Our Favorite Password Manager Remembers All of Your Logins So You Don’t Have To
By James Austin
James Austin is a writer covering games and hobbies, which means he is in a constant cycle of learning board games and teaching them to people.
Everyone should use a password manager. Yes, even you.
So much of how we live is tied up online these days, and it’s important to keep that personal data secure but also accessible. The best protection comes from strong passwords that are random and long.
But many people (86% of Americans, according to a 2017 Pew survey) choose to store their passwords in ways that are not secure, and most people try to memorize them. That’s a sure way to end up with weak or reused passwords. (There are only so many ways you can change up “T0pPick1!” and still remember it.)
This is where a password manager really shines. And after researching dozens of options since 2016, we found that 1Password outperformed the 40 apps we considered.
Our pick
1Password’s apps are attractive and easy to use. Newbies will like its plain-language security recommendations and user-friendly interface. And those who are more technically inclined will appreciate its advanced features and security.
Buying Options
Other password managers can autogenerate and organize secure passwords for you when you create new accounts.
What made 1Password rise above the rest, as our pick in 2018, is a feature called Watchtower. It keeps track of any weak or duplicated passwords you’ve already created and gently encourages you to change them.
1Password’s easy-to-use interface, consistent quality across multiple operating systems and browsers, and family sharing plan made this app stand apart from the others we tested.
With 1Password, you can share that Netflix login and also get your parents to retire the Google Doc of passwords they’ve been keeping.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTHow it started
Founders Dave Teare and Roustem Karimov originally built the software in 2005, as an internal tool for managing their login info.
When they showed the software to colleagues and friends, the demand was so high that they formed a new company and made it available to the public as 1Password.
We’re not the only ones who love 1Password. The password manager has also been recommended by Wired, The New York Times, IBM, Dropbox, and Apple.
Keep in mind
By default, 1Password locks you out after 10 minutes of idle time. If this annoys you, you can easily change that setting.
In the app, navigate to “Preferences” and then to “Security.” You should see a checkbox next to “lock after computer is idle for” and then a text box where you can enter a longer time frame.
This post is part of our 2020 “52 Things We Love” series, an ode to Wirecutter picks that have withstood the test of time. Read the entire series.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTMeet your guide
James Austin is a staff writer currently covering games and hobbies, but he’s also worked on just about everything Wirecutter covers—from board games to umbrellas—and after being here for a few years he has gained approximate knowledge of many things. In his free time he enjoys taking photos, running D&D, and volunteering for a youth robotics competition.
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