The best password managers for stress-free logins
We all struggle to keep track of which passwords sync to which site – here are the best, most secure password managers to help you out.
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The best password managers are a surefire way to avoid any unwanted frustration when it comes to logging into the myriad accounts you've accumulated over the years. Instead of banging your fist and screaming into the void because you can't remember if your password includes a “1” or a “!”, why not house all your info in one place with a secure password manager?
That's right, that sticky note with all your precious login details is no longer good enough, and there are far more protective measures available that can store all your info on your web browser or mobile device. Even if you're already using one like Google Password or Apple's Passwords app, external options can have some extra features that make them worth their subscription costs.
But before you start panicking that these password managers might be expensive, hard to manage or require a lot of technical know-how: that simply isn't the case. Most password management solutions prioritise ease of use, simple access for the right people, and ultimate protection to keep the wrong sorts of people out of your Netflix account or bank accounts.
We’ve rounded up five of the best password managers GQ writers and editors have used to help you choose the right one for you, with options that offer secure password sharing, features like integrated time-based-one-time-password (TOTP) generation, as well as absolute control over where your passwords are stored.
What is the best password manager?
- Best password manager overall: NordPass, free or from £15 for 12 months at nordpass.com
- Best password manager for travelling: 1Password, from £27 for 12 months at 1password.com
- Best password manager for web: LastPass, free or from £27 for 12 months at lastpass.com
- Best password manager for features: Bitwarden, free or from £7 for 12 months at bitwarden.com
- Best password manager for families: Dashlane, £67 for up to 10 accounts for 12 months at dashlane.com
| NordPass | 1Password | Bitwarden | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing (12 months) | Free or from £15 | From £27 | From £7 |
| Trial period | 30 days | 14 days | 7 days |
| Multi-factor authentication (MFA) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Biometrics | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Encryption | xChaCha20 | AES-GCM-256 | AES-CBC 256 |
| Family plan | 6 accounts | 5 accounts | 6 accounts |
How we test password managers
When it comes to online security, you really need to make sure you're not settling for a so-so product, whether that's the best VPN or password manager. It's understandable, then, that you want to make sure you're buying ones that have been thoroughly tested.
Luckily for you, we have tested all the password managers we have detailed below, selecting five of the best options GQ writers and editors found useful based on price, how easy each is to set up, and the quality of different features from auto-fill systems and password sharing to OTP access.
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GQ's pick of the best password managers in 2025…
NordPass
- Subscription tiers: Free, Premium, Family
- Cross-platform compatibility: Yes
- Multi-device login: Free - No / Premium - Yes up to 6 devices
- Passkey support: Yes
NordPass is the password manager from Nord Security, which is well known for its VPN services. It has free and paid-for subscription tiers, with the latter offering a family plan for up to six user accounts and a management interface for them. Both rank as the best password managers available.
The basic free account allows you to save as many passwords as you like, offers multi-factor authentication support and has automatic synchronisation across all your devices. There's cross-platform compatibility but you can only be logged in on one device at a time – you’re automatically logged out when you switch devices.
NordPass Premium adds the ability to stay logged in simultaneously on up to six devices at a time, plus it offers secure sharing of selected items with other NordPass users and lets you designate an emergency contact that can access your passwords if necessary.
There are also identity protection features that alert you to weak or reused passwords and notify you if your accounts have been found in any known data leaks, while the NordPass interface is slick and easy to use. Free, or from £29 for 24 months. At nordpass.com
Pros & ConsPros- Easy to use interface
- Good free tier
- Selection of features
Cons- Not as feature-rich as some others
1Password
- Subscription tiers: Individual, Families
- Cross-platform compatibility: Yes
- Multi-device login: Yes
- Passkey support: Yes
1Password is one of the better-known password managers, and for good reason – it's excellent at what it does. You can opt for a personal account or a five-user family account, the latter of which includes some extra management features.
1Password’s longstanding killer feature is Travel Mode, which allows you to create a vault that includes selected passwords that you want to keep accessible when you set a device as travelling – all other vaults are removed. This is particularly important when passing into countries that reserve the right to examine the contents of your devices upon entry and it's included with every 1Password subscription.
1Password can also generate unique email addresses for every account you create using Fastmail and generate Time-based One Time Password (TOTP) codes. It has an effective password strength and breach checker in the form of Watchtower too, which scans your saved items and flags data breaches, as well as weak or reused passwords. From £27 for 12 months. At 1password.com
Pros & ConsPros- Comfortable and attractive interface
- Excellent range of features
Cons- More expensive than most rivals
LastPass
- Subscription tiers: Free, Individual, Families
- Cross-platform compatibility: Yes
- Multi-device login: Yes
- Passkey support: Yes
LastPass Free allows you to store as many passwords as you like but you have to choose whether you wish to access your passwords via web browsers on your computer or on mobile devices. You can’t access your LastPass Free passwords on both your PC and your phone.
Premium users meanwhile, not only get to use the password manager on more than one device type, but you get access to a wider range of multi-factor authentication options, plus secure and simple password sharing with other LastPass users. There are also alerts if any stored accounts appear in data breaches, a security dashboard to help spot weak or reused passwords, and the ability to designate an emergency contact.
As LastPass lacks a dedicated desktop app and has a workflow that relies heavily on auto-filling web passwords in the browser, it’s not very convenient to use if you need to store a lot of passwords for desktop applications, network connections, or other non-browser functions. If you mainly need your passwords on the web though, LastPass is a solid service with a long track record, and regular feature upgrades. Free, or from £27 for 12 months. At lastpass.com
Pros & ConsPros- Great features
- Easy password sharing
Cons- No desktop app
Bitwarden
- Subscription tiers: Free, Premium, Families
- Cross-platform compatibility: Yes
- Multi-device login: Yes
- Passkey support: Yes
Bitwarden is one of the most feature-packed password management services around, with a hugely capable free tier and paid-for subscriptions that add genuinely useful features. A free Bitwarden Personal account lets you store unlimited passwords and access them on an unlimited number of devices without restrictions, and you can also share passwords with one other Bitwarden users and find out if your usernames have appeared in a data breach.
All users can generate unique email aliases as well as passwords for every account you create too. This helps to protect you from credential stuffing attacks, where user data exposed in a breach is used to try to log in to other services. Unique addresses can also reveal which sites and services are selling your data to marketers.
Bitwarden’s software is open source and well audited, but you need a license to access the services’ premium features. A Premium account gives you encrypted file storage, additional multi-factor authentication options, and the ability to set an emergency access contact. Bitwarden’s free service is outstanding, and its single-user Premium tier is significantly cheaper than most other password management services, so it's a great option. Free, or from £7 for 12 months. At bitwarden.com
Pros & ConsPros- Decent free tier
- Low-cost subscriptions
- Great range of features
Cons- Slightly more complicated interface than others
Dashlane
- Subscription tiers: Free, Premium, Friends & Family
- Cross-platform compatibility: Yes
- Multi-device login: Yes
- Passkey support: Yes
Like most of the others in this guide, Dashlane has a free tier, and while the features are more limited than the likes of Bitwarden's free tier, you do still get password management for up to 25 passwords on one device without paying a subscription.
Sign up to the Premium tier however and the features offered dramatically increase with everything from dark web monitoring and real-time phishing alerts, to password-less login for new users. There's also a VPN offering in this password manager and Premium allows for unlimited devices and unlimited passwords and passkeys.
There's also a Friends & Family tier, which offers all the Premium features (except VPN) for up to 10 accounts, and as the tier's name suggests, those accounts can be family or friends. Free or from £45 for 12 months. At dashlane.com
Pros & ConsPros- VPN access with password manager
- Dark web monitoring
- Phishing alerts
Cons- Free tier is limited
What is a password manager?
A password manager is your best friend if you're prone to forgetting how to sign into sites online. It's your one-stop-shop for logging into anything from Facebook and Netflix to important work programmes, with automatic password filling, automatic password generating to sign in quickly, and secure encryption so you can browse online safely.
Every time you log into a website you can select to store that password in a safe location on your browser or desktop so that the next time you go to log in, it will auto-fill the password with zero fuss.
All of the services and applications above are “zero-knowledge”, which means that they don’t know what your master password is and have no access to your stored passwords. This is important for your security, but if you forget your login information, your only option is to reset your entire vault, wiping out your stored passwords.
Although some have account recovery options using a saved biometric login or a previously created one-time password, it’s your responsibility to remember or securely record your master password. And while you might be tempted to bring out the sticky notes again, remembering one password is a lot better than dozens.
How does a password manager work?
A password manager securely stores your login details in an encrypted vault, typically locked by a strong master password. When you visit a website or app, password managers can automatically fill in your username and password after you've unlocked the vault.
Most password managers also feature a password generator to create strong, unique passwords, and many can synchronise your encrypted data across multiple devices. They enhance security by eliminating the need to remember multiple complex passwords and often include features like password health checks and data breach monitoring, all contributing to a more secure and convenient online experience.
Making the most of your password manager
Just having a password manager isn’t enough. As with any tool, you’ll get the best results by using it in an intentional and considered manner:
- Use a long, unique, and personally memorable master passphrase. Short (25 to 50 character) strings of words are much easier to remember than a jumble of letters, numbers and special characters. Avoid popular quotations, though.
- Use your password manager’s password generator to create unique passwords for everything else. We recommend 16-character random passwords for anything you won’t have to manually type in on a regular basis.
- Stick to one password manager on all the browsers and devices you use. Avoid saving passwords locally on each device.
- If you use a “zero-knowledge” password manager that can’t unlock your passwords if you forget your master password or secret, make sure that you note down and securely store any mnemonic tools that you need.
- Consider setting up emergency contacts so that your loved ones can access your passwords in case anything happens to you.
What’s the difference between a password and passkey?
A password is a secret string of characters you create and remember to access online accounts. When you log in, the website checks if your typed password matches its stored version. Passwords can be vulnerable to things like data breaches but a password manager can alert you to this, enabling you to act quickly to change them.
Meanwhile, a passkey is a more secure cryptographic credential built on the FIDO (Fast Identity Online) standard. They involve a public key stored with the website and a private key kept securely on your device. Logging in with a passkey involves your device using its private key to sign a challenge from the website, which then verifies it with the stored public key. Passkeys are typically more secure, as well as more convenient, often allowing login simply by unlocking your device.
What is the best password manager in the UK?
All of the password manager's tested above were done so from the rainy climes of Great Britain. That means NordPass ranks as our favourite UK password manager for its ease of use, identity protection features and cross-platform compatibility.
Which password manager is the most secure?
Since cybersecurity is a moving target, the only way to truly test a password manager's resilience is through regular third-party audits. These should cover not just the organisation's data compliance and processes (EG SOC 2 Type 2), but also specific app and code audits by an external company. Since password managers make a virtue of passing these tests, they'll tend to announce when they've done so. Of course, any audit is a snapshot of a product's performance at one moment in time, and its results should be treated as such.
Which password manager has never been hacked?
As you can imagine, any large-scale password manager is likely to be a magnet for hackers. So although we've selected the services for their security above all else with no major breaches reported in recent memory, it's best to think of them as an exercise in risk mititgation rather than elimination. That said, NordPass, 1Passwords and many of the models featured, use a zero-knowledge encryption model, which means passwords are first encrypted on your device, before being uploaded to the cloud. All of which should do a lot to eliminate potential fallout in the event of a hacking.
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