I need a password manager — where do I start

• Do you need it to be free? — Bitwarden is the only major manager with unlimited devices and passwords at no cost. Proton Pass also offers a generous unlimited free tier
• Does open-source matter to you? — If you want to verify the implementation rather than trust a vendor's claims: Bitwarden (full stack) and Proton Pass (clients) are the only options
• Are you already in the Proton ecosystem? — Proton Pass comes with your existing Proton Unlimited plan and adds email alias generation at no extra cost
• Does your organisation require FedRAMP or compliance certification? — That narrows the field to Keeper immediately; no other provider in this comparison holds FedRAMP authorization

If none of those apply, Bitwarden is the rational starting point: free, audited, unlimited, and self-hostable if you ever want that control later.

• Phishing — if you enter credentials on a convincing fake site, no password manager prevents that. A good browser extension will warn you when the domain doesn't match a saved login, but it cannot override a determined user
• Existing breach exposure — any passwords you reused before switching are already out there. Change critical ones — email, banking, work — first, regardless of which manager you choose
• Master password loss — every zero-knowledge manager is unrecoverable if you forget the master password and have no recovery option configured. Set up emergency access or recovery codes before you need them

Bitwarden fits if cost or open-source auditability are the primary criteria. Free for unlimited devices, $10/year for Premium features (TOTP, hardware keys, emergency access). The codebase is fully public and has been independently audited by Cure53. Self-hosting is available for users who want zero cloud dependency.

Proton Pass fits if you are already in the Proton ecosystem or if metadata privacy matters to you. It is the only manager in this comparison that encrypts URL metadata — the field that the 2022 LastPass breach exposed as a gap in the category's standard approach. Free tier is unlimited on unlimited devices.

NordPass fits if you want modern cryptography at a low price point. XChaCha20 encryption, Argon2 KDF, Panama jurisdiction, and the best long-term pricing in the paid category. No free tier for multi-device use; no emergency access.

Dashlane fits if you want password management plus dark web monitoring and a VPN under one subscription. The bundle approach works if you would otherwise pay separately for those tools. The free plan caps at 25 passwords — not a practical free option.

Bottom line

Bitwarden for most people starting fresh — especially those who want a free option or want to verify the code. Proton Pass for existing Proton users or anyone for whom metadata privacy is the priority after the 2022 LastPass incident. Keeper if your environment has compliance requirements that end the conversation before features matter.