LastPass vs KeePass: which password manager is right for you?

Both KeePass and LastPass are well-known, powerful, and safe password managers. Both KeePass and LastPass keep your login information safe, but they are set up and used in very different ways. Advisor compared KeePass and LastPass based on a number of factors, such as how easy they are to use, how much they cost, what platforms they work on, what encryption standards they use, and what kinds of business features they offer.

We tell you everything you need to know to choose the best password manager for you. LastPass and KeePass are two of the most secure password managers you can buy. Both offer very strong basic security, come with impressive extras, and have free versions that are quite large. So, I compared the two products based on a number of factors, such as security, basic features, extras, price, ease of use, and customer service. Both programs have 256-bit AES encryption, a password generator, and support for advanced authentication options like TOTP and USB.

LastPass and KeePass, on the other hand, are very different in most ways. One thing I like about LastPass is that its apps and browser extensions are easy to use. It also has more features and useful extras, like the ability to recover more than one account and share passwords. KeePass, on the other hand, is an open-source and free password manager, but its interface is very old and can be hard for new users to set up.

LastPass vs KeePass Pricing

We usually have a “free plan” round when we compare password managers, but for this match, we are putting it into the “price” round. That’s because there are no prices for KeePass. It’s completely free, and the only way to help the people who make it is through a button on the website that lets you make a donation.

But that doesn’t mean that KeePass is the winner for sure. LastPass beat KeePass in our guide to the best free password manager. That’s because LastPass’s free plan, which includes mobile apps, can sync with more than one device at once. These features are also in KeePass, but they can only be accessed through third-party add-ons and unofficial ports.

If you pay for LastPass, you can also share passwords with other people and have your desktop automatically fill in passwords. Also, people who pay for LastPass Premium get priority support. With KeePass, the only way to get help is through the community forums.

If KeePass were up against any other password manager, it would be easy to choose it because, well, it’s free. Given how much LastPass’s free plan includes, though, we are going to give it the win for this round.

LastPass vs KeePass: Comparison Table

LastPass vs KeePass Data storage

LastPass and KeePass can also be used to store sensitive files in a secure way. You can store as many passwords as you want with LastPass, which is great if you use different passwords for each account. For everything else, how much you can store will depend on your plan. Free users of LastPass only get 50MB, but Premium and Family users get 1GB. In any case, each file can’t be bigger than 10MB. The low limit means that you won’t have any trouble storing passwords and documents, but you won’t be able to store videos or other things that take up a lot of space.

The Attachments feature in KeePass lets you store documents, files, and pictures. But the password manager doesn’t say much about how much it can store. But KeePass’s creator, Dominic Reichl, has said that it wasn’t made to store large attachments and that the largest file it can hold is about 4GB. And you might want to take him at his word, since users have said that when they store larger attachments, they run into different problems.

LastPass vs KeePass Security

LastPass uses cloud servers to store your password vault. As part of its zero-knowledge policy, LastPass encrypts your data on your device before sending it to its servers. So, LastPass only gets encrypted data that even its own staff can’t read. Your master password is the only way to get into the encrypted data. But if you forget your master password, LastPass gives you more ways to get back into your account than most other services.

Among these are one-time password recovery, SMS recovery, and biometric verification for mobile account recovery. KeePass uses 256-bit AES encryption to make sure that even if your account is hacked, your data is still safe.

Also, KeePass stores all of your information locally on your device instead of sending it to a cloud server run by the company. You can connect it to third-party cloud services like Amazon SES, Google Drive, and others, though. This means that there isn’t a single cloud server where all KeePass users’ databases are stored. This reduces the risk of cyberattacks and data breaches.

LastPass vs KeePass Features

You can store your passwords in a digital vault that you can make with LastPass. A master password that you choose keeps people from getting into the vault. To make a strong master password, you should use a mix of letters, symbols, and numbers. You could also use a hard-to-guess phrase, like “The U.S. is a big country.”

In the same way, KeePass lets you store passwords and other sensitive information in an encrypted file. A master password or a key file is used to protect this file. One big difference between LastPass and KeePass is that LastPass can be accessed via the web, mobile apps, and desktop apps, but KeePass can only be accessed via a desktop app.

The only operating system that can be used with the KeePass desktop app is Windows. There is no version for macOS, but you can run the Windows app on Linux, Solaris, BSD, or other Unix-like desktop operating systems by using the Wine emulator.

Both KeePass and LastPass keep your passwords in a safe place on your device. KeePass, on the other hand, doesn’t store encrypted copies of your passwords in the cloud like LastPass does. This means that if your local storage gets messed up, you can get your LastPass passwords back, but not with KeePass.

One thing that makes KeePass special is that it has an ecosystem of plugins and extensions that add more features. One example is a browser extension that gets passwords from KeePass and automatically fills them in. Another example is an extension that lets you import vaults from other password management apps.

LastPass vs KeePass Password sharing

LastPass has a feature that makes it easy to share passwords. But there are some rules that come with the feature. First of all, those on the Free and Premium plans can’t use it, which is a shame. Those on the Family plan can share passwords with up to 6 other people. The number of users is limited to 50 on the Teams plan, but there is no limit on the Business plan.

In stark contrast, KeePass doesn’t have any tools or features for sharing passwords. In this case, the only quick fix is to set up a shared database and give the master password to all the users who need it. It’s not safe, easy, or convenient, but it’s the best way to get around the problem.

Overall, LastPass is the winner. Even though its feature for sharing passwords isn’t perfect, it’s still a lot better than KeePass, which has no secure ways to share passwords. Check out our list of the best password managers for families if you want to find the best password manager for your whole family.

LastPass vs KeePass Data encryption

KeePass is a free password manager whose database is kept safe by using encryption. Users can choose between AES encryption (256-bit key) and Twofish encryption (256-bit key + 128-bit blocks), both of which use different encryption algorithms. The public and businesses can both use these encryption methods, and users can choose which level of security is best for them.

LastPass uses 256-bit AES encryption and rounds of PBKDF2-SHA256 with one-way salted hashes to protect its data from brute-force attacks. Simply put, its encryption makes its data very safe and protects users from having their data stolen while they sync. Also, LastPass can’t even see the passwords of its users because they are encrypted by JavaScript and the application.

LastPass: Pros and Cons

KeePass: Pros and Cons

Which one should you consider?

Both LastPass and KeePass are good tools, but we think LastPass is better. One reason is that it is much easier to use than KeePass. LastPass can be accessed through the web, mobile apps, and desktop apps. KeePass, on the other hand, can only be accessed through a desktop app. LastPass is also easier to use than KeePass because of how its interface is set up.

The main benefit of KeePass over LastPass is that it’s free, but this is more of a per-user benefit. Businesses with enough money for IT will be better off paying for LastPass, where there is a support team you can reach out to if something goes wrong. If you don’t have much money, you should use a free tool like KeePass, but if you can afford it, LastPass is the best choice.

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