LastPass

Available everywhere, LastPass is offered as standalone desktop software, and much more importantly, as a browser extension. Even iOS and Android have LastPass available as an app, with Android offering integration throughout most apps on your mobile device.

For personal use, I shy away from subscription-based software. I'd rather pay once and get to use it. Luckily LastPass for personal use can be used for free. For a business, the subscription however pays for itself in terms of productivity gains and reducing headaches and trouble tickets for your IT staff.

It is so easy to use. You just install it in your browser and forget it exists until you need to punch in a password you forgot. It is a perfect way to manage your passwords!

I would like it to remember my passwords automatically instead of asking me every time. I'm not sure that option exists so far. Other than that, it is great!

A password manager helps you manage all your passwords. Each password is unique and is protected with a master password only you know. That means you can use unique, strong passwords for every account without having to remember them. This is extremely important for accounts with sensitive information like your email or banking account. Lastpass has done a great job up until recently.

I loved using LastPass, and had been using it for over a year. After they changed their pricing model to pay for a subscription I decided to see if there were any other great password managers out there. I'm not against paying for services, but I don't like how they pulled the rug out of everyone who relied on the free version, where they get so used to the software as apart of their daily life, that it forces many to just pay the fee (many of whom would likely have never signed up in the first place if it were not free). So to me, it feels like a bait and switch, where they had this planned all along. So it's the principle for me.

The smarter way (to strengthen, and not harm their brand), would have been to all along offer a freemium version and offer other extra features that a small percentage of all users are willing to pay for. Essentially they trapped people into using the free version, and are forcing people to pay to now use on multiple devices. It feels shady and left a bad taste in my mouth towards their software and brand.

I've decided to look more into Mozillas free password manager. There are also those from the likes of Google's and Apple's built in password managers. After testing other products, I believe google or mozilla are the way to go, since apples is too proprietary (*they are a closed ecosystem - you can't as easily use cross platform and on other browsers)