Technologies
Best password manager to use for 2021
Ditch the sticky notes and get peace of mind. One of our favorite password managers can be your first defense against getting hacked.
Working remotely has become routine for many of us, which means that it’s more essential than ever to secure your online accounts with strong passwords. But it can be a challenge to memorize dozens and dozens of passwords, and it’s downright dangerous to use the same old password over and over.
If you find yourself consistently getting locked out of one online account or another because you’re drawing a blank when you try to log in, it’s time to consider a password manager, which can help you seamlessly oversee and handle all your login credentials while maintaining password security. They’re also handy for autofilling forms and syncing your data across Windows PCs and Macs, iPhones, iPads, Android phones and more.
A password manager is essentially an encrypted digital vault that stores secure password login information you use to access apps and accounts on your mobile device, websites and other services. In addition to keeping your identity, credentials and sensitive data safe, the best password manager also has a password generator to create strong, unique passwords and ensure you aren’t using the same password in multiple places (password generation really comes in clutch when you can’t come up with yet another unique password on the fly for the latest must-have iOS app). With all the recent news of security breaches and identity theft, having a unique password for each location can go a long way to ensuring that if one site gets hacked, your stolen password can’t be used on other sites. You’re basically using multiple passwords to create your own security features.
Read more: The guide to password security (and why you should care)
Plus, with a manager, you don’t have to remember the various pieces of login information, such as shipping addresses and credit card information. With just one master password, or in some cases a PIN or your fingerprint, you can autofill a form or password field. Some also feature online storage and an encrypted vault for storing documents.
All our best password manager picks come in free versions, which typically let you securely store passwords for one device — although our pick for the best free manager can currently be used for syncing across multiple devices — and all handle hardware authentication through YubiKey. Our best password security manager picks also feature subscription options that let you sync your secure password login information across devices, share credentials with trusted family and friends, and get access to secure online storage. And if transparency is important to you, several of our picks are open-source projects. We also look at what a password manager is, its security features and the basics of how to use one.
Note that these password manager services are independently chosen by our editors. We’ll be updating this story periodically as new options become available. In light of our top choice’s recent pricing change, we may be reconsidering the order in the near future, and will update this story accordingly.
Read more: LastPass vs. 1Password: How the two popular password managers stack up in 2021
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Other free and paid options worth considering
Bitwarden, LastPass and 1Password are solid, affordable (or free) password keepers, and in a straw poll of CNET staffers, they were about neck-and-neck in use. But if you find none of our three recommended password managers works quite how you want, a handful of other apps are worth considering. These all have free versions available.
Dashlane
- Offers limited free version (50 passwords on one device)
- Base price beyond free: $59.88 per year
- Works with: Windows, MacOS, Android, iPhone and iPad. Browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, Edge and Opera.
Dashlane provides a simple and secure way to manage your passwords and keep other login information stored. Just for managing passwords, we like it as much as our picks, but the free Dashlane app limits you to one device and 50 passwords. The $60 Premium subscription is similar to plans from 1Password and LastPass. The $120 Premium Plus annual subscription adds credit and ID-theft monitoring.
Keeper
- Offers limited free version (unlimited passwords on one device)
- Base price beyond free: $35
- Works with: Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iPhone and iPad. Browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, Edge and Opera.
Keeper is another secure password manager that helps you manage login info on Windows, MacOS, Android and iOS devices. A free version gives you unlimited password storage on one device. The step-up version costs $35 a year and lets you sync passwords across multiple device options. For around $45 a year, you can get 10GB of secure file storage.
KeePassXC
- It’s free
- Donations accepted
- Works with: Windows, MacOS, Linux, Chrome OS, Android, iPhone and iPad, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and Palm OS. Access via the web plus popular browser extensions. (Except for the official Windows version, KeePass for other platforms are unofficial ports.)
KeePass, another open-source software password manager, started on Windows and has been ported using the same code base to other platforms, including MacOS, Android and iOS. On the plus side, it’s totally free and endorsed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. On the other hand, it’s really for advanced users only: Its user interface takes a bit of fiddling to get all the independently built versions of KeePass to work together.
What about NordPass and Norton Password Manager?
There’s been a shift in the market for VPN and antivirus software in recent months. Many of the companies behind these software packages are expanding them to become wider software suites. For instance: NordVPN now offers NordPass, a dedicated password manager, and Norton now offers a Norton Password Manager as part of its antivirus and identity theft packages. We haven’t specifically reviewed these password storage managers, if only because they don’t yet appear to have a feature set or pricing option that beats any of our preferred options above. If and when that changes, we’ll check them out in more detail.
Password manager basics
Still need more info on what password managers are, and why they’re better than the alternatives? Read on.
How does a password manager work?
To get started, a password manager will record the username and password you use when you first sign in to a website or service. Then the next time you visit the website, it will autofill forms with your saved password login information. For those websites and services that don’t allow automatic filling, a password manager lets you copy the password to paste into the password field.
If you’re stuck picking a good password, a manager can generate a strong password for you and watch that you aren’t reusing it across multiple services. And if you use more than one device, you want a manager that is available across all your devices and browsers, so you can access your passwords and login information — including credit-card and shipping information — from anywhere through the manager app or its browser extension. Some provide secure storage so you can store other items too, such as documents or an electronic copy of your passport or will.
Take note: Many password managers keep the master password you use to unlock the manager locally and not on a remote server. Or if it’s on a server, it’s encrypted and not readable by the company.
This ensures your account stays secure in case of a data breach. It also means that if you forget your master password, there may not be a way to recover your account through the company. Because of that, a few password managers offer DIY kits to help you recover your account on your own. Worst-case scenario, you start over with a new password manager account and then reset and save passwords for all your accounts and apps.
Read more: This is how we might finally replace passwords
What makes for a secure password?
When trying to avoid a weak password, a good password should be a long string of capital and lowercase letters, numbers, punctuation and other nonalphanumeric characters — something that’s difficult for others to guess, but a snap for a password manager to keep track of. And despite what you may have heard, once you select a good complex password or passphrase, you don’t really need to change it periodically.
Can I use a web browser to manage my passwords and login information?
You can certainly use Chrome, Safari or Firefox to manage your passwords, addresses and other login data. You can even set up a master password to unlock your credentials within a browser. And while using an online browser’s password tool is certainly better than not using a password keeper at all, you can’t easily access your passwords and other login info outside of the browser or share login info with others you trust.
What about iCloud Keychain?
Through iCloud Keychain, you can access your Safari website usernames and passwords, credit card information and Wi-Fi network information from your Mac and iOS devices. This cloud storage option is great if you live in Apple’s world. But if you venture outside the Apple operating system and have a Windows or Android device or use the Google Chrome or Firefox browser, iCloud Keychain comes up short.
David Gewirtz contributed to this story.
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Technologies
Iranian President Pezeshkian to head to New York for UN meeting as Trump warns of no-deal consequences
Trump threatened to destroy Iran’s economy or eliminate its leadership if Tehran doesn’t strike a deal, complicating efforts at diplomacy.
President Masoud Pezeshkian will lead an Iranian delegation at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, amid renewed hopes for a diplomatic solution to the Middle East conflict.
Pezeshkian will address the assembly and present Iran’s positions on “international developments,” according to the country’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, with a particular focus on its war with the U.S. and Israel.
He will also hold talks with the leaders of several countries on the sidelines of the event, which is scheduled to take place Sept. 22 to 26, and 28.
The Iranian delegation’s attendance at the UN has renewed hopes for a diplomatic solution to the war, lifting market sentiment on Monday, with stocks rising, oil prices easing and global bond yields falling sharply.
But U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said he would be open to meeting Pezeshkian during the assembly, has threatened to destroy Iran’s economy or eliminate its leadership if Tehran doesn’t strike a deal.
Trump told Fox News on Sunday that the only options on the table were “wiping Iran out,” or letting its economy “rot,” unless both sides reach a deal.
Separately, Iran’s military said that its intelligence suggested a new, large-scale strike being prepared by the U.S. and its allies, warning of “painful” retaliation across the Middle East. Regional countries backing such a strike would be treated as parties to the conflict, it said.
“If the U.S. makes any mistake against the Islamic Republic of Iran, all its positions and interests in the region will be targeted by sustained, effective and painful attacks,” the Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters of Iran said, according to Tasnim.
Houthi-Saudi conflict complicates diplomacy hopes
The U.S. State Department this weekend issued a security alert citing risks of unforeseen escalation in the Middle East, telling Americans to exercise more vigilance and be aware of possible flight cancellations and airspace closures.
The warnings came after Iran-backed Houthi militants claimed missile and drone attacks on Riyadh on Saturday, triggering the first air-raid alert in the Saudi capital since fighting escalated in July.
Saudi authorities said they intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile and reported no casualties or damage. The Houthis also attempted to target civilians and infrastructure in several parts of the kingdom, Saudi-led coalition forces spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Maliki said on X on Saturday, though those attacks were thwarted by the country’s air defenses.
Oil prices have pulled back in recent days despite widening hostilities, as traders hope for a recovery in energy shipments from oil-rich Saudi Arabia.
Oil prices will remain high despite U.S. progress in moving oil through the Strait of Hormuz, a team of analysts at Eurasia Group said in a Saturday note. Any rebound in oil flows would not be enough to address the overall market deficit, they said, forecasting Brent prices to trade in a higher band of $90-110 per barrel through the rest of this year.
“Iran’s leadership will stick with resistance, even as they quarrel internally,” according to the consultancy firm, as Tehran seeks to use military proxies and tanker attacks to keep a chokehold on shipping flows, to pressure Washington into concessions.
Tehran has insisted that it would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until Washington fulfills its commitment under the June memorandum, which called for lifting the naval blockade of Iranian ports, easing sanctions, unfreezing Iranian assets and ending U.S. military threats.
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Sunday that Iran must keep on fighting and negotiating, to push back its enemies, and only work on diplomacy when it has the upper hand on the battlefield.
Technologies
U.S. crude oil drops below $100 a barrel as Trump signals willingness to negotiate with Iran
U.S. crude oil prices slipped back below $100 a barrel after President Trump signaled openness to talks with Iran and halted plans to bomb Yemen, while Middle East supply flows remained robust despite pipeline disruptions.
Crude oil prices declined for the fourth straight session on Monday after President Donald Trump reportedly decided against bombing Yemen for the time being and indicated he was open to diplomatic engagement with Iran.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures fell 2.7% to $97.59 per barrel by 7:48 a.m. ET, while Brent crude, the global benchmark, slipped 2.8% to $101 a barrel. The market has risen more than 11% so far this month.
Trump told Fox News he would likely be receptive to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the United Nations General Assembly later this week.
According to The New York Times, the president has decided not to target the Iran‑aligned Houthi militants for now, despite requests from Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, crude shipments from the Middle East appear resilient after Saudi Arabia shut down its East‑West pipeline following attacks. JPMorgan analysts noted in a September 18 report that oil flows from the region remain surprisingly strong, averaging 17.1 million barrels per day over the past 10 days—about 6.1 million bpd below the 2025 average.
Potential supply disruptions persist. Trump told Fox that he is in a “deciding mode” and that “very big things” are expected soon regarding the U.S.–Iran conflict.
Prices are likely to stay closely linked to the pace of export normalization and diplomatic progress, said Daniel Takieddine, co‑founder and CEO of Sky Links Capital Group.
Any setback or renewed deterioration in shipping conditions would tighten the physical market and restore upward pressure on prices, Takieddine added.
Technologies
White House TV press pool won’t cover Trump after CNN ban
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Politics & Policy
White House TV press pool won’t cover Trump after CNN ban
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Politics & Policy
White House TV press pool won’t cover Trump after CNN ban
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