Best Free Password Managers (2026): 5 Free Forever Plans
Free password managers compared: Bitwarden, Proton Pass, KeePass, LastPass and NordPass free plans, checked October 12, 2026.
The best free password managers in 2026 are Bitwarden, Proton Pass, KeePass, LastPass and NordPass. Bitwarden is #1: its free individual plan includes unlimited logins on any device. Proton Pass Free is $0 with unlimited devices and 10 hide-my-email aliases. KeePass is free open-source desktop software with no account required. LastPass Free limits you to 1 device type. NordPass Free includes autosave and autofill but not multi-device access. Dashlane and 1Password are called out below as trial or quote-based, not free forever in today’s captures.
| Tool | Free plan limit | What the free plan includes | First paid plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitwarden | Unlimited logins on any device | Notes, cards, identities, generator; open source | Premium, $1.65/mo billed yearly ($19.80/yr) |
| Proton Pass | Unlimited logins and devices | 10 aliases, passkeys, weak/reused alerts; 1 GB | Pass Plus, $2.99/mo billed yearly |
| KeePass | Local vault (no cloud account) | Free open source; AES-256 / ChaCha20 / Twofish | N/A (donate / plugins optional) |
| LastPass | 1 device type | Unlimited passwords, autofill, dark web monitoring | Premium, $3.00/mo |
| NordPass | Single-device free essentials | Autosave and autofill; secure storage | Premium from $1.39/mo (promo/period shown) |
Sources: each vendor’s official pricing or product page, fetched October 12, 2026. Prices in USD as shown.
How did we pick these free password managers?
We started from our password managers category and checked official pages for a free plan you can keep using, not only a trial. Then we ranked free plans on password and device limits, whether sync works across devices, and how cheap the first paid step is. Every limit and price comes from vendor pages fetched on October 12, 2026.
Our rules:
- Free forever, not a trial. A 14-day or 30-day Premium trial does not count as the free plan.
- Limits from the vendor. Device caps, storage and sharing rules come from each pricing or help page.
- Official pages only. Nothing here comes from review sites.
- Ranking is editorial. We compared published plan limits; we did not pen-test every vault.
What are the best free password managers in 2026?
1. Bitwarden: best overall free password manager
Bitwarden is #1 because the free individual plan is not a teaser. Bitwarden’s help docs say the core Password Manager features are 100% free, including unlimited storage of logins, notes, cards and identities, access on any device, and a secure password generator. Premium is $1.65 per month billed annually at $19.80, and Families is $3.99 per month billed annually at $47.88, per Bitwarden’s pricing page. Teams is $4 per user per month billed annually; Enterprise is $6. See our Bitwarden pricing page for the full breakdown.
2. Proton Pass: best free cloud vault with aliases
Proton Pass Free is $0.00/month with no credit card required. It includes unlimited logins, notes and credit cards, unlimited devices, apps and extensions, a password generator, 10 hide-my-email aliases, weak and reused password alerts, passkeys on all devices, and easy import. Storage on Free is 1 GB. Pass Plus is $2.99/month billed at $35.88 every 12 months.
3. KeePass: best free open-source desktop vault
KeePass is really free and open source (OSI certified), per keepass.info. You store passwords in one database locked with a master key, encrypted with AES-256, ChaCha20 or Twofish. There is no vendor cloud account in the core product, which is the trade-off: you handle backups and sync yourself (or with community plugins).
4. LastPass: free with a one-device-type cap
LastPass Free is limited to 1 device type, with unlimited password storage, autofill, dark web monitoring and basic password sharing. The pricing page also pushes a 30-day Premium trial on Free. Premium is listed at $3.00 per month for access on all devices.
5. NordPass: free essentials without multi-device access
NordPass Free covers autosave, autofill and secure storage. Multi-device access, Password Health, Data Breach Scanner, Authenticator and file attachments are not included on Free. Premium personal pricing showed promotional rates such as $1.39/month on longer terms in today’s capture.
Which tools are not free forever?
Dashlane personal pricing lists Premium at $5.42 per month billed annually and Friends & Family at $8.13 per month for 10 members, with a 14-day trial path — not a free forever plan in today’s capture.
1Password’s pricing page capture today presented enterprise quote-based plans (“Request a quote / Pricing built for you”) rather than a published free forever personal tier. We do not rank it as free forever from that capture.
How do free password managers compare on devices and sync?
| Need | Prefer |
|---|---|
| Unlimited free cloud sync on any device | Bitwarden or Proton Pass Free |
| No vendor cloud account | KeePass |
| Accept one device type | LastPass Free |
| Try Nord’s ecosystem cheaply | NordPass Free, then Premium |
For breach and passkey context, see password manager statistics. Browse the full password managers category.
Key takeaways
- Bitwarden’s free plan includes unlimited logins on any device.
- Proton Pass Free is $0 with unlimited devices and 10 aliases.
- KeePass is free open-source software with a local vault.
- LastPass Free and NordPass Free both limit multi-device use.
- Dashlane and 1Password were not free forever in today’s captures.
How we verified this page
Every free-plan limit and paid price on this page was read from the vendor pages listed in the sources on October 12, 2026. Rankings are editorial. Recommendations follow our evaluation methodology.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free password manager?
Bitwarden is our top free password manager. Its free individual plan includes unlimited logins, notes, cards and identities on any device, plus a password generator. Proton Pass Free is the better pick if you want unlimited devices with hide-my-email aliases on a $0 plan, and KeePass suits people who want a free open-source desktop vault with no cloud account.
Is Bitwarden really free?
Yes. Bitwarden's help docs say the core Password Manager features are 100% free, including unlimited storage of logins, notes, cards and identities and access on any device. Premium is $1.65 per month billed annually at $19.80, per Bitwarden's pricing page on October 12, 2026.
Does 1Password have a free plan?
We could not verify a free forever personal plan on 1Password's pricing page capture today. The page we fetched presented enterprise quote-based plans. Dashlane's personal pricing lists Premium at $5.42 per month billed annually with a 14-day trial, not a free forever plan.
Does LastPass have a free plan?
Yes. LastPass Free is limited to 1 device type, with unlimited password storage, autofill, dark web monitoring and basic password sharing, per LastPass pricing on October 12, 2026. Premium starts at $3.00 per month on the pricing page.
Is KeePass free?
Yes. KeePass is free and open source (OSI certified), per keepass.info. It stores passwords in a local encrypted database locked with a master key. There is no cloud sync built into the core app.
When should I pay for a password manager?
Pay when you need TOTP authenticator features, family sharing, VPN add-ons, or admin controls. Bitwarden Premium is $1.65 per month billed yearly. Proton Pass Plus is $2.99 per month billed yearly. NordPass Premium starts around $1.39 per month on multi-year offers shown today.
Sources
- Bitwarden, Pricing, bitwarden.com/pricing/, captured Oct 12, 2026.
- Bitwarden Help, Password Manager plans, bitwarden.com/help/password-manager-plans.md, captured Oct 12, 2026.
- Bitwarden Help, About Bitwarden plans, bitwarden.com/help/about-bitwarden-plans/, captured Oct 12, 2026.
- Proton Pass, Pricing, proton.me/pass/pricing, captured Oct 12, 2026.
- KeePass, Official site, keepass.info/, captured Oct 12, 2026.
- LastPass, Pricing, www.lastpass.com/pricing, captured Oct 12, 2026.
- NordPass, Pricing, nordpass.com/pricing/, captured Oct 12, 2026.
- Dashlane, Personal pricing, www.dashlane.com/pricing-personal, captured Oct 12, 2026.
- 1Password, Pricing, 1password.com/pricing/, captured Oct 12, 2026.