Best password managers 2026
Top picks for password managers 2026: 1Password (families and teams wanting a polished vault with travel mode and security alerts, no free plan (14-day trial); paid from about $2.99 per month billed annually), Bitwarden (open-source, budget-conscious users who want to audit or self-host the code, free plan; paid Premium from about $1.65 per month billed annually at $19.80 a year), Dashlane (users wanting a built-in VPN and real-time dark web monitoring bundled in, no free plan (discontinued September 2025; 14-day trial); paid from about $4.99 per month billed annually). All 4 tools here are compared on pricing, free plans, features and platforms, verified against vendor sources.
Pricing and features verified against each vendor's published information on 2026-08-31. Sources linked below.
At a glance
| Tool | Free plan | Pricing from | Best for | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Password | No | No free plan (14-day trial); paid from about $2.99 per month billed annually | families and teams wanting a polished vault with travel mode and security alerts | Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux |
| Bitwarden | Yes | Free plan; paid Premium from about $1.65 per month billed annually at $19.80 a year | open-source, budget-conscious users who want to audit or self-host the code | Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux |
| Dashlane | No | No free plan (discontinued September 2025; 14-day trial); paid from about $4.99 per month billed annually | users wanting a built-in VPN and real-time dark web monitoring bundled in | Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux |
| NordPass | Yes | Free plan; paid Premium from about $1.29 per month on a multi-year plan | existing Nord Security (NordVPN) users wanting a matching password manager | Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux |
The shortlist
1. 1Password
Paid onlyFounded 2005
No free plan (14-day trial); paid from about $2.99 per month billed annually. Best for families and teams wanting a polished vault with travel mode and security alerts.
- Watchtower security alerts
- Travel Mode
- Password health reports
- Secure document storage
2. Bitwarden
Free planFounded 2016
Free plan; paid Premium from about $1.65 per month billed annually at $19.80 a year. Best for open-source, budget-conscious users who want to audit or self-host the code.
- Open-source clients and server
- Built-in authenticator (paid)
- Self-hosting option
- Vault health reports
3. Dashlane
Paid onlyFounded 2009
No free plan (discontinued September 2025; 14-day trial); paid from about $4.99 per month billed annually. Best for users wanting a built-in VPN and real-time dark web monitoring bundled in.
- Built-in VPN (Premium)
- Real-time dark web monitoring
- Password health score
- Autofill and password changer
4. NordPass
Free planFounded 2019
Free plan; paid Premium from about $1.29 per month on a multi-year plan. Best for existing Nord Security (NordVPN) users wanting a matching password manager.
- Zero-knowledge encryption
- Data breach scanner
- Passkey support
- Secure password sharing
Head-to-head comparisons
- 1Password vs Bitwarden
- 1Password vs Dashlane
- 1Password vs NordPass
- Bitwarden vs Dashlane
- Bitwarden vs NordPass
- Dashlane vs NordPass
FAQ
- What are the best free password managers?
- Tools with a free plan here include Bitwarden, NordPass. Compare limits before committing.
- How many password managers did this list compare?
- This page compares 4 tools, each linked to its own site.