Expert Guide

The Best Free Password Managers in 2026

Seven free password managers compared on vault caps, device rules, sharing and the second factors each free plan allows.

Louis CorneloupFounder, Dupple · 930,000+ readers · Updated Oct 2026

Product links may be affiliate links. How we rate 7 tools compared

TL;DR

Bitwarden is the best free password manager in 2026 for most people. Its free plan lists unlimited passwords and unlimited devices, and its pricing page describes the plan as always free. Proton Pass Free is the pick when you want email aliases, with 10 hide-my-email aliases included and vault sharing with two other people. Zoho Vault, KeePassXC, Google Password Manager, Enpass and LastPass Free each fit a narrower need.

Free is a set of limits, not a price tag. Enpass stops at 25 items, LastPass free covers one device type and limits multi-factor options to popular apps, and where a free plan allows sharing, it reaches one or two people. All limits were checked on vendor pages on 10 October 2026.

Key facts7 tools compared: Bitwarden, Proton Pass, Zoho Vault, KeePassXC, Google Password Manager…

Updated: October 12, 2026
Top pick: Bitwarden (best for: One person who wants no cap on logins or devices and can live with sharing with one other user)
Top pick price as of October 12, 2026: Bitwarden: Free forever: unlimited passwords and devices. Premium $1.65 a month, billed annually at $19.80 for one user.

7 tools compared: Bitwarden, Proton Pass, Zoho Vault, KeePassXC, Google Password Manager, Enpass, LastPass Free
Proton Pass (best for: Privacy-minded people who want email aliases and two-person vault sharing included at no cost): Free: 1 user, 2 vaults, 10 hide-my-email aliases, unlimited logins and devices. Pass Plus $35.88 a year.
Zoho Vault (best for: A solo user who wants unlimited storage and autofill, and does not need to share a login): Free forever: unlimited passwords, passkeys, storage and devices. Paid plans are per user, billed annually.
KeePassXC (best for: Users who want a free app whose code they can inspect, and who will manage the vault file themselves): Free and open source under the GPLv3 license. The project site lists no price.

Bitwarden is the free password manager to start with, because its free plan has no password or device cap.

The reasons to choose something else are specific: a second device type, a cap on items, a limit on second-factor options, or a need to share with more than one person.

How we ranked: the free plan is the product, so we ordered the seven options by what a security-minded person keeps for nothing.

Item and device caps came first, then sharing reach, then the second-factor options the free plan keeps, and last the price of the next step up.

Each row uses one vendor page, read on 10 October 2026.

Cyberpresso data: Toolradar, the software directory we run, evaluated 37 password managers for its October 2026 password manager ranking, and only 2 of its 10 top picks have a free plan. That scarcity is the reason to read the free tier closely before you rely on it.

Top Picks

Based on features, real-world fit, and value for money.

Best Free Password Managers in 2026: What the Free Tier Leaves Out: 7 tools compared, updated Oct 2026
Tool	Pricing	Best for
Bitwarden	Free forever: unlimited passwords and devices. Premium $1.65 a month, billed annually at $19.80 for one user.	One person who wants no cap on logins or devices and can live with sharing with one other user.
Proton Pass	Free: 1 user, 2 vaults, 10 hide-my-email aliases, unlimited logins and devices. Pass Plus $35.88 a year.	Privacy-minded people who want email aliases and two-person vault sharing included at no cost.
Zoho Vault	Free forever: unlimited passwords, passkeys, storage and devices. Paid plans are per user, billed annually.	A solo user who wants unlimited storage and autofill, and does not need to share a login.
KeePassXC	Free and open source under the GPLv3 license. The project site lists no price.	Users who want a free app whose code they can inspect, and who will manage the vault file themselves.
Google Password Manager	Built into Chrome on all platforms and every Android app. Google's help page names no price.	Chrome and Android users who want saved logins with no extra app to install.
Enpass	Free forever: up to 25 items in one vault. Premium $1.99 a month, billed yearly, with unlimited items and vaults.	A short list of logins, under 25 items, from someone who wants to try a vault before paying.
LastPass Free	The free plan works on one device type, desktop or mobile. LastPass lists no dollar price for its paid plans.	Someone who uses one device type and is happy with the basic second-factor apps the free plan accepts.

Pricing read from each vendor's own published pricing page, checked Oct 2026. Every vendor here publishes a price.

Bitwarden

Top Pick

Best for: One person who wants no cap on logins or devices and can live with sharing with one other user.

PricingFree forever: unlimited passwords and devices. Premium $1.65 a month, billed annually at $19.80 for one user.

+Bitwarden lists unlimited passwords and unlimited devices on its free plan, so a cap is never the reason to upgrade.

+Free sharing with one other user covers a couple who share one household login.

+Families at $47.88 a year covers up to six users with unlimited sharing, a clear next step for a household.

−Free sharing reaches one other person, so a household of three needs the Families plan from the start.

−The pricing page does not list which second-factor methods the free plan accepts, so confirm the one you use in the app before you rely on it.

Visit Bitwarden →

Proton Pass

Best for: Privacy-minded people who want email aliases and two-person vault sharing included at no cost.

PricingFree: 1 user, 2 vaults, 10 hide-my-email aliases, unlimited logins and devices. Pass Plus $35.88 a year.

+The free plan includes unlimited logins, notes and credit cards, with unlimited devices and 1 GB of storage.

+The free tier includes hide-my-email aliases, and none of the other free plans on this list lists aliases.

+Each vault can be shared with two other people on the free plan, one more than Bitwarden's free sharing allows.

−The free plan covers one user and two vaults, so a household splits its logins across vaults quickly.

−Pass Family at $59.88 a year billed yearly is the next step for a household, and it costs more than Bitwarden Families.

Visit Proton Pass →

Zoho Vault

Best for: A solo user who wants unlimited storage and autofill, and does not need to share a login.

PricingFree forever: unlimited passwords, passkeys, storage and devices. Paid plans are per user, billed annually.

+The free plan lists unlimited passwords, passkeys, storage and devices, matching Bitwarden on password and device limits.

+Saving and autofilling passwords sits inside the free plan, so day-to-day use needs no paid step.

+Zoho calls its free plan free forever, not a trial that expires.

−Password sharing starts on the Standard plan, so the free tier cannot share a login with a partner or colleague.

−Team features sit on the paid tiers, so Zoho Vault is a single-user choice unless you upgrade.

Visit Zoho Vault →

KeePassXC

Best for: Users who want a free app whose code they can inspect, and who will manage the vault file themselves.

PricingFree and open source under the GPLv3 license. The project site lists no price.

+The GPLv3 license means the source code is open and public, so a security team can review it directly.

+The project site lists Windows, macOS and Linux as its platforms.

+The project site names no paid plan, so the cost of the app itself stays at zero.

−The project homepage describes no sync service, so moving the vault between your devices is up to you.

−The homepage lists desktop platforms only, so a phone needs a different vault or a separate mobile app.

Visit KeePassXC →

Google Password Manager

Best for: Chrome and Android users who want saved logins with no extra app to install.

PricingBuilt into Chrome on all platforms and every Android app. Google's help page names no price.

+Nothing to install, since it works inside Chrome and inside every Android app.

+Passwords are saved in your Google Account rather than on a single device.

+Google's help page names no device cap and no item cap.

−On iOS it works through Chrome as the AutoFill provider, not as a separate app, which the help page describes.

−The vault is tied to a Google account, so a security lead who wants a separate vendor and its own admin controls needs another tool.

Visit Google Password Manager →

Enpass

Best for: A short list of logins, under 25 items, from someone who wants to try a vault before paying.

PricingFree forever: up to 25 items in one vault. Premium $1.99 a month, billed yearly, with unlimited items and vaults.

+The free plan costs nothing and stays free, according to the vendor's pricing page.

+Premium removes both the item cap and the vault cap, with unlimited items and vaults.

−25 items is a hard cap, and a bank, email, work and shopping login list can fill it quickly.

−The free tier covers one vault, so it suits one person's logins.

Visit Enpass →

LastPass Free

Best for: Someone who uses one device type and is happy with the basic second-factor apps the free plan accepts.

PricingThe free plan works on one device type, desktop or mobile. LastPass lists no dollar price for its paid plans.

+The free plan includes basic password management on the one device type it covers.

+Sharing works one password at a time with one person, which is enough for a single shared login.

−The free plan works on desktop or mobile, not both, so a laptop and a phone need the paid plan.

−MFA options on the free plan are limited to popular apps, and hardware keys require Premium, a weak point for a security control.

Visit LastPass Free →

What it is

A free password manager is the no-cost tier of a paid vault, or a vault with no price at all. Built-in options such as Google Password Manager in Chrome and Android do not ask you to pick a plan, and its help page names no price.

KeePassXC is free and open source under the GPLv3 license.

The free tier is the vendor's way to get you in, so what it keeps tells you what you will still have to pay for later.

A security lead should read four things on a free plan: how many items it stores, how many device types it covers, who you can share a login with, and which second factors it accepts. Those four limits decide whether a free vault is a long-term tool or a trial.

Why it matters

Free limits decide which risk you carry. A 25-item cap pushes a busy login list into a second vault or back into a spreadsheet, and a spreadsheet is a worse fix than any paid plan. A one-device-type rule pushes people to reuse one master password across a phone and a laptop, which widens the blast radius of a single compromise.

A free plan that holds MFA to popular apps keeps the stronger second factor behind a paywall, which is the wrong place for a security control.

The paid step up is small for one person on the best options. Bitwarden Premium is a single-user plan, and Proton Pass Plus is the individual tier.

The price is rarely the obstacle. The obstacle is discovering a cap or a missing factor after the vault already holds years of logins.

Key features to look for

Item and vault caps

Enpass stops at 25 items on its free plan. Bitwarden lists unlimited passwords and Proton Pass lists unlimited logins, notes and cards, but Proton Pass limits the free plan to two vaults and one user.

Device rules

Bitwarden, Proton Pass and Zoho Vault each list unlimited devices on their free plans. LastPass limits its free plan to one device type, either desktop or mobile, so a phone and a laptop need a paid plan.

Sharing reach

Bitwarden free includes sharing with one other user. Proton Pass lets you share each vault with two other people. Zoho Vault keeps password sharing on its paid Standard plan, and LastPass free shares one password with one person at a time.

Second factors

LastPass free limits multi-factor options to popular authenticator apps, and hardware keys need Premium. Confirm the factor you rely on is accepted on the free plan before you move your logins into any vault.

Pricing

Prices and limits below were read on vendor pages on 10 October 2026, in US dollars.

Bitwarden's pricing page lists Premium at $1.65 a month billed annually at $19.80, and Families at $3.99 a month billed annually at $47.88 for up to six users.

Proton Pass lists Pass Plus at $2.99 a month billed $35.88 every 12 months, and Pass Family at $4.99 a month billed $59.88 every 12 months.

Enpass lists its free plan at $0 forever and Premium at $1.99 a month billed yearly.

Zoho Vault prices its paid plans per user, billed annually, so check its page for the current per-user figure before you compare.

KeePassXC's project site describes the app as free and open source under GPLv3.

Google Password Manager is built into Chrome and Android, and its help page names no price. LastPass describes its free plan's limits, but its paid plans show no dollar amounts on the page, so no LastPass price appears here.

For comparison, 1Password has no free plan and offers a 14-day trial, with Individual at $2.99 a month billed yearly for new annual customers.

Our 1Password review covers the product in full.

Dashlane and NordPass are not ranked here, because this list covers only tools whose free-plan terms we confirmed on vendor pages.

Our Dashlane review and NordPass review cover their paid plans, and Proton Pass on Toolradar gives the wider market view.

Plan	Price	Best for
Bitwarden Free	Free	Unlimited passwords and devices; free sharing with one other user
Bitwarden Premium	$19.80 a year ($1.65 a month)	One user; the paid step for one person who needs more than the free plan
Bitwarden Families	$47.88 a year ($3.99 a month)	Up to six users with unlimited sharing
Proton Pass Free	Free	One user, two vaults, 10 hide-my-email aliases, 1 GB storage, unlimited logins and devices
Proton Pass Plus	$35.88 a year ($2.99 a month)	Billed yearly; the individual paid tier
Proton Pass Family	$59.88 a year ($4.99 a month)	Billed yearly; the household tier
Zoho Vault Free	Free forever	Unlimited passwords, passkeys, storage and devices; no password sharing
Zoho Vault Standard	Per user, billed annually	Adds secure password sharing with team members
KeePassXC	Free	Open source under GPLv3; Windows, macOS and Linux
Google Password Manager	No price on the help page	Built into Chrome on all platforms and every Android app
Enpass Free	Free forever	Up to 25 items in one vault
Enpass Premium	$1.99 a month, billed yearly	Unlimited items and vaults
LastPass Free	Free	One device type, desktop or mobile; one shared password at a time
1Password Individual	$2.99 a month, billed yearly (new annual customers)	No free plan; 14-day trial before any paid plan

Mistakes to avoid

×Choosing on the price line alone. The free plan's caps, not its price, decide whether the tool still fits after six months of logins.

×Assuming a 25-item cap will never be reached. A bank, email, work and shopping list can fill Enpass's free vault quickly.

×Relying on a free plan that holds MFA to popular apps for a privileged account. Check the second factor on the free plan before the login goes in.

×Sharing with more people than the free plan allows. Bitwarden's free plan shares with one other user, so a third person needs Families.

Expert tips

→Start with Bitwarden's free plan if you have more than 25 logins and use a phone and a laptop. Move to Families only when a third person needs access, since the free plan shares with one other user. Our <a href="/reviews/best-password-managers-for-families">family password manager guide</a> compares the household plans.

→Before you move your logins, confirm the second factor you use is accepted on the free plan. LastPass free limits MFA to popular apps, and hardware keys need Premium. If you use a hardware key, read our <a href="/reviews/best-hardware-security-keys">hardware security key guide</a> first.

→If you want email aliases inside the vault, Proton Pass Free includes hide-my-email aliases. Our <a href="/reviews/proton-pass-review">Proton Pass review</a> covers the wider product.

→For team pricing, compare the paid step with per-user plans rather than the family tier. Our <a href="/reviews/best-password-managers">best password managers guide</a> is written for IT and security buyers who manage a group. For the authenticator side of the login, see our <a href="/reviews/best-2fa-authenticator-apps">2FA authenticator apps guide</a>.

The bottom line

Bitwarden is the best free password manager in 2026 for most people, because its free plan lists unlimited passwords and devices and the vendor calls it always free. Choose Proton Pass if you want email aliases and two-person vault sharing, and Zoho Vault if you want unlimited storage and autofill with no sharing.

Choose LastPass Free only if one device type is enough and the basic second-factor apps cover your login.

Our Bitwarden review and Proton Pass review cover the paid plans, and Bitwarden on Toolradar shows where it sits in the wider market.

Pay only when a free limit blocks you: a third user, a second device type, more than 25 items, or a hardware key.

Families at $47.88 a year covers up to six people with unlimited sharing. For team pricing and admin controls, read our best password managers guide, which is written for IT and security buyers.

Our LastPass alternatives page covers the next step if LastPass free no longer fits.

The same test of limits and paid step applies to security software, so our best free antivirus guide uses that logic too.

Methodology: we read the free-plan wording on seven vendors' own pages on 10 October 2026, plus Toolradar's October 2026 password manager ranking for the market count.

We did not test the apps by hand. Prices are in US dollars as shown on each vendor page. LastPass on Toolradar gives the tool's wider market data.

Cite this: Cyberpresso, "Best Free Password Managers in 2026", October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free password manager in 2026?

Bitwarden is the best free password manager in 2026 for most people. Its free plan lists unlimited passwords and unlimited devices, and it shares with one other user. Proton Pass Free is the pick if you want 10 email aliases and two-person sharing per vault on the free tier.

Is Bitwarden free forever?

Bitwarden's pricing page describes its free plan as always free, with unlimited passwords and devices. The paid Premium plan is for one user, and Families covers up to six users with unlimited sharing, both billed annually.

Is LastPass still free?

LastPass still has a free plan, but it works on one device type, desktop or mobile, not both. Free users can share one password with one person at a time, and multi-factor options are limited to popular apps, with hardware keys on Premium.

Can a security team use a free password manager?

The free plans on this list suit one person or a two-person team, not a larger group. Where a free plan allows sharing, it reaches one other person (Bitwarden, LastPass) or two other people per vault (Proton Pass). Zoho Vault's free plan has no password sharing at all, so a team needs a paid tier before it moves shared logins.

Can I use a free password manager on a phone and a laptop?

Bitwarden, Proton Pass and Zoho Vault list unlimited devices on their free plans. LastPass free covers one device type, so a phone and a laptop need its paid plan. Check the device rule before you commit a login list to a free vault.

What does the paid upgrade cost?

Enpass Premium is $1.99 a month billed yearly and removes the 25-item cap. Proton Pass Plus is $35.88 a year billed yearly. Bitwarden Premium is a single-user plan billed annually. 1Password has no free plan and offers a 14-day trial before any paid plan.

Sources

Prices and plan details come from each vendor's own pricing page, re-checked by the Toolradar pricing tracker.