The open-source way

We like open source, even if it doesn’t always produce the most polished-looking software ( cough, GIMP, cough).

But for security software, its publicly scrutinisable code tends to provide peace of mind, while largely ensuring a project can continue even if the original organisation or developer packs up their bags, as the source code stays open to be picked up by someone else.

We’re going to highlight two strong open-source candidates. The first is the well-known KeePass.info. Don’t confuse this with the largely defunct KeePassX.org that hasn’t been updated for two years. There is a fork called KeePassXC.org, which is up to date, but we’ll stick with KeePass as it has many unofficial respins for Android and other devices that make it easier to use.

KeePass isn’t as straightforward as the commercial alternatives; the main hoop you need to jump through is for multi- device synchronisation, where a thirdparty cloud service, such as Dropbox or Google Drive, needs to be roped in. But the breadth of support, custom options and feature set is unmatched, with no fees to pay.

The other strong open-source option is Bitwarden. It offers an excellent free model, a US$1-a-month family subscription that supports up to five users, a basic business version at US$5 per month, plus enterprise options. It’s a modern, slick, open-source application supporting macOS, Windows, Linux, all the major browsers — including Opera, Tor, and Brave — plus Android and iOS devices. If you’re a fan of open source, we suggest you give it a look.