The Best Password Managers With Local Storage of 2023

Most password managers are designed for cloud storage, which allows users to sync their passwords across multiple devices. At the same time, there are also good reasons to prefer local storage instead of keeping your passwords in the cloud. If your information never leaves your device, it lowers the overall probability that your passwords could be compromised.

With the market focused on cloud services, local functionality varies widely between different password managers. We evaluated the leading providers based on these four features to provide a good recommendation for every use case.

Support for Local Storage

The first factor we looked at was how well each password manager facilitates offline storage and usage. For example, some password managers allow you to view your vault offline, but only after syncing with the cloud. Furthermore, you may not be able to make any changes without a connection.

KeePassXC was our choice as the best overall password with local storage due to its support for fully offline usage. We also detailed the offline functionality of other listed password managers to give you an idea of how well each one works with local storage.

Ease of Use

The easier a password manager is to set up and use, the more time it ends up saving you in the long run. Password managers can be complicated to figure out, particularly if you’re used to writing your passwords down on paper or using the same password for every account.

Ease of use encompasses several different elements including setup, importing passwords, and autofilling login credentials. We also included each password manager’s app compatibility, which refers to the clients and applications it offers on different device types and operating systems.

Pricing

If you’re planning to keep your passwords in local storage, you might not care about common features like online syncing, cloud backups, password sharing, and 2FA. Depending on the specific tools you need, it may or may not be worth spending more money on a more robust password manager.

We covered password managers at many different price points, ranging from totally free up to several dollars per month. KeePassXC is a great free option, but you’ll naturally miss out on some more advanced features compared to the top premium password managers.

While many password managers support offline storage, it can be tough to find one that’s built primarily for local usage. KeePassXC is a straightforward password manager built on the popular KeePass framework. You have to download the desktop app to set up your vault, but KeePassXC doesn’t offer any kind of built-in cloud syncing. You have the option to sync passwords through services like Google Drive, but KeePassXC works even better for offline users. It’s the best option on the market in 2023 for users who want to store their passwords on a local device.

Even better, KeePassXC is totally free and open-source — there are no add-ons, subscriptions, or other charges of any kind. You can access all of its features by downloading and installing the free desktop app on your device. Of course, we would encourage you to make a donation to the KeePassXC team if you can donate and you find the application useful.

Along with subscriptions for individuals, most password managers also offer plans for families and groups. These plans typically come with a set number of users. 1Password has the most flexible family subscription we’ve seen, allowing members to add to their family groups for an extra $1 per person, per month. Of course, 1Password also comes with the basic features you would expect, such as password sharing, two-factor authentication (2FA), and user management for family groups.

The base rate for 1Password is $2.99 per month paid annually for individuals and $4.99 per month paid annually for families of up to five people. When we checked the 1Password website, both of these subscriptions were discounted a full 50% to $1.50 and $2.50 per month, respectively. As mentioned above, you can go beyond five family members for $1 per person per month — for example, a family of eight would pay $7.99 per user, per month, not accounting for the current discount.

User reviews are one key area where 1Password falls slightly behind some of its top competitors. Even though most reviews are still positive, 1Password has much more mixed feedback than Bitwarden and other industry leaders. This is particularly noticeable with respect to the mobile apps, with many people having trouble with 1Password’s customer support and a variety of technical issues. Still, most users find 1Password easy to use, and its autofill tool seems to be more reliable compared to what we’ve seen from other password managers.

Passwordless authentication is still a relatively small niche, and LastPass is one of the leaders in bringing this tech to everyday internet users. With the LastPass authenticator, you can approve authentication attempts using time-based one-time passcodes — even if the authenticator doesn’t have an internet connection. This made LastPass an easy choice as the best password manager for passwordless authentication with local storage in 2023.

While the free version of LastPass is somewhat limited, it may be sufficient for some users who don’t need cloud syncing. The key restriction is that free users can only access their vault on a single device type — either desktop or mobile. Passwords can be synced between devices of the same type, but not between the types. Upgrading to the Premium subscription at $3 per month billed annually removes that limitation and gives you some extra features like unlimited password sharing, dark web monitoring, emergency access, and 1 GB of cloud storage.

One potential issue with LastPass is that it isn’t entirely designed for local storage. You can view your vault offline, but only the last version that was cached from your online vault. The online vault always overrides the offline vault. We also noticed that LastPass has received somewhat mixed feedback, and many users have trouble getting autofill to work consistently, particularly on Android. Meanwhile, most reviewers are happy with its interface as well as its password-sharing features.

No matter how small a password manager’s monthly fee is, you’ll still have to continue paying it to use the application. Enpass offers an alternative that could end up saving you a lot of money over the long run. If you want to avoid recurring charges, you can get a lifetime Enpass license for a single payment of $79.99. The longer you use it, the more you’ll save compared to another password manager — after 15 years, for example, you’ll have paid less than 50 cents per month. This is the best long-term deal from any password manager with local storage.

You can also pay for an Enpass subscription at $23.99 per year at $2 per month, but you’ll quickly pay more than $79.99 if you choose this option. Enpass works well for offline usage, allowing users to keep passwords on a single device without putting them online. You still have the choice to sync passwords through third-party cloud services. Enpass is also one of the only password managers we’ve seen that supports smartwatches.

One potential downside of Enpass is that it doesn’t support 2FA to help secure user vaults. This is less likely to be an issue if you’re planning to keep your passwords stored on your local device. Looking through user reviews, we noticed that customers are happy with the Enpass interface and ease of use. Feedback was significantly more mixed with respect to Enpass customer support.

In general, password managers are built for either offline or online use. KeePassXC, for example, only supports cloud syncing through third-party platforms — not within the KeePassXC platform. Password managers like Bitwarden only offer limited offline functionality. RoboForm is the best middle ground, supporting native cloud syncing as well as optional local-only storage. You can switch between these setups as needed, making RoboForm the most flexible option in 2023.

RoboForm is also an ideal choice if you’re looking for a free password manager with local storage. There’s a paid subscription available for $1.99 per month, paid annually, with further discounts available for longer commitments. This plan is only required to leverage some exclusive features like emergency access, cloud syncing, 2FA, and 24/7 support. The free version works fine if you only want to keep passwords stored on a single device.

We also noticed that RoboForm has generated impressive customer reviews from both online and offline users. This shows how easy it’s to make RoboForm work the way you need it to, instead of being locked into the specifics of an offline-only or online-only password manager. Many users also appreciate the application’s consistent updates, demonstrating that the RoboForm team is invested in providing a great customer experience.

Most readers are probably looking for a password manager for macOS, Windows, iOS, or Android. Some may even be using Linux, but that’s as far as most password managers go in 2023. Sticky Password stands out because it supports Blackberry OS 10, Nokia X, and Amazon Kindle Fire — if you’re among the few people who need a password manager for one of these platforms, Sticky Password is your best option.

Like RoboForm, Sticky Password is totally free for users who want to keep their passwords stored offline. You can upgrade to the premium version for $2.50 per month, paid annually, or a one-time payment of $199.99. The one-time payment ends up being a better deal if you use Sticky Password for seven or more years. Along with password syncing, the premium plan comes with some other features like password sharing, emergency access, and cloud backups. Sticky Password also contributes a portion of proceeds to Save the Manatee Club.

Meanwhile, one negative that stood out to us about Sticky Password is the application’s relatively uninspiring design. While it doesn’t exactly get in the way, the interface itself is much less professional and captivating than we’ve seen from other leading password managers. This was also reflected in user reviews — for example, one customer said Sticky Password is “clunky to use,” while another wrote that its “interface is not very aesthetically pleasing.”

When you get started with a new password manager, you probably expect to create an account, verify your email address, install new software, and more. KeeWeb removes that entire process, making it much easier to set up than any other password manager we’ve looked at in 2023. As soon as you visit the website, you’ll immediately have access to all of KeeWeb’s features. Since passwords are stored locally, there’s no need to set up an account or go through any of the other normal steps.

KeeWeb is built on the same KeePass framework as KeePassXC. It’s an open-source service with no paid subscriptions or add-on features — all of its functionality is available to all users. While you can download a desktop app for macOS, Windows, or Linux, you don’t need the app to use KeeWeb’s online vault. KeeWeb also comes with a simple yet aesthetically pleasing design that compares favorably against many paid password managers.

There aren’t many verified reviews of KeeWeb, but the application has active support on Reddit and other forums. It seems to be a common option among cybersecurity-conscious users, particularly those who are accustomed to the KeePass platform. One of the most popular aspects of KeeWeb is its availability — you can access the web vault from virtually any device with an internet connection and web browser.

In general, the downside of storing your passwords locally is that you can only access them on that specific device. Password Safe gets around that issue by offering a USB-based “Disk-on-Key” service, putting your passwords on a flash drive that can be plugged into any computer with a USB port. This makes Password Safe ideal for users that want the perks of local storage without being restricted to a single device.

If you’d rather keep Password Safe on your desktop or laptop, you can install the application for free with no limitations. While Password Safe is only available for Windows, there are some popular clones of the service on other platforms such as iOS, Android, and macOS. Each of these applications is free, but the Disk-on-Key version of Password Safe sets you back $9.95. Keep in mind that you also need your own flash drive, which could add to the cost of Password Safe.

Password Safe is closer to a pet project than a major password manager, so it’s not surprising that user reviews are hard to find. It comes from a well-known cybersecurity expert named Bruce Schneier, who is currently a public policy lecturer at Harvard University and has been involved with other major projects like the Tor Browser. This gives Password Safe more credibility than other small-scale password managers.

Zoho Vault is primarily an online password manager, but it’s better for offline use than many other online-first services. Even though the application is designed around cloud storage, you can download your passwords as an HTML file at any time. This isn’t the most elegant solution, but it’s enough for people who want the flexibility of offline access. As with Password Safe, you can even move your Zoho Vault passwords to a USB drive if necessary. Still, Zoho is online-first, so you can only download the version that’s already stored in the cloud.

The free version of Zoho Vault supports online access and comes with storage for unlimited passwords. The Standard version is still relatively affordable at 90 cents per user, per month, paid annually. This subscription includes password sharing, cloud backups, priority support, and more. New users can also start with a 15-day free trial before deciding whether to stick with the paid version of Zoho Vault.

Zoho Vault has mixed reviews, with positive comments about certain elements and more complaints about others. For example, we noticed that every user who talked about customer support had a good experience with the Zoho Vault team. Many people have criticized the interface, which is lagging behind some more advanced counterparts like NordPass and LastPass. There were also mentions of technical issues, particularly among Android users.

NordPass is a leading password manager from the same team behind other popular cybersecurity services such as NordLocker and NordVPN. Its local storage feature allows users to access their vault and view passwords even without an internet connection. Entries cannot be deleted or changed while offline. NordPass also comes with a comprehensive set of features like data breach monitoring, password sharing, password strength analysis, and 2FA.

Like many other password managers, NordPass offers a limited free version for users who don’t want to spend any money. Free members can store unlimited passwords and even sync information across devices, but there’s no password sharing, emergency access, or data breach analysis. Upgrading to Premium ― starting at $1.49 per month billed every two years ― gives you access to those features as well as persistent login on all of your devices.

As with Bitwarden below, the main downside of NordPass is its lack of full support for offline use. In contrast to a password manager like KeePassXC, NordPass is primarily online, and its backup features are mostly there as a fallback in cases where you don’t have an internet connection. Reviews for NordPass are generally positive, with strong marks for the interface and design, but many users complain about crashes and other technical issues.