If you’re like us, you’ve got a million and one passwords that you have to maintain. To make matters more difficult, creating strong and effective passwords requires the use of numbers, characters and even capitalization — not, we’re sure you’ll agree, the easiest combination to remember (and that’s exactly the point!).
Attempting to remember and keep track of countless passwords might make you want to run from your computer, but thankfully, there are a variety of easy-to-use password management applications that allow you to store important information like passwords and user keys without compromising convenience and security. And the best part? Our three favorites are free!
3 Secure Password Management Apps
Password Gorilla
Password Gorilla is an easy-to-use, cross-platform password manager. It places all of your usernames and passwords into a securely encrypted file that requires only one master password, as opposed to remembering a multitude of other passwords. When logging on to a website, Password Gorilla conveniently copies your login information to the copy-and-paste clipboard, making logging in both easy and safe because your password doesn’t show up on the screen. Password Gorilla also includes an integrated random password generator, which is especially handy if you’re in need of a one-time password.
KeePass
KeePass incorporates a wide variety of features in one application. From offering multiple user keys to database transfer to secure clipboard handling, KeePass allows for optimum organization and security. You can export your lists as a variety of file types, including .HTML and .TXT, if you’d like to print a hard copy of your password list that you can store in a secure spot. And if you build up a sizable list of passwords, KeePass gives you the ability to search for a specific entry within your database. A portable version of the application requires no installation.
Passpack
Passpack is an online password manager that offers both free and paid accounts. For the free account, there are only a certain amount of passwords that you are able to maintain, but many large companies use Passpack to maintain their login information due to the security and convenience. A built-in share feature allows you to share passwords with other people that may need to know them — especially handy if you have any team or family log-ins. We’re a fan of the Passpack It! Button that allows one-click entry into sites.
Secure password management is both a necessity at work or even at home. The added security is reassuring and the easy-to-use interface of the aforementioned apps makes password retrieval and maintenance a convenient task rather than an arduous process. Give one of these apps a try and let us know what you think.
And if you use another password management app that we missed, we’d love to hear about it!
