Dashlane, one of the popular password-management services, has announced some changes to its free plan that will affect its existing and new users. Starting from November, the free plan will only allow users to save up to 25 passwords and will not offer any email or chat support. The company says that these adjustments are necessary to provide additional protection to its users as password and data theft become more sophisticated.
Why Dashlane is Changing Its Free Plan
According to a post by Dashlane’s Chief Product Officer Donald Hasson, the company is making these changes to its free plan as part of its efforts to evolve its product and meet the growing security needs of its users. He wrote:
As tactics and technology for password and data theft evolve, so does the need for additional protection. As we continue to work to evolve our product, we’re making adjustments to Dashlane’s Free plan starting this November.
Hasson also mentioned that Dashlane’s free plan will still offer its full set of features for each saved login, including its recent addition of support for passkeys, which are one-time passwords that can be used instead of regular passwords for some sites. However, users who have saved more than 25 accounts will not be able to save any new ones after November 7. They will also lose access to email and chat support after December 7.
How Users Can Upgrade to Premium Plans
Dashlane is offering a 55% discount for users who want to upgrade to its premium plans before the changes take effect. Users can choose between Dashlane Premium ($59.88 per year) or Dashlane Friends & Family ($79.88 per year for 10 accounts). These plans offer unlimited password storage, sync across devices, VPN, dark web monitoring, identity theft protection, and priority support.
Users can also opt for a monthly or biennial subscription, but they will not get the same discount as the annual plans. Users can compare the different plans and pricing on Dashlane’s website.
How Dashlane Compares to Other Password Managers
Dashlane is not the first password manager to scale back its free tier in recent years. LastPass, another popular service, drastically reduced the utility of its free version in 2021 by limiting it to one device type and removing some features. However, LastPass has also faced some security breaches since then, which may have eroded its trust among users.
On the other hand, 1Password, one of LastPass’s chief competitors, has never offered a free plan and instead relies on a subscription-only model. The company claims that this approach ensures that it stays focused on its customers and their needs.
Among free password managers, Bitwarden remains our Editors’ Choice pick. It is an open-source service that allows unlimited password storage, sync across devices, two-factor authentication, password generator, and password sharing. It also offers a premium plan for $10 per year that adds features like encrypted file storage, emergency access, priority support, and more.
Why Users Should Not Abandon Password Managers
Regardless of which password manager users choose, they should not respond to Dashlane’s move by abandoning password managers entirely. Any good password manager, even the free ones that Apple and Google build into their software, will make users safer online by memorizing complex and unique passwords for each site.
Just as important, letting a password manager save existing passwords allows it to warn users about any reused passwords—a bad habit that hackers regularly exploit, as seen in the recent breach of accounts at the DNA-testing service 23andMe.
