The best free password manager will not be as easy and free next month.
Earlier today (February 16), we heard that LastPass will add significant restrictions to its LastPass Free service, which in recent years has provided everything that most people could ever need a password manager.
As of March 16, LastPass Free users will no longer be able to synchronize their passwords, credit card numbers, notes, addresses and bank account information on all their devices.
Instead, they will be restricted to syncing within a device class: desktops and laptops, Windows tablets and browsers running on them, or mobile devices such as smartphones, Android tablets and iPads and smart watches.
This is a throwback to the LastPass policy before November 2016, when the password manager also restricted synchronization to one type of device for free users. Many other well-known paid password managers – Dashlane, 1Password, Keeper – prevent your free versions from being synced between any devices.
So, if you are a LastPass user who syncs between multiple desktops and laptops, as well as some smartphones, your LastPass universe will suddenly be much smaller unless you upgrade your paid service for $ 36 a year. A LastPass Families plan that can be shared among six users costs $ 48 per year.
Some scenarios
See how LastPass explained the changes in a blog post today.
“Sarah is a free user with computers as her active device type. She can use LastPass on her laptop, desktop and her father’s laptop (anyone’s computer!), But she can’t use LastPass on her phone, tablet or smart watch, unless it updates to LastPass Premium, which has unlimited access to the device type.
Steve is a free user with mobile devices as his active device type. He can use LastPass on his iPhone, Android work phone, tablet and smart watch, but he cannot use LastPass on his desktop or laptop, unless he updates to LastPass Premium, which has unlimited device type access. “
The first type of device you will connect to after March 15 will be the type of device you are limited to, although you will be able to switch device categories up to three times. However, you will not currently lose anything in your “safe” for passwords and other items.
Free users will also no longer be able to consult technical support by email after May 17. Instead, they will be relegated to forums and frequently asked questions.
Making more people pay makes financial sense …
To be fair, there weren’t many reasons to upgrade from LastPass Free to LastPass Premium. You can use physical security keys for two-factor authentication, to share items with multiple people, use 1 GB of encrypted file storage, and have someone monitor the “dark web” to get your information, but most people will not need these resources.
We also know that the owner of LastPass, LogMeIn, needs to make money. LogMeIn made this clear when it increased LastPass’s annual fees paid from $ 12 to $ 24 and finally to $ 36 in less than three years. But with the first-class increase, LogMeIn has also released free, unlimited sync across all devices.
… but you have options
If you are a LastPass Free user, you have a few options for the next month.
You can continue to use the free LastPass service. If you want to be astute, you can have two free accounts registered to different email accounts, but with identical content to cover both types of devices. You just have to remember to make the same password changes at the same time on both accounts.
You can upgrade to LastPass paid service. Thirty-six dollars a year is not a large amount of money. Currently, LastPass is offering a starting price of $ 27 for free users who want to upgrade.
You can switch to password managers that offer free and unlimited synchronization. Bitwarden is the new fad in the block, although its free tier does not support two-factor authentication applications like LastPass Free does. The Zoho Vault free tier supports authentication applications.
You can switch to KeePass completely free. Like an old amulet, KeePass is very old and very powerful. But syncing your KeepPass vault across multiple devices requires a lot of add-ons and kludges. Unless you want to overcome daunting technical challenges, it may be best to get something that you can simply pull out of the dealer’s parking lot.
You can use password managers on your web browser. Chrome, Firefox and Edge have password managers integrated and Macs have Keychain. But they limit you to a browser or a manufacturer’s devices, and the browser password manager is the first place that a lot of malware looks when it wants to steal information.
You can switch to another paid password manager. Dashlane has many features, but it starts at $ 60 a year. Keeper is a dollar cheaper than LastPass Premium, $ 35 a year, and has excellent security. Mac users swear by 1Password, but it also costs $ 36 a year.
There are still paid bargains. RoboForm costs just $ 24 a year and Tom’s Guide readers get a 30% discount. We haven’t reviewed Bitwarden mentioned above yet, but its premium plan has many of the same features as LastPass Premium, but it costs only $ 10 a year.