Is it a Safe Password Manager?

From the creators of the popular NordVPN, NordPass has big shoes to fill as Nord Security’s password manager solution. Fortunately, NordPass more than exceeds these expectations with its zero-knowledge password vault, strong encryption, and user-friendly interface.

While its free version is a bit limited, NordPass’ premium offering is one of the best password managers to try out this year.

Is NordPass free?

Yes, NordPass has a free version. It offers unlimited password storage, a password generator, and autosave and autofill capabilities. Personally, I commend NordPass for taking this approach as other password managers limit the number of passwords you can store with their free versions. For example, Dashlane only allows a maximum of 25 stored passwords for its free plan.

SEE: NordPass Free vs Premium: Is it Worth the Upgrade? (TechRepublic)

To be clear, you lose key functionality with the free version. The main difference is that it supports only one device login. This means if you’re logged in on your computer, you won’t be able to use NordPass’ free version on your phone — which I understand can be a dealbreaker for some. If you fall into this camp, I suggest checking out Bitwarden as its free plan supports both unlimited devices and unlimited password storage.

The free version also doesn’t come with NordPass Premium features such as a data leak scanner, a password health tool, and the ability to attach files to vault items.

While the free version is a good way to try out the password manager, Nord offers a 30-day Premium trial of NordPass that doesn’t require credit card or payment information. Even with NordPass’ free version, I suggest going for this free trial first so you can try the full NordPass feature without any of the free version’s limitations.

NordPass pricing

NordPass splits its subscriptions into two tiers: Personal & Family and Business. While most password managers offer a single set price per plan, I like how NordPass gives users the ability to opt into either a one- or two-year plan for each tier. Having a longer subscription is handy as it provides additional savings to those who don’t mind a longer-term contract.

SEE: 5 Best Password Managers for Android in 2024 (TechRepublic)

NordPass’ Personal subscriptions provide affordable prices. While Bitwarden’s starting Premium subscription at less than $1 is still more affordable, NordPass’ comparable Premium plan at $1.89 is still on the lower end of prices amongst the competition.

For example, both LastPass and Dashlane’s starting plans are pegged at $3 and $4.99 per month, respectively. You also get the option of NordPass’ two-year plan for an even lower price.

NordPass Family provides even stronger value. At $2.79 per month for six users, it covers more family members at a lower cost than 1Password’s Families plan at $4.99 for five users and Keeper’s Family subscription at $6.25 per month for five users. If you’re specifically interested in a password manager for your family, I feel NordPass Family subscription offers really good value.

For its Business tier, NordPass offers Teams, Business, and Enterprise plans. Among the three, its Business plan is the best pick. At $3.99 per user per month, getting a plan for 20 users only costs around $80. Dashlane’s comparable Business subscription costs twice as much at $8 per seat, totaling $160 for the same 20 users.

NordPass’ Teams subscription is more on par with the competition. At $1.99 per user per month, it costs around $20 for 10 users — about the same as Dashlane and 1Password. Again, you can choose their two-year subscription, which helps bring the monthly fee down to $18 for 10 users.

NordPass’ Enterprise annual plan comes in at $5.99 per user per month and allows for unlimited users.

SEE: 5 Best Free Password Managers for 2024 (TechRepublic)

Given that other password managers usually offer curated pricing after asking for a quotation, I can’t offer a fair apples-to-apples comparison on this end. However, I do appreciate NordPass providing set prices for its Enterprise plan, as this removes that extra step of contacting its team for pricing.

NordPass also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee that lets you refund your initial payment if you feel it doesn’t fit your needs.

Is NordPass safe?

Yes, NordPass is safe. NordPass utilizes XChaCha20 encryption — a newer algorithm that ensures user data is unreadable to third parties. NordPass says it chose XChaCha20 over the gold standard AES-256 encryption as it considers XChaCha20 a more future-proof option given that AES-256 has shown signs of potentially becoming crackable.

I commend NordPass for being proactive in offering users a different encryption option in the password management space, especially since most other password managers currently use AES-256.

NordPass also operates on a zero-knowledge architecture. This means that only the end-user has access to their data, and not even NordPass has any way to access it.

To date, NordPass has not been involved in any type of data breach or hacking — which for me is a big win considering other password managers haven’t been so lucky. Both NordPass and NordPass Business have also been independently audited by Cure53, which shows the company’s commitment to full transparency with its customers.

NordPass Business is also SOC 2 Type 2-compliant, which certifies that the service contains the proper security controls needed to protect user data and privacy.

All in all, I’m satisfied with NordPass’ security measures and can confidently say it’s a safe password manager to use in 2024.

Key features of NordPass

Outside of the usual password manager features, such as a password generator and an encrypted vault, NordPass includes a few features that set it apart from other services.

Data Breach Scanner

NordPass comes with a Data Breach Scanner that checks whether any user email addresses have been compromised or leaked. This is an important password manager feature that I’m glad to see NordPass included, especially with how common data breaches have been in recent years.

Outside of breach scanning, I like how you can set NordPass’ scanner to proactively monitor selected email addresses in real-time. This is a convenient set-and-forget feature that lets users do their work while having the peace of mind that their emails are continuously monitored for any leaks.

Activity Log

For NordPass Business users, they have access to a very useful Activity Log menu from their admin panel. This gives a rundown of all activity within an organization or a business’ NordPass database, giving supervisors a way to monitor any suspicious activity from certain accounts.

I can envision this being perfect for IT managers who want an easy way to check questionable logins, password sharing, or other activity that could compromise company resources.

Password policies

Another practical security feature of NordPass Business is the ability to set password policies within your organization. This enables supervisors to set rules on password length, complexity, and other password standards.

Supervisors can require users to have both uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, special characters, or a mix of these three for all passwords created within the company.

I see password policies as an essential tool for organizations that want each credential or password used in their company to have good password hygiene. It also helps remove human error as managers won’t have to remind employees about password best practices since a given policy can be set from the start.

NordPass authentication and security options

NordPass offers a reasonable number of multifactor authentication options. Right now, you can choose between using authenticator apps, security keys, and backup codes as second factors. NordPass is also compatible with popular authenticator apps such as Google Authenticator, Authy, and Microsoft Authenticator. With this, I think NordPass provides most of the MFA options an average user will ever need.

In terms of security features, I really like NordPass’ Autolock toggle that automatically locks the app after a period of inactivity. This can prove useful in instances where you accidentally leave your computer unattended, making sure your password vault isn’t in danger of being accessed by malicious actors. You can also set NordPass to automatically clear items on your clipboard after a given amount of time.

For password generation, NordPass defaults to creating a 20-character password with a maximum of 60 characters and lets you generate passphrases as well, which have recently been recognized as more secure than one-word passwords. Check out our deep dive on passphrases to learn more.

There’s also support for biometric login and a recovery code system that lets you regain account access if you forget your master password.

NordPass interface and performance

NordPass comes with an intuitive desktop interface with a modern design. During my testing, I found that everything was where I expected it to be, with none of the features being intrusive or hard to find or try out.

I specifically like how NordPass neatly organizes user items, folders, and tools in its side panel.

NordPass performed well in terms of password capture and replay. I encountered zero issues with saving passwords to my vault, and NordPass was able to reliably replay them with my accounts.

Its autofill functionality also works well, and it had no trouble recognizing websites and filling in the corresponding login.

NordPass mobile app

I’m happy to report that NordPass’ mobile app mirrors its intuitive and well-designed desktop interface. It implements the same categorization we see on the full app and performs just as well in terms of password storage.

I have one point for improvement for NordPass’ mobile app. For context, I used NordPass on my Google Pixel 6 Android smartphone for this review. I had set the app to unlock with my phone’s fingerprint sensor instead of the master password for easier access. Weirdly enough, even when I closed the app, NordPass would let me into my vault without asking for my fingerprint.

It turns out, you have to manually lock the NordPass vault to have that master password-fingerprint login appear again. You can set the app to automatically lock on app close, but I would have preferred if this was turned on out of the box. If you don’t set the app to automatically lock, it may be a point of weakness that bad actors can exploit.

NordPass pros

• Affordable individual and business plans.
• Easy-to-use and well-designed interface.
• Modern XChaCha20 encryption.
• Independently audited.
• Password policies for organizations.

NordPass cons

• Free version is locked to one device.
• Mobile app doesn’t lock by default.

NordPass alternatives

If you find NorPass doesn’t fit your needs after the review, I’ve listed three alternative password managers that you should consider.

Bitwarden

If you want a free password manager with unlimited device support, consider Bitwarden. Its generous free version and zero-knowledge encryption strike a good balance between value and security. Bitwarden is also open source, making it a prime option for users who value transparency.

We rated Bitwarden 4.3 out of 5 stars in our full review. To learn more, read here.

Dashlane

For users who want a feature-packed password manager, Dashlane should be on their list. Outside of password encryption and a password generator, it comes with a dark web monitor, a password history log, and a password health dashboard. It even comes with an included VPN service — something you won’t find in most other password managers on the market.

We rated Dashlane 4.6 stars out of 5 in our full review. To learn more, read here.

Keeper

Keeper is another quality pick that offers an intuitive application and high-end security. If you’re a student, military, or medical personnel, Keeper is a great option as it offers extensive discounts for these groups. It also has user-friendly free trials for its subscriptions that don’t require credit card information to access.

We rated Keeper 4.4 out of 5 stars in our full review. To learn more, read here.

Is NordPass worth it?

With its affordable pricing, solid vault encryption, and intuitive application, I strongly feel NordPass is one of the best password managers available today.

I find NordPass to be best for users looking for an all-around password manager, regardless if they’re individual users, small businesses, or large organizations.

SEE: How to Run a Cybersecurity Risk Assessment in 5 Steps (TechRepublic Premium)

Individual users will appreciate NordPass’ accessible subscriptions that allow for both one- and two-year contracts. Meanwhile, businesses and organizations will benefit from NordPass Business features such as Activity Log, Password Policies, and Shared Folders.

While its free version is limited, I find the overall package you get with NordPass to be worth the spend. Ultimately, I found that NordPass simply doesn’t have many glaring issues for me not to recommend it to most users.

Review methodology

My review of NordPass involved a detailed analysis of its security features, price, and real-world performance. I had hands-on experience with a NordPass Premium Business trial.

To test NordPass, I used its web and desktop applications on my Windows laptop and its mobile app on my Google Pixel 6.

I rated NordPass on everything from its password management features to its pricing based on an internal algorithm to get a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. The scoring was based both on NordPass on its own and in relation to other password managers in the market.