Best Password Manager Extensions of 2020
Ease of Use and Security Go Hand in Hand
A password manager is one of the most useful tools for improving your browsing experience. Not only does it heighten your security by encouraging longer, more complicated — and thus stronger — passwords, but it also saves you the hassle of remembering the countless accounts you have across all the websites you frequent.
However, they’re at their best when you can use them directly in your browser. This brings a lot of convenience, though at the price of user interface: when prompted, the best password manager extensions will automatically fill out credit card information and login credentials, as long as your master password is authenticated.
Although Dashlane’s wealth of features makes it the best password manager overall, most of these features are not present in the browser extension, requiring the desktop app instead. Therefore, based on browser extension performance alone, LastPass takes first place due to its excellent free plan and great browser interface, where all the features are included.
Choosing the Best Password Manager Extension
There’s a lot of different features to keep in mind when choosing the best browser extension for managing your passwords, such as password importing, autofill, usability and, finally, pricing. Furthermore, some password managers relegate portions of their features to dedicated desktop apps, but for this list we will focus entirely on the browser extensions themselves.
Password Import
Rather than requiring you to manually enter all your accounts and passwords, a good password manager should have a solid and easy-to-use import process that takes all your passwords stored in the browser and adds them to the extension.
This can often be a problem if you’re using Chromium-based browsers, such as Vivaldi (read our Vivaldi review), as the Chrome extensions usually aren’t able to import from any other source other than Chrome itself (read our Google Chrome review). Some of the extensions we have selected will also work on Safari, though your mileage may vary.
Autofill
Autofill is another crucial feature of password managers. After all, if the extension is unable to accurately fill in your username and password, then it’s not going to be very useful. Thus, a password manager should be able to easily pick up on the fact that there’s a login form on the page you’re visiting and seamlessly enter your username and password in the correct fields.
Usability
Like with all software, usability is another critical factor. The control panel for the extension needs to have a clear interface that’s easy to navigate, as well as preferably give you access to all the app’s features without having to switch to a desktop app.
Price
Finally, pricing plays a big part, as it does with pretty much anything. Most password managers have a free plan available, but the number of free features you’ll have access to will vary greatly depending on the provider. Thus, we’ll consider how good each free plan is, but also how much bang for your buck you get if you opt for a paid subscription or premium version instead.
Best Password Manager Extensions
- LastPass
- Dashlane
- 1Password
- Keeper
- RoboForm
Because our list of the best password managers already ranks the top providers based on their features, performance and pricing, in general, this list will focus entirely on the browsing extensions of each provider, specifically their Firefox add-ons and Chrome plugins.
All our picks are available for both Chrome and Firefox, and the Chrome add-ons work with Chromium (read our Chromium review) and major Chromium-based browsers, such as Vivaldi, Opera and Brave.
1. LastPass
LastPass is an excellent choice for keeping track of your accounts and passwords, and it tops our list of the best free password managers. Although it didn’t quite manage to keep up with Dashlane in our general ranking, the fact that it does all of its work right in the browser extension gives it an edge here, as we mentioned in the introduction.
If you’re using Chrome, Firefox or Opera (read our Opera review), then LastPass can automatically import all the passwords you’ve already stored in your browser. Unfortunately, this doesn’t hold true for other Chromium-based browsers, such as Vivaldi and Brave (read our Brave review).
When you open the extension itself, you’re presented with your vault. This is where all of your passwords are stored as “items” that you can organize into folders. You can also add a note to each password (for example, to help you remember what it’s for) as well as disable autofill, enable auto login and turn on a master password prompt for additional security.
Using LastPass in Chrome
The vault itself is clean and easy to use, and although setup can be a bit of a pain if you’re importing a large number of passwords, once you’ve got everything organized and placed into folders, it’s all very easy to keep track of.
In addition to storing your passwords, LastPass can also be used to store notes and form content, such as addresses, payment cards and bank accounts. You can also add a file attachment to these items if you so desire.
Autofill functionality is included in the LastPass extension and, from our testing, seems to work quite well at identifying form fields and filling them in with the correct information.
The built-in password generator is also a huge help when you’re signing up for a new service or upgrading your password to something more secure. You can decide the max length of the password, whether or not to include numbers, uppercase letters and symbols, as well as require the password to be easy to read or easy to say.
LastPass Pricing
In terms of pricing, LastPass does very well. For $24 per year, you get access to priority support, emergency access and password sharing. The sharing feature lets you share items like notes, but also give other people access to your accounts without having to actually tell them your password.
LastPass’s excellent free plan makes it easily the best free password manager extension as well as the best password manager extension for Chrome and Firefox, in general. If you’re interested in learning more about our number-one pick, be sure to give our LastPass review a read.
2. Dashlane
Dashlane is another great password manager and was our pick for the best password manager, in general. However, because large parts of its functionality rely on the native desktop app, it doesn’t quite manage to earn the same spot in this ranking of the best password manager extension for Firefox and Chrome, specifically.
Much like LastPass, Dashlane’s main interface consists of your vault, where you can add and manage your passwords. Although the vault presents a clean interface that is easy to navigate, if you want to make use of more advanced features, such as checking your password strength or importing your existing passwords, you’ll need to download the desktop app.
Importing Google Chrome Passwords Into Dashlane
Automatic imports work from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer (read our Internet Explorer review), as well as from other password managers. However, if you use any other browser, you’ll need to manually export your passwords as a CSV file before importing.
Besides passwords, you can also use Dashlane to securely store notes and your personal details, such as names, addresses, emails, phone numbers and more. Furthermore, there’s a separate area for payments where you can save all your bank cards for easy access whenever you need to pay for something.
Sharing and Generating
All your items, including your passwords, can be securely shared with other people through the password sharing feature, which sends a link to the recipient.
Although sharing notes is nice, the real benefit of this is the ability to let someone else log in to one of your accounts without having to actually give them the password. Like LastPass, Dashlane includes autofill in its extension, which works well.
Finally, there’s a password generator that you can access through the icon on the toolbar, which can generate a strong password that’s up to 28 characters long. The generation settings gives you the option of including letters, digits and symbols, as well as whether or not you want to avoid ambiguous characters, for example, lower case “l” or upper case “I.”
Paying for Dashlane
In terms of price, Dashlane doesn’t come out quite as well as LastPass. On the free plan, you’re limited to just 50 passwords, which might sound like a lot but is a limit that you can find yourself hitting fairly quickly. You’re also limited to just one device, whereas the Pro plan lets you sync as many passwords as you want across an unlimited number of devices.
As always, make sure to read our full Dashlane review if you want more information about all its strengths and weaknesses. Alternatively, you can check out our Dashlane vs. LastPass battle to see how the top two providers compare when looking at the full picture.
3. 1Password
If you’re willing to pay for your password manager, then 1Password is a good option with a great browser extension. You can set up multiple vaults, and the main extension interface provides a pleasant user experience. 1Password even sends you a “starter kit” to help you set everything up.
On your first login, you’ll also be given a secret key that you can use to restore access to your account or to log in from a new browser or device. This key isn’t saved anywhere, so you’ll either have to write it down or download it as a PDF, which 1Password helpfully provides.
1Password’s Categories
Like the other picks on this list, 1Password lets you store not only passwords, but all sorts of form content. What sets it apart is its incredibly varied range of information categories you can choose to store, including notes, credit cards, identities and even stuff like passports and drivers’ licenses. All this information can be automatically filled into forms, making signups and logins a breeze.
You can automatically import your stored passwords from Chrome (but not from any of the Chromium-derived browsers or Firefox), as well as from LastPass, Dashlane and RoboForm. From any other sources, you’ll need to first manually export your passwords and directly import the CSV file.
1Password’s Watchtower and Password Generator
The “watchtower” feature can tell you if your logins are at risk by analyzing your passwords for weaknesses or duplicates, as well as cross referencing your websites with a database of data breaches and login vulnerabilities.
There’s a built-in password generator that lets you choose from three types of passwords: random (which is the most secure), memorable (consisting of actual words separated by hyphens) and PIN (only numbers).
As we briefly mentioned at the start of this section, 1Password does not have a free plan, and a subscription will run you just shy of $36 per year or $60 per year for the family plan, which lets you share your account with up to five people. You can also add additional people to the family plan for $12 per year. 1Password is also our best password manager for families.
If you’re interested in how it performs beyond just its browser extension (it is our best password manager for iOS), make sure to read our full 1Password review or our Dashlane vs. 1Password comparison to see how it compares to our overall top pick.
4. Keeper
Keeper is another excellent choice for managing your passwords. Although you can’t store as much information with Keeper as you can with some of our other picks, you can still use it to keep track of your passwords, payment cards, addresses and phone numbers, which can all be neatly arranged into folders and entered automatically when you need to fill in a form.
Furthermore, when you log in for the first time or create a new password, Keeper will automatically add it to the vault.
The vault itself is easy to use and the setup process is also simple. Passwords can be imported from Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge (read our Edge review) and Opera, as well as from a ton of different password managers. This is a lot of options and places the import process of Keeper well ahead of all the others on this list.
Keeper’s Advanced Security Options
Keeper Security is great, and the extension offers some advanced options if you’d like to go the extra mile to keep your accounts safe. You can turn on two factor authentication, and the self-destruct setting automatically wipes all of your stored data after five failed login attempts.
The free plan lets you store an unlimited number of passwords but limits you to one device. If you need access to more devices, a Pro plan will run you $29.99 per year.
Alternatively, you can get the Keeper MaxBundle, which costs $59.97 per year and includes everything in the Pro plan plus access to Keeper Messenger (a secure messaging app), secure file storage and, finally, Keeper BreachWatch.
Keeper BreachWatch and Security Audit
BreachWatch is a feature that scans all of the sites and logins that you’ve saved and checks if they’ve been exposed by a data breach since you last changed the password. If it has, Keeper lets you know and encourages you to change the passwords in question.
Although BreachWatch keeps you safe from external threats, the security audit feature protects you from yourself. Put simply, it checks whether any of your passwords can be considered weak, whether that’s due to short length, lack of symbols or numbers, or because you’re using duplicate passwords for multiple logins.
There’s also a password generator present when you create a new login in the vault, though it’s a bit more basic than some of the other options on this list. You can set the length of the password to be between eight and 51 characters, plus decide whether to include characters, numbers or symbols.
As always, our full Keeper review will give you an even better idea of what to expect from the service, and read our Dashlane vs Keeper piece to see how the two compare.
5. RoboForm
Rounding out our top five is RoboForm. Although another decent option for Firefox and Chrome, RoboForm’s greatest weakness, in terms of its browser extension, is the lack of a password-import feature. You can import bookmarks (which RoboForm can also store) but not passwords.
The interface is easy to get your head around, and all of your stored items can be arranged into individual folders to give you a clearer overview.
Adding Passwords to RoboForm
Unfortunately, the process of adding a login is a bit cumbersome, as you can’t do it manually. Rather, you need to log in to your account (after first logging out, if you’re already signed in) and let RoboForm detect it before the login can be added.
In addition to passwords and bookmarks, you can also use RoboForm to keep track of notes and identities. These identities can hold all sorts of data, including your standard address, phone numbers and names, but also bank accounts, passports and cards, as well as custom fields that you can define yourself.
Autofill and Password Generation with RoboForm
As with all our picks, RoboForm helpfully fills out forms with all of this data whenever you need it to.
There’s a password generator to help you create strong passwords, with settings for excluding similar characters, making the password hexadecimal, and determining whether you want capital letters, numbers or symbols in your generated password.
When it comes to pricing and plans, the free version of RoboForm is solid. It lets you store an unlimited number of passwords and identities, share your logins with other people and audit your passwords.
If you want to use the password manager on multiple devices and sync between them, you’ll need to get RoboForm Everywhere for $23.88 per year, which also gives you access to priority support, two-factor authentication, secure file sharing, emergency access and cloud backup. If you’re not sure if this is worth it for you, head over to our RoboForm review to find out.
Honorable Mention: Firefox Password Manager
If Firefox is your browser of choice and you’re looking for a no-frills basic password manager, then the built-in password manager — named Lockwise — is worth considering. Although the Firefox Password Manager lacks some of the more advanced features that our main picks can offer, it still does a good job of storing and protecting your passwords.
You can import all your existing passwords from Chrome, Chromium, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge, and sync them between all your devices. There are no further features, but Firefox Lockwise is more than adequate if all you want is something to keep your passwords safe and autofill them so you don’t have to remember them.
There’s a password generator included as well, though it can be a little hard to find. Whenever you sign up for a new service, you can right-click the password field and select “use a securely generated password.”
Remember to set a master password, though, as this must be done manually, and without one, all your passwords are accessible in plaintext to anyone with physical access to your device.
Google Smart Lock vs. a Password Manager
If Chrome is your primary web browser, you might be tempted to simply use the built-in Google password manager — or “Smart Lock,” as its called — to store your Google passwords. We’d advise against it, though, if for no other reason than the fact that entrusting all your passwords to Google — a company infamous for disregarding its users privacy — is an incredibly bad idea.
Although the Chrome password manager does provide a password checkup feature, there is no way to generate secure and randomized passwords, which leaves it up to the user to create them, which in most cases will result in passwords that are not as strong as they could be.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, our list of the best password manager extensions on the market. Although Dashlane is an excellent choice overall, if you’re specifically interested in the browser extensions, LastPass is the better option, especially given its excellent free plan on top of all the features included right there in your browser.
If you’re happy to pay for a service, then you can’t really go wrong with 1Password, either (read our 1Password vs LastPass piece), whereas Keeper and RoboForm are also great options, despite some flaws, if you want a free password manager.
Although there are many other options out there that will do the job just fine — such as the Avast password manager extension, the Zoho Vault Chrome extension or the Webroot password manager extension — they didn’t quite make it onto this list.
What do you think of our list of password manager extensions? Did we leave out your favorite? Do you dislike any of our top picks? Let us know in the comments below. Take a look at our best password manager for small business piece, too. Thank you for reading.
Originally a software engineer, Aleksander decided to leave the office lifestyle behind to live as a digital nomad. He now spends his time writing about technology and tourism, which allows him the freedom to call many different places home. When he’s not writing, he likes to read fantasy/sci-fi, listen to podcasts about history and politics and travel.