LastPass evaluate: Is this popular password manager worth it?

LastPass desires to make the password you select for its service the final you’ll ever want. But to satisfy that lofty objective, LastPass wants to supply nice safety, straightforward operation, and sufficient distinctive options that you simply’ll wish to preserve subscribing yr after yr.

I’ve reviewed LastPass to search out out if it deserves a spot on our list of the best password managers available, checking ease of use, options, customer support, and safety to make sure it gives good worth.

Specs

Tiers and pricing

LastPass at the moment has a sale that cuts annual subscription costs in half. That’s a great deal on a popular password manager. Your renewal value will likely be at LastPass’ commonplace costs, that are affordable.

A Premium subscription usually prices $36 yearly. You can sync passwords throughout all of your gadgets and securely retailer as much as 1GB of encrypted notes, card numbers, addresses, and connected photographs. LastPass gives a plan for Families that features six particular person accounts for $48 per yr.

That’s important financial savings for households, making the price per individual as little as $8 yearly. Sale costs would possibly minimize that to $4 for every individual in an enormous household.

LastPass additionally gives a free model that helps a single machine. You can apply it to a pc or a cell machine however not each. Sharing is restricted to just one different individual, and safe storage is capped at 50MB. If you’re searching for the best free password manager, try Bitwarden, an open-source solution with a very good free app.

Design

When I logged into my LastPass account, a immediate to put in the browser extension appeared on the prime and under I noticed choices so as to add passwords manually or import them.

I put in the extension and signed in, then imported the passwords saved in my browser. LastPass helps Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Safari, and even Explorer. I may additionally import vaults from 1Password, Bitwarden, Dashlane, KeePass, Keeper, RoboForm, and logins saved in CSV format.

With all the pieces imported, I put in the app on my iPhone, signed in, and authenticated by way of e-mail and textual content message. I switched on Face ID to simplify cell entry. All my passwords had already synced, so I may log into any account I had on my Windows PC.

Switching again to my laptop, I explored the extension, which has a handy one-click web site launch characteristic and a favorites tab. The net app has many extra choices and is the most effective place to regulate settings, manage logins, and extra.

Features

Autofill is a critical feature for a password manager and LastPass handles it properly. When I open a web site the place I’ve an account, the username and password are immediately stuffed in. A LastPass icon on the proper opens an choices menu the place I can select one other account, generate a brand new password, or change off autofill for this web site.

On my iPhone, a single faucet authenticates with Face ID and fills logins. It works in addition to the built-in autofill within the Edge browser on my Windows PC and the Passwords app on iOS.

To compete with tech leaders like Microsoft and Apple, third-party options supply cross-platform ease, extra choices, and superior options. LastPass works on almost any machine. There are Apple Watch and Wear OS apps. LastPass even made an app and browser extension for the Meta Quest.

Like many different password managers, LastPass charges my safety rating, alerting me to reused and weak passwords. I can replace the logins or delete the accounts if I not use them. On the identical safety tab, there’s an possibility for darkish net monitoring. I can add as much as 200 e-mail addresses to the guidelines.

Sharing logins is a singular characteristic that provides nice worth to password managers. LastPass lets me share a login with anybody just by getting into their e-mail deal with. The recipient wants a LastPass account to entry that password however a free account suffices.

I attempted a LastPass Families account that gives six particular person accounts. In the online app, there’s a Families tab that makes it straightforward so as to add and handle members. Among members, I can share total folders that comprise logins, notes, addresses, and extra.

Support

LastPass gives 24/7 reside chat for patrons. I visited the assist middle and used the chat bubble on the backside proper to check responsiveness. The preliminary reply got here from a chatbot that didn’t perceive my query about safe storage.

I requested for a human agent and was rapidly transferred to the queue with an estimated wait time of as much as 5 minutes. It took mere seconds for reside assist to reply.

I needed to copy and paste my query however the interplay was fast and useful, clarifying that LastPass Family plan members arrange private and shared folders.

I additionally requested for reside chat hours and the agent confirmed it’s out there all day, day by day with a mean wait time of two minutes.

Privacy and safety

The firm has suffered a number of safety incidents, most just lately a serious breach in 2022 when hackers accessed the LastPass source code and the client database.

In response to the continued points and rising lack of belief, LastPass separated from GoTo and now operates as an unbiased firm underneath L.P. This non-public fairness agency owns GoTo, calling into query the influence of this change.

LastPass suggests this is a brand new chapter for the corporate, one centered on “innovation, safety, privateness and belief” with a “devoted menace intelligence crew” led by a brand new crew of executives which are “revered veterans within the trade.”

At finest, LastPass should be handled as a brand new and unproven password manager with a brief safety and privateness observe file. At worst, LastPass is identical firm with a historical past of safety breaches.

Is LastPass best for you?

Sharing isn’t as strong as top password managers like 1Password and Keeper, however you possibly can share a joint login so anybody with a free or paid LastPass can take pleasure in autofill with out letting them see your password. You can revoke entry at any time.

The solely query is whether or not LastPass safety is sweet sufficient. After the 2022 breach, the corporate is motivated to revive belief and is underneath scrutiny from trade watchdogs. We’ll be maintaining a tally of LastPass and replace our score if it could keep away from additional points. Everyone deserves a second likelihood.

However, that’s no assure your knowledge is protected. If you don’t really feel comfy sharing your logins, try our listing of five password managers with better long-term security records than LastPass.