Apple to take on password managers like Enpass and 1Password

If you are not using a Password Manager then you are either replying on your Web Browser’s built-in password manager, keeping your passwords in a text document or notes app, keep them in a physical notebook, or use the same one or two or three passwords for everything, or the worst of all use 123456 or password.

If you are using Safari’s built-in password manager iCloud Keychain then you may get some new features that make it much more robust. iCloud keychain can store your passwords and auto-fill them on your iPhone, iPad and Mac. iCloud Keychain lacks features that other password managers have like support for two-factor authentication or reminders for changing those passwords and password monitors to see if your passwords have been compromised in a data breach.

The new features in iOS14 will be password changing recommendations and 2FA support, according to 9toMac.

While these features could negate the need for third party password managers, it is also suppressing competition from 3rd party companies that build excellent passwords managers. Apple’s solution is permanently affixed to Apple products and is not portable to devices made by other OEM’s.

In the spirit of platform choice, we want to share selection of popular password managers that a user can use on any platform.

Why not just use your Browser?

I have two major reasons to not use your built-in Web Browser password manager. One, because most are not password protected and do not offer authentication in order to view their contents. Two, when you use the built-in web browser password managers, you are now locked into that Browser, thus restraining your ‘Platform Choice’. We at Platform De.Central like to use one password manager across every Web Browser, OS & Device we use and review.

1Password

1Password started life as an Apple-centric password service & now its offerings to include iOS, Android, Windows, and ChromeOS. There are plug-ins for your web browsers too, which makes more convenient to generate and edit new passwords on the fly.

In addition to being a password manager, it can act as an authentication app like Microsoft Authenticator. For added security, it can create a secret key to the encryption key it uses, meaning no one can decrypt your passwords without that key.

1Password offers tight integration with mobile apps. Rather than copying and pasting passwords from your password manager to other apps, 1Password can autofill. On iOS, inter-app communication is more restricted.

1Password has Travel Mode, which allows you to remove sensitive data from your devices before you travel, then restore after you’ve crossed the border.

1Password has a 30-day free trial, so you can try it out before signing up for a subscription.

NordPass

NordPass is a brand-new password manager, but it comes from a company with significant pedigree. NordVPN is a well-known VPN provider, and the company brings to its password manager much of the ease of use and simplicity that made its VPN offering popular. The installation and setup process is a breeze. There are apps for every major platform (including Linux), browser, and device.

The free version of NordPass is limited to one device; there’s no syncing available. There is a seven-day free trial of the premium version, which lets you test device syncing. But to get that for good, you’ll have to upgrade to the $36-a-year plan (like its VPN service, NordPass accepts payment in cryptocurrencies).

Like our other favorites, NordPass uses a zero-knowledge setup in which all data is encrypted on your device before it’s uploaded to the company’s servers. Other nice features include support for two-factor authentication to sign in to your account and a built-in password generator (which has plenty of options to handle those poorly designed sites that put weird requirements on your password).

LastPass

LastPass is one of the most popular and well-known password managers. It works on nearly every platform and device available, though it recently dropped its macOS stand-alone app, citing changes in Apple’s developer tools. LastPass has had a number of high-profile, critical bugs and some data breaches.

Firefox Lockwise

Firefox Lockwise is built into Firefox, which is a great privacy focused Web Browser. If you are all-in on Firefox, then by all means hit the download links below. We at Platform De.Central would prefer if you could use Firefox Lockwise now matter what Web Browser you choose to use, because Firefox is creating lock-in to their own Firefox platform.

Enpass |De.Central Reccomended 👍

Enpass does not store any data on its servers instead it syncs through third-party services like Dropbox, NextCloud, iCloud (on Apple Devices), Onedrive, Google Drive and Box. Enpass doesn’t do the syncing, but it does offer its app on every platform! That means once you have syncing set up, it works just like any other service. And you don’t have to worry about Enpass being hacked, because your data isn’t on Enpass servers. The fact that Enpass is on every platform (including Linux) and it encrypts its data on the cloud service of your choice, makes it our De.Central Password Manger of 2020!

By Platform De.Central