Password managers that filled the markets have a lot to offer. A lot of password managers usually function more or less the same: to protect and manage your password if you have a lot of accounts. However, how would you know if which one is the best for you?
In this article, we will discuss what you should look for in a password manager before getting it. Look for the following criteria in each password manager before making a final decision. If you are interested in looking at some of the best password managers instead, check out this list of the top password managers in the market.
Security
People usually prioritize security as password managers’ #1 importance. What’s the point of a password manager when its security is low or non-existent? People usually use password managers as means to protect their passwords (for obvious reasons). If a password manager isn’t able to manage and protect a user’s set of passwords, wouldn’t that defeat its purpose as a password manager?
So yes, security is the leading criteria that you should be looking for in a password manager. You certainly do not want to use one that does not have at least a decent protection of your passwords.
Keep in mind that almost every password manager companies may have been hacked at one point or another for various reasons. It’s how they handle it and making sure that their users’ passwords are still protected is what matters the most. As long as it is an isolated incident and not repeated frequently, then it should be fine.
Advanced or extra password-management features
Besides the basic feature that a password manager provide, you may want to look into any extra or advanced features it offers. You may be a tech savvy person so the advanced and extra features are what you are looking for. Perhaps you have a lot of passwords to keep track of. Or maybe you work in an industry where your accounts have highly sensitive information. It can be a myriad of reasons.
Due to having a lot of passwords you may have to keep track off and manage, then it’s a great idea to look into the advance features of the password managers. Password managers’ advance features tend to be diversified but they do have one similar and shared aim. And that shared aim is to help tech-savvy people to handle their password and accounts better.
Plans and pricings
For obvious reasons, you wouldn’t look into a password manager software if it weren’t for its plans and pricing packages. This is one of the leading and main factors people will often consider when choosing a password manager. It’s one of the ruminations that users have.
We are sure that you will want to factor in the pricing as you’d like to get the best for your bucks. At the same time, we also understand that some users will want the best of the best but cannot afford the higher price point. However, having said that, the lower priced ones does not mean it does not work. It does, it’s just that it does not have as many features that the higher priced ones have.
The higher priced ones usually offer more features and are (generally) safer than most of its password manager peers. On the other hand, as we have mentioned before it does not mean that the lower priced ones does not work as good. They do, just that be ready to see less features coming with it.
Also take into consideration the plans the password managers offer. Some provide a huge diversity of plans at a competitive price. Some others don’t really provide as much. Look for one that you want that falls within your budget.
Fill forms automatically feature
We understand that we could have lumped this with the feature section. However, we’d like to pinpoint this out. A password manager that can automatically fill forms in for you whenever you sign up or login to your accounts is a time-saving lifesaver. It’s lifesaving in a sense that it does not just help you “type in every details” but it also helps you remember your passwords.
At the same time, every time you signed up for a new account, take note if the password manager will capture and log your new passwords for you. Some password managers will automatically do that for you (if you opt for it in the software allows), while some others do not. If the password manager does not automatically log and capture the new passwords and ID for you, you may have to log it manually yourself. Check the settings and toggle it accordingly to how you want it to be.
Securing your password manager
Your password manager is where you store all your passwords and ID. However, is your password manager protected from any malware attacks and hackers? Most times it isn’t protected from any attacks and hackers but you do get the option of protecting it with a master password.
Most, if not all password managers have a master password that is air tight from any possible hacks and malware attacks. You will also get the option of activating the master password protection for your password managers.
The only downside to having a master password is that you may forget it sometimes. But fret not as most password managers ensure that your password managers are still accessible when you self-lock out. You will still be able to access your passwords stored in your password managers at the end of the day, sweat free.
Conclusion
Remember to look for these criteria when you are looking for the best password managers. There are so many password managers out there to choose from and it can get very confusing sometimes. Follow these criteria we have listed above to keep a lookout for the very best password managers on the market.