Short on time? Here’s the best password manager for Linux in 2023:
- 🥇 1Password: Premium Linux password manager with high-level encryption, password sharing, vault auditing, family vaults, easy-to-use interface, secure data storage, and more.
I tested all of the top password managers on the market to find the best ones for Linux, but it wasn’t easy. Many popular brands simply don’t support most Linux distros, and many free and open-source options just don’t work very well — some of them can actually make your data less secure!
I managed to find several options that support popular Linux distros like Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, and Mint. The password managers that made it to this list protect user data with 256-bit AES encryption (or a similar alternative), advanced two-factor authentication (2FA), and password vault auditing (and I’ve even included some apps that provide local data storage for added security).
The apps I recommend are also easy to use, providing intuitive graphical user interfaces (GUIs), convenient auto-filling capabilities, and helpful support teams. There are some popular Linux password managers that only provide users with a command line interface (CLI), limited features, and minimal customer support — those apps may be perfect for some tech-savvy users, but this list is for readers looking for easy-to-use apps that provide good security.
Quick summary of the best password managers for Linux:
- 🥇 1. 1Password — Best overall password manager for Linux.
- 🥈 2. Dashlane — Highly secure with extra features (like a VPN).
- 🥉 3. RoboForm — Good budget option with the best form-filling tool.
- 4. NordPass — Simple to use + streamlined dashboard.
- 5. Keeper — Strong security, Linux-compatible apps, and advanced 2FA.
- Bonus. Bitwarden — Best open-source option for Linux.
- Comparison of the Best Password Managers for Linux.
🥇1. 1Password — Overall Best Password Manager for Linux
1Password is my favorite password manager for Linux in 2023. It comes with standard security features like 256-bit AES encryption and zero-knowledge architecture, and it also provides great extras like password breach monitoring and local data storage. Plus, it has an intuitive user interface, and it’s compatible with Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Red Hat, and more.
1Password’s extra tools include:
- 2FA (TOTP, biometric, USB token).
- Vault auditing.
- Data breach monitoring.
- Travel Mode.
- Command-line tool.
- Privacy Cards (US only).
- And more…
1Password has a great GUI for Linux — it makes it very easy to create multiple vaults, organize vault items using tags and favorites, and share passwords with your contacts. During all my tests, 1Password securely generated, saved, stored, and auto-filled all of my logins with zero issues. Also, I really like 1Password’s command-line tool that lets you manage your vault and even create your own custom workflows using simple commands.
I also really like the depth of 1Password’s Watchtower feature, which monitors your vault for weak, reused, and compromised passwords. It gives you an overall security score, so you can see how you’re doing and make any necessary improvements to your passwords. It also monitors credit card, driver’s license, and passport expiration dates and alerts you when these items are soon to expire — this is a really handy extra. However, while Watchtower is a great tool, it’s not quite as robust as Dashlane’s vault auditing tool, which includes better dark web monitoring.
1Password Personal ($2.99 / month) includes all of the features mentioned above for 1 user. 1Password Families ($4.99 / month) adds coverage for up to 5 users and includes shared vaults, 5 guest accounts, permission controls, and account recovery options (it’s my favorite password manager for families). What’s more, you can add unlimited additional users for a small fee — not many password managers offer this option. While 1Password doesn’t offer a money-back guarantee, you can try it for free with a 14-day trial.
Bottom Line:
1Password is the best password manager for Linux users in 2023. It’s a secure, intuitive password manager with great security tools and good apps for many Linux distros. It provides multiple 2FA options, local data storage, and even a CLI for advanced Linux users. You can try any 1Password plan for free with its 14-day free trial.
Read our full 1Password review
🥈2. Dashlane — Excellent Security With Dark Web Monitoring & VPN
Dashlane comes with the best set of additional features of any password manager for Linux. It’s also highly secure and very easy to use. While it no longer has a desktop app like 1Password, you can access all of Dashlane’s features through its comprehensive web dashboard and intuitive browser extensions (compatible with Chromium, Safari, and Firefox browsers).
Dashlane includes:
- Two-factor authentication (2FA).
- Password security auditing.
- Passkey authentication.
- Live dark web monitoring.
- Secure data storage.
- Virtual private network (VPN).
- And more…
Dashlane’s live dark web monitoring is great for privacy-minded Linux users. Dashlane’s team employs real agents to scan data breach reports as well as dark web forums — if any user data is leaked, Dashlane’s team gives users real-time, in-person assistance for protecting accounts and securing their password vault. This is a really great service — most password managers don’t offer dark web monitoring at all, and those that do mostly just use the publicly available Have I Been Pwned? database.
I’m also a big fan of Password Health Checker, Dashlane’s password auditing tool. It flags any weak, repeated, or breached logins in your vault, allowing you to easily change those passwords into strong, unhackable ones. While it’s not a unique feature, it works really well and is super intuitive.
Another security feature I like is Dashlane’s passkeys support. Dashlane is one of the few password managers to have introduced this innovative alternative to traditional passwords. While not many sites are offering passkey authentication yet, that’s set to change in the near future — which is a good thing, as passkeys are a super safe and convenient method to secure your online accounts and don’t have the same vulnerabilities as traditional passwords.
In addition, Dashlane’s premium plan provides Linux users with access to Hotspot Shield VPN — a CLI-based VPN app for Linux that provides secure encryption, fast speeds, and servers in 80+ countries. Dashlane is the only password manager to offer a VPN on its premium plans (the VPN comes with unlimited data).
Dashlane Premium provides all of Dashlane’s features for $4.99 / month. If you’re looking for a cheaper option, consider Dashlane Advanced, which costs only $2.75 / month but doesn’t include the VPN. Dashlane Friends & Family has all the features of Premium, but it extends coverage to 10 different user accounts for just $7.49 / month. Dashlane also has a free plan that allows unlimited password storage on a single device.
Bottom Line:
Dashlane is highly secure and has some unique extras like live dark web monitoring and a VPN. You can try Dashlane’s premium features for Linux with a 30-day free trial, and all Dashlane plans come with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.
🥉 3. RoboForm — Best Budget Password Manager + Excellent Form-Filling
RoboForm provides the most convenient form-filling tool out of all the password managers I’ve tested — and it’s cheaper than most competitors. RoboForm is only available via its online dashboard and browser extensions (its desktop app isn’t Linux-compatible, whereas 1Password’s app is), but both the dashboard and extension are really comprehensive, and they work in Chromium-based browsers and Firefox.
With RoboForm, you get:
- 2FA (TOTP, SMS, biometric).
- Form-filling tool with identities.
- Secure password and note sharing.
- Vault auditing.
- Secure bookmarks storage.
- And more…
In my testing, I was really impressed by RoboForm’s form-filling tool — it has 7 templates for things like addresses, passport information, and vehicle registration, and it was able to fill out dozens of fields accurately in all my tests (which is way more reliable than similar form-filling tools from Keeper and Bitwarden).
I really like RoboForm’s bookmark storage, too — it’s a simple way to save your bookmarks across every device that has RoboForm installed. This is a great time saver if you use different browsers across your different devices, and RoboForm is one of very few password managers to offer it.
RoboForm’s Security Center alerts you to weak, compromised, and reused passwords. However, while RoboForm can identify a password that has been compromised, it doesn’t provide you with any details about the breach.
RoboForm Everywhere is an excellent value — providing all of RoboForm’s features for only $0.99 / month. RoboForm Everywhere Family provides all these features across 5 user accounts for $27.70 / year. There’s also a free plan that provides password strength auditing and secure bookmarks storage, but it’s limited to one device only.
Bottom Line:
RoboForm is a very affordable password manager that includes strong security features and a super convenient form-filling tool. While it doesn’t have a Linux-compatible desktop app, its web dashboard and browser extensions should prove sufficient for most users. RoboForm offers a 30-day money-back guarantee with all of its plans.
4. NordPass — Simple To Use + Streamlined Dashboard
NordPass provides an easy-to-use interface and support on various distros. It has a desktop app for Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, CentOS, Debian, KDE Neon, and more. NordPass comes with a good range of security features, including:
- Auto-save and auto-fill functionality.
- Password generator.
- Password health checker.
- Data breach monitor.
- Secure password sharing.
- Passkey authentication.
NordPass’s auto-saving and auto-filling performed well in my tests. Whenever I visited a website and made a new account, l just had to click on the Save button on the pop-up NordPass issued — I could then log into that account with just a few clicks later on. You can also save personal details like your credit card and phone number. However, I found auto filling these wasn’t as intuitive as it was on RoboForm.
I like NordPass’s password health checker, too. It informs you of weak, reused, or old passwords and provides a link to where you can change them. It’s more basic than Dashlane’s health checker and doesn’t give you an overall score, but it still works pretty well.
NordPass also provides installation videos for every compatible distro, but I was disappointed to find they didn’t work. Each one was marked as private on YouTube, so I quickly gave up trying to watch them and just installed NordPass through trial and error. That said, once I had NordPass installed, I found it easy to navigate and well laid out.
NordPass comes with a free version and a Premium plan (which costs $1.99 / month). There’s also a Family plan (which costs $3.69 / month). The free version provides unlimited password storage, but you can only be logged into one device at a time. The Premium plan adds the password health checker, data breach scanner, 3 GB of secure file storage, and emergency access across 6 devices, and the Family plan includes the same features as the Premium plan for 6 users.
Bottom Line:
NordPass provides a straightforward password manager for a wide range of Linux distros. It comes with a good range of features, including a decent password health checker and dark web monitor, and it’s available for a pretty low cost. You can try NordPass on a 30-day free trial and with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
5. Keeper — Good Security, Linux-Compatible Apps, and Advanced 2FA
Keeper offers high-security features like advanced 2FA, data breach monitoring, and secure file storage. Its Linux desktop app works for Debian and RPM-based systems, and it’s really well-designed and easy to set up. I really like that Keeper lets you add custom fields to organize your personal information like driver’s license, home address, and card information in a more personalized way.
Keeper’s 2FA options are pretty impressive — you can log in with an authenticator app, biometric login, or even with a variety of USB tokens like FIDO, Duo, or YubiKey (1Password is the only other password manager on my list with such a good range of 2FA features).
Keeper’s Linux app also provides:
- Custom fields.
- Password vault auditing.
- Record history.
- Dark web monitoring.
- Emergency access.
- Offline mode.
- Encrypted file storage (up to 100 GB).
- And more…
Keeper’s dark web monitoring and secure file storage are great add-ons, but you have to pay extra for them — I wish Keeper would bundle all of its additional features with its premium plans (like 1Password and Dashlane both do). That said, you do get 10 GB of secure file storage if you opt for the family plan, and having the option to up that to 100 GB is pretty great, even if it does come at an extra cost.
Keeper’s free version is very limited — it allows unlimited passwords, but only on 1 mobile device (so Linux is not included) and doesn’t include auto-filling and emergency access. This is pretty unimpressive — both Dashlane and RoboForm have auto-fill as part of their free plans, and Bitwarden even lets you use unlimited devices on its free plan.
Upgrading to Keeper’s Unlimited plan ($20.98 / year) provides access to all of its features, and Keeper Family adds multi-device sharing, shared vault management tools, and more encrypted storage for just $44.98 / year.
Bottom Line:
Keeper provides a feature-rich app that comes with tons of extras like dark web monitoring and secure file storage. It has user-friendly apps for major Linux distros, but it doesn’t provide the same value as 1Password or Dashlane, which include all of their features in one plan. Keeper doesn’t have a money-back guarantee, but you can get a 30-day free trial of Keeper Unlimited.
Bonus. Bitwarden — Best Open-Source Password Manager for Linux
Bitwarden is a secure, open-source, and low-cost password manager. It incorporates industry-standard features like 256-bit AES encryption and zero-knowledge protocols, and adds unique extras like the option for self-hosting your password vault.
Bitwarden provides an easy-to-use GUI app for Mint, Ubuntu, CentOS, Fedora, and Debian — it’s by far the most intuitive open-source password manager for Linux, especially when compared to other open-source apps like KeePass.
Bitwarden’s Linux app comes with:
- 2FA authentication with TOTP, email, biometrics, and USB keys like YubiKey and Duo.
- Vault auditing (flags weak, reused, 2FA-compatible, and breached logins).
- Encrypted storage.
- Local hosting.
I really appreciate that Bitwarden gives you the option to self-host your password vault on your own system. This lets security-oriented Linux users limit their dependence on third-party providers for their login security.
Bitwarden’s 2FA options are excellent too — like 1Password, it supports USB security keys, and it also works with apps like Google Authenticator and Authy. What’s more, if you opt for the Premium plan, you get Bitwarden’s integrated TOTP authenticator, which means you can use Bitwarden as an authenticator for your 2FA-compatible accounts.
That said, Bitwarden isn’t always ideal in terms of ease-of-use — in my testing, it sometimes failed to remember logins for websites that it had auto-saved earlier. Also, importing passwords from my previous password manager was a pretty clunky process. 1Password and Dashlane make importing much more intuitive and less frustrating. What’s more, while Bitwarden’s on-demand breach scanning is helpful, it’s not as convenient as Dashlane’s live dark web monitoring service.
Bitwarden Free generously provides unlimited password storage on unlimited devices, password sharing with 1 user of your choice, 2FA, and local data storage. Bitwarden Premium is very affordable and provides all the features in the free plan, plus vault auditing, USB 2FA, and 1 GB encrypted storage — for only $10.00 / year. Bitwarden Families costs $40.00 / year and extends coverage to 6 users.
Bottom Line:
Bitwarden is the best open-source password manager I’ve used for Linux — it’s very secure, provides comprehensive vault audit reports, and supports local data storage. It’s not the best for ease of use overall, but it’s still better than other open-source password managers. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee for all premium plans.
Read our full Bitwarden review
Comparison of the Best Password Managers for Linux in 2023
How to Choose the Best Password Manager for Linux in 2023
- Choose a password manager with advanced security features. You should look for password managers that provide multi-layered security with high-level encryption, zero-knowledge architecture, and various two-factor authentication options. All of my top recommendations include these security features, so you can keep your logins secure at all times.
- Pick one that’s easy to use. I only recommend password managers that have easy-to-use apps, sync across multiple platforms, and come with browser extensions for accurate form-filling. 1Password has both GUI and CLI apps for Linux that work flawlessly, so you can easily manage your vaults using your preferred interface.
- Look for extra features. Premium password managers offer much more than just secure password storage and autofill capabilities. By choosing a comprehensive password manager like Dashlane, you gain access to an array of valuable features beyond traditional password management.
- Verify the app’s compatibility with Linux. The majority of Linux users run Debian-based distributions such as Ubuntu and Mint (so look for .deb downloads). That said, if you use RPM-based distributions like Fedora, you can also find some good picks in this article.
- Find a password manager with a good value. Password managers should offer good value without compromising on security features. All of the password managers on this list provide a good number of features for a low price. You should also look for products that offer either money-back guarantees or free trials, so you can try them risk-free before committing to a paid plan.
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- KeePass. KeePass is a secure Linux-compatible password manager. But it has an outdated interface and requires plugins to support most password management functionalities, like form filling and data synchronization. With options like 1Password and Dashlane that have super intuitive user interfaces and tons of features, there’s no particular reason to favor KeePass.
- pass. pass is a stripped-down password manager that uses a good security framework but is not suited for the average user. It has a CLI interface with tons of odd details that bothered me in my testing. There’s no built-in syncing functionality, but it can be configured using Git version control.
- LogMeOnce. LogMeOnce provides an overwhelming number of features in a poorly designed app. The main dashboard wastes more than half of the screen with its branding and all the design choices are too counterintuitive to allow for a pleasant user experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which password manager is most secure for Linux?
1Password is the most secure password manager for Linux. It secures data using 256-bit AES encryption and comes with extra features like advanced 2FA, password vault auditing, and data breach alerts.
What is the best free password manager for Linux?
I don’t recommend completely free password managers — they lack adequate security features to keep your information safe. However, I think the best free password manager for Linux is Bitwarden. You get all core Bitwarden features for free, but there are some limitations. For example, you don’t get advanced 2FA options like USB keys, emergency access features, Bitwarden’s built-in authenticator, vault auditing tools, and more — all of which are included in Bitwarden’s premium version.
Does LastPass work on Linux?
LastPass can still be accessed on Linux systems via the browser app and browser extension. Unfortunately, LastPass doesn’t provide native desktop support for Linux distros like 1Password and Keeper do — they both provide compatibility for Debian and RPM-based distros like Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, and many more.
Does Dashlane work on Linux?
Yes, Dashlane is a completely web-based password manager that works on Linux and all other major platforms. However, if you’re looking for a desktop-compatible app that you can use offline or use to fill in app passwords, you should try 1Password, which offers a Linux app that is compatible with the majority of Debian and RPM-based distros.
