NordPass review | ITProPortal

Using the same password for every online account poses a security risk but, unless you’re some sort of genius, remembering different credentials every time is almost impossible. That’s where the best password managers come in handy—useful apps that help generate and securely store all of your passwords. 

As demand for password managers has increased, so too has the competition. In our NordPass review, we look at the strengths and weaknesses of one of the most popular password managers on the market to help you decide if it’s right for you.

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NordPass: Plans and pricing

The best value Premium NordPass package has a two-year commitment  (Image credit: NordPass)

With NordPass, the longer you’re willing to commit, the less you’ll have to pay. New users who are happy to commit to a two-year plan will get a 50% discount, which is the best price NordPass has to offer newcomers. 

However, if you go with the two-year plan, you’ll be expected to pay upfront—a cost of $59.76. And once the two years are up, it will automatically renew at the full price of $119.76. 

Although you can cancel this renewal, the process is a bit laborious. You’ll be asked to confirm your decision a couple of times on the site and then again by clicking an email link.

It’s worth noting that NordPass has a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is reassuring if you try it and then decide you don’t want it. It also offers a ‘free for a lifetime’ option, which enables users to save unlimited passwords as well as store notes and credit card details.

Features

NordPass review - NordPass' webpage discussing its features

NordPass comes with several features to help optimize your online security (Image credit: NordPass)

With NordPass, there’s an easy-to-use auto-fill feature that’s compatible with most devices, so you don’t have to open the NordPass app to find a password. It’s a good feature, but it isn’t perfect. For example, it doesn’t always offer to enter a password on an iPhone, which means you do then have to go to the app and search for it. This doesn’t happen often, but it’s frustrating when it does. 

NordPass comes with a password generator that works on both desktop and mobile. If you have the Chrome plugin for NordPass, it will even detect when you’re creating a new account. and will suggest a strong password without being prompted. 

One of NordPass’s features, separate from data storage, is the Data Breach Scanner. This cross-references your email addresses with any known leaks and breaches to see if your accounts or personal information have been compromised. When it comes to knowing which passwords need changing, this is really helpful. 

Similar to the Data Breach Scanner, the Password Health tool will look at your passwords to determine which of your passwords are either old, have been reused across multiple accounts, or are simply too weak to provide reliable security. 

As well as storing passwords, NordPass can be used to store sensitive notes and credit card information. The notes function is helpful if you need to remember something that you don’t want to write on a piece of paper, such as your bank or passport details. Being able to store your credit card details is also handy if you’re shopping online but don’t have your card with you.

However, the free version lacks secure password sharing, the Trusted Contacts option, and the Password Health and Data Breach Scanner functions. And although it will sync data across devices, it won’t keep you signed in on them. So if you sign in on a laptop, you’ll be automatically logged out of any other device.

Interface and in use

NordPass review - NordPass' homepage, showing the user interface mocked up on a Macbook

The NordPass user interface is modern and easy to navigate (Image credit: NordPass)

NordPass’s user interface sports a slick and easy-to-use design that’s similar across all platforms. There are also plugins available for Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge, all of which will enhance the online user experience. 

Setting up NordPass across your devices is easy. All you have to do is sign up for an account, download the software, and start saving your passwords. If you’re migrating from another platform, you can even import passwords from your old password manager. 

Otherwise, NordPass will learn your passwords whenever you sign in to an account that it doesn’t have a record of. 

Support

NordPass review - NordPass' online knowledge base for support

As well as an extensive knowledge base, NordPass has an AI chatbot that will connect you to a human if needed (Image credit: NordPass)

If you’re ever having trouble with NordPass, you can refer to its knowledge bank, which has answers for most issues. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, then there’s an AI chatbot that will aim to answer your questions. And if that can’t, it will connect you to a human. 

We tried speaking to the chatbot about the auto-renewal policy, and because it couldn’t answer our questions, it connected us with an advisor. Within seconds they provided clear and concise information on the policy and how to cancel the auto-renew feature. 

Security

NordPass review - NordPass' webpage promoting its security features

NordPass uses XChaCha20 encryption to protect your data (Image credit: NordPass)

NordPass boasts an XChaCha20 encryption algorithm, which it claims is also used by tech giants such as Google. According to NordPass, most other password managers use AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) 256-bit encryption, which is a recognized security standard. 

However, NordPass also claims that AES 256 has shown signs that it may be crackable in the future, and so it uses XChaCha20 to future-proof its platform against potential threats.

The competition

Dashlane is a comparably good service that costs $3.33 a month and, although that’s a little more expensive, there’s no two-year commitment. Meanwhile, RoboForm costs just $17.90 for a whole year, which is equal to $1.49 a month. 

Although this price is part of an introductory offer that includes a 25% discount, even the full cost of $23.88 a year (or $1.99 a month) is cheaper than both NordPass and Dashlane. 

Of these two competitors, Dashlane is the most advanced. It comes with a virtual private network (VPN) and instantly alerts users if it detects a data breach. RoboForm, on the other hand, is a little more basic, but it’s still a great password manager for anyone that doesn’t need all the bells and whistles. 

Read our Dashlane review to learn more about the password manager.

Final verdict

NordPass is a great password manager with future-proofed encryption that you can rely on to protect your data, passwords, and credit cards.

Whilst it’s a shame that users can’t benefit from a loyalty discount once their introductory offer has expired, the additional tools that NordPass provides may make the premium price tag worth it.

If you’re looking for a password manager that can do a little more than simply store your passwords, you can’t go wrong with NordPass. And at the very least, you have a 30-day money-back guarantee to see if you like it.

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