The Best Password Storage Apps for Android and iOS
An average internet user has well over 50 accounts. You don’t believe us? Then count your logins to streaming services, shopping portals, social media, professional accounts, banks and payment service providers, your internet and phone provider, or gaming websites.
With this amount, it’s understandable that passwords like “12345678” or “password” are used, or users share the same password across multiple websites. This is exactly where password storage apps come in.
How apps for passwords work
Password managers replace all your passwords with a single password, called the master password. In other words, instead of 100 different ones, you only have to remember one.
Browser extensions, available for Chrome, Firefox and Safari, add an interface between your password manager and your browser, meaning you can access your passwords stored in the password manager in the browser. All password managers are available for iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac. Some are also available for Linux.
Are the standard solutions from Apple and Google worth it?
Certainly, this kind of apps raises the question of why you need them at all. Google and Apple have their own solutions, after all! Sure, for many people this solution may be sufficient, but password apps offer much more comfort. For one thing, standard solutions accumulate a lot of password junk over time: Passwords are stored twice or incorrectly, and logins from deleted profiles are not removed.
In addition, the solutions lack convenience features like tags or folders, which becomes a problem, especially when you use private and professional passwords on the same computer. Apple users face another difficulty: Because Safari does not exist on the PC, the passwords stored in the keychain cannot be accessed from there. These are precisely the issues that password manager apps solve.
| Google & Apple Solutions | Password Manager | |
| Pros | + deeply integrated into the operating system+ very good interaction between the products of the respective manufacturers (iPhone-Mac)+ free of charge | + often available for many operating systems, browsers and smartphones+ additional functions for more security (password monitoring)+ better organization possibilities (tags, folders)+ regular updates+ better support |
| Cons | – interaction between products of different manufacturers not given (iPhone-Windows)- not so many features and updates | – integration into operating systems not so good- many features are only available after payment |
Here’s what you should know about password managers
Inform yourself about the password app!
Even if you don’t want to use any of the solutions on this list: Inform yourself about your password apps. Trustworthy providers disclose the source code (open source), are transparent and advertise what kind of encryption they use. They also have their software regularly checked by security audits. Here, external, independent experts check the software for potential vulnerabilities in the code. If the provider makes the report available on the website, that’s a good sign.
Don’t forget the clipboard!
When you copy passwords from the password manager, it is in the clipboard, and can be read there. Especially, people who use clipboards or clipboard tools should make sure that passwords are not stored there or deleted regularly. Good apps delete copied passwords automatically.
Enable 2FA!
If you have the option to secure your accounts with two-factor authentication, you should do it. In many areas, such as online banking, this is already mandatory to confirm your login through a second way, such as a face or fingerprint scan or an SMS or email code.
The 5 best password storage apps
Bitwarden
Bitwarden is the rising star in the password sphere. Because competitors are increasingly hiding features behind a paywall, more and more people are discovering this app.
In addition to iOS and Android, the password manager is also available for Windows, Linux, and Mac, as well as all common browsers, and relies on strong encryption techniques such as AES-256-bit and salted hashing.
Even the free version is extremely powerful. The premium version costs $10 per year and enables additional login options like YubiKey, 1 GB of encrypted storage for file attachments, data breach reports, and a verification code generator for logins.
| Apple App Store | Google Play Store | Huawei AppGallery | |
 | Download for iOS | Download for Android | Not available for HarmonyOS |
LastPass
The great strength of LastPass is that it can forward passwords within the company without leaking anything to the outside. For this reason, the app enjoys great popularity among companies. The days of sending passwords via email or Slack are over. But LastPass is also suitable for sharing Netflix passwords. The password remains encrypted and cannot be seen by the person, but can be used.
In the free version, LastPass can unfortunately only be used for one device. If you want to access your passwords across devices, you have to take out a subscription, which costs CHF 36 per year, but gives you access to a security dashboard, emergency access and 1 GB of free storage for documents.
| Apple App Store | Google Play Store | Huawei AppGallery | |
 | Download for iOS | Download for Android | Not available for HarmonyOS |
Enpass
If you do not want to store your passwords on the cloud servers of Enpass, you should take a look at the software of the same name. All items are stored locally on the device and are thus accessible even if you do not have Internet. However, they can also be synchronized across devices if you use Google Drive, iCloud or your own cloud solution. Enpass also comes with a security audit that shows old, leaked and duplicate passwords. Support for smartwatches is also on board.
The Pro version costs around CHF 22.- per year or CHF 15.- per half year.
| Apple App Store | Google Play Store | Huawei AppGallery | |
 | Download for iOS | Download for Android | Not available for HarmonyOS |
Dashlane
Dashlane is also used as a password manager in numerous companies, but is also available for private users. The strength of Dashlane lies in a chic, minimalistic and thus clear user interface, with which one immediately has the most important things in view. A security dashboard and even darkweb monitoring are also part of the apps. Dashlane informs you when data breaches have occurred on sites you are logged into.
On the plus side, the software can be tested for 30 days without obligation. After that, the premium subscription costs about CHF 40.
| Apple App Store | Google Play Store | Huawei AppGallery | |
 | Download for iOS | Download for Android | Not available for HarmonyOS |
NordPass Password Manager
NordPass is the only app on this list that is also available for Huawei devices. The company behind this app is best known for the VPN software NordVPN. NordPass recognizes the passwords stored in your browser and can easily import them. Thanks to the Web Vault, you can access your passwords from anywhere without having to download the apps or browser extensions. Also with Nordpass, you can securely share passwords with your family and friends. A security dashboard is also part of this password manager.
| Apple App Store | Google Play Store | Huawei AppGallery | |
 | Download for iOS | Download for Android | Download for HarmonyOS |
Conclusion: Password managers do not offer one hundred percent security.
Password apps take a lot of the work out of your hands, but they’re no jack-of-all-trades. They warn you when you use weak passwords, but they can’t stop you. They offer you useful features, but they can’t protect you from credit card fraud. Likewise, they don’t protect you from phishing and hackers. Only you can do that. 😉
If you have caught a virus, you can read here how to get rid of it: Viruses on your cell phone: How to get rid of malware on your cell phone.
You can find more apps for your smartphone on our app page!
