Our bottom line: While the free version of LastPass has a lot to offer, the single device limitation makes a compelling case for upgrading to the Premium plan.
LastPass is one of the better options, ranking highly among the best cheap password managers as well as the best free password managers. But is it worth paying for LastPass’s Premium plan if its free version is so great?
While LastPass Free has much to offer, you’ll only get certain features and benefits with a paid premium plan. Some are game-changing (multi-device access and syncing), while others are just nice (1 GB of encrypted storage). Whether or not these benefits are worth it is entirely up to you.
Which LastPass plan is better for your situation? Let this guide help you compare the two.
Review factor | Winner |
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Price | LastPass Free (4.5/5) |
Platform compatibility | Tie: LastPass Free (5/5) / LastPass Premium (5/5) |
User experience (UX) | Tie: LastPass Free (5/5) / LastPass Premium (5/5) |
Form filling | Tie: LastPass Free (4.5/5) / LastPass Premium (4.5/5) |
Security | LastPass Premium (3/5) |
Two-factor authentication (2FA) | LastPass Premium (4.75/5) |
Best overall | LastPass Premium (4.4/5) |
Our bottom line: While the free version of LastPass has a lot to offer, the single device limitation makes a compelling case for upgrading to the Premium plan.
Password manager | Details | Basic plan features |
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LastPass Free Overall rating: 4.4/5 Read our full LastPass review. | Starting price: Free Platform compatibility: ChromeOS, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Edge, iOS, Android, Windows PC, MacOS, Linux Security: AES 256-bit encryption, 2FA |
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LastPass Premium Overall rating: 4.4/5 Read our full LastPass review. | Starting price: $3 per month Platform compatibility: ChromeOS, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Edge, iOS, Android, Windows PC, MacOS, Linux Security: AES 256-bit encryption, 2FA |
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Price winner: LastPass Free | |
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LastPass Free (4.5/5) | Free forever |
LastPass Premium (4.5/5) | $36 per year, billed annually |
Strictly from a price point basis, there’s an obvious winner here — you don’t have to pay for LastPass Free, while Premium is $3 a month ($36, billed annually). However, there are limitations to the free version which hold it back from a full-throated recommendation.
Unfortunately, the free tier isn’t the deal it used to be, as the plan is limited to syncing data only among computers or mobile devices. This is a severe limitation, as you’ll have to choose between using it on desktop or mobile, but not both. Add some quality-of-life improvements (including encrypted file storage, emergency access, and better customer support), and the Premium version looks much more attractive.
Still, I find the value of LastPass’s free tier better if you are looking for password management basics at no cost. It includes unlimited password storage, one-to-one sharing, a password generator, automatic password saves and form filling, secure note storage, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and the LastPass Authenticator mobile app.
Winner: LastPass Free, at a price that’s hard to beat.
Platform compatibility winner: Draw | |
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LastPass Free (5/5) | OS: ChromeOS, iOS, Android, Windows PC, MacOS, Linux Supported browsers: Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Edge |
LastPass Premium (5/5) | OS: ChromeOS, iOS, Android, Windows PC, MacOS, Linux Supported browsers: Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Edge |
Both LastPass Free and Premium offer the same level of platform compatibility, making this an obvious draw. Thankfully, support is excellent across the board.
LastPass recommends running Windows 8.1 and above, Catalina 10.15 (for macOS), Chrome OS, or one of the most common distributions of Linux. Supported browsers include Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, and Opera.
There are two types of LastPass browser extensions; you can find the first in your browser’s extensions library. Brave and Vivaldi can use this Chrome extension, and SeaMonkey the Firefox one. On mobile, LastPass is available for iOS 13 and up.
Full support with automatic form-filling requires Android 8.0 Oreo or later. Still, the app will run on Android 5.0 Lollipop and later.
Winner: It’s a tie: both plans offer the same compatibility.
UX winner: Draw | |
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LastPass Free (5/5) | LastPass’s browser extension is simple, understandable, and generally easy to navigate, with an interesting mechanic that rewards you for exploring its features. |
LastPass Premium (5/5) | Same as above |
Since the UX for both versions is the same, it’s no surprise there is a tie again here.
The LastPass extension has five main sections in the left toolbar to help manage your saved information: Passwords, Notes, Addresses, Payment Cards, and Bank Accounts.
Adding and editing information was easy across the board. What I found most interesting about the UX was the reward mechanism implemented for exploring the user interface (UI). You get a 10% discount for completing “achievements,” mostly geared toward teaching how to use the features of this service. I love this concept and hope to see it crop up more often for services like this.
The LastPass desktop app has six primary and five secondary sections, making it a bit more like the web experience. While the macOS version is fairly robust, the Windows desktop app is no longer being developed and has some significant limitations. However, in my experience, the pairing of the LastPass browser extension with the web app is almost all you’ll ever need.
Winner: It’s a tie, as both offer the same excellent UX experience.
Form filling winner: Draw | |
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LastPass Free (4.5/5) | Form filling works as intended, with a big, friendly reminder in text fields that might warrant it. |
LastPass Premium (4.5/5) | Same as free with no additional features. |
LastPass’s form-filling function on mobile devices works via a Safari browser extension for iOS 8 and above and as a built-in app feature for Android 8.0 Oreo or later. Using the data you’ve filled in via the “Addresses,” “Payment Cards,” and “Bank Accounts” sections, an unobtrusive red box alerts you that it detects a form. Upon clicking the form, you can select whose information to choose.
While this feature works fine, it isn’t apparent how to distinguish between data sets until you’ve set up a few, particularly if you have multiple addresses under the same name. The system seems to assume each address will be for a different person. But if you’re adding many addresses, this could make the form-filling drop-down menu significantly more difficult to use.
Winner: It’s a tie. No features are added to form filling for the Premium version.
Security winner: LastPass Premium | |
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LastPass Free (3/5) |
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LastPass Premium (3/5) | All of the above, plus:
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I found the actual front-facing Security Dashboard built into the browser extension to be thorough and a breeze to use, with features not commonly seen for these kinds of services, such as dark web monitoring.
Other features, such as identifying weak or compromised passwords, worked well, with helpful suggestions on strengthening your security.
As to how LastPass safeguards your data, it uses AES-256 bit encryption with PBKDF2 SHA-256 and salted hashes to ensure complete security in the cloud. You’ll create a password manager account with an email address and a strong master password to locally generate a unique encryption key.
Your master password and the keys used to encrypt and decrypt data are never sent to LastPass’s servers and are never accessible by LastPass.
LastPass Premium adds a few more options to the list for MFA support, which is highly appreciated, including biometric login and USB security key support. The only other added security is an emergency access feature that allows you to securely share your information with a trusted third party in an emergency.
It is worth noting that LastPass experienced a security breach on November 30, 2022. While the company assures users’ passwords were not leaked, it admits the attacker gained access to certain elements of customers’ information, though the specifics are unclear.
Winner: LastPass Premium wins by adding welcome MFA options.
2FA winner: LastPass Premium | |
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LastPass Free (4.75/5) |
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LastPass Premium (4.75/5) |
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LastPass allows you to enable MFA when accessing your dashboard. There are many free options to use an authenticator, with more options (including YubiKey and fingerprint sensors) for those who pay for the premium service.
This adds a welcome layer of safety and control over that security method. Yet it’s a little disappointing this feature is only available to unlock your LastPass account itself, without an option to add MFA to specific website logins, you might want to keep more secure.
But even the free version offers more MFA options than most competitors. You’ll be spoiled for choice with LastPass.
Winner: LastPass Premium offers some great MFA options if you are serious about password safety.
Bottom line winner: LastPass Premium | |
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LastPass Free (4.4/5) |
Best for: Those who only plan on using a password manager on a single device |
LastPass Premium (4.4/5) | Includes all free features in addition to:
Best for: Everyday users who switch between mobile and desktop devices |
It may come as no surprise that we recommend LastPass Premium over the free version — the same baseline product is the same, but Premium has more features. However, this was a much closer call than you might expect.
The Premium plan does offer some features that sweeten the deal, but most aren’t things that I would consider to be necessary. Sure, it’s nice to have extra MFA options and encrypted file storage, but they’re not must-haves by any means.
What gets the Premium plan the win is the unlocking of the service for use on multiple devices. Most people use at least two devices regularly — their desktop device and mobile device. Having access to the service through only one is a huge handicap.
That said, if you only plan to use a password manager on one device, I’d recommend the free version every time. For more recommendations, check out our list of the best password managers of 2023.
On the surface, all password managers essentially generate and store passwords. As I evaluated providers, I dug deeper, comparing software on what matters most, including price, platform compatibility, security, and other factors.
I signed up for a plan with each provider to test:
Learn more about our review methodology.
About the Password Manager, Gunnar Kallstrom:
Kallstrom is a Cyber Team Lead for a Department of Defense (DOD) contracting company in Huntsville, Alabama, and has also worked as a computer network defense (CND) Cyber Analyst. An author and content creator for a cybersecurity academy, Kallstrom 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 Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) courses, including Security+, 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).