LastPass Wins Top Password Manager at Toms Guide Awards 2020

LastPass Wins Top Password Manager at Toms Guide Awards 2020

LastPass, winner of the Tom's Guide Award for Best Password Manager, has been dominating the field for over a decade. LastPass is completely free for most users' purposes.

That's right, the free version of LastPass covers most of your password manager needs. You can sync an unlimited number of passwords, private notes, and other personal items across all your devices. You can access a password generator, protect your account with two-factor authentication (2FA), and share passwords and other items with other LastPass users.

If more are needed, LastPass Premium costs $36 per year for an individual and $48 for a family of up to six people. Premium users receive priority technical support, advanced 2FA options such as physical security keys, 1GB of encrypted file storage, emergency account access for trusted individuals, and the ability to share items with many people at once.

Paid Windows users can also download the LastPass standalone desktop app from the Microsoft Store, but it is limited to 5,000 items and is not currently in active development. Apple users can get the standalone Mac desktop app for free or for a fee.

However, the LastPass browser extension and LastPass website interface provide an identical user experience, are available to all users, and include all features that may be needed.

LastPass has some serious conflicts; Dashlane can reset hundreds of passwords at once, has a user-friendly interface, and offers unlimited VPNs, but you have to pay $60 per year, and Dashlane's free tier is fairly pointless.

Keeper is a no-nonsense password manager that roughly matches LastPass's capabilities, and its premium tier is only $30 per year, but its free tier does not sync across your devices. 1Password ($36 per year) is a good choice for frequent travelers crossing borders. It can hide passwords and accounts for frequent travelers crossing borders, but it doesn't quite match the functionality of LastPass, and there is no longer a free version.

If you have never used a password manager, there is no harm in trying the free version of LastPass. You may never need to use anything else.

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