Passwarden Review

What Is Passwarden?

Passwarden is a freemium password management solution launched by KeepSolid in 2020.

As a personal password protector, it has an average feature set with a few remarkable capabilities worth noting. As a family password locker, it can accommodate more users than many of the industry’s best.

Quite versatile in terms of pricing, Passwarden has lifetime, annual, and monthly subscriptions that can bring value to your money.

Passwarden Features

Let’s look at what this password manager can do:

Multi-Platform Support

This password saver has native apps. It supports:

• Windows 7 or later
• macOS 10.14 (Mojave) or later
• iOS 12.0 or later
• iPadOS 12.0 or later
• Android 5.0 or later
  

To download Passwarden for Windows 11, you’ll have to go to the Microsoft Store. Same goes for the app iteration for Windows 10 version 1709 or higher.

If your PC’s operating system version is older than that, you’ll need the standalone installer from the password keeper’s site.

This password management software has a web version too. It works on both desktop and mobile browsers.

Speaking of browsers, Passwarden has extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. I tested the Chrome one and it worked like a charm.

Unlimited Device Connections

If you're a premium Passwarden subscriber, you can save and access your records on as many devices as you want.

With no connection limit, you don’t have to pay extra to log into your account when you buy new electronics. What’s more, you can stay simultaneously logged in on more than one device.

To share your account with multiple users, you have to go with the Family plan.

Cross-Device Data Synchronization

This password locker keeps your data updated regardless of where you make changes or add new items. Since you get a single version of your records across all connected devices, expect zero data fragmentation.

Data Migration

Passwarden makes it easy to migrate your credentials from browsers and some other password managers. 

Here are the file types it requires and the sources it supports:

• CSV file: Chrome, Edge, Opera, Firefox, and LastPass
• 1PIF file: 1Password
• JSON file: Dashlane and Enpass

There’s no stopping you from uploading CSV files derived from unsupported sources. But they’re likely to have the wrong format in order to migrate your data to Passwarden accordingly.

If this password keeper can’t read your file’s contents properly, the items will have blank fields and look like this:

Furthermore, data import is available to Passwarden desktop apps for Windows 10 and macOS Mojave, among others. Likewise, the web app supports this feature.

So if you’re using a mobile device, you’ll have to add items manually.

Diverse Data Storage

Passwarden is more than just a password manager. In a way, it can also serve as your wallet, phonebook, ID holder, and notepad. In fact, it can store a dozen types of data.

When you add an item, you can classify it as one of the following:

• Accounts
  

• Login
• Email Account
• Software License
• WiFi Password
  
• Personal info
  
• ID Card
• Passport
• Driver's License
• Contacts
• Social Security Number
  
• Payments
  
• Bank Account
• Credit/Debit Card
  
• Secure Notes
• Secure Notes
  

Each item classification above has a unique set of fields. While Secure Notes has the fewest, it can accommodate up to 100,000 characters. Even though this password saver has a dedicated space for notes, many classifications have their own field for such data.

Master Password

Similar to the way other password managers work, Passwarden requires the master password for data encryption. It uses AES-256 and EC p-384 protocols for maximum security.

It’s something you come up with and something the software uses to generate random encryption keys. Therefore, the master password is the one that obscures your data and unscrambles it.

Unlike some of the password managers we’ve reviewed, this solution gives you an out if you forget it. And you don’t even need a premium Passwarden subscription to recover or change your master password.

Using your Recovery Kit, you can regain access to your vaults by entering your Recovery Key or by scanning your Recovery QR code.

If you think that your master password has been compromised, you can change it in Passwarden’s account settings.

Vault Management

Vaults serve as folders for your records to keep them organized. You can create as many of them as you want. Any additional one is automatically a shared vault. Therefore, you can use each for secure data sharing.

Unlimited Secure Vault Sharing

You can invite other Passwarden premium subscribers to access your encrypted data kept in specific shared vaults. There’s no limit to the amount of items you can save and render available for third-party access.

As an account holder, you can manage others’ profiles and set permissions. There are three roles to choose from: admin, editor, and viewer.

The admin can invite and remove other users. The editor can add and edit items. And the viewer can’t do anything but use the shared data.

Since vault sharing is a premium feature, getting this Passwarden capability would cost some money.

Password Generator

For any new item classified as Login, Bank Account, Email Account, or WiFi Password, you can instantly generate a password. You can decide whether to include uppercase letters, numbers, and/or symbols to the mix and specify the length.

Like any password generator, Passwarden’s tool combines characters randomly. However, merely randomness doesn’t necessarily translate to strength.

Actually, the character count single-handedly dictates the password strength meter. The mix is inconsequential as far as this password protector is concerned.

The tool can generate passwords with 8–64 characters. But it considers any code that’s at least eight characters long as strong even if they’re 100% lowercase letters.

Nevertheless, you can still create a strong password with it.

Autofill

This password locker can automatically fill sign-in forms on Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.

This feature is in the settings of Passwarden iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Android, and Windows apps. If you use the web app, you’ll need to install the appropriate browser extension to gain this capability.

Entering your login credentials this way isn’t only fast and convenient. It can also help protect you from certain phishing attacks, especially email-based ones.

Autofill works only when your Passwarden profile is unlocked. Otherwise, you’ll have to type in your master password first.

Entering your master password every time you unlock your profile may increase your chances of falling victim to keyloggers. So, be mindful of this potential vulnerability.

Autosave

This password management software can detect sign-in and sign-up forms of unsaved sites. It can offer to generate a fresh password and to store your login credentials. This way, you no longer have to enter your credentials to sign in moving forward.

Offline Mode

You don’t need to be online for Passwarden to function. You can unlock it and access its contents in an offline environment. So when the internet is down, you shouldn’t experience any trouble viewing your data.

Naturally, Offline Mode isn’t available in the web app since it relies on an internet-connected browser.

Passwarden Ease of Use and Interface

As echoed by many Passwarden reviews, this password protector is easy to use. But it could still get better.

Signup couldn’t be simpler. If you don’t want to use your personal or business email address, you don’t have to. KeepSolid permits the use of masked email addresses.

If you want to use more KeepSolid apps, you only need one account for all of them.

On the Android version, you don’t even need to share any email address. Without a Passwarden by KeepSolid lifetime, annual, or monthly subscription, you can test the app for free through Guest Mode.

Passwarden’s interface is familiar. Its developers haven’t reinvented the wheel, which is evident in the software’s layout.

   

To make it gentler on the eye, you can switch to Dark mode.

This app has a Trash tab, which retains every item you delete for 90 days. To make it better, I think Passwarden should allow users to delete multiple items all at once.

I tested this password keeper’s web and Android apps. Although the Trash tab was unavailable in the latter, the data sync feature worked as intended. So, I could bring back my deleted items when I logged into Passwarden using a browser.

This password manager’s site has a dynamic search bar, making it painless to do article lookups.

But I must say that Passwarden's search engine needs some fine-tuning. It doesn't return relevant results for popular keywords. Just take a look at the matches for the terms “master keyword” and “master.”

Passwarden Security

Let’s see how secure this password protector is:

Client-Side Encryption

Passwarden for iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac, Android, and browsers implement data encryption locally on your hardware. In other words, it’s already scrambled when it leaves your device.

So, nobody will be able to read your records when they reach KeepSolid’s cloud server. They will just be mumbo jumbo when hackers manage to intercept them in transit.

Your encrypted items only become readable when you unlock your Passwarden profile. As long as you're logged in, your device is in sync with KeepSolid’s cloud server.

So when you log out, the software automatically removes your data from your computer, smartphone, or tablet. Passwarden fetches your stored items only when you log into your account again.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

When enabled, 2FA will require another piece of information in addition to your master password to authenticate your identity.

You have two options: the email-based security code or Google Authenticator. Either can prevent unauthorized access. However, make sure to keep your device that receives your emails or that has the authenticator app from getting stolen.

Biometric Login

If you use Passwarden for your iPhone, macOS, or Android device, you’ll be able to use your biometric data. The credentials that you can choose from are your fingerprint and your face.

Using this security feature, you can avoid entering your master password whenever you unlock this password protector.

Duress Mode

In this mode, you can make some of your vaults invisible when you unlock your Passwarden account. It’s useful when someone asks you to open your password manager against your will. Not only can this mode hide your most important items, it can also disable push notifications.

To activate it, you need a Duress Password. It serves as the alternative to your master password.

To set up one, you have to use Passwarden’s random password generator and create a strong combination of characters. If you do it manually, the “Next” button will stay grayed out, regardless of password strength.

Security Dashboard

This one illustrates the integrity of your credentials.

The Security Dashboard highlights the login details that need fixing in five categories. It identifies your weak, reused, and expiring passwords. With it, you can easily know which credentials have been stolen and which services or sites have been compromised.

If you enable its Dark Web Monitor, you’ll be able to carry out in-depth password strength tests.

KeepSolid’s help desk confirmed that the Security Dashboard is available in Passwarden iOS, iPadOS, Android, Windows, and macOS apps only. That said, this feature was missing on this password management software’s interface on Android during testing.

Lock

If you wish, you can lock Passwarden automatically due to inactivity or immediately with the click of a button.

When Auto-Lock is activated, this password keeper would turn off on its own after a period of inaction. The time intervals you can select range from 15 seconds to 30 minutes.

To instantly cut access to your vaults whenever you want, just click the Lock icon on the main panel.

Clipboard Clearing

If you toggle this function on, it’ll trigger Passwarden to delete the text you copy from it after 90 seconds. It can prevent you from inadvertently sharing sensitive information online.

Passwarden Support

To get in touch with KeepSolid’s help desk, you’ll have to submit a support ticket. On two occasions, I was able to receive a response in less than 24 hours. However, I got no answers when I directly replied to messages via email.

In terms of self-help options, Passwarden has a rich knowledge base. It consists of helpful FAQ pages and extensively diverse how-to manuals. Its blog has 30+ entries too.

KeepSolid has claimed this password locker’s profiles on G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot. So, its customer support team can react to your feedback.

On the Mac App Store and Google Play, there are dozens of Passwarden reviews, most of which have rated this software five stars.

Passwarden Alternatives

Let’s see how Passwarden compares with other top password management tools.

Passwarden vs LastPass

For personal use, Passwarden and LastPass are practically tied. These freemium solutions do all of the basics:

• Local-only encryption based on AES-256
• Unlimited storage of passwords and notes
• Password generation
• Auto-save and autofill
• Secure password sharing
• Security dashboard with dark web monitoring
• Multi-factor authentication
• Email support

But in terms of free plans, LastPass is the winner. It permits unlimited connections on either browsers running on desktop and laptop computers or mobile devices. Plus, it allows you to securely share your stored items with one trusted person.

Whereas, the Passwarden free edition is limited to two devices and excludes vault sharing.

When it comes to premium features, LastPass has a slight edge over the other. It supports file storage for digitally backing up about 3,000 critical documents. With its emergency access, you can empower another LastPass user to unlock your vaults in case something happens to you.

Passwarden can’t store files yet. Nor does it offer any recourse to grant third-party account access in the event of a crisis. But LastPass has no answer to its Duress Mode.

Both password protectors are suitable for families. But Passwarden offers more user seats than LastPass (7 vs. 6). 

Pricing-wise, KeepSolid’s password saver brings more flexibility since it’s available in three billing options. LastPass, on the other hand, requires one year’s worth of payment per subscription.

Although Passwarden’s annual subscriptions are $1.92–$3.96 more expensive than their LastPass counterparts, they’re refundable. LastPass packages are not.

To help offset the financial risk, you can test-drive LastPass’s Premium plan for 30 days. On Android, Passwarden has a free trial for seven days, but it only applies to either the Personal or Family package.

For business use, LastPass offers dedicated plans for teams and enterprises. Passwarden has none.

Passwarden vs 1Password

Passwarden shares more similarities with 1Password than it does with LastPass.

Like 1Password, KeepSolid’s password locker leverages AES-256, has no device-connection limit, stores diverse data, and extends support via email.

Passwarden’s Security Dashboard and Duress Mode resemble 1Password’s Watchtower and Travel Mode, respectively.

Password generation and 2FA are the other common denominators in these password managers.

Both of them are cross-platform apps. But 1Password can work on more desktop and mobile OSes (6 vs. 5). 1Password also has a higher count of browser extensions than Passwarden (5 vs. 3).

If you want to write and execute scripts on your vault, you have 1Password’s command-line tool for Windows, macOS, and Linux. You can’t do the same with Passwarden.

Either has a recycle bin, but 1Password has a longer memory. It keeps deleted passwords for up to 365 days for restoration. Conversely, you only have 90 days to retrieve removed items.

Another advantage of using 1Password is being entitled to 1GB document storage.

As a personal password keeper, 1Password is $3.96 cheaper per year than Passwarden. But in the family password management category, it’s the other way around. The former is $9.96 more costly every 12 months than the latter.

Moreover, Passwarden offers more value for money. Its Family plan is shareable among seven users. In contrast, 1Password Families has seats for five users only. To add more, it’s $1 for every extra seat.

Unlike 1Password, which bills nonrefundable fees yearly only, Passwarden has lifetime, annual, and monthly subscriptions.

1Password scores some brownie points for offering a longer free trial than Passwarden (14 vs 7). But the latter has a free edition, which the former can’t match.

The drawback to Passwarden is that it doesn’t lend itself to business use. On the contrary, 1Password does.

Passwarden vs Bitwarden

In this battle of “wardens,” Bitwarden has a stronger case for being the better solution—at least on paper.

Bitwarden’s core features include zero-knowledge encryption based on AES-256, limitless device connections, and unlimited diverse data storage. Password generation, 2FA, password sharing, and encrypted data export also are part of the package.

The essential capabilities above can already rival the functionality tied to Passwarden subscription options. But if you add advanced features like emergency access, file storage, self-hosting, and vault health reports, BitWarden clearly stands out.

In terms of installability, you can deploy BitWarden’s apps and browser extensions on more technologies than Passwarden (14 vs. 8).

They cancel each other out in terms of web app availability. But BitWarden woos power users with its cross-platform command-line interface.

When it comes to customer support, Passwardern and BitWarden are equal in quality. But the latter has the upper hand in the quantity department.

Surprisingly, BitWarden is the more affordable annual subscription than Passwarden. For individuals, Passwarden would cost $29.96 more every year. For families, it’s $9.96 more for 12 months.

What Passwarden has that BitWarden doesn’t are monthly and lifetime billing options across the board. As a monthly subscription, BitWarden’s Individual package will set you back $7.01 more than its equivalent Passwarden plan.

Furthermore, Passwarden offers more seats than BitWarden for family plan subscribers (7 vs. 6).

Both of them have free editions, seven-day trials, and 30-day money-back guarantees.

BitWarden’s forever-free versions for individuals and families have fewer restrictions than Passwarden’s single no-fee license. But BitWarden limits its free trial to its Sharing package.

Unlike KeepSolid’s password protector, BitWarden has scalable plans for teams, businesses, and managed service providers.

Passwarden Pricing

As a freemium service, there’s no risk to give this password protector a go. If you want to be a premium subscriber, you’ll have the option to purchase Passwarden by KeepSolid for a lifetime.

Here are the standard plans at your disposal:

KeepSolid accepts any credit card powered by any of the following:

• Visa
• Mastercard
• Discover
• American Express
• JBC
• UnionPay
• Diners Club International
  

In addition, you can use PayPal, Amazon Pay, and many other local payment methods. However you want to pay, you can enjoy a 30-day money-back guarantee.

KeepSolid doesn’t advertise any free trial for Passwarden. But you can experience the software’s full functionality for seven days on Android.

Moreover, this password saver is part of KeepSolid’s MonoDefense. It’s a bundle of four cybersecurity apps, including VPN Unlimited, DNS Firewall, and Smart DNS.

Passwarden Review - Verdict

Passwarden isn’t the most powerful password saver there is.

Its lack of emergency access and password inheritance keeps it from being considered an elite app. The inability of its mobile apps to import data hurts its usability to some extent too.

That said, nobody would question its capabilities as a password protector for families. Its maximum user seat of seven is better than many industry leaders. And very few password management solutions can equal its Duress Mode. 

It’s unclear whether Passwarden will eventually become enterprise-grade. But what’s certain is that its unlimited device connections and data storage make it a worthwhile product for personal use.