With the notable increase of phishing and ransomware schemes making their way through everyone’s inboxes, there’s no better time to remind our readers of the importance of having a reliable password manager.

Why a password manager is so helpful isn’t a new topic for us, but while we’ve covered how password managers work and how they keep your information safe, we haven’t discussed which options we believe to be the best.

Keep in mind that with cyber hackers consistently leveling up, no system can be considered 100% foolproof. That said, the following password managers have worked tirelessly to ensure that, to the best of their ability, your valuable credentials will be safe with them.

If you’re looking for a password manager that your company can depend on, here are the ones we think you should consider:

Last Pass

Last Pass says that with their system, you’ll never have to remember multiple passwords or variations of passphrases again.

With Last Pass, you create one very strong, memorable password and install Last Pass as a browser extension or a device app. Once you’re signed in to Last Pass, it takes care of all the rest of your credentials – meaning you’ll never have to go searching for specific passwords again. Last Pass fills in your login information automatically because it keeps that data in a password vault – one that you can easily edit and update.

Last Pass has several important features to help keep your data safe, including strong encryption algorithms to store your information locally and multifactor authentication. This system will also help you create a secure master password, check for duplicates in your current passwords and rate your overall password strength.

Like we discussed above, any system or platform on the internet could be hacked if their programmers aren’t careful. In 2019, Last Pass reported a vulnerability that could have easily compromised people’s passwords, but the company quickly took care of the issue before there was widespread data loss. In doing so, Last Pass has demonstrated its ability to quickly address dangerous situations and keep their users as safe as possible.

While Last Pass offers a free version that might be best for one user, they also have paid yearly tiers for personal or family use and business use with additional features, such as encrypted file storage, one-to-one password sharing and a secure digital wallet app.

Last Pass also syncs across both desktops and mobile devices and works on all major browsers.

Dashlane

Dashlane promises to simplify your life by keeping track of your passwords, personal details and payment information – and filling them in online for you. Their focus is on the safety of their application, citing patents that help them lead the industry in security. In fact, this app was specifically created so Dashlane’s team cannot see what you store, keeping your information even safer and giving you peace of mind that your data won’t be sold.

If you’re interested in a personal password manager, this may be the right choice for you. For under 50 passwords, Dashlane can be used for free. There are also both family and business plans that have no limit on the amount of saved information you can have, along with additional features such as credit monitoring, identity theft insurance and a VPN option.

This app is available for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS.

Keeper

In the past, Keeper has been recognized by organizations like PC Mag and G2 as a top password manager in the industry. With its large selection of offerings and features that aren’t seen in other contenders, such as a dedicated place to review passwords that may have been compromised and an encrypted chat feature, Keeper continues to be a popular choice.

They offer paid plans in the following tiers:

• Business (available as a free trial)
• Enterprise
• MSP (available as a free trial)
• Personal
• Family
• Student (offering a 50% discount for students)

Keeper also has KeeperChat, a secure and encrypted messaging platform that can keep your business’ vulnerable information safe as your team communicates, and KeeperFill, a browser extension that helps generate, store and fill in your passwords online.

This system works for all major browsers, and on Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android devices.

1Password

Taking a different approach from its competitors, 1Password advertises itself as the “most-loved password manager,” citing its easy-to-use interface and storage. And the numbers can’t argue with that – over 60,000 businesses are said to trust 1Password with their valuable data.

Similar to Last Pass, 1Password only requires you to create one password that acts as the “master password” for the rest, keeping them safe in a password vault. 1Password uses two-factor authentication to increase security and has a feature called, “Watchtower,” which consistently checks for breaches or other potential security problems.

What helps 1Password stand out is that your personal data and passwords are stored on 1Password’s secured servers, keeping vulnerable information out of the reach of any hackers who might try to access your computer. If you see more cons than pros when it comes to not storing your information locally, you can opt to store it on your computer and sync your passwords and data to an iCloud , Dropbox or similar cloud storage account.

Pricing for 1Password starts at $2.99 for a personal plan, and there are additional tiers available for families, small teams, business or enterprise accounts.

1Password is available for all devices, browsers, and operating systems, and can easily sync across devices so you’ll never be without your passwords.

Sticky Password

Sticky Password has been around since 2001, so they’ve had plenty of time to perfect their offerings. Since then, they’ve gained a large following, resulting in one million downloads, 2100+ reviews and a 4.5 star rating of their Android app.

This application also has a robust free option with all the best features you’d expect from a password manager (such as unlimited storage for passwords and automatic form completion) and ones that are a little less common (such as password generation, private notes and text data, biometric authentication and more.) Sticky Password has even perfected encrypting your private information so you can store it on a USB or memory card and still access it on other computers besides your own.

If you’re interested in a Premium account, it costs $29.99 a year and includes all the impressive features of the free version and a few others, including:

• Cloud and local WiFi syncing across your devices
• Cloud backups
• Secured password sharing
• Priority support

Plus, with every purchase of a Sticky Password Premium account, a portion goes to charities to help protect endangered manatees in Florida.

Like the other managers we’ve mentioned, this application is supported on all devices and works with major browsers.

Keep Your Company Secure

With the help of a password manager, you won't have to stress any longer about finding safe places to store your business’ important information. But remember – no system is a guarantee of complete security. In order to optimize the safety of your passwords, it’s important to change them with regularity, along with taking additional safety precautions like enabling multi-step authentication.

The more defenses you have in place to keep your passwords secure, the less likely it is that you’ll become a victim of a cyberattack or identify theft.

If you’re interested in additional measures you can take to increase cybersecurity for your small business, learn more about Ascend's services and offerings here.