The verdict
For this Roundup, we pitted some established projects such as KeePassXC and Password Gorilla against up-and-coming tools like bitwarden. Along with desktop tools, we also tried our hands at two projects that store the data on the cloud.
Almost all the tools offer similar functionality, with the exception of Encryptr. Not only does the project not let you create groups or databases, it offers no configurable options. In addition to storing the data on the cloud, it won’t let you access the passwords without an internet connection, which is also disappointing. The developers are working on providing offline access to passwords.
LazLock, although impressive, provides little more than a means to store passwords and thus finishes fourth. Our third-place finisher, PasswordGorilla, hasn’t seen a new release in several years. Despite this, it’s incredibly stable and feature-rich. Its database backup feature is quite nifty, and we’d be thrilled if other projects too provide this functionality.
As with Encryptr, bitwarden stores its data on the cloud, and for this reason we were reluctant to award it a podium spot. But it boasts so many features – such as two-factor authentication, autofill, and prompting users to add new account details – that we had to give it second place.
The winner, KeePassXC, topped nearly all of the tests – except data management, where bitwarden’s ability to mark favourites won the day. The project suffers from one other flaw. It allows you to create multiple entries with the same name, which makes sense if you have, for instance, multiple Gmail accounts. But it doesn’t stop you from creating several entries with the same details across different groups. This duplication can lead to needless clutter.
All told, we’re feeling slightly miffed at not being able to award gold to bitwarden despite its impressive features. Suffice to say, the outcome of this Roundup would be completely different once bitwarden launches its native desktop apps.
“We’re feeling slightly miffed at not awarding gold to bitwarden despite its impressive features”