Passwords are extremely important in a world where we have more accounts than we know what to do with. Many of us likely have multiple email accounts, social media accounts, an Amazon and Netflix account, and tons and tons of other things. That also means that we either have more passwords than we're able to keep up with, or we use the same two or three passwords for everything on the internet, neither of which is a good idea.

That's where password managers come in. Instead of having to remember every single password for every single account you own, you'll only have to remember one password for your password manager, and it stores your passwords for everything else. Using a password manager is great for your account security, and it's incredibly convenient for anyone with tons and tons of accounts.

Like anything else, though, there are plenty of password managers to choose from on Android. In this guide, we'll go over the best of what's available to get you started and stay more secure than ever.

Free and simple – LastPass

LastPass is an extremely popular choice that's been around for a while. It covers all the bases of what most people look for in a password manager, and it does it without being too flashy or without too many excessive features.

You set up LastPass with a single master password, then begin storing your passwords in its database. For the security-minded, LastPass uses 256-bit AES encryption and handles all of the encrypting and decrypting locally, not in the cloud. That's a fairly secure way of doing things, and since LastPass did, unfortunately, deal with a small hack in the middle of 2015, they've since ramped up measures to keep everything safe and secure. When storing passwords, LastPass also offers a very powerful and flexible password generator so you aren't using simple phrases that would be easy to guess for anyone trying to break into your accounts. You can adjust the parameters of this generator, too, including adjusting the length of the password and what kinds of characters are included. Some sites won't accept passwords with certain special characters, so this ends up being necessary for some logins.

Besides technical security, LastPass offers some cool features that you'll actually notice while using it. The interface is quick and easy to navigate, and everything can be categorized and sorted by custom labels and folders, making it extremely easy to find a particular password. You can also secure the app with a fingerprint or other biometric verification for an additional layer of security, so you won't actually need to punch in your password every time you want to access your password bank. Just don't forget that master password.

Passwords aren't the only thing that LastPass is good for, though, since the app has added the ability to store a few other things in its database. You can create secure notes and form fills, which include things like addresses and credit card numbers. Most browsers support this to an extent, but none are blocked behind heavy security and encryption like LastPass. You can also share certain folders and passwords with other users (say you have a shared Netflix account for everyone in your family) and there's an option to set up an emergency contact in case someone else needed to get ahold of your passwords for any reason. If you're extremely privacy-conscious, there's also a LastPass browser and keyboard that are extremely barebones but don't track or store any info from you. LastPass offers an authenticator app, too, which is useful to mutli-step authentication on apps that support it.

LastPass has recently shifted to a free model with a premium subscription for additional features. The free tier still stores all of your passwords and is accessible across all devices, and you still get the password generator, secure notes, and MFA. Paying for the $36 annual premium tier unlocks the emergency access feature, more MFA options, and gives you 1GB of encrypted file storage, and for an extra $1 per month you can have a family plan that works for 6 different people, plus all of the previous features.

Key items:

• Basic plan is free, premium is $36 per month
• All platform support
• Biometric security support
• Free features
• Passwords accessible across devices
• Supports Android's autofill feature

Play Store Download Link

Tons of polish – Dashlane

Dashlane is the most similar and most competitive service to LastPass, offering a slightly more polished experience with a few extra features for more money. The concept is still the same; create a master password for your account, then begin storing your passwords, notes, and payment methods. The service secures everything with 256-bit AES encryption and takes security very seriously.

One area where Dashlane has a leg up is in its interface, however. Dashlane sticks to its own rules and made an extremely polished UI that's simple to navigate around, and actually looks like one of the best-designed apps around, not just against other password managers. Android also sports a floating bubble on-screen to help you quickly punch in info if you don't want to use the system-wide autofill feature, but Dashlane does support that to make things a little easier. You'll still get the fingerprint authentication that's offered in other apps, plus password generators, note storage, and all the other standard features.

Where Dashlane really shines is with its extra, automated features. The digital wallet offered is one of the most unique things on our list, which gives you a way to quickly store your payment information to input on shopping sites. However, the digital wallet also takes a screenshot of receipts and itemizes what you've been buying, which helps you keep track of what you've purchased and where your money is going. Most of us probably just trash those receipt emails in our inbox, but Dashlane autonomously takes care of that for you.

The app also audits your security for you, tracking any site that you have stored on your account. It gives out a security score that lets you know how well you're doing with your passwords, and if you've got some weak passwords, gives you a quick way to change them to something more secure. It also lets you know when you're reusing passwords across websites, which is probably the biggest mistake we all make. Dashlane offers bulk, automated password changing on supported websites, so it can even update your passwords without you having to do anything. If an account that you use is breached, it will also proactively alert you to the breach to get your password changed ASAP.

Here's the kicker for Dashlane: it's $39.99 per year. There aren't any options for monthly subs, and compared to something like LastPass, it can be tough to justify that kind of premium over a fully functional free option. You can use the free version if you don't want device syncing, so if you're only looking for password management on a single device, it's fine, but I feel like most of us at least have another laptop or tablet around that could benefit from syncing. It's also capped at 50 passwords, which may or may not be usable. That's not to say that it isn't worth it at $40 for 12 months, because the app does offer some extremely useful features that you can't get anywhere else, but the price tag clearly won't be for everyone. Dashlane does now offer a VPN included in that subscription, which might sweeten the deal enough for some users to jump over.

Key items:

• $39 per year
• Better interface, more features
• Biometric security support
• Integrated browser; floating app on Android
• Automatic password change in bulk with security audits
• Includes VPN

Play Store Download Link

Polished alternative – 1Password

1Password is a slightly more simplified way to keep your passwords in sync, and it offers something a little more streamlined than other apps on this list. But it doesn't sacrifice the important stuff, either, which makes it a compelling alternative if you're willing to spend a little money.

The app stores passwords, payment methods, and other info, and actually offers a pretty great interface that's better than some of the other less expensive options. It does take a different approach to syncing your information that doesn't involve storing anything about you, so if you're looking for a nearly-completely offline approach to storing your passwords, this is it. Like other apps on this list, it also utilizes AES-256 bit encryption.

1Password also does something pretty nifty with multi-factor authentication, however, called their Secret Key. The trick to MFA is that you'll need something you know (your password) along with something you have (like your phone, or an authenticator app) to add more layers to the login process. You can set this up with your master password for 1Password and have a significantly more secure experience.

Additionally, 1Password offers a travel mode to help you cross borders safely, a 365-day history to recover deleted passwords, and support for all major platforms and browsers. It also has a Watchtower feature that monitors for breaches that may have your info in them.

Pricing is pretty similar to Dashlane, however, so these two apps feel very close in terms of features. 1Password is maybe a little faster and easier to navigate and use, but Dashlane is prettier and has its automated security stuff for a little more cash.

Key items:

• $2.99 per month, when billed annually
• Secure browser
• Excellent interface
• Secret Key authentication for login
• Travel Mode removes sensitive data when travelling

Play Store Download Link

Totally offline – Password Safe

Password Safe is an Android-only, totally offline solution for storing your passwords. It's a heavily Material Design-inspired app with just a few extra features, so if you need something simple and lightweight, this is it.

The app secures everything behind your master password using 256-bit encryption, and it's totally offline so there's no risk of anything getting compromised over the internet. It offers a password generator that you can even use from a widget on your home screen, and it organizes and stores everything for you locally with no internet access or unnecessary Android permissions. For someone that relies heavily on their Android phone without needing a tablet or a computer, this is the way to go.

The Pro version offers some useful extra features, like fingerprint authentication, attaching pictures to entries, custom entry fields, automatic logout, and a unique self-destruct feature for a very powerful layer of security. The app does also support exporting its database, which you can then upload to Dropbox/Drive/etc. which allows for manually backing up and restoring your info, but since it doesn't have internet permissions in Android, that's the extent of its syncing and backup functionality.

Password Safe only costs $5.99 for the Pro features, which is by far the cheapest solution on this list. It's customizable, it's secure, and it takes Google's design to heart, so there's a lot to like even if it's short on the feature list.

Key items:

• One-time payment
• Offline storage, no risk of being hacked
• Material design
• Widget support
• Biometric security support
• Self-destruct feature

Play Store Download Link

This list covers most of the popular and secure password managers available in Google's Play Store, including some of the better free, paid, and subscription models.

Did we miss any of your favorites? Drop a comment and let us know.

Updated August 2019 with current information and updated pricing.