#1 OVERALL 9.4 EDITOR SCORE
KeyHaven Free
Unlimited passwords, unlimited devices, passkey support — free. The paid tier only adds shared vaults.
✓ Unlimited devices on free✓ Passkeys done right✓ Open-source clients✗ No family plan on free
#2 LB
LockBox Pro BEST FOR FAMILIES
The shared-vault UX is years ahead: granular per-item sharing your relatives will actually use.
#3 VD
VaultDoor BEST FOR TEAMS
SSO, provisioning and an audit log that satisfied our accountant. Personal plan is an afterthought.
#4 PC
PassPilot SMOOTHEST APPS
The nicest apps in the test — autofill that simply never misses. Security model is solid but closed.
#5 SN
SafeNest BEST RECOVERY
The only app where our staged lockout ended without data loss, thanks to social recovery.
QUICK COMPARISON — TOP 5LIVE PRICES
SERVICE
SCORE
FROM
BEST OFFER
KeyHaven Free
9.4
$0
Free forever
LockBox Pro
9.1
$2.99
40% off first year
VaultDoor
8.8
$3.49
Free for 6 months
PassPilot
8.6
$2.49
30% off · PILOT30
SafeNest
8.2
$1.99
First 3 months free
A password manager is the highest-return security upgrade most people can make, and the market knows it: every app now has a subscription, an upsell and a “limited-time” banner. We spent four weeks with each of the twelve biggest to find out where the money actually goes.
The headline: the best free tier now beats half the paid apps outright. Scroll for the full ranking, or jump to the recovery test — that is where the field separates.
How we test
We ran all 12 managers as daily drivers for four weeks each across desktop and mobile, audited their breach history, and staged a recovery from a deliberately forgotten master password. Scores weigh security model (40%), usability (30%), platform support (20%) and price (10%).