A password manager is a tool that stores sensitive data such as user passwords, secret codes, account numbers, card codes, etc. This type of information must be stored somewhere, particularly if you don’t want to have to memorise so many details. One of the safest places to store this information is a password manager, a tool specialising in this very important task.

By default, the operating systems on our computer, tablet and mobile phones save our information, or at least that which we use directly on the device, such as e-mail passwords, Wi-Fi passwords or our credit card numbers when making purchases on web browsers. However, accessing these details is not easy and more often than not they are disorganised. Therefore we recommend using specialised tools such as password managers.

There are different options for every preference, but the best share some common characteristics: they are multi-platform, offer both a free version and additional for-pay functions, and are able to store more information than just passwords and this data is encrypted and protected on your device even though it is synced online.

LastPass

One of the most popular password managers out there is LastPass. It started out as a browser plug-in, improving browsers’ defect password management. Over time the application has expanded to cover mobile devices and with your LastPass account it is now possible to keep all your passwords and sensitive data safely stored on all your devices.

LastPass does more than store your passwords, the app also allows you to store secure notes and form fills, so you can save purchase details or program passwords in addition to other data. In addition to storing your passwords, it also generates them, giving you the option to personalise your extension to make it more secure.

Among its security characteristics, it offers AES-256 bit encryption for passwords, two-factor authentication and encryption/decryption is local, which means that information synced on its servers is never left unprotected.

Dashlane

Though it hasn’t been around as long as LastPass, this password manager has established itself in the market due to its ease of use when managing and saving passwords with it for the first time.

Much like the previous option, Dashlane is compatible with most desktop and mobile operating systems and easily integrates into all the principal browsers, so when you fill in a form or log in to an online service, Dashlane will ask if you want to save that information for the future.

In addition to passwords, it also saves notes, card and account numbers, program keys, etc.

Enpass

Enpass is a powerful ally for remembering and storing your passwords.

Both the desktop customer version and the browser extension allow you to save all kinds of information. The app itself even offers you different categories to do this. The same as with LastPass, it uses AES-256 encryption and as an extra incentive it allows you to import passwords from other managers and to sync details between devices using third party cloud services, so you can take full advantage of your Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud, OwnCloud or Box accounts. Syncing is optional and, in any case, the information coming from the application is already encrypted to ensure its security.

Zoho Vault

The Zoho online tools suite has a password manager, which is also online, for storing your passwords directly from the browser and the mobile app.

Zoho Vault applies the same philosophy as the suite under the same name, which means you can use this tool individually or share details with a work team, which is highly useful for services that are shared within a department or company.

It also offers functions to control who accesses the passwords. Regarding security, it is equally secure as the above options, using AES-256 encryption.