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iCloud Keychain vs. 1Password: Which is best? [2024]

Well, first off, this is only a choice for Apple users. If you use Windows or Android devices, you're better off checking out another of the best password managers . Both 1Password and iCloud Keychain are on that list, as well as great cross-platform options like Dashlane and Bitwarden . Still, for Apple users, it often is a choice between using iCloud Keychain (your iPhone and Mac's built-in password manager) or paying for 1Password's premium service. If that's the decision you're trying to make, let me break things down for you. 

iCloud Keychain vs. 1Password at a glance

iCloud Keychain and 1Password both have a lot going for them. Here's a quick comparison, or read on for a detailed breakdown.

Both iCloud Keychain and 1Password are way better than not using a password manager

Before diving into the head-to-head between iCloud Keychain and 1Password, let's have a quick look at what using them is like, and how it compares to not having a password manager. 

Both iCloud Keychain and 1Password hit all the bases you could want in a password manager. And, assuming you have them set up with the relevant browser and smartphone extensions installed, using either of them should be absolutely seamless. Instead of having to remember your login details, everything will be taken care of automatically. 

When you go to log in to an account, you'll have to confirm your identity with a password, your fingerprint, or face unlock, and your login details will be automatically filled—including two-factor authentication codes, if you've added them to your app of choice. 

When you create a new account, both iCloud Keychain and 1Password will generate a secure, random password for you and save it. You don't have to worry about remembering it: it's kept safe in your secure vault. Best of all, this experience is universal. With both services, all your logins sync between your devices. If you create an account on a Mac, you can log in to the app on your iPhone a few moments later. 

Sure, there are a few small workflow differences like the desktop versions of 1Password using a keyboard shortcut instead of just filling your logins by default, but the process really is as seamless as I've described it. Take a moment and think how this compares to not having a password manager. 

Both apps are a lot better than nothing.

Both apps are very secure

Of course, all this only works if your password manager actually keeps your passwords safe ( looking at you, LastPass ). The good news is both iCloud Keychain and 1Password are incredibly secure and have never had a meaningful data breach.

Apple takes security extremely seriously . Without diving too deep into the specifics, iCloud Keychain encrypts and stores your passwords in such a way that they're only accessible to you, from trusted devices. No one at Apple can look through your passwords, they aren't stored in plain text somewhere on your iPhone, and they're as locked away as current industry standard encryption allows them to be. Of course, if someone has access to your iPhone or hits you with a wrench until you tell them your password , your login details may not be safe—but the same is true of almost every password manager.

1Password is similarly secure . Your account data is encrypted with both a master password and a secret key. Most of the time, you just need your master password to unlock your vault. You only need to enter the secret key when you're setting up a new device, which can be a bit inconvenient. Still, it means that even if a hacker stole your data from 1Password, they couldn't unlock your vault—even if they also knew your master password.

All this is to say, unless you're an incredibly high-profile figure who's targeted by state-supported hackers, you probably don't need to worry if iCloud Keychain or 1Password is marginally more secure. If you use them as intended, they both have your logins locked down tight.

iCloud Keychain works best with Apple devices

While the basics are much the same, there are still plenty of differences between iCloud Keychain and 1Password. One of the most important is cross-device compatibility. 

To make the most of iCloud Keychain, you need to stay playing in Apple's walled garden. iCloud Keychain comes built in on Macs, iPhones, and iPads—it's essentially part of the operating system. On macOS, you can use it with Safari or Google Chrome . On your iPhone and iPad, it works with your browser and can also fill in passwords in any app. 

There is an iCloud for Windows app that enables you to access your passwords on a PC, and with the browser extensions, use it with Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, but the whole experience feels like more of a workaround. If you have an Android phone, you're out of luck. 

1Password, however, is available everywhere. There are Windows, Mac, and Linux desktop apps, extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, and iOS and Android apps. It doesn't matter if you use a Linux desktop at work, an Android smartphone out and about, and an iPad at home—you'll have essentially the same experience everywhere. 

If you're all in on Apple devices, then you really do have a choice. iCloud Keychain works great, and it's available where you need it. But if you have an old Windows PC that you use from time to time, or an Android smartphone that you need for work, 1Password is the better option. 

The whole point of password managers is that they let you use really long, awkward passwords without having to type them; it gets really annoying if you regularly need to look up a password on your iPhone, so you can type it into your Android smartphone.

1Password gives you more control

When it comes to logging in to your accounts, both iCloud Keychain and 1Password are pretty interchangeable. But overall, 1Password gives you a bit more control over your password security, even though both apps have a lot of the same extra features.

The biggest difference is that 1Password offers actual apps. They're really nice, and they allow you to browse your passwords, securely store other important information, like credit cards and ID documents, and generally just manage your passwords as you see fit. You can have multiple vaults with passwords for different things, you can share vaults and individual passwords, and the Watchtower will even tell you if you've got any insecure, leaked, or duplicate passwords that need updating. 

When you're generating a new password, you can set specific options, like how many characters it is, whether you want to use numbers, symbols, or even words, and if you are using words, what the character that separates them is.

iCloud Keychain actually does much the same, but it's all a bit weirder and more awkward. Your passwords are managed through the System Settings app on Mac and Settings on mobile devices. 

Here, you can scroll through a list of all your passwords, see any insecure ones with security recommendations, and even share certain passwords with friends and family—but it's all tucked away in a preferences pane. It's just weird, and it doesn't encourage you to take control over your password security.

Similarly, when you're creating a new password, you can click or tap Other Options to edit the suggested password, get a new one, get one with numbers and letters, or get one that's easier to type.

But I'll be honest, despite using iCloud Keychain for years, I only found out about these settings while doing a deep dive on it for the articles I write here at Zapier. It just wasn't obvious to me as a regular user.

Both apps support passkeys

As you've probably picked up on by now, passwords are a poor way of securing accounts. An industry group called the FIDO Alliance—made up of companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, 1Password, Dashlane, American Express, Intel, Mastercard, Meta, PayPal, Samsung, Visa, and lots more —has developed an alternative called passkeys, which use public-key cryptography to keep your logins safe. Passkeys are much better than passwords , though they are still very much rolling out. 

iCloud Keychain supports passkeys right now, and they're in beta with 1Password. If you want to test them out, check out the demo site at Passkeys.io . Unfortunately, because they're not widely supported everywhere yet, this isn't a major win for either service. iCloud's integration is a little more mature, so if you're a passkey early adopter, it may be the better choice, but 1Password's integration works too if you want to try them out. 

iCloud Keychain is free—1Password isn't

While I've been trying to compare iCloud Keychain and 1Password as objectively as possible, there's one major elephant in the room we haven't looked at: iCloud Keychain is free.

1Password costs $36/year for a Personal account or $60/year for a Families plan with up to five accounts; there's no free option unless you're a journalist or politician .

If you want total control over your passwords, I feel 1Password is worth the money. But it's impossible to argue that iCloud Keychain doesn't offer much the same security—at least on Apple devices.

1Password vs. iCloud Keychain: Which should you choose?

Both iCloud Keychain and 1Password are secure password managers that make your life easier and your accounts safer. Really, if you only use Apple devices, iCloud Keychain does more than enough and is a super solid default choice (especially since it's free). But if you want more control over your account security and cross-platform support, then 1Password is the best bet, as long as you're prepared to pay.

Related reading:

How to change your passwords in 6 steps

How to disable 1Password for certain sites

What is a passkey?

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Reasons to make the leap from iCloud Keychain to 1Password

Tips & advice.

Apple’s iCloud Keychain is a password manager built right into the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. And, thanks to a Chrome extension , it now works with Windows PCs, too. We support any tool that helps you keep your passwords safe from would-be hackers, including iCloud Keychain. But if you want to get serious about protecting your personal information, there are a few reasons why you should choose 1Password instead.

iCloud Keychain vs 1Password

Icloud keychain vs 1password business, switch to 1password.

1Password is available on every major platform. That includes Mac, iOS, Windows, Android, Linux, and Chrome OS. Sure, iCloud Keychain works with Chrome on Windows. But what about Firefox? With 1Password, you get a robust Windows app and a password manager that works in any browser. You can even sign in and access your information at 1Password.com . If you own a variety of devices – maybe you have a personal Android phone and a work MacBook – you always have access to your passwords whenever you need them.

It works with your Apple Watch. Sometimes you want to leave your phone tucked away in a bag or pocket. With the Apple Watch, you can look up sensitive information , like a Wi-Fi password or credit card number, right from your wrist. The wearable can also unlock 1Password for Mac — no need to type in your Master Password or reach for the Touch ID button on your MacBook.

1Password is always convenient. Plowing through a to-do list that involves multiple websites? We don’t want to get in your way. With 1Password in the browser, you can generate and autofill passwords without opening the desktop app. It has a built-in search bar, too, as well as the option to edit and create new items. That means you can be productive without sacrificing any strong security habits.

One-time passwords when you need them. Many services offer a second layer of protection called two-factor authentication (2FA). These special codes can be picked up via text message, which isn’t very secure, or a dedicated app like Authy and Google Authenticator, which aren’t always convenient. Enter 1Password. Our service can scan the QR codes that are required to set up 2FA. We’ll then act as your chosen authenticator app and autofill one-time passwords whenever you need them.

Keeping your financial information secure. Like iCloud Keychain, you can keep your debit and credit card information stored in 1Password. But thanks to a partnership with Privacy , we’re also able to offer virtual payment cards in the U.S. So if a service you use was ever breached – and heaven forbid, exposed card details – no one would have access to your hard-earned money.

1Password is for all the family. Sometimes you need to share a password. You might have replaced the router in your living room, or signed up for a streaming service like Disney+. Sure, you could text everyone the new password. But what happens when a family member buys a new phone tablet or PC? The inevitable question: “What’s the Wi-Fi password again?” You can avoid all of this with a shared vault in 1Password. Keep everything your family needs in one place – with credentials that are always up to date – while maintaining privacy with your own personal vault. Bliss.

More than just passwords. Unlike iCloud Keychain, 1Password isn’t limited to passwords, credit cards, and digital sticky notes. Our service gives you dedicated options for storing your passport information, Social Security number, reward schemes, and more. You can then find these in a flash using the Categories section inside 1Password.

1Password is the right choice for businesses of any size. Here’s why:

1Password is built with teams in mind. 1Password’s shared vaults aren’t just for families. With 1Password Teams and 1Password Business, you can share passwords, credit cards, and important documents with all of your colleagues. No more insecure and out-of-date spreadsheets. Employees can be invited via email or Slack, and if you need to work with someone outside your company – a client or contractor, perhaps – you can give them a guest account. To top it all off, there are administrator tools to ensure that sensitive information is kept on a need-to-know basis.

Protection that extends to the home. Every employee using 1Password Business also gets a free 1Password Families membership. That means you get two separate accounts, each with their own set of vaults, to keep you safe online, both inside and outside of work. It’s a great way to ensure that everyone in the office is familiar with 1Password and using features that will make your life easier, such as shared vaults. 1Password Families also means that everyone you love can create an account and start strengthening their own passwords.

Watchtower has your back. Watchtower lets you know if you’ve reused any passwords and when any of your credentials have appeared in known data breaches. Apple’s iCloud Keychain offers something similar called Security Recommendations . 1Password goes a step further, however, with domain breach reports for 1Password Teams and 1Password Business. These let you know if anyone with a company email address has been affected by a known breach.

There’s nothing wrong with iCloud Keychain. It’s just a little basic. If you feel like you’ve outgrown the service, you’re not alone. 1Password is for people who want to store more than passwords, credit cards, and sticky notes. It’s also for people who want an easy and secure way to share login information with their family or team. If you’re one of those people, consider making the switch to a 1Password membership. You won’t regret it.

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iCloud Keychain vs 1Password: Which Password Manager is Better for You

Parth Shah is an evergreen freelance writer covering how-tos, app guides, comparisons, listicles, and troubleshooting guides on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and smart TV platforms. He has over five years of experience and has covered 1,500+ articles on GuidingTech and Android Police. In his free time, you will see him binge-watching Netflix shows, reading books, and traveling.

Both Google and Apple are making it easier than ever to store and manage the complex passwords for you. Google offers Chrome Password manager and a built-in option on Android devices to keep the passwords. Apple also has steadily improved the iCloud Keychain functionalities to make it on par with the often-superior third-party password managers.

While we already have compared the iCloud Keychain to LastPass in depth, in this post, we will pit it against another popular alternative called 1Password .

While both the password managers get the basics right, they differ in many aspects such as functionalities, price, cross-platform availability, and more. Let’s jump in for more details.

Cross-Platform Availability

Let’s first talk about the most important parameter while choosing a password manager — cross-platform support. And as expected, the iCloud Keychain is only available on Apple devices such as iPhone and Mac. You can’t access it on Android, PC, or Web.

1Password has covered all the major options such as Android, iOS, PC, and Mac. And if you are using devices from various platforms then stop reading the comparison and go with 1Passwprd.

iCloud Keychain is a part of iOS package that comes with the device and takes up to 14GB of space out of the box. 1Password takes about 109MB of space, which is sufficient enough to download over the mobile data.

Download 1Password for iOS

User Interface

As you might have guessed, Apple has kept it simple with the Keychain. It displays the number of added accounts in the alphabetical view. The major options, such as the ability to search for an item, or adding a new account, are kept uncomfortably at the top.

Swipe right on any account to delete the item. You can tap on an item to see the further details of the website. My only concern with iCloud is that it doesn’t offer a separate app, and you will always have to go to Settings > Password & Accounts to access the details.

1Password has adopted the bottom bar UI featuring Favorites, Categories, and Settings options. It nicely lays out the accounts in the Login, Identity, Credit Card, and Secure Notes option. You can add to favorite the most used items for easy access from the favorites menu.

Add a New Item

iCloud Keychain comes by default on every iPhone. As you add login data through applications and Safari browser, it automatically gets added to the iCloud servers.

You can also manually add a new item by tapping on the ‘+’ icon at the top. It will ask you website name and login info.

1Password will first ask you to choose a template such as a login info, Credit Card, or Secure note. As you select a website to add info, the app will suggest you use the randomly generated complex password. You can either use that or opt for your own password.

One can also customize the auto-generated passwords and add notes to it. I wish 1Password would have offered security questions option while adding new info for a website.

The Keychain data is stored on iCloud, and as a result, it has the same security measurements as Apple’s cloud storage service. The service also requires Face ID (if you have set it) whenever you try to access the iCloud data.

1Password is flexible on that front. You can choose to sync all the data to its servers or opt for the personal Dropbox account to store the data. As always, it requires the biometrics to access the app details.

Auto-Fill Login Info

By default, iCloud works as an auto-fill login service across the apps and websites. And thankfully, with the introduction of iOS 12, the company has added an option to let the third-party password managers access the function.

The major password managers already support that functionality, and 1Password is no exception here. But first, you will need to change the option from the Settings menu. Simply head to Settings > Passwords & Accounts > Autofill > and select 1Password from the list.

After that, all the data will be stored with 1Password automatically and you can directly auto-fill the info whenever any website requires them to add.

The highlight of the iCloud Keychain is the convenience. It excellently works in the background and you can even forget its existence. And also, if you are a Mac user, then all the auto-fill functionality applies to macOS as well.

1Password is offering ton more features compared to the basic iCloud. You can create multiple vaults, add family members to your vault, generate OTP from the app, attach pdf in the entry, has the Apple Watch support, and most importantly, it’s available on all platforms.

But then again, not everything comes with a free tag. Let’s talk about the price.

As you might have guessed, iCloud Keychain data is counted against the iCloud storage, which only comes with 5GB of storage. Once you run out of the space, the premium plans start at $1/month. For 1Password, you will have to shell out $12/year to use at full potential.

Safely Locked in a Vault

As you can see from the above list, 1Password trumps the iCloud Keychain in all areas with ease. But if you are looking for something that works as flawlessly as it could be out of the box, then go with iCloud Keychain.

Next up: LastPass is also an excellent alternative to 1Password. Read the post below to see how it fared against the iCloud Keychain.

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Last updated on 03 February, 2022

The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.

The article above may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. The content remains unbiased and authentic and will never affect our editorial integrity.

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Why Do I Need a Password Manager if I Have iCloud Keychain?

• June 4, 2021 June 4, 2021

Recently in one of our community channels we were chatting about the announcement that 1Password is now available for Linux , and someone said that they use iCloud Keychain and that it’s good enough for them. I’ve heard this before, and I never sat down to really outline what a password manager gives you that iCloud Keychain does not.

I wanted to understand what people are missing if they only rely on iCloud Keychain and there’s no better way to learn than to try to explain it. After listening to my arguments, you may still feel that iCloud Keychain gives you what you need, but maybe you’ll learn something that would be valuable to you in a password manager.

My recent experience is all with 1Password, but I used to use LastPass years ago. They’re both terrific services and have many of the same features. The names of the functions may be different, but I think if I use 1Password as an example you’ll get the point of the advantage of using a password manager.

iCloud Keychain

Let’s start by understanding what iCloud Keychain does for you because it really is a terrific service.

According to Apple’s support article HT204085 :

iCloud Keychain stores credit card numbers and expiration dates—without storing or autofilling the security code—and passwords and usernames, Wi-Fi passwords, Internet accounts, and more.

Obviously, this is the kind of data we want to protect. Apple explains that iCloud protects your information with end-to-end encryption. They protect it in transit and at rest. This is all terrific. Even Apple can’t get to your data.

However, this data is protected on your device only by your login password/passcode. How many digits long is your Mac login? Do you have numbers and letters and special characters in it? I have to admit that while my login password is probably better than average, it’s definitely not worthy of protecting my bank login. How about your iPhone’s login password/passcode? I wouldn’t trust my family jewels to mine!

Bad actors won’t get to your data stored in iCloud Keychain on the Internet because Apple is protecting it really well, but there’s still a huge vulnerability in your own device passwords.

The weakest link in passwords is us. Humans are not good at thinking up long, complex, random passwords. It’s not our fault, we’re simply not designed to do it. The non-complex passwords we think up are naturally repeated across websites because it’s just too hard to do anything else.

One of the great things about iCloud Keychain is that it suggests long, complex passwords for you when you first need to create one. If you allow iCloud Keychain to create your passwords and store them, you will be leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else. And this really is a game of being ahead of the pack.

The passwords that iCloud Keychain creates are long and complex as I said, but they’re also difficult to type and impossible to remember. They’re a random glop of numbers and letters and special characters. This is normally just fine because the goal is not to try to remember your passwords (you can’t), it’s to trust the systems, either iCloud Keychain or a password manager. Unfortunately, sometimes you do have to type them in and it will be quite the chore if you use iCloud Keychain to create your passwords.

The only way that these great passwords will be any help is if they’re always there for you. The fact that iCloud Keychain syncs across your iPhone, Mac, and iPad means that you’ve got them at your fingertips. If you know you can trust that iCloud Keychain will have your passwords when you need them, you’re more likely to let it choose your passwords for you, which is a good thing.

But what if you have a Mac with an Android phone? Or maybe you’re an iPhone user but you use a Windows PC. iCloud Keychain won’t be there for you. If you don’t have the passwords when you need them, you won’t trust iCloud Keychain and you’ll go back to using less-secure and reused passwords.

And what about passwords to accounts you share with others? Maybe you and your partner have a shared bank account or credit card; what happens if you have to change the password for some reason? How do you let your partner know? Maybe your memory is perfection itself but the rest of us have about a 50% success rate.

If something were to happen to you, I would assume that at least one person you love has access to your phone or Mac or iPad. They could log into your accounts because of iCloud Keychain which is great. But how do they know what accounts exist? If you take care of the phone bill, do they know what website to go to? How would they figure that out from iCloud Keychain?

Password Managers

Let’s switch gears and compare iCloud Keychain to using a password manager. Like iCloud Keychain, 1Password information is encrypted in transit and at rest with AES 256-bit encryption. If you lose your 1Password login, they simply cannot retrieve it for you ( 1password.com/… ).

Let’s go through some of the features and advantages you get with 1Password.

One Long Complex Password

I explained that iCloud Keychain protects your passwords with your Mac or iPhone’s login, and it’s highly likely that you have fairly simple passwords on both. With a password manager, you create one wicked long password with numbers and letters and special characters and a goat in it. You make it this complex because it is literally the key to the kingdom.

You will have to type it in from time to time but in most cases, you won’t.

• Touch ID or Face ID on your iPhone and iPad can unlock 1Password
• If you have a MacBook with Touch ID, you can open 1Password with your fingerprint
• If you have a Mac with a T2 security chip, you can even use your Apple Watch to authenticate to 1Password.

1Password will ask you to type in the full password from time to time just to make sure you never forget it. With a password manager, this is the only password you have to remember.

Generated Passwords

1Password will suggest passwords for you just like iCloud Keychain when you’re first setting up an account. With 1Password you can choose an unmemorable pile of glop password just like iCloud Keychain, or you can use a setting in 1Password to have it offer to you a memorable password. Memorable passwords include a series of human-readable words with separators between them.

You can use a slider to set how many words you want, whether to intermingle words with all caps and what kind of separator it should use. This is almost as good as Bart’s XKPasswd.net service . Of course, Bart has a lot more options but if you’re in a hurry, 1Password has your back.

I want to emphasize that there’s nothing wrong with iCloud Keychain’s passwords from a security standpoint, but if you ever have to type them in, you’ll wish you had 1Password.

Two-Factor Authentication

Many accounts these days allow you or even make you have two-factor authentication with an authenticator code. They often refer to it as Google Authenticator, but you can create these same authenticator codes with 1Password. It’s a bit buried, but once you know where it is and how to turn it on, it’s really easy .

If you use iCloud Keychain, you’d have to use a secondary app (like Google Authenticator) in order to protect your most important accounts with two-factor authentication. With 1Password, it’s built right in.

Cross Platform

We talked about iCloud Keychain working across all your devices … but that’s true if you use only products from Apple. With 1Password, your passwords are available on your Mac, iPhone, Windows PC, Android phone, and now they even have a native client for Linux. If you live in a cross-platform world, a dedicated password manager is a much better option than iCloud Keychain.

Sharing With Others

If you use iCloud Keychain and change a password, you have to remember to tell your partner, other family members, or roommates. With a dedicated password manager, you can share specific passwords so that if you change the password they get the change automatically.

1Password does this through what they call Shared Vaults. Steve and I have our own private vaults because I don’t need access to his Apple ID, and he doesn’t need to log into my podfeet.com admin account. But we share credit cards and bank accounts and even more critical things like our Netflix password. Those all go in a shared vault. If for some reason I need to change a password on a shared account, I don’t have to remember to tell him.

In the most recent versions of 1Password, they’ve made it super easy to move items in and out of shared vaults; you simply drag and drop between them. The last time I used LastPass they allowed you to share logins one-by-one, which in some cases has advantages over the vault concept.

Remember we can have two-factor authentication with 1Password. If the site you’re authenticating to is smart enough to use an authenticator instead of insecure SMS, then the two-factor authentication is available to you and your partner with 1Password.

Things You Can Store

Every year 1Password adds new things you can store in your vaults. We’ve been talking about logins to online services but it’s so much more than that. 1Password has categories for the different types of data you may want to store in your vaults. Categories are very useful because they are tailored to prompt you to store exactly the right information for that piece of data.

For example, if you choose to add a Wireless router, it will ask you the base station name and password, but it will also give you fields for the IP address, the type of security and any attached storage passwords.

It took me a long time to trust 1Password with my credit cards, but it’s glorious to have them autofill for me after I authenticate into 1Password. Like you can with macOS and iOS natively with iCloud Keychain, 1Password can also store identity information so you can have your address, phone number, and birthday auto-filled. It was interesting to me that iCloud Keychain doesn’t store the CVV number from the card, but 1Password definitely will save it for you.

1Password recently added bank accounts as a specific category. I created my entries before this category existed, but they’re so much easier because it has dedicated fields for things like the routing number.

I won’t go through every type of account, but 1Password has categories for databases, driver licenses, email accounts, medical records, memberships, passports, reward programs, servers, and social security numbers.

They also have plain old garden variety secure notes. If you don’t use a password manager, and you need to write a secure note for yourself, you can easily use Apple Notes. It’s not a bad solution and the protection there is very good, but now you’ve got two places where you’ve stored information, iCloud Keychain and Notes.

One of the most valuable things 1Password can store is software licenses. While they don’t require the high security of a password manager, it is delightful to have them all collected in one place. It even picks up the pretty icon of the application so it’s easy to scan to look for the app license you need. I use this all the time.

I mentioned passports earlier and we actually used this feature of 1Password. When Steve and I were in Peru, someone stole his backpack at the airport in Cusco as we were leaving to go to Lima to then fly home. It had a lot of electronics in it, but more importantly, the backpack contained Steve’s passport. In order to get a new one, you need to know your old passport number. We had scanned in our passports to 1Password years before so we were able to not only give the number to the passport office, we were able to make a printout of it. I’m not sure it made a big difference but it did seem to help smooth out the process.

Finding Problems

All of us have the goal of having accounts that are impenetrable. The threats to our accounts can come from so many different places, that I count on 1Password to watch for them for me.

They tell you if you’ve used a weak password and especially if you’ve reused a password. I’m pretty sure iCloud Keychain doesn’t tell you this. Remember, if you reuse a password, and one of the sites gets hacked, your other site is easy pickings.

I think that the reused password section in 1Password could be improved. Not because it won’t show me where I’ve duplicated a password but because it shows me duplicates that I can’t do anything about. There are at least a dozen services and websites that have two ways for me to get into them, so I have two entries with the same username and password combination. I guess it’s better that they don’t miss any but I’d sure like to be able to see a clean bill of health someday.

They also have a section for vulnerable passwords. They take the hash of your password, which is where they run your password through the algorithm that disguises it, and then they compare the disguised version to an online database of security exploits provided by haveibeenpwned.com .

I want to emphasize that your plain-text password is never exposed through this process, but if your hashed password is in this database, then it means the bad guys can recognize your hashed password when they attack other sites. You really truly do not want to use a password that’s in this database. This vulnerable password check is another service you get with 1Password that you don’t get with iCloud Keychain. You can always check every password of yours one by one at haveibeenpwned, but that’s pretty tedious!

1Password will also reveal to you if any of the websites for which you have a login have been compromised since you last changed your password. It then prompts you to log into the site and create a new one.

A recent addition in the last few years is that 1Password will show any logins you’ve stored that point to unsecured websites. If you’ve been at this for a long time, it’s highly likely that you’ve stored a lot of logins using the HTTP version of the web service. With 1Password, you can ask it to check all of your insecure sites to see if HTTPS is available. I’ve been fixing these as I use them but I really should spend some quality time fixing them all.

Another cool feature of 1Password is that it will tell you in a bright red banner if two-factor authentication is available but you haven’t yet set it up. I tend to fix these as I go too but I really should buckle down and do them all.

Notification of the availability of the option for two-factor authentication is yet another thing iCloud Keychain doesn’t give you.

Managing a Family

As the nerds-in-residence, most of us are also in charge of keeping our family members safe on the Internet. I’m sure your partner has very fine qualities, but maybe taking security seriously isn’t their top priority. With 1Password for Families, you can help manage the passwords of your family members. You can even reset their 1Password if they ever forget it which could be really handy.

Bottom Line

The bottom line is that iCloud Keychain is a great service and I think it has helped many people to become much more secure in their digital life. But it’s pretty obvious that 1Password and other password managers offer a lot more than iCloud Keychain does to keep you safe online. I highly recommend you go check out 1Password at 1password.com . It’s $3/month for individuals and $5/month for families. If I had to narrow down my subscriptions to just one, the last one standing would probably be 1Password. That, or maybe TextExpander…

9 thoughts on “ Why Do I Need a Password Manager if I Have iCloud Keychain? ”

… and I’m betting 1Password and TextExpander are the first two apps you load after a nuke & pave.

This was an excellent article. I am waiting (and I’m sure it’s soon) for Apple to do a “ Eat your Lunch” revamp of keychain that will completely kill 3Rd party apps like 1password. Until then I use 1 password for all the reasons you so nicely outlined.

What is ur answer to this article ? https://markellisreviews.com/im-switching-to-1password-heres-why/amp/

@Josef there’s not much to say about it. This is a guy who used 1P, quit 1P for Keychain, and now is going to try 1P but hasn’t actually started to use it yet. What would there be to say about it before he’s even used it?

Thank you for this post – I’m glad that Keychain is a secure option because it works very well for me. One thing, you said “They tell you if you’ve used a weak password and especially if you’ve reused a password. I’m pretty sure iCloud Keychain doesn’t tell you this.” Actually, it does. In July 2020, with the release of iOS 14, “Security Recommendations” became a feature on iCloud Keychain. On iPhone, it can be accessed from Settings – Passwords – Security Recommendations. It tells you if your password was found in a data breach, if it’s easily guessed or if you’ve reused it.

Thanks for pointing out that Keychain now tells you if you have a password that is in a data breach, Vivian. However, remember that the Keychain is only as secure as your login password for your phone and for your Mac. My Mac login password is not very long and not terribly complex, while my 1Password login is 20 characters long with numbers, upper and lower case letters, and special characters. It isn’t a hassle to type once in a while because 90% of the time I’m using Face ID or Touch ID to open 1Password. If you have a really long, complex password on all of your Apple devices, then I’d call Keychain secure. If not, then I don’t think it’s a good option.

It seems that 1-password has two things going for it in your mind: a) password complexity is higher in your 1-password set up, b) windows and android compatibility. c) sharing of passwords

For argument b) I can see that another option makes sense if you use android and/or windows. For argument c) there is the inheritance option, and you can see what sites exist in an iCloud Keychain, when you go to the passwords list. Admittedly to share select passwords whilst keeping others private is clunkier, as you need duplicates. Another user has already pointed out that password security checks, including haveIbeenpwned are included in iCloud Keychain now

For argument a) I’m not sure that I agree with the “My Mac login password is not very long and not terribly complex”. That’s such an easy fix. Make your device passwords longer and more complex. You can use fingerprint or faceid for most normal logins, and you’ll still be prompted periodically… to help you remember your password. You’re way, you’re having to remember both your simple apple device passwords AND your complex 1-password password.

Well actually, I end up typing both the password to my Mac and my iPhone really often. I do use Face ID and Touch ID whenever possible but it’s very common to type one or the other of them at least once a day for random reasons. 1Password is available on all of my devices (as is iCloud Keychain) but it’s also available via the web.

On sharing passwords by duplicating them, that sounds like a terrible idea. If you need to change a password for a site or service, you have to remember to do it as many times as you’ve replicated it.

And don’t forget all of the other things you can store in 1Password, such as Driver’s licenses and passports.

If you’re happy with iCloud Keychain and you’ve made sure to protect your devices with long, complex passwords, that’s great.

Recently an acquaintance of mine was robbed at gunpoint on the street on her way home from work. The robbers took her iPhone and by holding a gun to her head forced her to unlock it. When she unlocked it, they immediately changed the passcode of that iPhone. So, now they got access to her iPhone and to all the logins and passwords in her Keychain. In a matter of hours all her bank accounts were emptied, her credit cards maxed out, her logins changed on many websites, etc. Had she used a separate (third-party) password manager that should not had happened. Even if the muggers got access to her iPhone they would have need a separate password to her third-party password manager. One could argue that they could make he unlock that password manager too. But can you imagine they standing there, taking their time and going through all her apps on he iPhone, trying to figure out which app is what, and risking being caught? So, this is an example of the advantage of having and using a third-party password manager over the Apple’s built-in iCloud Keychain.

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Keychain, LastPass, 1Password, Dashlane, Nordpass: Keep your passwords safe

Practically everything you do online requires some form of account and a username and password combination. As the most basic form of authentication, the username and password are immediately understood as a concept but can also be extremely insecure and difficult to use.

This is especially so in cases where a person may have tens or hundreds of accounts that they need to be able to log into whenever they want. With higher numbers of accounts, security becomes a bigger problem.

The biggest issue is when users try to use the same password across multiple accounts so they don't have to remember many different credentials. This time-saving idea is also very insecure, as an attacker knowing the account details for one service or app will be able to access others that use the same information.

The fix for that is to use a different password for each account, which immediately prevents anyone from using details known from one account to access another. It does introduce another problem, in that you suddenly have to remember and keep track of multiple account passwords instead of just one.

Even if you didn't choose to use different passwords, you could be forced into it anyway by account systems requiring the use of numbers, letters, upper and lower-case characters, special symbols, or other rules.

This problem could be fixed by using a text document or a physical notebook to write down the passwords, but this is extremely insecure again.

Over the years, an entire industry has developed to solve the password problem. Password lockers or password managers can offer ways to handle large numbers of unique passwords, so all the user needs to do is remember the one used to access that password locker.

Many services boast features to make their users' lives easier, such as password generation and automatic entry, which can ensure a secure password without needing the user to remember it. Then there are features like two-factor authentication systems for extra security.

But crucially, the managers all can store the passwords securely online, so they can be accessed from any device and that they can also automatically update across different platforms.

Sure, many popular web browsers provide built-in password management facilities, which makes sense as you're probably going to use them to log into websites, but this isn't necessarily the best route. Often, you run into the issue of having your passwords kept in the browser and synced between devices that also have that browser installed, but you can't easily use those saved passwords in other browsers or away from browsers altogether.

What follows are some of the major names in the password locker business, what they offer as services, and how much they cost to help you keep your accounts secure.

Apple's Keychain: Free and available

Most Apple device users probably know the Keychain as the company's password locker system. Anyone who's owned an iPhone , iPad , or Mac will have encountered the Keychain at some point.

The Keychain is used to manage usernames and passwords for apps and services, which are then stored on the device and summonable later. Thanks to Apple's foresight in designing iOS , this feature is most apparent when you're dealing with password entry screens in an app, with iOS offering to automatically enter data from the Keychain for you.

The keychain doesn't just store passwords, as it can be also used to handle other data, such as credit card numbers and bank account PINs. All of which can be offered by iOS to automatically be entered into text boxes on your behalf, and does so as unobtrusively as possible.

There's also a synchronization component, with iCloud Keychain automatically sending and retrieving passwords from Apple's iCloud to your device. All passwords are protected by end-to-end encryption, though Apple also fleshed out the service to include the ability to scan for password breaches, warning users if they repeatedly use passwords across accounts and even two-factor authentication keys.

As a free tool built into iOS and macOS and backed by arguably one of the most privacy-focused big tech companies in the world, it's something users should check out before others. Even so, it does have its limitations.

The big minus point for the Keychain is that it is incredibly Apple-centric. Suppose you're working within the Apple ecosystem. In that case, you'll have no problem using it all the time, even to update credentials via the Settings app in iOS or System Preferences for macOS.

This isn't true if you have to use those same credentials on different platforms. On Windows, you can access the iCloud Keychain via a Chrome extension, but platforms like Android are left out in the cold.

Those with multi-platform needs may want to try out one of the many other password managers on the market.

LastPass: Easy to use protection

Sporting a red and black color scheme, LastPass is one of the most prominent password management tools. The system holds credentials in its password vault, synchronized between devices using its wide assortment of apps and browser extensions.

The support is extensive, including apps for iOS and macOS for managing the vault, apps for Windows and Android, extensions for many popular browsers, and even some for Linux. That means you can add, edit, or manage your credentials from any mainstream device you want to use.

The same tools can store other information, including Wi-Fi passwords, credit card details, and additional data, all held behind a single password. It is also secured by local-only encryption, with data stored and decrypted at the device level without LastPass receiving the master password or keys for the account itself.

However, there were reports in December 2021 that some users found their master passwords were compromised. LastPass claimed users received alerts about attempts to access accounts via attempts at "credential stuffing" and other techniques and that its lack of knowledge of the user's master password meant it wasn't a source of the leaks.

To help users more, there are also built-in password generators, dark web monitoring of data breaches that could affect users, and secure sharing of credentials with family members and colleagues. All of this is in an easy-to-navigate and use system that works very similar across different platforms.

The only downside to LastPass is that its free offering is a little convoluted. The free version offers the core benefits of the service, but it is limited only to one type of device : computers or mobiles, with users encouraged to pay for the premium version for it to work properly on both types.

A free 30-day trial of Premium is also available.

LastPass costs $3 per month billed annually for its premium service, $4 per month if you go for the Families option, including six password vaults, a family manager dashboard, and sharable folders. Business plans are also available.

1Password: Great for travellers

The name is undoubtedly a clue to what 1Password offers users: Secure your accounts with unique passwords, but you only have to remember one. When invoked, 1Password will automatically fill in login screens and forms on websites for the user, using the same credentials across all of their devices.

The service uses apps on many different platforms and browser extensions, and there's even a command-line interface for those who prefer to work inside Terminal.

The macOS version of the app was updated in May 2022 to version 8, bringing with it a new look and revised workflows to streamline the experience for users.

All passwords are stored with AES-256-bit encryption to its servers, with a master password and secret key used for encryption but aren't sent to the company itself. The use of Secure Remote Password also helps authenticate credentials without sending them over the Internet in the first place.

Then there are alerts for security breaches, phishing protection, and data entry only when a user tells the app to do so. To ward off any bad actors from abusing a device's clipboard for copied data, info meant to stay secret is periodically removed from the temporary data store.

Unusually, there's also a Travel Mode, which is used for crossing borders in situations where officials may want to access your hardware. Sensitive data stored in 1Password is wiped, but can be restored with a click after leaving the security checkpoint.

Other features include secure sharing of credentials, storage of different data items, a 365-day item history for retrieving deleted passwords, and two-factor authentication. Version 8 for macOS introduced a Quick Access panel for rapid access to services and passwords, and a Watchtower tool for calculating password strength and vulnerable password detection using on-device processing.

There's also the introduction of Universal Autofill, allowing you to populate account fields from practically anywhere in macOS with a simple keyboard shortcut.

After a 14-day trial, it costs $2.99 per month , billed annually, for 1Password's individual account, rising to $4.99 monthly for the Families version. That plan works with up to five family members, with password and credit card sharing, management of what each family member can use, and the ability to recover locked-out family member accounts.

Dashlane: Browser-based security

A long-time member of the password managing market, Dashlane offers the same sort of features as its other top-tier rivals. Dashlane stores passwords, payment details, and personal info in its digital locker, which is kept on its cloud storage service.

There's also personalized security alerts, including dark web monitoring of up to five email addresses, a password health checker to see how you use weak or end up reusing passwords, and a password generator. In cases where a password needs to be updated due to being insecure, there's an automatic password changer that can do the job for many websites.

Along with passwords and essential details, there's a Secure Notes function, so you can store highly-sensitive information in Dashlane, which you can also securely share with others. Dashlane uses a "zero-knowledge, U.S. patented security architecture" to ensure only its users have access to their data, and it is something Dashlane claims has "never been breached."

To add to the security, paid plans also include a VPN, providing private browsing when users use a public Wi-Fi hotspot.

Dashlane does differ from the rest of the pack by moving away from dedicated desktop apps in favor of a browser-based interface. Mobile apps are still available, along with browser extensions, but the loss of desktop management apps may be a buzzkill for some.

Dashlane costs $6.49 per month , or $4.99 per month with yearly billing, with a family plan option also available for $8.99 per month, or $7.49 per month on annual billing. The family plan is for up to six premium accounts, with dark web monitoring for five emails per user, as well as all of the other benefits.

A free option is available, which provides storage for up to 50 passwords, password health and generator features, and personalized security alerts. The free version doesn't include elements like the VPN, dark web monitoring, and automatic password changer, nor can it be used beyond one device.

However, you could easily argue that the free plan offers a taste of the premium plan and suits users with more basic password management requirements.

NordPass: Newer but with pedigree

A sister service to NordVPN, NordPass is a more recent offering from the same organization. Like others, it offers a secure way to generate and retain unique passwords, notes, credit cards, and other personal information, which can be synchronized across a user's device collection.

Likewise, there's a wide selection of apps and browser extensions so that it can be used across multiple platforms without much difficulty. There are also the usual protection features, such as credential sharing, password health monitoring, and checking data leaks for account details.

However, as the newest kid on the block, NordPass also provides a few features quite different from the rest of the pack. For example, while there's the typical sharing facility, Emergency Access provides family members or close friends with access to the user's vault in some situations.

Then there's security, with NordPass using XChaCha20 encryption, a newer encryption algorithm that is tipped to become a replacement for AES-256. It has also undergone auditing by Cure53, which performs penetration testing, with NordPass receiving a glowing report.

Multi-factor authentication is present in NordPass, too, though you can add an OTP generator, a Bluetooth device, or a USB stick to add an extra token-based layer of security to an account. A Trusted Contacts feature lets users manually confirm that they want to set up an encrypted connection with another person, ensuring sharing passwords remains secure from man-in-the-middle attacks.

NordPass costs $4.99 per month for its premium plan, $2.99 per month if billed annually, or $2.49 per month for the two-year plan. The Family Plan costs $7.99 monthly, $5.99 per month for the annual version, and supports up to six user accounts.

A free version is available with a 30-day premium trial, which affects the trusted contacts, sharing, emergency access, password health, and data leak scanning features.

I use Safe+ running native on Mac and iOS which keeps all data locally and syncs using Wi-Fi. That there are also no subscriptions is a really a plus for me.

I have switched over to BitWarden, the only open source password manager to my knowledge.  As a bonus, it works with the authenticator app. Their free tier is more than enough for my needs (and even the paid tier is very reasonably priced). https://bitwarden.com/

These subscription thing is getting out of hand. Sure if it add content/feature every month, like Netflix, then I can understand. But it not like these app add a new way to save password every now and then. 

I'm a big fan of KeepassXC . Open source, completely free.

I have switched from 1Password to Secrets. I find Secrets just as good and got me away from a subscription 

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Why not pick Keychain instead of 1Password or LastPass?

I recommend regularly that people use some sort of password-management system that lets them set hard-to-crack passwords (whether short and complicated or long and easy to remember) uniquely for every site and service, and also lets them fill in those passwords everywhere they need to.

Lowell Nelson emailed me a few weeks ago wondering why I’m so hot on third-party options, like 1Password , Dashlane , and LastPass , when Apple has a robust, multiplatform solution of its own that includes synchronization: Keychain. (Keychain more specifically describes the OS X part, while iCloud Keychain allows synchronization across devices and use with iOS.)

It’s a terrific question, and I prefer not telling people to buy into a paid service (whether a one-time fee or a subscription) unless the utility of that utility is so high that it outweighs the cost.

Let’s look through the details. Since I have tested and studied 1Password and LastPass extensively, I use them as the basis of comparison. You should be able to find answers to each of the points below in the FAQs or feature descriptions for any sufficiently robust alternative.

While Apple’s Keychain, 1Password, and LastPass can all store other sorts of data securely, passwords are the most reliable element that can used across a whole ecosystem and across platforms.

How secure is your data?

A password “safe” needs to keep the passwords, well, safe , in three major areas:

Data at rest on a device. Passwords should be secure on a device against anyone but the owner gaining access.

Data stored on servers. It should be difficult or impossible for an attacker to access and decrypt cloud-stored passwords.

Data in transit while being synchronized or to and from Web-based access. Strong encryption should prevent a snooper from unscrambling new entries, retrievals, and updates, as well as interactive sessions.

Keychain and iCloud Keychain are pretty dang robust in these regards. OS X and iOS have to be unlocked to fill Keychain entries, and OS X’s Keychain Access app requires an administrative or user password to unlock and view passwords. With Touch ID or a passcode in iOS and FileVault 2 in OS X, passwords are highly secure as well when you’re shut down (OS X) or locked (iOS). iCloud Keychain uses device-based encryption which prevents Apple from being able to (or being compelled to) decrypt your passwords.

1Password and LastPass use an “expensive” passphrase encryption method for your locally stored databases, so that even if someone gets ahold of them, a cracker can only brute-force password attempts at a very, very slow rate. LastPass tested this unintentionally after a hack: no reports emerged of any password vaults being unlocked.

LastPass syncs everything through its servers, but encrypts with keys known only to users. 1Password syncs via Dropbox and other cloud-based services (relying on their security and encryption-at-rest methods) as well as through its add-on subscriptions for sharing with family or team members , but it locks everything with user-owned keys.

LastPass and the team or family options for 1Password also give you access via a Web browser, and use browser-based decryption instead of native client software; the companies don’t possess your keys. However, there is a weakness in relying on the browser. Malware and other browser-based exploits make browsers much more vulnerable relative to the level of security available through native apps and cloud sync. Safari flaws in iOS and OS X are discovered regularly (though very few are seen in the wild), and you might be tempted to access your passwords from an unfamiliar machine running another OS.

How easy is the system to use?

A password system has to be easily invokable. If it’s not, you won’t use it consistently, because that’s human nature. Worse, if you’re installing it for someone else to improve their security, they may be unlikely to use it at all if it’s not a constant reminder and superbly straightforward.

iOS apps are more likely to support LastPass and 1Password’s extensions than iCloud Keychain. 

Keychain is used largely by Apple as a way to remember passwords for specific fields on webpages, and to store passwords for an automatic retrieval and bypass in its software (like AirPort Admin in OS) or with third-party software that uses Apple’s Keychain hooks. In mobile and desktop Safari, Keychain works very well, from suggesting a strong password, to storing it, to making it possible to pull it back up or use other stored alternatives.

But while it’s broadly useful in OS X, as more developers have adopted it and there’s Keychain Access for direct lookups and retrieval, in iOS you have to drill down to Settings > Safari > Passwords to view, edit, or (swipe all the way to the bottom) add passwords. Further, you can’t invoke Keychain in Apple’s non-Web login dialogs, making it useless for common purposes. And while you can make up a password when you need one, it’s awkward to get to and can only be retrieved easily on a corresponding Web page.

Apple’s addition of extensions starting in iOS 8 allows 1Password, LastPass, and other tools to be invoked in Safari and other apps. Many iOS apps I use are tied directly into 1Password’s API that allows direct invocation. In the worst case, I can switch to LastPass or 1Password to find the password, copy it, and then switch back to the app and paste it in.

You can also use the app to create strong passwords that are retained on creation, synced automatically, and copied to the clipboard to use in other apps.

1Password can even put your passwords on your Apple Watch, if you are a Pro user, and LastPass has an Apple Watch app too. 

The cross-platform situation is much worse. Apple doesn’t make iCloud Keychain available outside its own operating systems. 1Password and LastPass (and other apps) are available across a broad variety of major platforms, plus they have browser-based access (by default with LastPass and as a subscription option with 1Password).

iCloud Keychain has no mechanism of sharing with other people—part of the ongoing narrative I’ve been discussing for years about how Apple doesn’t designs its systems from the ground up to recognize that people work in groups and as families. (Let’s not get started on the issues with Family Sharing .)

Most password systems have some mechanism to share secrets with others who have accounts. 1Password allows direct transmission without a subscription or, more recently, selectively shared access among members of business and family groups. LastPass, because items are centrally stored, has offered this for years.

Choosing between them

If you’re almost entirely using passwords only on websites, only using iOS and OS X, and don’t mind memorizing and typing in passwords demanded by Apple for its services, Keychain with iCloud Keychain fits the bill. If not all those conditions match, a password-management system is worth the investment.

Update: An earlier version of this story said iOS didn’t provide access to stored passwords or a way to create new ones. It does; it’s just buried in Settings.

Author: Glenn Fleishman , Senior Contributor

Glenn Fleishman ’s most recent books include Take Control of iOS and iPadOS Privacy and Security , Take Control of Calendar and Reminders , and Take Control of Securing Your Mac . In his spare time, he writes about printing and type history . He’s a senior contributor to Macworld , where he writes Mac 911.

Recent stories by Glenn Fleishman:

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iCloud Keychain Review: Pros & Cons, Features, Ratings, Pricing, and more

Apple’s solution to keeping passwords - and passkeys - safe.

TechRadar Verdict

Although it flies under the radar, iCloud Keychain is capable of keeping up with the best, but it has one major drawback.

Simple to use

Supports passkeys

Handles 2FA natively

Limited support for non-Apple platforms

Could have a more dedicated dashboard

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

• Plans and pricing
• Interface and performance
• Customer support
• The competition
• Final verdict

For some, iCloud may be the obvious choice when it comes to passwords, along with its ability to handle other sensitive information and its tight integration with the rest of the Apple ecosystem, both hardware and software. For others, it can be an easily overlooked service that sees them searching (and paying) for an alternative password manager .

That said, Keychain is designed to work with Apple hardware, so iPhone, iPad, and Mac fans rejoice. Windows users will be somewhat pacified that Apple has recently revamped its iCloud desktop client to include support for Keychain, which works via an extension for Edge or Chrome , but Android users will be totally infuriated that there’s no support or solution for the mobile OS that accounts for around two-thirds of all smartphone installations.

This review takes those ideas and applies them to the usability of Keychain, comparing whether this stripped-back essential can keep up with its modern-day rivals.

iCloud Keychain: Plans and pricing

iCloud Keychain itself is an entirely free product, but it forms part of a much wider offering that can see users spending significant amounts of money each month. Because it is, in essence, free, there are no annual or lifetime subscriptions to talk about.

To use iCloud Keychain, you first need an iCloud account, which covers just about every Apple user who has set up an Apple ID. The free plan, which comes with 5GB of storage, allows the syncing of other aspects like Contacts, Calendar, and Mail. This plan also gets access to iCloud Keychain, and while it is technically under the limitations of the 5GB allowance, this is extremely unlikely to be reached.

Anybody using iCloud for its other purposes, especially for storing files, photos, and videos, will find the need to upgrade once they fill up their 5GB allotment, and this is where the cost comes in. A trio of plans with 50GB, 200GB, and 2TB cost $0.99 / £0.79 / AUD$1.49, $2.99 / £2.49 / AUD$4.49, and $9.99 / £6.99 / AUD$14.99 respectively.

Along with some other features unrelated to cybersecurity, the plans also give users access to Hide My Email which generates an email alias that users can disable to protect themselves from marketing and spam, and iCloud Private Relay which isn’t quite a VPN , which obscures your IP address from your target website and not your network provider.

Then, there are the Apple One subscriptions which bundle in Apple TV+, Apple Music, and Apple Arcade, with the range-topper also getting Apple News+ and Apple Fitness+.

iCloud Keychain: Setup

Apple says that to enable iCloud Keychain, you must first have two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled on your account, which should be a staple for any Internet-connected account anyway given the significant cybersecurity benefits for very little additional effort.

Turning on iCloud Keychain is handled from the iCloud panel on the respective device. For iPhones and iPads, this will be under your name at the top of the Settings app > iCloud > Passwords and Keychain. For Mac, this will be a similar process from the System Preferences app.

iCloud Keychain: Interface and performance

The whole point of iCloud Keychain is that there is very little interface for you to have to interact with. Pop-ups handle most operations, including prompting you to save a new password, update an existing one, and fill one out to log in. The iCloud feature can also handle other sensitive information, like payment details.

Also included is a password generator to help users create secure passwords, which typically include 20 characters containing some symbols, a capital letter, and a number. During the suggestion, there are options to go for a slightly easier one, to edit the suggested password, or to enter your own.

Given that Apple, along with Google and Microsoft , has been instrumental in the rollout of passkeys , it should come as no surprise that iCloud Keychain now also supports this type of passwordless login that promises to eliminate the risk of account takeovers, thus data breaches and other hacks. Logging into a device that doesn’t have access to your Keychain via a passkey is as easy as scanning a QR code on your iPhone or iPad and authorizing access from the trusted device.

For those still clinging on to regular passwords, 2FA is handled from Keychain, too. A lesser-known feature of iCloud Keychain is its support for 2FA code generation, eliminating the need for third-party authentication apps . As with the password, Apple devices will automatically fill out your 2FA code, too.

If you need to see a password, maybe to log in on another device, there’s a multitude of ways to get access. On an iOS or iPadOS device, it’s as simple as Settings > Passwords, where you’ll be prompted to authenticate via Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode. The same is true of Mac, where you can find passwords in System Preferences > Passwords. 

Alternative access on Mac can be found via Safari > Settings > Passwords, or via the dedicated Keychain Access app which handles more credentials than just those stored on iCloud, including locally stored details.

The Settings (iOS) or System Preferences (macOS) view is where you’ll also find details of any compromised passwords and recommendations to change them. You’ll also be able to set up new 2FA codes in here.

With the launch of iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma , new shared pots of passwords and passkeys can be set up for families, colleagues, and so on.

iCloud Keychain: Security

Besides the mandatory account 2FA mentioned above during the setup process, iCloud Keychain is also one of the handful of iCloud services automatically secured with end-to-end encryption whereby your device and passcode are used to authorize access. This also means that Apple doesn’t have access to your passwords, but be aware that failure to remember your iCloud password could mean that you lose access to all your passwords.

There’s also an Advanced Data Protection mode for iCloud, which launched with iOS 16.2 and macOS 13.1 and is designed to end-to-end encrypt your entire iCloud library, including Photos and Drive. You can also use physical recovery keys or a recovery contact to gain access should you forget your iCloud password and get locked out.  

iCloud Keychain: Customer support

Depending on which products and services you have, and whether you have AppleCare+ on any of your devices, you’ll get some of the best customer support out there from Apple.

Alongside seemingly hundreds of self-help articles and guides, you can contact Apple via chat (either with a dedicated app, online, or via iMessage Business Chat), or by phone. The company is also committed to accessibility, so getting support tailored to your needs should be smooth, such as in sign language. 

iCloud Keychain: The competition

iCloud Keychain has two routes for competition. In a similar way to Apple fans, Google fans running Android mobile devices and virtually any type of PC with Chrome will likely want to consider Google Password Manager for its fluidity and ease of use, much like iCloud Keychain. Microsoft also has its own solution built into Edge.

Those looking for the best cross-device compatibility should consider a password manager from a company that specializes in just that. The most popular are Dashlane , LastPass , and 1Password , but there are plenty to choose from.

iCloud Keychain: Final verdict

iCloud Keychain has come a long way in recent years, and while it lacks some of the interface you’d expect from a dedicated password manager, it’s no logner short on features and integrates seamlessly with the rest of Apple’s offerings. If you’re a loyal Apple fan and value minimalism and simplicity, iCloud Keychain is a no-brainer as it continues to get better.

We've also featured the best business password managers .

With several years’ experience freelancing in tech and automotive circles, Craig’s specific interests lie in technology that is designed to better our lives, including AI and ML, productivity aids, and smart fitness. He is also passionate about cars and the decarbonisation of personal transportation. As an avid bargain-hunter, you can be sure that any deal Craig finds is top value!

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• Software and apps

The Best Password Managers

By Andrew Cunningham , Thorin Klosowski and Max Eddy

Almost everyone should use a password manager. It’s the most important thing you can do —alongside two-factor authentication —to keep your online data safe. We’ve evaluated dozens of paid and free password managers, and we’ve concluded that 1Password offers the best combination of features, compatibility, security, and ease of use. You don’t have to pay for a good password manager, but if you can, 1Password is worth the $36 per year. If you prefer free software, Bitwarden does everything you’ll need and doesn’t cost anything.

Everything we recommend

The best password manager

1Password offers attractive and straightforward apps. Newbies will like its plain-language security recommendations and colorful interface, while the technically inclined will appreciate its advanced features and security.

Buying Options

Budget pick.

The best free password manager

The free version of Bitwarden covers all the basics of a good password manager and doesn’t cost anything. But features like advanced security reports and encrypted file storage cost extra.

What to know

A password manager creates a unique password for every account, which helps protect you from data breaches.

Password managers automatically fill in the username and password details for you, simplifying and speeding up the login process.

You’ll be able to access passwords from anywhere, including different computers, tablets, and your phone.

Password managers are locked behind a single password, so make it hard to guess and use multi-factor authentication on your account.

1Password has easy-to-use, polished apps that work on Windows PCs, Macs, Chromebooks, iPhones, iPads, Android devices, and the major web browsers. The Watchtower feature helps you identify and change weak, reused, or compromised passwords, and 1Password walks you through correcting these problems in clear, digestible language. 1Password uses strong encryption and good security practices , which sometimes leads to tedious interactions.

The free version of Bitwarden gets the basics right and doesn’t cost a thing, but it lacks a few features that make 1Password such a standout option. Many of those features, such as password checkups and 1 GB of encrypted storage, are available with Bitwarden’s reasonably priced, $10-per-year premium plan. Bitwarden isn’t as polished overall and lacks the in-app guidance of 1Password, which makes it harder for beginners to get the hang of. But the free version of Bitwarden offers the core features you need in a password manager, including the ability to sync as many passwords as you want across as many devices as you own, support for software multi-factor (or two-factor) authentication , and sharing between two people with separate logins using a two-person organization . Bitwarden works on the same devices as 1Password, so you can use it with any computer, phone, tablet, or browser.

Regardless of the password manager you use, it’s important to protect your data with a strong master password—we have advice for how to do that below.

The research

Why you should trust us, why you need a password manager, how we picked, how we tested, the best password manager: 1password, a great free password manager: bitwarden, making a good master password, why can’t you just use the chrome or browser password manager, is it safe to trust a password manager with all your passwords, what to look forward to, the competition, frequently asked questions.

Wirecutter has been testing and recommending password managers since 2016.

Max Eddy is Wirecutter’s senior staff writer covering privacy and security. He previously worked at PCMag for 11 years, where he also wrote about password managers and other tools for improving personal security.

Thorin Klosowski has spent a decade writing about technology, with a focus on software for many of those years. He has written about privacy and security for the bulk of that time and has tested countless password managers.

Andrew Cunningham spent years testing, reviewing, and otherwise writing about computers, phones, operating systems, apps, and other gadgets for AnandTech, Ars Technica, and Wirecutter. He has been building, upgrading, and fixing PCs for more than 15 years, and he spent five of those years in IT departments buying and repairing laptops and desktops as well as helping people buy the best hardware and software for their needs.

Passwords are as annoying as they are necessary, and a good password manager can keep you secure while making it easier to juggle the sheer number of passwords you need to be a person on the internet. Using a password manager is one of the most important things you can do to protect yourself online , aside from using multi-factor authentication and keeping your operating system and web browser up to date. If any of your passwords are weak and easy to guess, if you reuse any of your passwords across multiple sites, or if the sites you use are ever hacked and your account is compromised, you risk losing access to your accounts and your data. In fact, if you reuse passwords, chances are good that your password is already out there. You can even check to see if your email address or password has been involved in a data breach.

Password managers generate strong new passwords when you create accounts or change a password. They also store all of your passwords and, if you want, your credit card numbers, addresses, bank accounts, and other information in one place, secured with a single strong master password. All you need to remember is your master password, and your password manager can remember everything else, filling in your username and password for you whenever you log in to a site on your phone or computer. The best part is that once set up, a password manager makes your digital life easier, speeding up the login process and simplifying managing your online accounts. Getting started can be intimidating, but once you’ve done that, it’s a (mostly) painless experience.

For this guide, we’re focusing on the password managers that work best for individuals, rather than those intended for businesses to deploy and manage. To separate the great ones from the merely okay ones, we use the following criteria:

• Good protection for your passwords: You’re trusting your password manager with your entire digital existence, and your password manager should store your data securely . A good password manager needs to use strong encryption to protect your data on your computer, on your password manager’s server, and when your data is moving between the two. But those promises of security only go so far, so we require that any password managers we recommend participate in regular third-party security audits (preferably audits that they make public) and have a bug-bounty program. Security audits aren’t perfect—they offer just a snapshot of the software and infrastructure—but they are a signal of trust and transparency.
• Privacy: A password manager shouldn’t share data with third parties for advertising, so we check both the privacy policies and the mobile apps to confirm that they aren’t sharing data they aren’t supposed to.
• Unlimited password storage: Any paid password manager should be able to store an unlimited number of passwords and other records, and enough free ones offer unlimited storage that you shouldn’t settle for less.
• Sync between devices (and no limits on the number of devices you can use): You probably have more than one device that you use every day, between your home computer, your work computer, your phone, and your laptop. A good password manager should offer cloud syncing so that your passwords remain accessible anywhere on an unlimited number of devices.
• Desktop and laptop compatibility: A password manager should have a Windows and macOS app that you can use to browse, add, and edit your information. We note Linux compatibility but don’t require it. Support for Chrome OS is generally covered by Chrome browser extensions.
• Web browser compatibility: We prefer those password managers that offer browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari. The extensions are responsible for autofilling passwords and other forms, as well as for generating and saving new passwords when you change one or make a new account.
• iOS and Android compatibility: A password manager should have apps for both iOS and Android that are easy to use and capable of autofilling passwords in browser windows and within apps. The apps should walk you through the process of setting them up and giving them the permissions they need to work.
• Ease of setup and use: A password manager should make it easy to get started or to transition from using browser-based password autofill, as well as to set up all the apps and browser extensions required. And once you’ve set up your password manager, it should be easy (not annoying) to use when you need it.
• Tools to fix your security problems: Once your data is in your password manager, it should be able to identify weak, reused, and compromised passwords, and it should give you clear and easy-to-follow directions for changing them.
• Support for biometric logins: If your phone, tablet, or laptop has a fingerprint reader or face-scanning camera, you should be able to unlock your password manager with that, rather than a password or PIN, for convenience’s sake.
• Price: The paid password managers we evaluated usually cost between $10 and $60 per year for one person to use, though decent options are available for free. Password managers that offer family plans usually cover four or five people, so they’re generally a good deal even if your family has only two people. Although password managers often advertise a monthly subscription fee, the fees are typically billed yearly.
• Password sharing: A good password manager should make it easy for you to securely share login data with someone else you trust for accounts that multiple people may need to access—for example, sites for paying your family’s bills, or shared email and social media accounts for a small business. This feature is common in paid password managers but rare in free ones.

After searching and consulting sites such as CNET , PCMag , Tom’s Guide , and Wired , we assembled a list of about 40 free and paid password managers. We dismissed most of them because they weren’t compatible with all of the operating systems and browsers we wanted or because they didn’t take part in third-party security audits.

In 2024, we tested 11 password managers: 1Password, Bitwarden, Dashlane, Enpass Premium, Keeper, mSecure, NordPass, Proton Pass, RoboForm Premium, Sticky Password, and Zoho Vault. We installed each of these password managers on a Windows PC, a Mac, an iPhone, and an Android phone.

1Password offers the best combination of compatibility, ease of use, features, and price of any paid password manager we’ve tested. It has polished apps that work on just about any computer, tablet, phone, or web browser. We like how easy it is to identify and change weak, reused, or compromised passwords through the Watchtower feature, and we like how 1Password walks you through correcting those problems in clear, easy-to-follow language. The company has good security practices and uses strong encryption to protect passwords. 1Password costs $36 a year for individuals or $60 a year for families of two to five—on the high end of average for paid password managers—though it does offer free accounts for politicians and activists as well as journalists .

1Password is compatible with the most-used operating systems and browsers. Standalone apps for Windows , macOS , iOS , and Android all allow you to view and edit all the items in your vault. 1Password also has browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Brave, and Microsoft Edge that handle basic functions like autofilling passwords and creating new ones. If you use Safari on Mac, you need to download the desktop app, which includes the extension for Safari. We recommend downloading the desktop and mobile apps for your operating systems, along with the browser extensions for whatever web browsers you use. 1Password’s desktop apps for Windows and Mac are also far superior to what you get with Bitwarden, which requires the web app for features beyond password generation and search.

It’s easy to set up and use. We know that password managers can seem overwhelming to set up, but we think everyone should use them, not just the technologically savvy. 1Password does the best job of making it easy to incorporate a password manager into your daily habits with a user interface that’s simple to understand even for people who are new to a password manager. You can quickly view and change saved passwords and other information. Your default “vault” stores login information, credit card numbers, and data for autofilling forms. And if sorting items alphabetically or by tag isn’t good enough, you can create any number of vaults to organize your information (if you want to store logins for your personal accounts and work accounts separately, for example). This is especially important for 1Password Families or Business accounts, where you might want to share the contents of one vault with other 1Password users while keeping other vaults private.

All versions of 1Password and Bitwarden support logging in with your face or fingerprint, depending on what biometric authentication options your computer, phone, or tablet offers. We recommend using this feature on iOS and Android especially, where typing in a long master password multiple times a day will cost you time and annoy you. Both apps can replace iOS’s and Android’s built-in password-autofill features and can work in apps as well as on websites.

No password manager has a foolproof introduction that teaches you everything you need to know, but 1Password’s extensive support articles —which usually include large screenshots or video tutorials—make it a solid choice for people new to password managers. It’s easier to learn than most free options, including Bitwarden.

It's affordable for individuals and families. 1Password costs $36 a year for one person or $60 a year for families (regardless of whether your family has as few as two or as many as five people); it’s more expensive than some of our other finalists but about average for an excellent password manager. LastPass Premium costs the same amount for individuals but only $48 for families of up to six. Bitwarden’s free plan and $10-per-year Premium plan allow you to share with one other person for no extra cost, but if you want to share with more people than that, you need to sign up for a family plan for $40 a year. If you decide not to renew your 1Password account, you can still access your passwords, but you can’t create new ones.

When you set up a 1Password family plan, you put your passwords and other information in your shared vault instead of your personal vault to give access to everyone else on your plan. “ Family organizers ,” a group that includes the 1Password account that created your family’s account plus anyone they designate as a “family organizer,” can recover the accounts of other family members if they forget their master password or secret key, which is useful for helping kids or less technically inclined folks. 1Password doesn’t have any sort of emergency-access feature in cases where you or another family member cannot access their account; if you want your account shared after death, storing the Emergency Kit in a shared safe is the only way to do so.

1Password has strong security policies. By default, all of your information is backed up to 1Password’s servers; the data is protected under end-to-end 256-bit AES encryption, which means that no one but you can read it on 1Password’s servers (including 1Password employees) or when the data is in transit between 1Password’s servers and your device. Additionally, you need to present your master password and a “Secret Key” each time you set up a new device. This is a little tedious, but 1Password says it allows the company to better secure your data and ensure attackers can’t steal the means to decrypt your vault from 1Password. (For details, you can read more about 1Password’s security model .)

1Password has comprehensive features that improve your online security. 1Password’s Watchtower feature—which is both a dedicated section of the app and a collective name for all the ways in which 1Password tries to protect your logins—identifies weak and reused passwords, passwords for websites that don’t use the secure HTTPS protocol, passwords for sites that have been hacked, passwords that are about to expire, and accounts for which two-factor authentication is available but has not been enabled. 1Password told us that Watchtower can also highlight sites in your vault that now offer passkey authentication. In all cases, the app offers straightforward directions for solving the problem. Bitwarden has a similar feature, called Vault Health Reports, that’s available only for paid subscribers.

Other handy 1Password features include 1 GB of secure online storage for sensitive files, such as scans of sensitive documents, and Travel Mode , which allows you to temporarily remove selected vaults from your device if you’re worried about your device being searched or stolen while you’re traveling. 1Password integrates with Privacy , a service for creating one-time-use credit cards, which is convenient when you’re shopping online at sites you’re not confident in or testing out subscription services you don’t want to auto-renew. It also allows you to securely share anything in your vault , including documents, even if the recipient doesn’t use 1Password. Recently, 1Password added the ability to store passkeys . Version 8 of 1Password added the ability to autofill passwords in desktop apps on both Windows and Mac with its Quick Access tool, which simplifies logging in to all sorts of software.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It’s the least awkward, but it’s still quirky. In our latest round of testing, 1Password sometimes struggled to recognize password fields on Android. No password manager we tested was free of these types of little peculiarities, though, and 1Password was less glitchy than most.

The quirks of 1Password start the second you prepare to install it. You can install just the browser extensions and get most of the basic features that people usually need, or you can also install the desktop apps and get advanced features for organization and benefits like Face ID or Windows Hello support. Or you can install both the extension and the desktop app, which is what we typically recommend, even though it can sometimes be difficult to know which one to use and when.

On iPhone and iPad, 1Password offers two methods to access your passwords, either through the Safari extension or the autofill menu . The Safari extension lets you interact with 1Password through the same small icon placed on the login field as it does on desktop, which is a little difficult to navigate on the smaller screen of an iPhone. Enabling both isn’t necessary and just adds confusion, so we recommend sticking with autofill. The same goes for Bitwarden, or any other third-party password manager you use.

Its security features can sometimes cause headaches. 1Password’s requirement of a Secret Key and a password to set up a new device is annoying, and we also found that 1Password frequently locked itself and re-prompted us for authentication. When it locks depends on the device, but logging in several times a day can be a pain. It’s good security for a password manager to lock itself periodically, but we know that most people don’t want to use something that they find more irritating than helpful. You can easily change this behavior in 1Password’s settings, or you can enable biometric authentication to log in faster.

There’s no free version. 1Password’s features are worth paying for, but Bitwarden shows that it’s possible to offer a free password manager that leaves off a few features without feeling too restrictive. That said, we’ve concluded that 1Password more than justifies its expense.

If you don’t want to pay for a password manager, if the added features in 1Password aren’t appealing to you, or if you’d like to self-host your password manager, use Bitwarden . The free version of Bitwarden is missing a few features in comparison with 1Password, such as comprehensive password checkups, security-key support, and 1 GB of encrypted storage. But it has all the important features of a password manager: You can sync with as many devices as you want and store unlimited passwords, and the free account allows you to share password collections with one other person. And Bitwarden has the same wide-ranging compatibility as 1Password, so you can use it with just about any device. Bitwarden’s security protocol is similar to 1Password’s, so even if Bitwarden’s servers are compromised, your passwords are safe. Bitwarden now undergoes annual third-party security audits , similar to the repeated security audits 1Password does . If you’ve never used a password manager before, Bitwarden doesn’t teach you the basics as well as 1Password does, but its documentation is thorough and easy to search.

It’s widely supported across platforms. Bitwarden supports the same operating systems and browsers as 1Password does, including Windows , macOS , iOS , and Android . Bitwarden, like 1Password, supports logging in with your face or fingerprint, whichever method your device supports. It offers browser extensions for Chrome , Edge, Firefox , and several other browsers. Like 1Password, Bitwarden packs its Safari extension into the desktop app. You can also self-host Bitwarden, in which case it’ll never upload your password to the company’s servers, but setting that up is a complicated process .

It has clean, usable apps and extensions. Functionally, the Bitwarden extensions and desktop apps do the minimum we ask of a password manager: They store and generate passwords. They’re not as polished as 1Password’s apps, they don’t alert you about weak passwords when you log in (you can click an icon in the extension to check when you visit a login page, though), and they don’t support Bitwarden’s premium password-audit features (you need to use the web app for those). On top of that, free accounts don’t get any password reports aside from a data-breach report, which checks Have I Been Pwned? for your email address. To scan your accounts for breaches, reused passwords, exposed passwords, and unsecured websites, you need to visit the Bitwarden website and have a $10-per-year premium account.

By contrast, 1Password’s audit notes and suggestions are visible throughout its apps and don’t require you to visit the website. On free accounts, Bitwarden Send , a feature that lets you share encrypted files, is limited to text sharing, but on premium accounts you can share other files, as well. Both the free and premium versions of Bitwarden include built-in support for multiple email alias services , including our favorite , SimpleLogin and Fastmail. This integration allows you to create an email alias and password when creating new accounts, a feature that’s limited to Fastmail accounts in 1Password . Like 1Password, Bitwarden can also store passkeys.

It gives you pretty much everything you need from a password manager. The biggest features you’re likely to miss in the free version are password audits, the option to grant emergency access to a person you choose, the ability to send files securely , priority tech support, and the 1 GB of secure storage. If you’re new to password managers and you want to try Bitwarden, the service is worth the $10 for at least one year so you can improve any weak passwords you have right now. Unlike most free password managers, Bitwarden allows you to share a collection of passwords with one other Bitwarden user for free; you have to pay if you need to share with more people. This feature is handy if you want to share certain logins with a partner or roommate, for example, whether that’s for banking access or just your video-streaming account.

It doesn’t restrict the number of devices you can use or passwords you can store like other free password managers do. According to Bitwarden’s privacy policy , the company doesn’t sell or share any personal information for commercial purposes, (Bitwarden does gather some anonymized usage data, but it’s nothing we’re concerned about), though the free version does show you an ad for the premium account.

It has unique onboarding and support options. Bitwarden’s documentation has improved over the years , even introducing video tutorials , but 1Password still does a more comprehensive job of onboarding people who have never used a password manager before. Bitwarden does offer some tools that 1Password doesn’t, including occasional training events that walk you through the setup process and features. If you can’t attend, you can replay the event video. We think 1Password is easier to get the hang of using if you’ve never used a password manager before, but Bitwarden isn’t far behind.

The main benefit of using a password manager is that you need to remember only one password, instead of dozens, to access all of your accounts. But the one password you do need to keep track of—your master password—must be a good one.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recommends that passwords be at least 16 characters long or comprise five to seven individual words. 1Password suggests making a long but memorable password, perhaps composed of multiple random words with dashes, periods, or some other easy-to-remember punctuation in between. The password generators from 1Password and Bitwarden offer a handy way to make one of these passwords regardless of the software you use.

The argument for creating a memorable but unique password is that you can memorize it yourself without making it easy for others to guess; you should try to memorize your master password if at all possible. But in case of emergencies, you should also write it down on a physical piece of paper and put it somewhere safe—storing it digitally, especially using a cloud service like Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, or OneDrive, risks exposing it to hackers, which would defeat the purpose. 1Password even gives you a handy Emergency Kit printout on which you can write your account information, your secret key, and your password, along with a QR code you can scan when you set up 1Password on a new phone, tablet, or computer.

Of course, your master password shouldn’t be the only thing protecting your account. You should also protect your password manager by using two-factor authentication. An app such as Authy or a security key can secure your account further. When you log in, you’re asked to supply both your password and the second factor—either a code from an authentication app or a physical security key—before you can log in on a new device. This means that if someone gets your master password, they still won’t be able to log in to your account without the second factor. This extra step might sound like a pain, but it’s necessary only when you sign in from somewhere new—such as a new browser, laptop, or phone—so it doesn’t cause friction daily.

Most web browsers offer to save your passwords for you, and some—including newer versions of Chrome , Firefox , and Safari — offer to generate new ones for you, just like a password manager. They can even alert you to password reuse and breaches.

Using your browser’s password storage is far better than doing nothing; most major browsers support some kind of syncing across devices, offer encryption and two-factor authentication for password data, and can fill in other forms for you. But using a standalone password manager has one primary benefit: It can work across multiple operating systems and browsers depending on what you prefer. Interoperability is improving (you can now save a password in Chrome and access it in Safari on mobile, for example), but browser-based password managers still sometimes work only in that browser, and if they do offer support across platforms, that feature tends to be awkward to use. But those restrictions can be a strength, too: Built-in password managers are often easier to use for newcomers, and since they’re integrated at a system or browser level, they are less clunky and require less setup than standalone software.

Good standalone password managers also include features not often found in browser-based password managers, such as mechanisms for easily sharing passwords with family members and friends when many people need to log in to a single site. And because the password managers we recommend include standalone apps as well as browser extensions, you can easily use a password manager to store other data, such as software product keys, addresses, bank account numbers, and credit card numbers (some browsers also offer to store these things for you; others don’t).

If you have been using your browser’s built-in mechanism for saving passwords and want to move on to a standalone password manager, both 1Password and Bitwarden can import saved passwords so you don’t need to start from scratch.

Protecting all of your passwords with a strong master password is convenient, but what happens if your password manager’s servers are compromised and your data is stolen?

Both 1Password and Bitwarden are transparent about their security models and what they’re doing to keep your data safe even in the event of a hack . Both use 256-bit AES encryption to make your data unreadable to anyone without your master password, whether your data is stored on your personal phone or computer, stored on 1Password’s or Bitwarden’s servers, or in transit between your devices and the servers. Both also claim to have a “zero-knowledge” security model, where no one working for 1Password or Bitwarden can ever see your master password, so no employee (and no one who has broken into their systems) could decrypt your data and see it even if they had access to it. 1Password routinely subjects itself to third-party security audits to make sure that its systems are secure and that it follows security best practices. Bitwarden does security audits every year, completing its most recent audit in 2023 . Both 1Password and Bitwarden also interact with security researchers through public bug-bounty programs.

Using a password manager that stores data in the cloud comes with some inherent risk, but we think 1Password and Bitwarden manage it well. If you absolutely must keep your passwords stored locally, KeePassXC may be a good fit.

The privacy policies of 1Password and Bitwarden lay out what information the companies gather and in what circumstances third parties might be involved. We didn’t see anything that gave cause for concern. Both companies told us directly, and state in their documentation, that they will not sell or share customer data for commercial purposes.

1Password and Bitwarden both support generating multi-factor authentication codes for your logins—storing what’s called TOTP codes just like a standalone authentication app would—but we do not recommend using this feature in your password manager. Although the feature provides some convenience by autofilling the code for you, the result is that if an intruder gains access to your password manager, they can also get into all your accounts. You should enable multi-factor authentication for the password manager itself, so you might as well use that same authenticator app (or security key) for the rest of your authentication needs.

A Proton Pass desktop app is now available for Windows, and the company says it plans to launch macOS and Linux apps soon. We previously dismissed Proton Pass partly for its lack of platform support, so we plan to reevaluate it when the desktop apps are available.

LastPass Free was once an easy recommendation, but in December 2022, LastPass announced a data breach that exposed encrypted password vaults along with personal details , including names, email addresses, IP addresses, phone numbers, and some billing information. Account passwords weren’t exposed, but hackers can theoretically access password vaults by guessing master passwords. If a master password is weak, that exposure could happen quickly . The breach was so bad that security experts recommended that anyone who uses LastPass change all their passwords and consider moving to another password manager . In February 2023, the company revealed that an attacker had also gained access to a LastPass employee’s home computer , snagging the employee’s password for a corporate vault in the process. This doesn’t affect the already bad state of customer accounts, but it does make the company look even worse. Since then, the company has changed some policies to improve the security of vault data.

Dashlane Premium is as polished as 1Password and also has a free version, but that version is limited to one device, and most people have multiple devices. At $60 a year, Dashlane’s most popular plan is expensive; the $90-a-year family plan that covers up to 10 people is a better deal, but that’s still $30 more annually than 1Password’s family plan.

Keeper and NordPass have many of the same paid features as 1Password does, but we found both apps less intuitive to use than 1Password. The pricing plans of both are confusing, relying on annual discounts or doling out specific features piecemeal. Proton Pass has a polished interface, but has few features and currently does not support Safari. Zoho Vault is especially intriguing because it’s completely free for one person, but we found it was overly complicated and clearly intended for enterprise use. And although we found Enpass Premium too complex for most people, it’s an intriguing option for anyone who wants to keep control of their password manager data.

We dismissed most other password managers for lacking one or more features, such as not participating in third-party security audits or not supporting one or more of our desired operating systems. That list includes Ascendo DataVault Password Manager , Avira Password Manager Pro , Bitdefender Password Manager,  eWallet , F-Secure ID Protection , LogMeOnce , McAfee True Key , mSecure , Norton Password Manager , oneSafe , Password Boss , Password Safe , RoboForm Premium , SaferPass Premium , SplashID Pro , and Sticky Password .

This article was edited by Caitlin McGarry.

Should I use the two-factor authentication codes my password manager provides?

1Password and Bitwarden both support storing two-factor authentication codes, but we don’t recommend using that feature. If a snoop or intruder does somehow access your password manager, they would then also get into all the accounts with two-factor authentication enabled. You should enable two-factor authentication to protect your password manager account anyway, so you might as well use that same 2FA app (or key) for the rest of your authentication needs.

Can I use a password manager with a YubiKey?

Usually, yes. Both 1Password and Bitwarden Premium accounts support security keys as a second factor for login.

Are “suggested passwords” safe?

Yes. Suggested passwords are randomly generated, so it’s very unlikely that someone could guess them. Both of our picks allow you to set up different rules for password creation—such as what sorts of characters to include or whether to use real words—but the default settings are secure enough for most people. However, if one of your suggested passwords is swept up in a data breach, you should still change it.

Doesn’t prefilling passwords mean that anyone at my computer can log in to my accounts?

That’s true only if you unlock your password manager and then walk away from your computer. Password managers are generally designed to “lock” after a period of inactivity, requiring your master password before they’ll work again.

You can also avoid the problem by locking your computer whenever you walk away from it. You can do so by putting your computer to sleep, or by pressing the Windows+L (on Windows) or Control+Shift+Power (on MacBooks) keyboard shortcut.

Can I access my passwords on a public computer?

Yes. 1Password and Bitwarden both have web apps that you can log in to from anywhere—they don’t support the same convenient autofill capabilities as the browser extensions, but they do provide easy access to your passwords and any other information you have stored. Remember to log out of them when you’re done using the public computer.

Does a password manager work on my iPhone or Android phone?

Yes. Most password managers with iOS and Android apps can autofill usernames and passwords both on websites and in apps, replacing (or augmenting) the built-in autofill features in those operating systems. You can find directions for setting this up in 1Password on iOS and Android , as well as directions for Bitwarden on iOS and Android .

What if I forget my master password?

A good password manager is designed so that a person who doesn’t know your master password will never be able to get into your account and access your data—and that includes yourself. Make sure to write down your master password (and we mean actually write it down, with pen and paper) and store it somewhere safe to prevent this from happening.

If you have forgotten your master password, your options depend on which password manager you’re using. In Bitwarden, you need to delete your entire account and start again from scratch. 1Password gives you a couple of other options, including resetting your master password from another family member’s account. If you do need to start from scratch, the process is annoying and time-consuming, but it isn’t the end of the world—you’ll need to reset every password on every site you use, but once you’ve done that, you’ll be back where you started.

Can I share passwords with a family member?

A 1Password family plan allows family members to share different vaults, so you can share some logins (for paying bills or managing finances, for example) but not others (for personal email or sites you use for work, say). Bitwarden offers the same features for less money, though it’s less user-friendly; you need to set up an “ organization ” to create and share password vaults. A two-person organization is free, while larger organizations cost $3 per month per person.

How do password managers work with passkeys?

Passkeys are a new secure authentication technology, endorsed by Apple, Google, and Microsoft, that is designed to replace passwords. That might lead you to think the days of password managers are numbered, but that isn’t the case. For one thing, passkeys are very new and still aren’t widely supported. For another, you need a place to store your passkeys, and several password managers—including 1Password and Bitwarden—now let you do just that. You can even log in to a Bitwarden account with a passkey, and the same feature is currently available in beta on 1Password .

Sarah Brown, What if 1Password gets hacked? , 1Password Blog , April 8, 2020

Kyle Spearrin, Bitwarden Upholds High Security Standards with Annual Third-Party Audits , The Bitwarden Blog , February 28, 2023

Bitwarden Security Paper (PDF) , Bitwarden, October 2020

1Password Security Design (PDF) , 1Password , October 25, 2023

Meet your guides

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham is a former senior staff writer on Wirecutter's tech team. He has been writing about laptops, phones, routers, and other tech since 2011. Before that he spent five years in IT fixing computers and helping people buy the best tech for their needs. He also co-hosts the book podcast Overdue and the TV podcast Appointment Television.

Thorin Klosowski

Thorin Klosowski is the former editor of privacy and security topics at Wirecutter. He has been writing about technology for over a decade, with an emphasis on learning by doing—which is to say, breaking things as often as possible to see how they work. For better or worse, he applies that same DIY approach to his reporting.

Max Eddy is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter specializing in security and privacy. He was previously lead security analyst at PC Magazine.

Further reading

Back Up and Secure Your Digital Life

by Haley Perry

From password managers to backup software, here are the apps and services everyone needs to protect themselves from security breaches and data loss.

The Best Security Key for Multi-Factor Authentication

by Max Eddy

A physical security key helps you protect your online accounts, and Yubico still makes the best one.

Our Favorite Password Manager Remembers All of Your Logins So You Don’t Have To

by James Austin

1Password remembers all of your online logins so that you don’t have to.

How to Get the Most Out of 1Password

by Thorin Klosowski

Everyone should use a password manager. Our expert walks you through how to set up and take advantage of the features in our favorite, 1Password.

The best password managers in 2024

Easily store and autofill your passwords securely with one of the best password managers

• Best overall
• Best security
• Best for iPhone
• Best on a budget
• Best features
• How to choose
• How we test

The list in brief 1. Best overall 2. Best security 3. Best for iPhone 4. Best free 5. Best on a budget 6. Best features How to choose How we test

The best password managers easily allow you to store all of your passwords securely in one place instead of saving them in a document on your computer or writing them down on paper.

With so many online accounts and passwords to remember these days, many people often take the easy way out and reuse the same password across multiple accounts. This is extremely dangerous as once hackers get the password to one of your accounts, they can then use it to login to the rest of them. With one of the best password managers though, you can generate strong, complex passwords for each one of your accounts and you only need to remember a single master password to unlock the others. Likewise, most of the best password managers have begun implementing support for passkeys so that you don't have to remember anything at all. Many password managers also throw in some nice extras like a VPN or antivirus software to sweeten the deal. 

To help you pick out the best password manager for your needs or even your whole family, we’ve rounded up several of the top ones available today while highlighting their unique features and which platforms or browsers they support.

Reader Offer: Save 61% on NordPass Premium NordPass offers an easy-to-use password manager that allows you to save unlimited passwords and passkeys across mobile and desktop. Save 61% on NordPass Premium and get 6 months free.

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The quick list

Below you'll find everything you need to know about the best password managers at a glance. Whether you're looking for a free password manager or a premium one with plenty of extra features, there's something here for every budget and platform.

The best password manager overall 1Password offers both individual and family plans and is available on a wide variety of platforms for both desktop and mobile. Its Travel Mode feature protects your passwords on the go and it even offers "masked" email addresses for greater privacy.

Read more below

The best password manager for security Keeper is a great password manager backed by top-notch security. There are plans for both individuals and families available along with some serious discounts for Tom's Guide readers. Keeper comes with an offline mode and there are also add-ons available for extra cloud storage and dark-web monitoring.

The best password manager for iPhone NordPass has individual and family plans along with a free plan with fewer limitations than some of its competitors. New features like a web vault, a standalone browser extension and biometric login support have been added in recent updates too. 

The best free password manager Bitwarden is one of the few password managers that still offers a totally unlimited free version. However, there's also a premium and family plan available that add additional features. 

The best password manager on a budget

Bitdefender Password Manager is available in individual and family plans and is available for most platforms and browsers. Its low price, layered encryption and integration with the company's other products are some of its best features.

The best password manager interface

Dashlane offers individual and family plans most major platforms and browsers. Its intuitive interface is a great feature along with its bulk password changer.

The best password managers you can buy today

Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.

The best password manager overall

1. 1Password

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

1Password is competitively priced, easy to use and comes with all the features you’ll need in a password manager. From core functions like autofilling passwords across an unlimited number of devices to premium security monitoring, 2FA and passkey support, 1Password is a full-featured password manager with plans for both individuals and families.

With support for Windows, Mac, Chrome OS and Linux on desktop as well as both iOS and Android, you’ll be able to use 1Password to store and sync your passwords on whatever device you’re using. Likewise, 1Password also offers browser extensions for Google Chrome , Safari, Firefox, Brave and Microsoft Edge .

While 1Password doesn’t offer a free tier like some of its competitors, this isn’t a deal breaker as most of these free plans come with significantly less features and loads of limitations. This password manager does have a few unique features too like Travel Mode which lets you temporarily hide logins as well as the ability to restore recently deleted records.

1Password is a top-notch password manager with built-in security that’s both easy and intuitive to use. We also liked how its passkey support is more advanced than its competitors and how you don’t have to pay for extras like a VPN that you may not necessarily need. 1Password is a great choice if you want an excellent password manager that works across all platforms.

Read our full 1Password review .

The best password manager for security

Keeper ( $20.98 per year for Tom's Guide readers ) is another competitively priced password manager with a strong emphasis on security and a consistent user experience across platforms. It has a simple design which makes it easy to use and Keeper matches most of the features found in its top two competitors: 1Password and Dashlane.

Keeper works across Windows, Mac and Linux on desktop as well as on iOS and Android on mobile. However, there are also browser extensions available for Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera and Microsoft Edge.

Unlike 1Password, Keeper does have a free tier but it likely won’t be useful for most people as it’s limited to just one mobile device. As for its paid plans, you can pick between either an individual or family plan and the latter supports up to five people. Instead of making you pay more for features you might not need, Keeper lets you add dark-web monitoring and additional cloud storage space as part of its Plus Bundle. There are other add-ons too like the one for priority support which you can add to either the individual or family plan.

Keeper has expanded the number of built-in templates for storing other types of sensitive data and 20 new ones were recently added to its password manager. We’re also big fans of the service’s offline mode which creates an encrypted copy of your vault and stores it locally for when you need to access your passwords but don’t have internet access. Keeper falls slightly short of 1Password but it’s definitely worth considering if you’re looking for a secure password manager that’s easy to use. Read our full Keeper review .

The best password manager for iPhone

3. NordPass

NordPass is a password manager with a simple, intuitive design from the company behind NordVPN. It’s still a relatively new password manager compared to the competition but it has added a number of new features like a web vault, a standalone browser extension and biometric login support across all platforms in an effort to catch up.

NordPass is available for Windows, Mac and Linux on desktop and while there isn’t an official Chrome OS app, you can use its web vault on a Chromebook. It also works on both iOS and Android on mobile devices and there are browser extensions for Chrome, Safari, Friefox, Edge, Brave and Opera.

In addition to its individual and family plan with support for up to six people, there’s also a free tier. NordPass free allows you to store an unlimited number of passwords and it also comes with autofill capabilities, passkey support, secure notes and multifactor authentication. However, the free tier only allows you to stay logged in on one device at a time. NordPass’ paid plans are a bit more expensive than the competition but frequent discounts can cut the cost of a subscription significantly. In fact, Tom's Guide readers can save an extra 55% and get an extra 6 months free when they sign up for NordPass' two-year plan here .

In addition to more robust password management, upgrading to one of NordPass’ premium plans also gets you security monitoring for your passwords, secure online storage, passkey sharing and Emergency Access capabilities. NordPass has come closer to competing with 1Password and Keeper with its recent updates while its free tier is one of the best after Bitwarden. If you want a password manager with a consistent user experience and all the premium features you could need, NordPass is certainly worth considering.

Read our full NordPass review .

The best free password manager

4. Bitwarden

Bitwarden offers a whole lot of value for the price regardless of whether you stick with its free plan or upgrade to one of the paid ones. At the same time, this password manager is highly secure, open source and many premium features are available on its free tier. Bitwarden has apps for Windows, Mac and Linux on desktop as well as for iOS and Android on mobile. One other thing that sets this password manager apart from the competition besides its low cost is that it also offers browser extensions for Vivaldi, Tor, brave and DuckDuckGo in addition to more popular browsers like Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge and Opera.

Even if you only sign up for the free version of Bitwarden, you still get unlimited syncing for as many passwords as you want along with autofilling, secure-note storage and sharing. Of all the password managers we’ve tested, Bitwarden’s free plan has the fewest limitations. However, upgrading to this password manager’s premium plans won’t set you back that much at all. Bitwarden’s premium plan costs just $10 per year while its family plan is only $40 per year for up to six people. You also get access to secure cloud storage, priority support, advanced 2FA options and health reports which show if your passwords are weak or have been exposed in a data breach.

Bitwarden does offer quite a lot with either its free tier or its premium plans but it isn’t the most intuitive password manager to use, especially with features like its autofill function. However, it does the basics really well and has the cheapest premium tier of any password manager we’ve tested.

Read our full Bitwarden review .

5. Bitdefender Password Manager

Like NordPass, Bitdefender Password Manager is another relatively new offering but it’s also backed by a security company. As such, it’s integrated into Bitdefender Antivirus and the company’s other products with seriously strong encryption to protect your credentials and your privacy.

Bitdefender Password Manager has apps for Windows and Mac on desktop and for iOS and Android on mobile. There are also browser extensions for Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox. One thing that sets it apart from other password managers is that if you forget your master password, Bitdefender can recover your entire account for you.

While Bitdefender doesn’t offer a free tier of its password manager, it does give you a discounted rate during your first year of service. Bitdefender Password Manager costs $20 for the first year for its individual plan and goes up to $30 upon renewal. There’s also a shared plan for up to four people that costs $40 for the first year and then $60 after that.

Bitdefender Password Manager is a reasonably priced password manager from one of the biggest names in online security. Several layers of heavy-duty security protect your privacy while 2FA keeps your account and your passwords safe from hackers. If you already use Bitdefender to secure your PC, then signing up for the company’s password manager makes sense, especially as it’s one of the cheapest premium password managers we’ve tested.

Read our full Bitdefender Password Manager review .

The best password manager for features

6. Dashlane

Dashlane is a premium password manager with a price tag to match. Still though, for the price you also get dark-web monitoring and access to a VPN from Hotspot Shield . Dashlane does have a very easy-to-use interface across all of the platforms it supports and there’s a guided setup process to make getting started easier.

Dashlane offers apps for Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome OS on desktop as well as mobile apps for iOS and Android. There are also browser extensions available for Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox, Brave and Opera. 

If you want to try out Dashlane before signing up, there is a free plan though it does come with serious limitations and you can only store 25 passwords on a single device. As for its paid plans, Dashlane Premium costs $60 per year for a single user while its friends & family plan covers up to 10 people for $90 per year. While its the most expensive password manager we’ve tested, a big part of its higher price is the included VPN service which would cost just under $100 per year on its own.

Dashlane has fallen behind 1Password and Keeper in recent years in terms of price but it remains one of the easiest password managers to use. If you want to get access to a VPN and a premium password manager with one subscription though, it could be worth signing up for Dashlane, especially if you take advantage of its friends & family plan to help justify its higher cost.

Read our full Dashlane review .

How to choose the best password manager for you

Most of the best password managers have the same essential functions but things differ when you get to their extra features.

Some of them, such as Dashlane, 1Password and Keeper, alert you about the latest data breaches, sometimes for an extra price. Many password managers can also offer to save your personal details, credit card numbers and other frequently used information so that they can quickly fill out online forms for you. (This is much safer than letting retail websites save your credit card information.)

LastPass once offered an excellent, unlimited free service tier but that baton has since been passed to Bitwarden which also has a $10 annual premium plan that covers most of the basics.

1Password’s Mac and iOS apps have generally been kept more up-to-date than the company’s Android and Windows applications. It may be the best choice if you exclusively use Apple devices, but the other password managers work just fine across all platforms.

We also tested and reviewed a number of other password managers that didn't quite make the cut for this guide but are certainly worth considering if you want even more options. They include Zoho Vault , True Key , Myki , RoboForm , Blur and KeePass .

The biggest decision though is whether you want your passwords to be stored locally on your own computers and mobile devices, or in the cloud on someone else’s servers. There are pros and cons to each approach though.

Cloud vs. local management

When it comes to picking the right password manager for you, it’s worth considering whether you want your saved passwords to be stored in the cloud or locally on your devices.

For instance, 1Password still gives you the option to store and sync your “vault” of passwords and other sensitive information locally . However, the company still prefers that you use its cloud servers instead.

For KeePass though, local sync is the default option but setting up your Dropbox, iCloud or other cloud storage accounts to sync online isn’t difficult. Meanwhile, the third-party cloud-account option is standard for Enpass but the service has also added a local Wi-Fi syncing feature .

By default, Bitwarden syncs passwords on its own servers but it does provide very detailed instructions on how to shift this function to servers you control instead.

Syncing your passwords locally does provide a security advantage as none of this data needs to reach the internet. For those who want to maintain total control over their passwords, this is the way to go.

The downside here is that it can be a hassle to synchronize these passwords on all of your devices. Some services will allow you to do so over a local network such as a Wi-Fi network or on your own server. Alternatively, you could also put your password vault on a USB flash drive and physically move it from one computer to another.

Cloud-based password managers are far more convenient as these services keep encrypted copies of your vault on their own servers. This ensures that all of your devices will be synced and transmissions between your devices and a company’s servers are encrypted.

Although small, the risk is that one of the cloud servers – even one that you control using Bitwarden or use with Enpass – could be breached and your passwords could be leaked into the wild. For instance, LastPass has had a few documented security issues though all were quickly fixed without any passwords being lost.

If a password manager is doing its job correctly, it’s storing all of your passwords in an encrypted format and only storing your master password as a “hash” that is the result of an irreversible mathematical process.

Whether it’s local or cloud-synced, a password manager puts all of your eggs in one basket, so to speak unless you use more than one password manager. For most people though, the demonstrable benefits of using a password manager far outweigh the disadvantages.

How we test the best password managers

To see how well the best password managers stack up, we put them through extensive testing while conducting our reviews. This involves trying out their desktop apps, mobile apps and browser extensions on a variety of smartphones, tablets, computers and web browsers. However, we also look at the support options available to see whether or not each service has useful setup guides for each platform.

In our latest round of testing, we used a ThinkPad T470 running Windows 10, a Samsung Note 20 smartphone and an iPad Pro. As for the browsers used during our tests, we tested out the best password managers using Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox.

From here, we added our credentials from several sites like Twitter, Facebook and the Washington Post to each password manager. We then tested out their autofill capabilities as we went about our normal web browsing. This way we could see whether or not a particular password manager is easy to use in your day to day life.

For more on our testing procedures, check out our how we test page for Tom's Guide .

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Anthony Spadafora is the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to password managers and the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. Before joining the team, he wrote for ITProPortal while living in Korea and later for TechRadar Pro after moving back to the US. Based in Houston, Texas, when he’s not writing Anthony can be found tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home. 

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I can finally use iCloud Keychain and ditch 1Password thanks to this key new feature

iCloud Keychain just got useful.

Passwords are important. Strong passwords are even more important, as is using unique passwords, and above all, keeping them private is a pretty good idea as well. To make all of that easier, I've long recommended that people use a good password manager . I still do. But my thoughts on which password manager people should use have just changed. And not in the way that I expected.

See, I've been using 1Password for a long time now. I can't remember exactly when I started, but it was back in the days of buying it and syncing vaults using Dropbox. There was no built-in syncing and no subscription pricing, not that I mind the latter. The former is a necessity for anyone using multiple devices, but it's table stakes at this point.

Over the years I've used 1Password because of the cool apps, easy syncing, and above all, shared vaults. Being able to have a vault that has all of the family's passwords in is a lifesaver, especially when one of the kids needs the Netflix password or gets logged out of Disney Plus . Shared vaults were enough to keep me using 1Password and I basically ignored iCloud Keychain as a result. Sure it's free, and yes, it's built right into everything I use on the daily. But there's no way to have one password easily accessible to multiple people at all times.

Or at least, there wasn't. And now that there is, I figured it was time I take another look at Apple's password management system and potentially save a few dollars every month. And I liked what I saw.

Free as in beer

The obvious thing that iCloud Keychain has going for it is that it's free, which means that just by having the minimum features — so long as they actually work — it's going to be a winner for a lot of people. I could myself in that because while I'm more than happy to pay for software that makes my life easier or better, I'd rather use a free one so long as it does the same job as well or even better. It's with that mindset that I took a deeper look at what iCloud Keychain has to offer.

In use, it's almost identical to using 1Password which is a testament to Apple's APIs. The fact that third-party password managers function in the same way as iOS 17 's built-in manager shows that Apple isn't blocking developers from competing here. The experience isn't going to be impacted by Apple.

So if entering a password when asked for it by a website or app is basically the same, it's time to look beyond that — how iCloud Keychain works.

Master your iPhone in minutes

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In the case of sharing passwords, it's great. You create a shared group and tell the system who to send an invitation to and you're off to the races. It couldn't be easier, so long as they're using Apple devices of course. My family uses iPhones and iPads, so there were no issues there and anything I add to the shared group instantly appears on their devices. It's like magic, but better — it's free magic!

Beyond the shared vault situation, there was one smaller thing that kept me with 1Password — the lack of an actual iCloud Keychain app. That still irks me and I can't understand why one doesn't exist. But there are ways around that. There's a shortcut that can be used to instantly access the portion of the Settings app that currently holds all of our passwords, and it works. Add that to your Home screen and you can almost convince yourself it's an app. It's fine, but I still want a proper app in iOS 18.

Decision time

So with all of that said, I sit here with my 1Password subscription canceled and iCloud Keychain doing its thing. It manages my usernames and passwords and even hosts my one-time passcodes as well, so multi-factor authentication is taken care of.

Now yes, I know some people store much more than passwords in 1Password so for those people this might not work — although locked items in Notes might fit some of your needs, and credit/debit cards can be saved in Safari, too. But if you're just storing passwords and want to save some cash, iCloud Keychain is finally a viable option for me. I reckon it could be for you, too.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.

Recent Apple iPhone spyware alerts could have been triggered by China-linked attacks, researchers say

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Keychain vs 1Password

I recently dropped LastPass and migrated to 1Password. Now I’m considering moving to Apple Keychain as 1Password is a bit clunky to use, although I do believe it’s very secure. My question - is keychain as robust as 1Password? 1Password uses a “secret” key alongside the login information and I understand that without this key it’s almost impossible to steal a useable set of information from 1Password. Do I have this right and is keychain set up similarly? What are the deficiencies of Keychain?

iPhone 13 Pro, iOS 16

Posted on Jan 31, 2023 11:20 AM

Posted on Feb 18, 2023 6:50 AM

My first password manager was 1Password. Starting to use it a year or two after the release. Used it a few years, moved to Apple Keychain, a couple of years later back to 1Password, then back to Keychain. Been using Keychain since.

When 1Password 8 was released I went back to 1Password. It looked great, but as you put it, it was more clunky to use. You have to download the app and the browser extension. It require more steps to use, and had some errors. Keychain is more fluid and better integrated. A few days later I was back to Keychain, and been there since.

What I liked about 1Password is the way it look, and I could store my passwords, credit cards, important documents and notes, driver's license, software licenses and more in one place. With just one password to remember.

Also liked it was an app, unlike Keychain.

I ended up with a shortcut on my Mac, iPhone and iPad, so now Keychain function as an app. (almost).

For documents, notes etc, I use locked Apple Notes. Unfortunately you can not lock Notes with files, hopefully Apple will add the function soon.

Keychain looks bad compared to 1Password, in 1Password, if some site icons was missing, I made my own. (Hated to see a missing icon). Keychain looks messy, but is made to be in the background. No need to open Keychain and check your passwords, they're always there in the background. It just works.

1Password is probably a bit more robust and safer, thanks to the secret key, but Keychain is safe enough for me.

Someone need to physically have both your device and biometrics to get in. And since most people use biometrics, on 1Password, it's the same there.

To my knowledge 1Password and Keychain is pretty similar. Both have the same level of encryption.

It's easy to import your logins from 1Password to Keychain.

English is not my first language, but I hope my experience could be of some help.

Recommended reading: https://medium.com/macoclock/i-switched-from-1password-to-keychain-heres-why-328806e9141

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Feb 18, 2023 6:50 AM in response to Bjorski

Feb 18, 2023 7:09 AM in response to Bjorski

As far as I know, 1password stores passwords on its servers, albeit in encrypted form which by the way is not always safe (remember the case with Lastpass), Keychain is also good but there is a good alternative, Strongbox stores your passwords only on your device, that is, you don’t send any files for storage, you can also add password synchronization to Icloud or Google Drive, one of the downsides for me is that the app is only available on IOS and MacOS

https://strongboxsafe.com/

How to import your passwords to Apple’s iCloud Keychain via Safari

If you’re leaving lastpass and are a safari user, this may be the simplest option.

By Barbara Krasnoff , a reviews editor who manages how-tos. She’s worked as an editor and writer for almost 40 years. Previously, she was a senior reviews editor for Computerworld.

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If you’re moving from LastPass (or another password manager you’re dissatisfied with), you may be tempted to simply go with the password manager that comes with your browser or operating system. It’s certainly an easy solution, and a reasonable one, depending on your point of view. Until recently, third-party password managers were known to be more secure, but Apple and Google have been working to make their built-in password managers more secure , while Microsoft is adding one to its authenticator app . So it could be a viable choice.

One way, however, that these built-in password managers don’t stand up to their independent competitors is how tricky it can be to get preexisting passwords into their systems.

• How to import your passwords to Chrome and the Google Password Manager

If you tend to hang out in the Apple ecosystem, that means using Safari for your passwords and passing them to your other devices using Apple’s iCloud Keychain. Here’s how to move your password data into iCloud Keychain.

Make sure you have Keychain

iCloud Keychain is how Apple syncs your information across devices — not just passwords, but also credit card info, Wi-Fi passwords, etc. If you haven’t used it, you may want to check to make sure it’s been set up and turned on. (If you plan to use your passwords on your mobile iOS device as well, you might want to check it there, too.)

Using a macOS device:

• Go to your System Preferences app by clicking on the Apple icon in the upper-left corner
• If you have macOS Mojave or earlier, click iCloud. Otherwise, select Apple ID > iCloud.
• Go down the list of apps, and make sure that Keychain is checked

Using an iOS device:

• Go to Settings and tap on your name
• Tap on iCloud and scroll down to Keychain
• If Keychain is Off, tap on the entry and then toggle it on

Import your password data

In order to get your data into Keychain, you need to import it into Safari on your Mac. Simple, right? Well, not really.

Unfortunately, unlike most password managers, you can’t import passwords from a CSV file into Safari. You can, however, import passwords from either Firefox or Chrome . So if you’ve got a CSV file from another password manager and you don’t have either of those browsers on your machine, you’ll have to install one of them first and upload your passwords into it. (You can find instructions for importing passwords into Chrome here and Firefox here .)

Once your passwords have been imported into one of the other browsers:

• Close the other browser
• Open Safari, go to File > Import From, and choose Chrome or Firefox. You can import Bookmarks, History, Passwords, or any combination thereof by checking the appropriate boxes.

One note: I had a series of mishaps trying to import from Firefox into Safari. Safari would invariably crash, even after I made a series of tweaks to Firefox. I finally gave up and tried it with Chrome, and the import worked immediately. Your mileage may vary.

You can check to see if the import worked by going to Safari’s top menu and selecting Safari > Preferences > Passwords. (You’ll have to enter your user password to access the password list.) You should see your passwords listed there.

Once you’ve imported your passwords into Safari, they should be automatically picked up by iCloud Keychain and useable across all your approved devices. You can check by typing and clicking on “Keychain Access” using Spotlight Search. That should bring up your Keychain app; you can click on iCloud in the top-left column and “Passwords” in the bottom left to see your imported passwords.

• Six free alternatives to the LastPass password manager
• How to leave LastPass and move to another password manager

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Move your icloud passwords from safari to 1password.

To export your iCloud Passwords, you’ll need a Mac with Safari 15 or later. You can’t export iCloud Passwords using Windows at this time.

1Password can import your iCloud Passwords from Safari on your Mac. When you import iCloud Passwords:

• Your iCloud Passwords will be converted into 1Password Login items.
• Only passwords will be imported. Credit cards, addresses, and other information won’t be imported.

Step 1: Export your iCloud Passwords on your Mac

Before you export your iCloud Passwords, temporarily turn off any backup software you may be using, so the unencrypted export file isn’t backed up.

To export your data from Safari, follow these steps on your Mac:

• Open Safari and choose File > Export > Passwords from the menu bar.
• Click Export Passwords .
• Save the Passwords.csv file to your desktop and enter the password you use to log in to your Mac.

Step 2: Import your data into 1Password

To import your data on 1Password.com:

• In Safari or another browser, sign in to your account on 1Password.com.
• Click your name in the top right and choose Import .
• Click iCloud Passwords .
• Choose the vault you want to import your data into. If you’re importing data you don’t want to share with other people, choose the Personal , Private , or Employee vault. The name of this vault varies depending on your account type.
• Click inside the dotted rectangle to open a file browser. Browse to your desktop and select the CSV file you created earlier.
• Click Import , then click Show Imported Items .

If you want to change anything about the import, like importing the data into a different vault, click Undo Import and start again.

If you have any credit cards, addresses, or other information saved in Safari, copy them manually into 1Password. Open 1Password on your computer or mobile device and click the button to add items.

After you’ve imported your information into 1Password, delete the unencrypted CSV file, then turn on any backup software you turned off earlier.

Step 3: Turn off the built-in password manager in Safari

To prevent Safari from interfering with 1Password, make sure you have the 1Password browser extension installed , then turn off the built-in password manager in Safari .

Step 4: Delete your iCloud Passwords

Safari will continue to fill saved passwords even after you turn off the built-in password manager. To fill your passwords with 1Password instead of Safari, delete your saved iCloud Passwords.

Following these steps will permanently delete your iCloud Passwords, and you won’t be able to recover them. Make sure all your iCloud Passwords are saved in 1Password before you delete them.

To delete your iCloud Passwords, follow these steps on your Mac:

• Open Safari and choose Safari > Settings from the menu bar.
• Click the Passwords icon, then enter the password you use to log in to your Mac.
• Select a password you want to delete. To delete all your passwords, choose Edit > Select All from the menu bar (or press Command-A).

If you don’t see your iCloud Passwords in Safari on your Mac, learn how to sync your iCloud Passwords in Safari on your iOS device with your Mac , so you can move them to 1Password.

Still need help?

If this article didn't answer your question, contact 1Password Support.

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iOS 17 Lets You Share iCloud Keychain Passwords With Friends and Family

Apple has been improving password management over the last several years to encourage people to use separate, hard-to-guess passwords for each site, and the latest improvement adds password sharing.

Using a setup process, you can select trusted contacts to share information with. Each person who is in the group can select passwords and passkeys to share with others. You can, for example, share passwords to streaming services and online bill paying sites without having to share the password for your bank.

You can select specific passwords to share after the group is created, and then people in the group can upload their own. Each participant can edit and add passwords, with changes synced across the entire group. There are options to create multiple groups, so you can have a group with a spouse and children and then a separate group with just a spouse, or a group of roommates and friends.

The person who created the group can add and delete people at will, and the entire group can be deleted as well. Adding people to a group requires the person to be in your Contact list, and everyone also must be running the ‌iOS 17‌ update.

Like regular passwords, shared passwords are stored in iCloud Keychain and are end-to-end encrypted. Passkeys, Apple's device-verified alternative to passwords, can also be shared.

The addition of multi-user password sharing brings Apple's free built-in Password functionality closer to third-party apps like 1Password and LastPass, as there was previously no simple, free, and secure way to share passwords between Apple device users.

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Top Rated Comments

Can I just have an icon on the Home Screen or in the control center?

I honestly can’t think of anyone I would share my passwords with. Not my wife and certainly not my children. The only one I have complete trust in is my dog.

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• Best Password Manager For Mac

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Best Password Manager For Mac 2024

Updated: May 3, 2024, 2:11pm

Reviewed By

A password manager is an effective and affordable way to keep yourself protected from identity theft. These services safely store passwords for all your different accounts, requiring you to remember only one central password. The best password managers for Mac provide streamlined management on your desktop, phone, tablet and other devices.

Forbes Advisor researched the best Mac password managers and compared them based on pricing, features and more. Find the best option for your needs today.

• Featured Partner

The Best 5 Password Managers for Mac 2024

Norton password manager, forbes advisor ratings, what you need to know about mac password managers, methodology, frequently asked questions (faqs).

• Best Free Password Managers
• Best Password Managers
• Best iPhone Password Manager

On LastPass’s Website

Personal and business

Free trials availability

14-day and 30-day

On NordPass’s Website

Starting price

Free; $1.49 per month (on a two-year plan)

30 days to test its Premium plan

Standout features

Stores credit cards and an unlimited number of passwords and generates unique passwords

On 1Password’s Website

starts at $2.99 per month

Travel Mode

lock vaults when traveling

Get alerts when passwords are weak, vulnerable, duplicated or breached

• Dashlane : Best overall
• Norton Password Manager :  Most intuitive password manager
• NordPass : Best for families
• Bitwarden : Best for multidevice users
• 1Password : Best for Apple Watch users

BEST OVERALL PASSWORD MANAGER FOR MAC

Free version

Free to $8 USD ($10.94 CAD) per seat

Family plan

Six members in the family plan

Dashlane offers a variety of plans for individuals, families and businesses. The free version is fairly limited, but it can work well as a basic password manager. You can only use up to 50 passwords on one device. Dashlane allows you to share your login info with up to five people. Go with a premium plan and you’ll get unlimited password storage, devices and password sharing.

Other features on paid plans include an automatic password changer, file storage for up to 1 GB, a VPN and dark web monitoring, which lets you know if your personal info has been exposed on any dark web sites. As is standard for any Mac password manager, Dashlane offers 256-bit encryption and end-to-end encryption, so your passwords are super secure.

A unique feature from Dashlane is a Mac Catalyst app, which speeds up the autofill function, making it an even better choice as a password manager for Mac users. Dashlane is more expensive than many of its similarly feature-heavy competitors, but it provides some added features not found elsewhere (like the dark web monitoring feature).

Who should use it:

Dashlane’s free version is a decent password manager, but the feature-rich premium plans are well worth the cost for those who want encrypted password and file storage, plus dark web monitoring.

• Free version available
• Six members in family plan
• Two-factor authentication
• Biometric authentication
• Mac Catalyst app
• Works on most OS and browsers
• Free trial on premium plan
• Automatic password changer on premium plan
• Share login info with others
• Zero-knowledge tech
• Pricier than most competitors
• Limited to 50 passwords on the free plan
• No dark web monitoring in lower-priced plans
• File storage for premium and family plans only
• Limited devices for lower-priced plans

MOST INTUITIVE PASSWORD MANAGER

Passwords change facility

Automatically with one click

Norton Password Manager uses the standard encryption method, plus a zero-knowledge policy, so your passwords are secure. You can use it for an unlimited number of passwords, and the two-factor and biometric authentication assures no one can gain access to your account information.

Norton Password Manager includes a password generator and an automatic password changer, so you can change your password for any of your logins with a single click. Some features are still in beta, so you may find they’re a little buggy, including Autochange Password. There are browser extensions available based on Chromium, so they work for Chrome, Edge, Vivaldi and Safari, to name a few. The best part about Norton Password Manager: it’s a free tool—there are no paid plans.

For individuals who want a free, easy-to-use password manager that syncs across all devices.

• Free to use
• Two-factor authentication (with app)
• Biometric authentication (for mobile)
• Password generator included
• Automatically change passwords with one click
• Synced across all devices
• Use your mobile to unlock desktop version
• No sharing login info
• Some features still in beta
• No file storage

BEST FOR FAMILIES

Free to $5.39 USD ($7.35 CAD)

per user, per month (on a two-year plan)

• Multifactor authentication

NordPass is one of the more affordable password managers for families and businesses. Pricing starts as low as $1.49 USD ($2.03 CAD) per month depending on what plan you choose.  It’s also one of the few password managers to offer a free version with unlimited passwords, a password generator and multifactor authentication.

For more features, you can upgrade to a premium plan, which includes login info and item sharing, a password checker (to make sure you aren’t duplicating passwords or using weak strings) and allows you to stay logged into your accounts on multiple devices at once. NordPass also monitors the dark web for your personal info and alerts you of any leaks.

NordPass’ free password manager is good if you’re looking for strong security and unlimited passwords, but it’s limited in other ways. Its paid plans are affordable, though, and unlock its more robust and helpful features—its family plan is cheaper than most, so if you need more than one user on a plan, this is one of the best picks.

• Free plan available
• Six accounts with a family plan
• Low-priced business plans
• Store notes, credit cards, addresses
• Autofill forms
• Zero-knowledge policy
• Free version only allows use on one device at a time

BEST FOR MULTI-DEVICE USERS

Free to $6 USD ($8.18 CAD)

monthly per person

1 GB storage

(premium accounts)

Bitwarden is an economical solution for password management, regardless of which operating system or device you use. It offers a free plan that doesn’t limit the number of passwords you can store, and you can even share text-based info with others, such as your Wi-Fi password when you have guests visit you.

Free Bitwarden accounts get unlimited devices, passwords and syncing, which is uncommon compared to other freemium password managers for Mac. If you stick with the free plan, you’ll miss out on encrypted file storage and password health reports, and you’ll only get basic two-step login.

The paid plans are cheap—an individual premium plan is only $10 USD ($13.64 CAD) per year. Bitwarden also offers a family plan and business accounts that cost up to $6 USD ($8.18 CAD) monthly per person. Other features on paid plans include 1 GB of storage, security audits to flag any weak or duplicate passwords in your vault and a password generator. You’ll have to choose a paid plan for two-factor authentication, and you can use a third-party app like YubiKey for advanced two-factor authentication.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better free password manager for Mac—you get unlimited passwords, devices and syncing across all devices, plus you can share login info with others.

• Low monthly subscription
• Works with all OS
• Unlimited devices and passwords
• Unlimited syncing
• Extensions for most browsers
• Includes password generator
• 30-day money-back guarantee
• No encrypted files on the free plan
• Two-factor authentication through third-party on a paid plan only

BEST FOR APPLE WATCH USERS

Trial version

$2.99 USD ($4.07 CAD) to $19.95 USD ($27.22 CAD)

Although 1Password offers no free version of its password manager, you can try it with a 14-day free trial. After that, you’ll have to pay $2.99 USD ($4.07 CAD) to $4.99 USD ($6.80 CAD) monthly for individuals or families, respectively, or up to $19.95 USD ($27.22 CAD) monthly for ten teammates for the business version. Pricing is a bit higher than most password managers for Mac, but the features may outweigh the expense.

You’ll be able to use 1Password across all operating systems, and you get unlimited items and devices. Not only can you use your smartphone’s biometric unlocking, but it also works with an Apple Watch. Two-factor authentication combined with 256-bit encryption ensures security for your passwords, notes and files, and you get 1 GB of storage for those files.

If you’re serious about using a Mac password manager that works well with all Apple products, including unlocking your password manager with your Apple Watch, 1Password may be worth the cost for you.

• The family plan includes access for five members
• Available on all OS
• Unlock password manager with Apple Watch
• Guest accounts available for password sharing
• No free version

What Is a Password Manager and How Do They Work?

A password manager is an app for your device or a browser extension that stores your unique passwords for various logins. Typically, they use end-to-end encryption, so your passwords are encrypted when they go in or when they go out (to the sites or apps you use). Most password managers work across different device types and browsers, and they use AES-256 encryption, so they’re virtually impossible for hackers to crack.

What Is Two-factor Authentication?

Two-factor or multifactor authentication adds an additional layer of security to your accounts. A password is rarely enough to keep your accounts safe. When you use two-factor authentication, your account may send you a text or an email with a code for you to enter. So, even if a company suffers a data breach, you’ll be safe because the code is still needed for anyone to log in.

What Is Zero-knowledge Protocol?

Many companies now have a zero-knowledge policy, which is essentially end-to-end encryption. Information you store in a password manager that uses zero-knowledge protocol remains encrypted. No one at the company will have access to your private data, making this one of the most secure encryption methods around.

It does come with a caveat: If you ever forget or lose your master password for your password manager, you may not be able to get back in easily because your password is unrecoverable. You may need to reset everything, which means starting over by entering all your passwords for your various accounts and logins again.

Forbes Advisor considered five primary factors and 14 secondary factors to determine the best password managers for Mac. We compared five of the most popular Mac password managers to each other and scored them using a weight system for all factors.

We looked at security features, such as AES-256 encryption, multifactor authentication and zero-knowledge policies. Cost is important too, so we considered free versions and their limitations, along with the paid plans and how much more value you get from paying a fee. Also worth noting are unique features for Mac users, biometric functionality, autofilling forms and cross-platform functionality.

Password managers typically offer plans for individuals, families and businesses, so we compared the value of each plan and how many accounts you get for the cost. Most password managers are intuitive, but we still considered the ease of use for these apps.

• Security features
• Cost and value
• Cross-platform functionality
• Unique features
• Ease of use

What is the safest way to keep passwords?

Other than writing down your passwords and keeping them in a physical safe, the safest way to keep your passwords secure is to use a password manager. You’ll only have to record or remember a single master password to access all your logins, which makes it much easier to manage your accounts. To add another layer of security when you’re online, consider using a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN encrypts all data you send or receive online, making you virtually untraceable. The best VPN services are easy to use and work across multiple devices.

Do password managers get hacked?

Password managers can get hacked, and they do. However, if you use a password manager that safeguards your master password with encryption and requires two-factor authentication (2FA), also known as biometric authentication, it’s nearly impossible for a hacker to gain access to your other data in your password vault. Read these cybersecurity tips to help keep your info secure beyond a password manager.

Is a password manager really safe?

Password managers are one of the safest ways to store your passwords. Even if there’s a data breach at a password management company, the encryption methods it uses are typically strong enough to keep your private data safe and encrypted. If you use online banking, for example, it’s important that you keep your login information safe. Learn about what else you can do to protect your online banking information.

What happens if I forget my master password?

Before signing up with a password provider, make sure the service provider has a protocol in place for losing a master password. Otherwise, you could lose your account permanently.

Is it worth paying for a password manager?

While most password managers for Mac offer free plans that are worth using, there are benefits to the paid options that are available. When you pay for a password manager, you get useful features not typically included in free plans, such as password generation, encrypted file storage, sharing options and a VPN, which makes it possible to keep your online activity private and add an additional layer of protection at an affordable price.

What are the main risks of using a password manager?

The main risk of using a password manager include forgetting your master password and potentially getting locked out of the service. For cloud-based managers, you cannot access your account without the Internet. With locally managed services, you could lose your passwords if your device breaks or is no longer available.

Amy Nichol Smith has more than 20 years experience as a journalist and editor, writing on a range of topics, including tech products and services, the gaming industry, and small business. She has been featured in Tom's Guide, L.A. Times, Business.com, Reader's Digest, and Investopedia. Her favorite tech product is a tie between her Roomba and gaming PC.

Rob is an SMB writer and editor based in New Jersey. Before joining Forbes Advisor, he was a content producer at Fit Small Business. In that role, he was responsible for writing, editing, and strategizing content geared toward small business owners. Before that, he worked at PCMag as a business analyst.

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Restored Mac connects automatically to wifi network without intervention

• Thread starter Tomovich
• Start date Monday at 7:23 AM
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• macOS Sonoma (14)

macrumors member

• Monday at 7:23 AM

Hello This morning I erased my Mac and reset it to factory settings with this Apple guide. I was at work when I did this and connected on the work wifi. After resetting I logged in with my iCloud account, set all the settings as I wanted, configured Mail and then all iCloud Drive files and pictures in the Photos app where automatically downloaded. I came home, opened the Mac and I saw that I was connected with my home wifi. I didn't do anything. Is it possible that even after factory restoring and resetting it still remembers my home wifi? Or is it because I'm connected on my iPhone and it sends it to the Mac? Thanks!  

Apple_Robert

Contributor.

• Monday at 7:27 AM

Your saved password is saved in Keychain. When you logged in with the same Apple ID on the Mac, the WiFi connected like it had done before.  

• Monday at 8:52 AM

I have 1Password for that, I do not use the password app in macOS.  

macrumors newbie

• Monday at 9:25 AM

I’d guess keychain wifi networks would still sync even when you use a different password manager? Unless it’s turned off in iCloud, even then there is a chance the networks were already saved in keychain previously and auto sync. I only have experience with Intel, don’t know about apple silicon, however, wifi networks can also be stored in NVRAM and don’t seem to be cleared by an erase alone in my experience, unless I cleared NVRAM in terminal or button combo. Apple Silicon still has NVRAM so it’s probably the same, I think it can only be cleared by terminal “nvram -c” Pretty sure you can check NVRAM contents in the log section of system report, or “nvram -p” in terminal.  

• Monday at 9:37 AM

Tomovich said: I have 1Password for that, I do not use the password app in macOS. Click to expand...

FreakinEurekan

Macrumors 603.

• Tuesday at 5:48 AM

macrumors 6502

• Tuesday at 5:55 AM

If you logged into iCloud it surely carried over stuff for your convenience. I bought a new laptop, did enter my local wifi password manually for the initial setup and then had it import the old laptop. Then went to a customer's place and the new laptop automatically got into their wifi although I had only been there with the old.  

macrumors regular

• Tuesday at 6:26 AM

Your wifi credentials and background keys are stored in Keychain even if you are not using it for saving website passwords, so when you logged into your iCloud account it sync'd your iCloud Keychain, which includes known WiFi credentials.  

• Tuesday at 9:07 AM

They might be stilll stored in NVRAM "current-network: binary: Last Wi-Fi networks to have connected to preferred-networks: binary: List of stored Wi-Fi networks. preferred-count: int: Number of networks in preferred-networks, if not 1." https://github.com/AsahiLinux/docs/wiki/SW:NVRAM https://apple.stackexchange.com/que...g-the-wifi-password-on-the-recovery-partition  

• Tuesday at 9:34 AM

What I meant with: I do not use the password app in macOS. is in system settings > passwords. Not the keychain. I did not know that things in the keychain are also kept in iCloud. When I open the keychain.app then I see a few categories on the left side: login, iCloud, system and system root. I suppose that what's in the iCloud category is what's been transferred to new installs? How long is it since keychain stuff is being stored in iCloud? Are wifi passwords that are on my phone also stored in iCloud? Or is it only Mac to Mac?  

macrumors 65816

• Tuesday at 3:41 PM

Tomovich said: What I meant with: I do not use the password app in macOS. is in system settings > passwords. Not the keychain. I did not know that things in the keychain are also kept in iCloud. When I open the keychain.app then I see a few categories on the left side: login, iCloud, system and system root. I suppose that what's in the iCloud category is what's been transferred to new installs? How long is it since keychain stuff is being stored in iCloud? Are wifi passwords that are on my phone also stored in iCloud? Or is it only Mac to Mac? Click to expand...

Setting up iCloud Keychain on Mac Computers and iOS Devices

• Today at 2:10 AM

On my Mac the Passwords & Keychain is on (automatically). On my iPhone and iPad it is not, never has been. Then how can it be stored in iCloud?