It’s an impossible task to remember strong and unique passwords for each of your many online accounts. Luckily, a secure password manager, like NordPass, can help you out! Developed by the same team behind NordVPN, Nord Security, and NordLocker, this password manager has a free plan and a premium (paid) version. On top of that, they offer special packages for families and businesses.
NordPass is a versatile password manager that is constantly evolving and offers many great features. In addition to passwords, you can safely store credit card information, notes, and personal data. Moreover, NordPass has a special data breach scanner, a recovery code option (in case you lose your Master Password), password health checks, and multi-factor authentication (MFA).
But are these features worth the price? Is NordPass easy to navigate and install? And what about encryption? For this extensive NordPass review, we’ve put this popular password manager to the test!
NordPass: Short Review
Pros
- Competitively priced
- Useful browser extension for online accounts
- Great encryption and security; independently audited
- Works with many operating systems and browsers
- Many useful extra (security) options
- Software is easy to download and use
- Different plans: Free, Premium, Business, Enterprise
- Biometric authentication possible
Cons
- With the browser extension, usernames need to be entered manually
- The free version can only be used on one device at a time
NordPass is a high-quality password manager. You can quickly and easily save and enter your passwords and even share them with other users you trust. NordPass uses a zero-knowledge protocol to keep your data safe. Additionally, the password manager offers great security features, including biometric authentication, data breach monitoring, and password health checks. The app and browser extensions are all easy to use, making it a very beginner-friendly product. NordPass also supports all common operating systems.
Nonetheless, there is still some room for improvement. One of the main inconveniences we experienced with NordPass was having to enter usernames manually when using the browser extension. Another downside is that the free version of NordPass only lets you log in with one device at a time.
Even so, NordPass is an excellent password manager that’s competitively priced if you commit for a longer period of time. If you consider how convenient, versatile, and secure NordPass is, writing your passwords down on a piece of paper or simply relying on your memory quickly becomes a thing of the past. All in all, we give NordPass a total score of 8.8/10.
Read our full NordPass review below to see if it is the right password manager for you.
NordPass Specifications
| Specification | NordPass Free | NordPass Premium | NordPass Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Download link | NordPass.com | NordPass.com | NordPass.com |
| Price | $0.00/month | From $1.49/month | From $2.79/month |
| Encryption | XChaCha20 | XChaCha20 | XChaCha20 |
| Number of user accounts | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Zero-knowledge policy | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Password generator | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Auto-save and auto-filling | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Synchronization across devices | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Unlimited number of passwords | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Secure notes | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Multi-factor authentication | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Emergency access | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Item sharing | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Password health | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Data breach scanner | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Each of the features mentioned will be highlighted and elaborated on below.
Safety: Is NordPass Safe to Use?
The most important part of any password manager is safety. Passwords are very sensitive data, and you want to ensure they don’t end up in the hands of hackers or other cybercriminals. When it comes to NordPass’s security we gave the service provider a 9.5/10 as it offers excellent security features, ensuring your passwords will never fall into the wrong hands. Here’s what stood out to us during testing:
- NordPass offers excellent 256-bit encryption (XChaCha20) on all its plans, including the free version, to keep your data safe.
- The Password Sharing (Trusted Contacts) option allows for extra secure data sharing.
- NordPass has a password generator of up to 60 characters, so you don’t have to come up with strong passwords yourself.
- As a Premium user, you enjoy several additional security options, such as Password Health checks and a Data Breach Scanner.
Encryption
NordPass uses high-quality encryption to protect passwords and other data. The password manager uses the advanced XChaCha20 encryption algorithm.
While AES-256-bit encryption is the industry standard, NordPass has chosen XChaCha20 because of its speed, durability, and the fact that it doesn’t need hardware support. It is used by many Silicon Valley tech giants, including Google and Cloudflare.
XChaCha20 does use a 256 key, which means that all your data is encrypted by a key of no less than 256 characters. Anyone trying to get access must guess the right combination of two to the power of 256 options. This is an unbelievably large number that would take the average computer hundreds of years to decrypt.
In addition to its strong encryption feature, NordPass stores your data in the Cloud. So if one of your devices malfunctions, you can still access important information.
Password generator
NordPass also has a built-in password generator. This is a very useful feature since you won’t have to come up with strong passwords yourself. The NordPass password generator creates secure passwords for you, consisting of up to 60 random characters. This is a much more secure option to protect your accounts than using combinations of names and birthdays for your passwords.
Within the password generator tool, you can set preferences for length and characters. You’ve got unlimited password storage, and NordPass automatically enters your complex passwords for you whenever you need them (auto-filling). You can also sync your passwords across different devices.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
NordPass offers three different multi-factor authentication options: authenticator applications, security keys, and backup codes. On top of that, it’s possible to secure your password manager account with biometrics. You can choose to replace your Master Password with a fingerprint lock.
Password health (Premium)
The password health tool checks the strength of any password you save in your vault and classifies them as “weak,” “reused,” or “old” (once they have existed for more than 90 days). For weak passwords, the software will prompt you to change these passwords.
Password sharing (Premium)
This option allows NordPass users to manually exchange encryption keys with people they trust, keeping them in control of their data and preventing data from being intercepted. The manual exchange prevents man-in-the-middle attacks from malicious parties trying to intercept your data.
Data breach scanner (Premium)
If any of your data gets leaked or has been leaked in the past, the data breach scanner will inform you. Depending on the type of leak, NordPass will provide you with tailored advice. Before analyzing your data, NordPass “hashes” it, which means it is altered in such a way that no one can actually access it.
The data breach scanner is one of NordPass’s best security features.
Privacy: Does NordPass Safeguard Your Data?
NordPass was developed by the same cybersecurity experts that created NordVPN. Naturally, the company takes your privacy very seriously. We gave the service provider a score of 8.5/10 by considering the following privacy measures:
- NordPass has a zero-knowledge policy; only you can see your passwords and access them with your Master Password.
- All data is encrypted and decrypted at a device level with 256-bit security keys.
- The company has passed several independent cybersecurity audits, most recently an SOC 2 Type 1 audit by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
Privacy policy
NordPass has adopted a zero-knowledge policy. This principle ensures the highest degree of privacy. It means no third parties, not even NordPass themselves, can see your passwords. Only you and the people you share your passwords with have access.
In order to get access to your passwords, you have to use a Master Password. With a Premium NordPass account, you can also generate a recovery key (Emergency Access) should you ever forget your Master Password. Keep in mind that you are the only one who has this information due to NordPass’s zero-knowledge architecture.
Make sure you keep the key somewhere safe. If you forget your Master Password and can’t retrieve your recovery key, your data may be lost forever. You can, however, set your own parameters for how long your NordPass password vault will remain open before you have to re-enter your Master Password.
Moreover, due to NordPass’s solid privacy policy, the only information the service provider stores is your email address and a transaction ID when you pay for the service, just in case you need a refund. If you want to delete your account with NordPass, all this information can be removed.
Logging and audits
NordPass encrypts your data locally, right on your device, before it is sent to NordPass’s servers in the Cloud. Even if NordPass’s servers are hacked, criminals will not be able to view your data.
All your data is automatically updated. You can safely sync your password vault between all your devices and share passwords with people you trust (e.g., your colleagues or family members). Thanks to NordPass’s secure cloud storage, the amount of data you can store is huge.
NordPass was extensively tested during an independent SOC 2 Type 1 security audit in June 2022. This audit assesses password managers by looking at security, availability, process integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. Independent auditing is a great way to check security systems for vulnerabilities. NordPass’s results were very positive.
On top of that, NordPass has a history of responding swiftly to previous points of improvement. After a security audit in 2020, the password manager launched their Trusted Contacts feature for secure password sharing.
The 2020 audit was conducted by Cure53, a cybersecurity company that also audited the popular password manager 1Password.
Ease of Use: How User-Friendly is NordPass?
NordPass is very easy to use, and installing the software is quick and simple in comparison to some other password managers. Even so, there are a couple of drawbacks, like entering your username manually in the browser extension, and this is why we gave the service provider a score of 8.5/10. Here’s what we noted when testing the NordPass password manager:
- The installation process is quick. Uploading data can be done manually, automatically, or by importing it from spreadsheets or other password managers.
- The NordPass website, app, and extensions are all beginner-friendly and easy to navigate. However, with the browser extension, you have to enter your username manually each time.
- You have various payment options at your disposal. NordPass also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and a free trial for Premium and Business features.
- NordPass has different plans for corporate or personal use. The free password manager only lets you be logged in with one device at a time.
- Software is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.
- You can contact NordPass’s customer service via email and live chat.
NordPass’s website and installation process
The NordPass website is well-designed and easy to navigate. The menu at the top of the page takes you to Features, Pricing, Blog, and Help. You also have the option to log into your NordPass account page and access your stored passwords right away. Finally, you can find shortcuts to Nord’s other products: NordVPN and NordLocker (secure cloud storage).
For individual users, NordPass offers three different personal plans: Free, Premium, and Family. For organizations and corporations, NordPass has designed Business and Enterprise plans.
If you want to access NordPass right away, you can navigate to either the Personal or Business page to select your plan.
Want to get started with NordPass? Here’s a step-by-step guide to installing the NordPass Premium software on your PC.
How to install NordPass
- Go to the NordPass website.
- Navigate to the “Pricing” tab at the top of the page and click “Get Premium Plan.”
- Enter your email address, choose your payment option, and add NordVPN and/or NordLocker to your subscription (optional).
- Click on “Continue” for your payment option and complete the payment.
- Go back to the homepage to download the software. Choose your operating system and click “Download.”
- Complete the installation process. You can now use your login details to get started.
You now have access to your own secure online password vault!
NordPass’s browser extensions
Now that you have installed NordPass, it is time to add the browser extension. NordPass offers browser extensions for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Opera.
NordPass certainly scores extra points for this because not all password managers have apps and extensions for so many platforms. With the browser extension, entering and saving passwords (and other information) becomes super fast and safe. Go through the following steps to add the extension:
- Open the NordPass app.
- Go to “Settings.”
- Go to the tab “Browser Extensions.”
- Click the button next to the name of your browser.
- Add the extension to the page you are taken to. You will now see a code. Type this code in the small window that appears.
Your browser extension has now been added. The NordPass browser extension is very effective and works well with all platforms. It’s a convenient and easy way to automatically enter and save your account information for various websites and apps.
The only downside is that you always have to enter your username manually when saving account information.
However, Keeper provides browser extensions to Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera, and Brave, so it may be worth looking into this service provider if you are working with Safari as well.
Software and features
NordPass has apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS. We mainly tested NordPass on a Windows PC, where everything worked fine.
NordPass allows synchronization across all your devices. As long as you know your Master Password, you can access your passwords and data on any device. However, there is a limit to the number of devices you can be logged in to at the same time. With the free version, you can only use NordPass on one device at a time. The premium version lets you log in on six devices at the same time.
The first time you log into your NordPass account, you’re asked if you want to automatically upload all passwords saved in your browser. We definitely recommend doing this. It means you won’t have to manually go through all your accounts one by one (though this is also an option). It’s also possible to import a CSV file or copy data from other password managers.
With NordPass, you can store a total of four types of data:
- Passwords (and their corresponding usernames)
- Secure notes
- Credit card information
- Personal information
Under Shared Items, you can access the information that you’ve chosen to share with others.
You can also choose NordPass’s optional folder system to organize the data you’ve stored in your vault.
Subscriptions and payment options
As stated before, NordPass makes a distinction between Personal and Business plans. You can pay per month, per year, or per two years, which gets you the biggest discount.
NordPass Personal
NordPass has three different plans for Personal use:
- NordPass Free: No charge
- NordPass Premium: from $1.49 per month
- NordPass Family (6 Premium user accounts): from $2.79 per month
NordPass Premium and NordPass Family both come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
NordPass Business
Business packages offer a set of unique features that are very beneficial for corporations, offices, or other kinds of teams working together.
NordPass’s regular Business plan is meant for teams that consist of less than 250 people. Each user will get their own encrypted vault. You can store unlimited passwords, credit cards, and notes. Besides the elements that are part of the Personal NordPass package, the Business plan gives you access to the following features:
- Security Dashboard: A single place where admins and users can check the organization for vulnerabilities and data breaches
- Activity Log: An overview of all user activity for solution owners
- Items Transfer: Allows for quick re-allocation of items in case of employee departure
For Enterprise plans (unlimited number of users), these features are enhanced with various SSO options, shared folders, onboarding services, and a dedicated account manager option.
Pricing is as follows:
- NordPass Business: $3.59 per user/month
- NordPass Enterprise: Price is subject to custom terms
To pay for all of the above subscription plans, you can use the following payment methods:
- Credit card
- Debit card
- Sofort
- PayPal
- Google Play
- Cryptocurrencies
- Amazon Pay
The price for the Business subscription plan is a lot more affordable than the one offered by 1Password, which comes to $7.99 per user per month. However, Keeper also offers a competitive price for its Business plan at $3.75 per user per month, but this is still slightly higher than NordPass.
Free trial
NordPass Free includes a 30-day free trial of Premium features. This is a great way to see if paying for NordPass is worth it. You can see which security features most benefit you and compare them to your experience using the free version.
This is much better than 1Password’s 14-day free trial, as it lets you thoroughly try out all the extra functions offered to Premium users.
Customer service
We have very positive feelings about the customer service at NordPass. First of all, the password manager has a Help tab on their website that provides useful how-to guides and gives you answers to the most frequent questions.
You can also contact NordPass via email or live chat.
We have tested both of these options. Via email, it took four hours before we received help. This is fairly quick for email but not as quick as you might wish. Nonetheless, we received a comprehensive answer to our question, and we found the NordPass employee to be very knowledgeable.
We received a much faster response via live chat. This is the option that we would recommend in case you need help. We got an answer almost immediately after we typed in our question. The agent was very polite and helpful. You can find the NordPass chat option by clicking the chat icon at the bottom right-hand corner of the website.
Final Verdict: Is NordPass Worth It?
NordPass is one of the best password managers of the moment. It’s a very useful and beginner-friendly password manager that we’re very enthusiastic about!
Thanks to its various personal and business plans, there’s something for everyone here. If you’ve never used a secure password manager before, the free version of NordPass is a great start. The NordPass app is straightforward and well-designed. With an automatic password generator, unlimited storage, and strong 256-bit encryption, your passwords and accounts will be kept safe. You have one Master Password that gives access to all your other details.
However, NordPass Premium is a much better fit for optimal security. This plan comes with a password health tool, a data breach scanner, and a recovery code option in case you forget your Master Password. It also lets you share passwords with trusted contacts. Overall, NordPass is a good choice if you want an easy-to-use password manager with several affordable options.
Ready to try NordPass for yourself? Click on the button below.
If you want to discover more information regarding password managers, check the articles below:
- The Best Password Managers: Our Top 5 Picks
- Abine Blur Review: Password Manager Safety at a Cost
- The Best Free Password Managers: Our Top 5
Do you have any questions about NordPass? Click on the question to see the answer!
NordPass is a password manager: a virtual vault in which you can store your passwords securely, using encryption. With a password manager you only need to remember one Master Password to access all your other passwords. You’ll never have to remember an infinite amount of account information again.
Yes, NordPass has a free version. This plan comes with all the basic features, including a password generator and unlimited storage. However, if you want to use it on more than one device at the same time, you will need NordPass Premium. Subscriptions start at $1.99 per month.
The paid version offers many useful extra (security) options, such as password health checks and a data breach scanner. You can also share data securely with other users.
First, you have to download the NordPass app on your PC or smartphone. Then, you can import your passwords from your browser or another password manager. If you use the password manager on your PC, you can also download the browser extension. This allows you to save all your new account details with a few clicks and easily enter them on websites and apps.
Yes, NordPass is very safe. The password manager encrypts your data with 256-bit encryption (XChaCha20). Even if criminals get their hands on your data, it will take the average PC hundreds of years to decrypt it. NordPass has also adopted a zero-knowledge policy. This means that even NordPass can’t see or retrieve your data.
