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Google Password Manager: A Quick Overview

Bottom line: For a built-in offering, Google’s password manager isn’t the best at anything, but still gets the job done. If you’re already using Chrome, sticking with the included password manager isn’t the worst thing you could do. But plenty of options might suit your needs better.

Who should choose Google? Those who are already using Chrome and are invested in the Google ecosystem.

Google Password Manager’s Editor Rating

Overall: (3.8)

Google Password Manager earned its rating based on solid features and usability but lost points due to its relative exclusivity and non-transparency regarding security.

  • Plans and pricing: (5.0)
  • Platform compatibility: (3.0)
  • User experience (UX): (4.0)
  • Form filling: (4.0)
  • Security: (3.5)
  • Two-factor authentication (2FA): (3.5)

See how we rate password managers.

There are many options when seeking the best password manager for your personal and business needs. I’ve tested and reviewed several popular password managers. While Google may not reinvent the wheel, it’s already included in what may be your browser of choice, giving it an automatic edge for Chrome users.

Read on to learn about the pros, cons, features, and pricing of Google. And get answers to frequently asked questions about Google.

Google Password Manager standout features
Support
  • Live chat
  • Phone
  • Social media
  • Community forum
  • Help center
Best forThose who already use Chrome

What Are the Pros and Cons of Google Password Manager?

Google is a known entity in the tech world, and Chrome is one of the world’s biggest web browsers. This is both a blessing and a curse for its password management service. It’s an easy, pre-installed option for Chrome users, yet you can’t use it outside the proprietary browser.

Here are the details of its pros and cons:

Pros

  • Built into Chrome: If you’re a Chrome user, I have good news — you’re already using Google’s password manager.
  • Free: You’ll never have to pay for any of the services Google provides through its Chrome browser.
  • Consistent support: Chrome is one of Google’s largest products and isn’t going away anytime soon.

Cons

  • Unclear security: Google isn’t particularly forthcoming on what kind of encryption standard it uses to keep your data safe.
  • Restricted to Chrome: If you have a different preferred web browser, you’re out of luck — its password manager is only on Chrome.

Who Should Choose Google Password Manager?

  1. Step 1.Individuals: Without any options for group password management, Google’s offering is primarily for those who already use Chrome and don’t want to install a third-party option.

Google Password Manager Plans and Pricing

(5.0)

There are no plans or pricing for Google’s password manager, which is free like Chrome. The trade-off is a lack of flexibility and other features offered by stand-alone services — part of why it doesn’t make the cut as one of the best free password managers. Even though it’s free and integrated into a browser you might use, you may be better off choosing a low-cost option with the security features you’re looking for.

Google Password Manager
PriceFree
Best forChrome users
Free trialNot needed
Platform compatibilityAndroid, Chrome
Autofill capabilityYes
Guest accountsNo
Number of passwordsUnlimited
Password sharingNo
2FANo
Account recoveryYes
Support types
  • Help center and FAQ
  • Live chat
  • Phone support
  • Community support
EncryptionEncryption of an unspecified type
Reporting capabilitiesNo
Single sign-on (SSO)No

Google Password Manager Platform Compatibility

(3.0)

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Google’s password manager and autofill services are exclusive to Google products, compatible only with Chrome, its web browser.

Google’s password manager is available only through Chrome and can be run on any device on which the browser is available. As an integrated part of the browser, it is not available as a stand-alone installation or an extension for other popular browsers.

If you already know that Chrome is not the web browser for you, this is an obvious dealbreaker.  On the other hand, if you’re using Chrome then you’re probably already using Google’s password manager.

Google Password Manager UX

(4.0)

Your password manager and form filler are available through your Google account, but navigating my way to what I needed was more difficult than I’d prefer.

One of the benefits of using Google for your password management and form filling is that it’s already built in (if you’re using Google Chrome). Both features are accessible through your Google account.

Yet I found this to be something of a drawback — as a feature included automatically, it doesn’t walk you through how to find or use it. You have to access the “Settings” through Chrome, hit the menu button, then select “Autofill,” where both your passwords, payment information, and addresses will be stored.

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Once there, it’s easy to see which websites have saved login credentials and edit or delete that information as you see fit. This will also happen automatically if you change your information through the site — a pop-up will ask if you want to update your login information.

While I may not have found it to be the most elegant UX, it was fine once I managed to learn my way around.

Google Password Manager Form Filling

(4.0)

Form filling is available through your Google account, but it can be a little tricky to find and edit your information.

Autofill on Chrome is enabled by default and will save and store addresses as you fill out web forms, compiling a database for you to use later.

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While all of this works fine in the background, it can be difficult to find where this information is stored in your account to edit or delete these data sets. The easiest way is by clicking “Manage Addresses” on the drop-down menu when a form is detected. But if you’re not currently on a form, this information can only be accessed through your Google account settings.

Google Password Manager Security

(3.5)

Google offers end-to-end encryption for data stored in its password manager as well as featuring breach detection but loses points for a lack of transparency.

The password manager suffers from being just a bullet point feature of the web browser, Chrome, one of Google’s most used products. I found that information was hard to come by regarding how exactly the company keeps your data safe. Eventually I found a partial answer in the Google Chrome Help Center:

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While it is reassuring data is encrypted before being sent to Google’s servers, the company isn’t specific on what kind of encryption is being used. Also, while it says my data was encrypted with a secret key known only to my device, this feature is not enabled by default and is buried in the settings.

Data is still encrypted, but it is decrypted using your account information, which is significantly less secure. As for other security features, the Password Checkup seems to work fine, but I did find that it didn’t identify as many compromised passwords as other services.

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Google Password Manager Two-Factor Authentication

(3.5)

2FA is available, yet not directly with Google Password Manager.

There isn’t a robust 2FA system with many options for securing individual accounts. But Google makes liberal use of its 2FA system to verify your identity before you can access or make changes to your account — including your password manager.

This is accomplished mainly through the Google app on your Android phone. It will send a notification to your phone if you (or anyone else) are trying to log into your account through an unknown device. If you don’t have an Android phone, this notification will go to your email.

But the bottom line is you don’t have to use 2FA right before you can access passwords — just to get logged in.

Recent Improvements to Google Password Manager

Google Chrome is constantly being worked on, with updates for each major platform it’s available on releasing regularly. The last major update for the password manager was released in June of 2022 and included:

  1. Step 1.A consistent visual design across all platforms
  2. Step 2.Inclusion of the Password Checkup feature

Compare Google Password Manager Alternatives

While Google Password Manager is the default password manager for Chrome users, there are plenty of competitors, including Dashlane, Keeper, Roboform, LastPass, and NordPass.

See how Google Password Manager compares to other top-tier password managers that the PasswordManager.com team recommends:

Password managerDetailsBest features
Google Password Manager

Overall rating: 3.8/5

Starting price: Free

Platform compatibility: Android, Chrome

Security: End-to-end encryption

  • Easy integration with a browser you may already use
  • Always free— no features are locked behind a paywall
1Password

Overall rating: 4.8/5

Read our full 1Password review.

Consider 1Password if: You’re seeking unlimited password management at a fair price.

Starting price: $2.99 per month

Platform compatibility: Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web (Brave, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari), Windows

Security: AES 256-bit encryption, 2FA

  • Unlimited passwords
  • Password sharing with all plans
  • 2FA with all plans
Dashlane

Overall rating: 4.75/5

Read our full Dashlane review.

Consider Dashlane if: You’re only interested in a personal plan.

Starting price: Free

Platform compatibility: Android, iOS, Mac, Web (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari), Windows

Security: AES 256-bit encryption, 2FA

  • Unlimited passwords and devices
  • SSO integration for Business plan
  • 2FA with all plans
Keeper

Overall rating: 4.6/5

Read our full Keeper review.

Consider Keeper if: You want to enjoy the feature of secure biometric logins.

Starting price: $3.75 per user

Platform compatibility: Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iPhone, and iPad. Browser extensions for Safari, Opera, Firefox, Edge, Chrome

Security: AES 256-bit encryption, PBKDF2

  • Unlimited passwords
  • User-friendly interface with secure biometric logins
  • Secure password saving and sharing with zero-knowledge security
Roboform

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Read our full Roboform review.

Consider RoboForm if: You want to sync your passwords through multiple platforms and won’t mind its compatibility with fewer platforms than Google.

Starting price: $24 per year

Platform compatibility: Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android support for their respective major browsers, including Microsoft Edge

Security: AES 256-bit encryption, 2FA

  • One-click logins
  • Capture passwords while you browse
  • Anytime, anywhere access
  • Supported on multiple platforms
  • Keep your passwords in sync
LastPass

Overall rating: 4.4/5

Read our full LastPass review.

Consider LastPass if: You want to get additional features and are willing to pay a high price for it.

Starting price: $3 per month

Platform compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile platform

Security: Zero-knowledge security model

  • Access on all devices
  • One-to-many sharing
  • Password manager and generator
  • Dark web monitoring
NordPass

Overall rating: 4.3/5

Read our full NordPass review.

Consider NordPass if: You don’t want different packages for your family and business.

Starting price: $2.49 per month

Platform compatibility: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and popular browsers, such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Opera, and Safari

Security: XChaCha20 encryption algorithm and a zero-knowledge policy

  • Secure data sharing solution
  • Safe sharing of login details
  • Real-time breach monitoring
  • Data breach scanner

Frequently Asked Questions About Google Password Manager

  • What are the cons of Google Password Manager?

    While Chrome and its password manager are free, it’s a bundled deal — you can’t have one without the other. It’s also not as transparent as other password managers; you may not even realize it’s already there.

  • Can Google Password Manager be trusted?

    You can trust Google only as much as any large data-mining organization. Google is one of the dominant tech companies in the world and has built that empire by selling the data it collects.

    While Google claims not to sell individual user data, this statement may stretch the truth a bit. Always be prepared to ask, “How much does this ‘free’ product cost?” and proceed accordingly. When the product is free, that usually means you are the product, in the sense that your data is used to show you ads for products and services.

  • Can I use a third-party password manager with Chrome?

    Yes. Google’s password manager is the default option, but you’re not restricted to it. As one of the largest web browsers in the world, almost every other major password management service runs on Google Chrome.

  • Where does Google Password Manager store my passwords?

    Passwords and all other auto-fill information are encrypted and stored on Google’s servers. While you can enable local encryption for your information, this is not enabled by default.

  • What Is Google the Company?

    Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc, is a multinational technology company that focuses on online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, consumer electronics, and of course, its eponymous search engine.

    Created in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, doctoral students at Stanford University, Google is considered one of the most powerful companies in the world. Google owns and operates a diverse range of services, including YouTube, Waze, Android, Chrome, and Workspace.

How I Rated Google Password Manager

Our rating process involves a thorough and detailed study of the various features stacked against the competition. I looked at the multiple facets and features provided by Google Password Manager compared to other significant industry players using direct testing to ensure an accurate rating. I’ve also applied my personal experience using Google over several years to provide a user’s perspective.

When testing Google Password Manager, I kept in mind:

  • Plan value: Most password managers offer various subscription plans from free to around $20 per month. While free plans may be sufficient for some, those that need more functionality may prefer paid plans.
  • Platform compatibility: You likely access your online accounts from multiple devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, phones, as well as through different web browsers. Your password manager should be compatible with various devices, operating systems and browsers, and sync seamlessly between them all.
  • UX: This is how you interface with all the features and functions of your new password manager — if it’s bad, you’ll be less likely to use the service. While this is a highly subjective category and some will disagree, it’s important to provide an overview based on my experience.
  • Form filling: A password manager doesn’t have to include form-filling, but it’s somewhat standard and the ease with which it performs that function can be the deciding factor in which password manager you ultimately choose.
  • Security: Since a password manager is first and foremost a security tool, it should come with all of the most up-to-date standard security features. This includes the highest level of available encryption (256-bit AES with PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA512); 2FA, such as biometric logins or MFA, and a password generator.
  • 2FA: Used all over the internet to protect your accounts, this is quickly becoming a standard security practice. 2FA is a great way to secure more sensitive accounts to ensure they’re not breached.

Learn more about our review methodology.

About The Password Manager, Gunnar Kallstrom:

Gunnar Kallstrom, The Password Manager, is a Cyber Team Lead for a DOD contracting company in Huntsville, AL, and has also worked as a CND Cyber Analyst. An author and content creator for a cybersecurity academy, Gunnar spent nearly 15 years in the Army as a musician before entering the cybersecurity field.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Thomas Edison State University and a master’s in organizational development and leadership from the University of the Incarnate Word.

Kallstrom has completed several CompTIA courses, including Secruity+, Network+, A+ Core 1, and A+ Core 2. He earned a CompTIA Security+ Certification. Additionally, he has completed the Cyber Warrior Academy program with more than 800 hours of hands-on, intensive, and lab-driven technical training in cybersecurity methods and procedures.

Passionate about all things cyber, Kallstrom was a speaker on a panel at the 2022 InfoSec World conference, giving a talk entitled “Hacking into a Cyber Career – True Stories.” Kallstrom is also a mentor to entry-level cybersecurity candidates seeking to break into the field. When he’s not working, he still enjoys playing guitar and fishing (not phishing).