How to Easily and Securely Manage Passwords (Beginner’s Guide)

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the number of different username and passwords you have to remember?

Recently one of our readers asked us for the best way to manage passwords for WordPress users.

In this article, we will show you how to easily and securely manage passwords like a Pro with the best password management tools.

Why Do You Need to Use a Password Manager?

Most people have been using a couple of very easy to remember passwords for years without any problem. That’s NOT safe.

As proven by a number of recent hacks across major websites, if a malicious user gain access to all this information, then they can cause serious damage.

This is not just a horror story that we tell users to scare them. It is true and happens every day to hundreds of people around the globe.

This is why security experts and other professionals recommend users to use STRONG and UNIQUE passwords.

Now you’re probably wondering how do you remember it all when there are so many different passwords such as business email accounts, web hosting, domain registrars, social accounts, WordPress admin area, etc.

That’s where a password manager app comes in.

A password manager stores all your passwords and allow you to manage them using one master password. It also helps you generate strong password when you are creating new accounts and then store them on the cloud.

The best part about password managers is that they have an auto-fill functionality. This way you never have to remember or enter anything for sites that you already have an account on.

You can use your password manager app on all your devices, and it can easily import passwords stored in your browser.

Here is a list of the 3 best Password Management Apps in the market.

1. LastPass

LastPass is the most popular password management app in the market. We use LastPass and feel very confident about recommending it to our users. Their free version has all the features you’d need to get started. You can upgrade to the premium version for only $3 per month to access advanced multi-factor options and sharing features.

LastPass is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, and Blackberry devices. This means no matter what device you use, LastPass will be there, and you can easily sync all your passwords.

LastPass uses a master password to manage your password vault which makes this master password the key to all your online accounts.

LastPass allows you to use multi-factor authentication with their LastPass authenticator app as well as other services like Yubikey and SMS messages where you can receive security verification code on your business phone. This means that a person must know your password and have access to a randomly generated security code to enter your password vault.

If for some reason you need to share a password with someone like your assistant or web developer, then LastPass allows you to do that securely. The other party will need to install LastPass extension on their browser to use shared passwords.

The password sharing functionality is great because your assistant never sees your password, so they can’t change the password. They can simply login and perform the tasks that you need them to do.

2. 1Password

1Password is another popular password manager. It is cross-platform and available for mobile devices as well. There is no free version of 1Password however it is available for 14 day free trial.

Although 1Password works on Mac, iOS, Windows, Android, Linux, and Chrome OS, it gained it’s popularity among Apple users because the user interface is very intuitive if you’re used to the Apple UI.

One feature that is missing from 1Password is multi-factor or biometric authentication. It is one of the most frequently asked feature, and there is a good chance that it will be available in some future version.

They offer password sharing features with friends, family, and co-workers. You can even invite guests for limited sharing. In our experience, the password sharing features aren’t as easy as LastPass.

They do offer two-factor authentication on family plans, and advanced multi-factor authentication on their business plans which starts at $3.99 per month per user.

3. Dashlane

Dashlane is the third contender in our list of the best password management apps. Just like the other apps in the list, Dashlane is also available for all platforms, desktop and mobile.

It is completely free, with some features available only for premium users. The premium plan is available for $59.99 per year and includes unlimited backups and unlimited devices.

Dashlane allows you to generate strong passwords as you fill out online forms. It encrypts and stores your passwords and autofills passwords for you.

Dashlane also allows you to share passwords with friends and coworkers.

The free version of Dashlane does not allow you to sync passwords on all your devices, access passwords on the web, or save backups.

Expert Pick: Which is the Best Password Management app?

LastPass is hands down the best password management app in the market. It is easy, secure and cost efficient. Their free version is very powerful, and the paid version is very affodable.

We use LastPass for password management and sharing within our business.

If you run an online business, then you will appreciate the robust security features of LastPass. You can lock it down for countries, set two step authentication, securely share password with teams, and so much more.

We hope this article helped you learn how to manage passwords more efficiently and securely. As a website owner passwords are the most important security defense you got against hackers, so there should be no compromise on using unique and strong passwords for every account.

If you run a multi-user WordPress site then you can enforce strong passwords on your site and even reset passwords for all your users. You can also limit the number of login attempts a user can make.

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