to log into our user account and enter a password. Passwords are used to protect our sensitive data and information. It is more important, too use secure passwords and to protect them.

Unfortunately, really strong passwords are difficult to remember, but entering them all the time takes time and effort. Especially when you log into online services with passwords on your smartphone or tablet. To solve all of these problems you have to Password manager as its own software established and are becoming increasingly popular.

Now, however, a user has numerous password managers to choose from. How do you recognize the best password manager? What functions should such software have? What should you pay attention to when choosing? Here you can find our big one Password manager test and the best providers in comparison.

Why should I use password managers?

E-mail, online banking, internet shopping, streaming services, the tax office, crypto exchange, ... - we can only access practically all useful online services by entering our user data and password. We have got used to it, but because the number of services used is increasing, many of us have had an overview of ours for a long time countless passwords verloren.

Unfortunately, there are many dangers to our passwords on the Internet. Hackers want to steal our passwords, for example to steal funds or otherwise cause damage. Because simple passwords like the Favorites of the Germans “123456”, “password” or “master”, can be simply guessed or easily cracked using a so-called brute force attack, we absolutely have to complex and therefore secure passwords use. Such passwords should contain special characters, upper and lower case letters and numbers. In addition, each password should be unique, so you would have to remember a new - imperceptible - password for each additional online service.

Because we are constantly surfing the Internet and log into more than 10 accounts every day, these secure passwords must be entered as easily and quickly as possible function. Otherwise we will lose valuable time and, above all, our patience. And because we surf the web more on smartphones than on PCs, but sometimes also on tablets, we should ideally have these passwords available and be able to enter them on all devices in seconds. These problems bring with them a long list of requirements that can be solved with a password manager.

Types of password managers

There are two different ways how password managers can help you manage and use your passwords. One possibility is the cross-device synchronization of passwords, the second possibility is the local saving of passwords in a database file on your computer.

1. The cross-device synchronization offers you more convenience, but also requires more trust in the manufacturer of the password manager. In order for the provider to be able to synchronize the encrypted password database across all of your devices, it uses its secure cloud storage. So the encrypted password file goes through the manufacturer's cloud server.
2. The second type of password manager works through a Encrypted password database stored on the local PC or devicethat never leaves your device. This gives you additional security, but prevents synchronization across multiple devices. So you have to "atone" with ease - you cannot use the encrypted password database from the PC on the smartphone and vice versa.

How to use a password manager

Perhaps you've never used a password manager and are now inquiring about such software for the first time. How it works may be a bit unclear at the beginning, so we'll briefly discuss how a password manager works.

The first thing a password manager does is to keep your passwords safe. You want to be able to access your passwords for individual accounts at any time, but you absolutely have to prevent someone else from seeing or cracking these passwords. How does a password program secure your passwords?

When you start a password manager for the first time, you will create a new password database. This is a single file. This file will contain all of your saved passwords (and associated login data or notes); However, so that nobody can infer your passwords from this file alone, all passwords contained are saved multiple encrypted with an encryption protocol. Most of the time, encryption is carried out with the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), which uses a 256-bit key.

In the future you will either open the database file directly from the file manager, or simply open the password manager itself, enter your master password and be able to call up individual passwords immediately and by copying to the clipboard in the respective browser window (or app on the smartphone).

Common mistakes when choosing passwords

If passwords are cracked, it is bitter. However, the fact that it is usually the user's own fault is particularly bitter (sometimes passwords are stolen from the provider). Passwords are often replaced by a so-called Bruteforce attack cracked.

To prevent such a bot from guessing your password, you should definitely avoid these 4 common mistakes when choosing a password.

1. Password is too short: The shorter the password, the faster it can be guessed. A password should have at least 8 characters, but preferably 12 or 16 characters, depending on the possibility. With some providers, passwords cannot be longer than 8 characters.
2. Password contains normal terms: Most bruteforce bots use a dictionary file because this way, frequently used words can be tried out as a possible password more quickly. So only use random sequences of letters to make cracking the password much more difficult.
3. Password does not contain any special characters: Bots always test for letters and maybe also numbers, but not for special characters. If you use one or more special characters in your password (e.g. $,%, &, ...), you make cracking your password practically impossible because it would take too many attempts to log in.
4. The same password is used several times: Unfortunately, most users use one password on several, and possibly almost all, of their online services. If such a password is cracked once or obtained through phishing, a hacker can gain access to dozens of online services. That is why you should use a separate, complex password for each online service!

Assessment criteria

When testing the password manager, we focused on the assessment in 3 dimensions.

How secure is your password manager?

Security is of course the top requirement of a password manager, your passwords must be stored securely and encrypted. There are several measures with which this protection can be ensured.

How do we rate the usability of the password manager?

Using the internet is exhausting and time-consuming enough when you have to log into the various online services and check information there. A password manager should make your everyday life easier, not cause further headaches. Important criteria in the usability of a password manager are:

Important functions of a password manager

Best password manager in comparison

Best password manager in detail

Summary

Using a password manager may initially be a major change for many, but it will pay for itself in a very short time. The ability to have all of your passwords and user data in one place to be stored securely and encrypted and at the same time filling in the password fields in the browser in seconds - whether on desktop, smartphone or tablet - bring a lot of relief and time savings.

About David Maul

David Maul is a qualified business IT specialist with a passion for hardware

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