“NordPass is a well-designed password manager that comes with premium support and affordable pricing.”
- Excellent security record
- Easy access to logins, files, and more
- Good cross-platform support
- Low-cost personal and family plans
- Free version supports multiple devices
- Sharing requires a NordPass account
- No sharing in free version
Everyone knows keeping track of hundreds of passwords is a heavy burden. That’s why password managers have become indispensable. NordPass, a solution that comes from the cybersecurity experts behind NordVPN, aims to make it safer and easier to log in across all your devices and on multiple platforms.
I researched NordPass pricing, privacy, and security, and tested the convenience and quality of Nord Security’s software to find out if it deserves a spot on our list of the best password managers. I reviewed the NordPass Free, Premium, and Family plans to see if it’s worth the subscription cost.
Specs
| NordPass | |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Devices | Unlimited |
| Support | 24/7 Live Chat |
| Free version? | Yes |
Tiers and pricing
NordPass has a full-featured free version that lets you store an unlimited number of credentials and sync passwords across all your devices. It also supports secure notes, so you can access your ID number or credit card details from your computer and phone.
If you subscribe to NordPass for $24 per year, you get extras like login monitoring, email masking, password health checks, and secure sharing of logins with other NordPass users. A two-year subscription costs $36, an annual savings of 25%.
Paid plans also include 3GB of secure file attachments. That’s three times more cloud storage than you get from most other password managers. For example, the lower-cost, open-source Bitwarden includes just 1GB of encrypted storage.
NordPass Family costs $44 per year and provides Premium accounts for up to six people, expanding file storage to a total of 9GB. The Family plan is a good deal for two people, and the savings improve for larger families. The $67 price of a two-year plan is a bargain.
Design
I began with NordPass Free, which starts as a 30-day trial of the Premium plan. If I didn’t subscribe, I’d lose some features. I had an activation code for NordPass Family, but I wanted to explore the trial version first.
I installed the NordPass browser extension and opened a new tab that guided me to create an account and come up with a secure master password. This is a critical step and a common requirement of password managers.
NordPass encrypts all my logins and other information with the master password serving as a key to unlock and use this data. The key should be written down and stored offline so there’s minimal risk of exposure to malware and hackers.
After importing my passwords, NordPass was ready to use. The setup was quick on my Windows PC. NordPass makes a Windows app, but the browser extension includes almost every feature, including Windows Hello, recovery codes, and multi-factor authentication (MFA). However, I’d still need the NordPass app to sign in on Windows apps.
I also installed NordPass on my iPhone to test cross-platform compatibility. Within seconds, all my Windows logins synced to my iPhone.
Features
Autofill worked as expected. For example, when I opened Netflix on my PC and iPhone, NordPass instantly entered the email and password. I can also use the extension like a quick launcher. I can search or browse my account list and one click opens the website in a new tab and logs me in.
NordPass supports biometric unlocking so I could use fingerprint scanners and Face ID to unlock my vault. It’s easy to organize hundreds of passwords by creating folders that appear in the sidebar.
I upgraded to NordPass Family to test password sharing, which also works with NordPass Premium. It lets me provide full access to edit the details so a trusted family member can change the password as needed. I can also restrict usage with three lower levels of access: only autofill; autofill and view; or autofill, view, and share.
A relatively new NordPass feature lets me limit sharing by setting an expiration time of one hour to one or more days. Remember to update those credentials after sharing, though. While NordPass disables the link and access to the login or card number, it doesn’t prevent the recipient from copying that information for later use.
While NordPass sharing is much improved, it’s not as convenient as 1Password’s login sharing, since the recipient needs a NordPass account to access the link.
I can create notes and store personal information in NordPass to share with family members or others just like logins. Everything is end-to-end encrypted with the same technology used for passwords. When adding credit cards and IDs, I can fill in the standard details and add custom fields of my own.
A paid NordPass subscription comes with a variety of tools like email masking, a data breach scanner, a password generator, and a password health checker.
Support
NordPass offers 24/7 support via live chat and email to paid and free users, which is a very generous service policy. I tested it out and got a reply instantly. Keeper also offers live support all day, every day, but it costs more.
I asked for more detail on the breach scanner and learned that it’s a custom tool that also scans the dark web for all the email addresses and credit cards I add to NordPass.
Privacy and security
According to Nord Security’s privacy policy, NordPass won’t sell, rent, or share your personal data to third-party advertisers. It only uses your data to provide services.
NordPass uses end-to-end encryption so only you and people you share with can read your logins, secure notes, and other items stored in your vault. The same is true of files uploaded to your NordPass account.
NordPass uses ChaCha20 encryption since it’s faster and runs better on mobile devices than the more widely used AES-256. Google and Cloudflare also use ChaCha20. There’s an option to enable MFA for added security.
While NordPass hasn’t had any breaches, NordVPN, another app from Nord Security, did have some trouble in 2018. Hackers weren’t able to access customer data and our deep dive shows NordVPN is safe and secure.
Is NordPass right for you?
NordPass checks all the boxes needed to rate well as one of the best password managers. The Premium plan is a solid choice. While the Family plan doesn’t provide advanced administrative controls, and the sharing options aren’t as sophisticated as some others, the price is among the lowest.
If you don’t mind making a long commitment to NordPass, the two-year plan offers the best value. There are more affordable options. For example, StickyPassword has a lifetime plan that lets you keep using the app on multiple devices without paying for a subscription.
If you don’t want to pay anything, NordPass also offers a full-featured free password manager. It doesn’t include login sharing, dark web monitoring, or email masking, but does let you access all your passwords across all your devices.
