In one look
Expert rating
Benefits
- Easy to configure and use
- Good security features
- Decent free tier
The inconvenients
- Password import from Keychain only via Mac
- The best features are at the paid level
Our verdict
NordPass is a solid, easy-to-use password manager with lots of useful features.
Price when reviewed
45 dollars
You may be familiar with the NordVPN brand, as it’s one of the most popular VPNs and tops our best VPN rankings. But this is not the only string to the company’s bow, since it recently introduced a password manager called NordPass. So, does expertise in one area translate to another? This is how NordPass looks.
Software and Features
- Auto-filling login information
- Import passwords from other password managers
- Store passwords, access keys, documents and account details
NordPass may be one of the newer password managers, but it already feels like a mature product, with all the features you’d expect from a modern service.
Once installed, you can import your existing passwords from Chrome or Firefox browsers or generate a CSV file from your old password manager and import it into NordPass (there are helpful instructions to help you do this ). After that, you should be good to go.
Importing existing passwords from iCloud Keychain is less simplistic but can be done, but only via a Mac. To import a CSV file into NordPass, click Settings > Import Items and choose Safari. You can then download the CSV file from iCloud Keychain.
There is also a NordPass Safari extension that you need to install if you prefer to use Safari. To add this extension to Safari, click Safari in the menu bar, choose Settings, then open Extensions and enable the extension. You may then need to associate the extension with a 4-digit code provided to you.
NordPass supports biometrics, so once you’ve created your master password, you’ll only have to enter it occasionally as a security measure, and at any other time you can use Touch ID or Face ID to access your passwords.
As you would expect, NordPass can auto-fill your login details on sites or apps, and you can also store your address and credit card details so that all of these automatically populate text fields when you check out. payment, saving you a lot of time.
The interface is comparable to other password managers, in that you have the main home page where you can view your passwords, as well as links to other features you can configure , such as data entry for the form-filling features mentioned above.
At the bottom of the screen you’ll find tabs for different areas of the app. There’s the Browse page, where you can quickly view, enter or change passwords, passkeys, secure notes, credit cards and personal information, as well as organize them into folders.
Martyn Casserly
Martyn Casserly
Martyn Casserly
The next option is Tools, where you will find the password generator. With this, you can easily create long, complicated, and hard-to-crack passwords. There are also options to include or omit capital letters, numbers or symbols, depending on the needs of the application or site.
To check the current strength of your passwords, there is a Healthy Password area that lets you know if any are particularly weak or overused.
For Premium subscribers, there’s also Email Masking, which can generate temporary email addresses when you sign up for online services that you don’t plan to use for long. It’s basically the same as the Hide My Email service that Apple includes with iCloud+.
You can also take advantage of the Data Breach Scanner at the Premium level, which will notify you if any of your passwords have appeared in leaks or security breaches reported online.
Finally, Premium members can securely share their passwords with others (they don’t have to be NordPass members) via links created in the app.
NordPass is available on macOS, iOS, Android, Windows and Linux, and there is also the secure Web Vault which means you can access information from any browser. Extensions are available on Chrome, Edge, Safari, Opera, Firefox and Brave.
Security and encryption
- XChaCha20 encryption
- Data Breach Monitoring
- Multi-factor authentication
To protect your data, NordPass uses XChaCha20 encryption, which is arguably even harder to crack than the AES-256 variant used by most password managers.
NordPass uses a zero-knowledge architecture, which means your data is encrypted and decrypted locally on your device, so NordPass never has access to your master password or login information. This is a fairly standard technique that you’ll find on most other password managers. The reason is that even if NordPass servers are hacked, it will not expose your data as the encryption/decryption key required on your device.
Martyn Casserly
Martyn Casserly
Martyn Casserly
As mentioned above, NordPass will monitor Premium accounts for any data breach reports, so you can change your account details before they are compromised.
Multi-factor authorization is also available, allowing you to configure additional security levels to prevent hackers. This can be done via a one-time password (OTP) sent to your device, authenticator apps like Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator, as well as a USB authenticator if you’re on a Mac or PC.
Pricing and availability
A free tier is available on NordPass, which also offers a 30-day trial of Premium features. Then, if you want, you can stay free or pay $20.28/£19.08 per year for a single Premium account. If you want the Family plan, which gives you six Premium accounts, it will cost you $35.88/£35.88 per year.
The free tier is quite good, in that it allows unlimited passwords and passkeys, supports autofill, multi-factor authorization, secure notes, and password generator. pass. If you only use one device, that’s probably most of what you need. You can sync passwords between devices, but only one can be logged in at a time, so keep that in mind.
Upgrading to Premium unlocks the ability to log in on multiple devices, while also unlocking secure sharing, email hiding, and data breach scanner. These are useful tools, and as the overall asking price is quite reasonable, they seem good value for money to us.
Should you buy NordPass?
NordPass is a solid, easy-to-use password manager that actually has a pretty decent free tier if you don’t change devices too often. Support for biometrics, passwords and multi-factor authentication make it secure, while the wide range of apps and extensions means it should work on all your devices. It’s also reasonably priced. Good job North!
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