The Best Password Managers and Why you Should Get One

When it comes to web passwords, an average Internet user holds about 26 different accounts, but only has 5 different passwords to access them. This is an alarming statistic as it leaves almost all online accounts of users vulnerable to hackers and password leaks.

Now we understand that creating passwords that are hard to crack have a downside to them – they are equally hard to remember. Passwords with uppercase and lowercase letters, special characters and numerical characters are hacker proof, but require a great deal of energy to recollect, especially with so many different accounts and passwords to keep track of. Moreover, if you physically write your passwords down, it kind of negates the whole purpose anyway. If someone were to get their hands on that piece of paper, it would be catastrophic.

The best tool to use in such scenarios is already out there, and it really depends on you as to which password manager tool you pick, and how comfortable you are using it. Simply put, a password manager is an application that you can install on your PC or smartphone and allows you to generate, store, organize and remember all your passwords. These passwords are encrypted and stored by these password managers and a single master password (that you need to memorize) is needed to access your account from anywhere or any machine. With that in mind let’s look at some of the best password managers around, what features they offer, and why you should consider using one.

What are the best password managers available in the market?
When it comes to spotting and picking some of the best password managers available in the market, a quick Google search will throw up plenty of results. This can quickly get very confusing, so here are some of the best password managers that you should ideally be looking at.

• LastPass
• Dashlane
• KeePass
• 1Password
• RoboForm

Between the 5 of them, these password managers have pretty much all the bells and whistles you need, and you really should not be looking anywhere else.

What features are offered by the best password managers?
When choosing which password manager is most suitable for you, here are a few features and benefits that you should look out for. Consider your usage habits and make an informed choice. If you know someone who is already using a password manager, you can ask them for their opinion and feedback as well. Here are the features your ideal password manager should have.

Password Generator – Your password manager should include a one-click option to generate a hard to crack password that contains different character types. This will be useful when you open a new account and need to create a new password.

Secure Notes – This feature allows you to save any vital information, other than passwords for your accounts, in an encrypted form. Examples of such information are debit/credit card details, insurance renewal dates, Wi-Fi passwords or any other confidential information.

Form Filling – Password generators should also provide form filling features. Whenever you reach a page wherein you have to fill up personal information such as your name, contact details, address etc., the password manager can automatically fill that out for you.

Secure Sharing – The best password manager should also enable you to securely share your list of password with someone you want. This can be sent to them in multiple formats and really helps make a difference in many ways.

Multiple Device Support – Today, anyone who is on the Internet has several devices and platforms to keep a track of. If a single password manager can seamlessly work across all these platforms, then that is a great benefit to have. This is something that should definitely form the basis of which password manager to choose.

Multiple Browser Extensions – A password manager that works on different web browsers is also a great tool to have. This way, you can access your passwords irrespective of location, machine or browser.

In addition to these features, it also helps if password managers carry out audits of your current passwords and provides a rating on their strength and suitability. This way you can figure out which of your passwords are weak and need to be recreated in order to be secure. Moreover, password managers should also keep track of password hacks and leaks over the Internet and automatically change passwords for accounts of services that have been compromised.

Further Reading:

• How secure is your password?
• Your passwords are on the way out, leave it to Twitter
• Common password mistakes and tips for creating stronger passwords

So now that you know about password managers and the features and benefits they provide, let us know what you think of this tool and whether you would use it. Are there any features you would specifically want in a password manager? Do you already use one and have some feedback to share? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.