Meet Maggie, PCMag'sAmid near-constant data breaches, phishing attempts, and online scams, a password manager that generates and stores unique, strong passwords and passkeys is essential. Dashlane can do all of the above, plus it comes with high-quality extras, like dark web monitoring, phishing alerts, and VPN access. It's also the most expensive password management app we've reviewed, and it only offers annual subscriptions. Don't let that scare you away, though: Dashlane's apps performed smoothly in testing, and all of its features are easy to use. That said, our Editors' Choice winners remain Proton Pass, which is free and lets you create email aliases, and NordPass, thanks to its excellent sharing options and intuitive app.
Dashlane used to offer free password storage, but discontinued this in 2025. It's disappointing, but over the past few years, quite a few password management companies whittled down their free offerings. For example, Keeper, LastPass, and NordPass offer free plans, but you can use a feature-limited version of the app on only one device. That said, some companies are still serving customers for free. Bitwarden, LogMeOnce, and Editors' Choice winner Proton Pass all offer fully featured, totally free versions of their popular premium services.
Dashlane Premium is $59.88 annually, though new customers and former free subscribers can subscribe for $30. The plan includes VPN access, a password hygiene dashboard, dark web monitoring, phishing alerts, and secure sharing options. The Friends and Family account costs $89.88 annually for up to 10 people and includes all Premium features except VPN access.
Dashlane used to offer a 30-day free trial for the premium personal password manager, but recently switched to a 14-day free trial for new accounts. All features, except VPN, are available for trial accounts. If you're looking for a longer trial period, Keeper offers 30 days of its premium features.
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Proton Pass
Dashlane's paid plans are pretty expensive compared with other password managers. For example, a similar tier from Bitwarden costs just $10 annually, while Keeper costs $35 per year.
Dashlane has apps for Android and iOS. Its browser extension supports Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, and Chromium-based browsers.
Start by setting up an account via your web browser. Enter your email, then choose to either create a strong master password, use a hardware security key, or set up passwordless login with a six-digit PIN you'll enter whenever you sign in.
Passwordless Logins
I opted to create a passcode, and Dashlane let me set a pretty insecure one (333333) for my account. An on-screen warning asks you not to create a passcode using consecutive numbers, but it won't stop you from doing so. If you frequently use a shared computer or other device, make your PIN as complex as possible, or use a hardware security key or a master password to log in.
The PIN is device-specific, so you must create a new passcode for your mobile app or for use with the password manager in other browsers. For example, I evaluated Dashlane using two browsers and an iPhone, so I created three (identical) passcodes to log in to my test account.
I asked a Dashlane spokesperson whether the development team plans to add stricter passcode rules in future updates. They replied, "With a passwordless account, because the local device PIN code (something you know) is combined with a physical device (something you have), the need for a unique or strong PIN is reduced. Most cyberattacks are remote, such as phishing. Phishing attacks on a PIN code are ineffective as the attacker must also possess or have access to the user’s device."
It appears the company is placing responsibility for account security on the customer while addressing the "what password should I use for my password manager?" question, which is certainly a tough problem to solve.
Right now, Dashlane's login solution is still imperfect. Here's a scenario that explains why: You install Dashlane's browser extension on a desktop computer at home or work, and get up to leave for a minute or two. Then someone, maybe your kid, or your biggest hater in the office, comes along to unlock the extension using six repeating characters. It's not something that will happen to everyone, but it's a scenario that could be avoided by using a traditional login with multi-factor authentication or by using more complex passcodes.
Another issue I ran into while logging in with a passcode is accessing my vault outside the office. That's because, if you log out of your Dashlane account on a device, you'll need a logged-in device to access your vault. So, if, like me, you're logged into your Dashlane account on a desktop computer, but you need to use Dashlane while you're out and about, you won't be able to access your vault on your phone without entering your account recovery key. That means you'll need to carry your 28-digit recovery key or memorize it, which seems like a big undertaking.
A few final login thoughts: You can still enter two-factor codes from an authenticator app when logging in with a master password at signup, which is great. That said, if you want to switch from a traditional master password login to a passwordless login, you'll need to create a new account, which isn't ideal. The Dashlane spokesperson told me that customers will be able to migrate their traditional login accounts to passwordless accounts later this year.
Vault Setup
After signing up, create the account recovery key mentioned above. Dashlane recommends saving it on a separate device as a "break glass in case of emergency" option to access your account. I like that Dashlane asked me to verify that I had saved the recovery key and emphasized that the company cannot access my vault if I lose access to it.
Follow the on-screen tutorial to set up your vault. Dashlane walks you through adding your first login, downloading a browser extension, and installing a mobile app.
You can import any credentials you have stored in your browser’s password manager or from competitors if you are switching password managers. Dashlane accepts credential lists from competitors like Bitwarden and LastPass, but if your old password manager isn't on the list, you can always just upload a CSV containing your logins. If you're like me and you have a lot of online accounts, you can organize your credentials within your vault using Dashlane’s Collections feature, which sorts your logins into different categories, like Entertainment or Shopping.
If you're using an iOS device, Dashlane lets you import your passkeys, passwords, and other data without uploading a CSV file, which is helpful. I was able to transfer my Apple Passwords logins to my Dashlane vault with a tap or two, which is great.
Before evaluating a password manager, I send a list of questions to the parent company inquiring about its privacy and security practices. I do this because I think it's important to understand how companies are handling your data. I've included Dashlane's responses to my questions below.
Has your company ever had a security breach?
No.
(Editors' Note: In June 2026, a hacker exploited a security gap in Dashlane's login system and stole customers' encrypted vaults. Fewer than 20 accounts were affected by the attack.)
What unencrypted information does the password manager store in customer vaults?
None – all vault information is encrypted. Audit logs for business customers are also encrypted.
What is the company's policy regarding master passwords?
Dashlane has no knowledge of or ability to access any passwords. Dashlane is built with a zero-knowledge architecture, meaning passwords are saved and stored only on user devices and never shared with or stored in clear on Dashlane servers. Only the authorized user on a validated device can access their vault data.
At account creation, we use the zxcvbn algorithm to evaluate the complexity and enforce a minimum strength for master passwords. If we detect the user has a master password that has been part of a public breach, we inform the user.
What is the company's policy regarding user data collection and data sales?
Collection is strictly limited to data required to establish and manage user accounts, such as a user email and payment information (although payment information is processed by third parties such as Stripe). We do not know anything about what sites individual users interact with on Dashlane (e.g., whether they have a credential for Amazon or on what pages they autofill forms), but we do collect information about individual users’ use of Dashlane itself (e.g., what features they have activated, how long have they had an account, how many credentials are in their vault, what devices are validated, and what language should communications be in) which is used to provide support and contextual in-app messaging.
We do not sell personal data, nor do we allow vendors who process data on our behalf to use our data for any purposes other than the provision of services to us. We regularly review our data sharing practices to ensure that we are only sharing what is needed for our vendors to perform their assigned functions.
How does your company protect customer data?
We rely on best-in-class cryptographic primitives to manage vault encryption. We use Argon2, the winner of the Password Hashing Competition, to generate an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256-bit key for encryption and decryption of the user’s personal data on the user’s device. We encrypt all data in our customers’ vaults, not just passwords. This includes Secure Notes, domains, and more.
Access to a user’s data requires that user’s Master Password, which is only known by the user and never stored on Dashlane servers or transmitted over the internet, or the unique combination of a verified device and biometric verification that underlies our passwordless logins experience.
How does your company respond to requests for customer information from governments and law enforcement?
We only provide information under a subpoena or equivalent demand. We verify all such requests prior to responding. Because of our zero-knowledge architecture, we do not (and cannot) provide any information about the subject user’s vault. We provide only basic account information responsive to the relevant order (e.g., email, existence of account, date of last activity).
Dashlane's answers to my questions align with the company's privacy policy. I encourage anyone looking for a new password manager to browse privacy policies to learn more about how companies collect, sell, or store your data.
Anyone who can guess, hack, or steal your master password or PIN can access your vault. As noted in the Getting Started section, you can create a device-specific passcode to log into your account, a master password, or use a hardware security key. If you choose to use a simple master password, I encourage you to add another layer of protection to your vault by enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA).
You can attach an authenticator app to your account by visiting the Settings menu, entering your recovery phone number, and attaching the authenticator. I created two accounts during this evaluation period: one for passwordless logins and one for traditional logins. I didn't have trouble accessing my account using either method.
In theory, using MFA should provide an additional layer of security for your account, since you'll enter the MFA codes after entering your master password. However, Dashlane's security incident in June 2026 stemmed from the company allowing certain accounts to access encrypted vault data without requiring a master password. Hackers were able to guess the six-digit MFA codes provided either by Dashlane or an authenticator app and gained access to customers' data. You can read about Dashlane's ongoing response to the security incident here.
Password Health
Dashlane's Password Health tool makes it easy to identify and change any compromised, reused, or weak passwords in your vault. You can also exclude certain credentials from monitoring. This option is useful if you don't want to change a reused password because you're sharing it with someone else. Make sure the password is long, strong, and uncompromised, though.
Phishing Scam Protection
Dashlane's AI-powered anti-phishing and scam protection feature will show a pop-up warning if you try to paste your credentials into a website whose address doesn't match the URL in your vault. I didn't trigger one of these alerts during my browsing session.
Dark Web Monitoring
You can use Dashlane to monitor up to five email addresses for dark web activity. I like that Dashlane email me to let me know the address had been enrolled in the monitoring service. It's a nice security measure that can keep ne'er-do-wells from monitoring your addresses without your knowledge or consent.
VPN Access
Dashlane's VPN is available only to premium (non-trial) subscribers and is powered by Hotspot Shield VPN. I tested the app using a trial account, so I didn't test the VPN capabilities. You can read our review of HotSpot Shield VPN to learn more about the service.
Activity Log
Another notable Dashlane security feature is the activity log. Go to Settings > Security > Manage Activity on the web or mobile app to view it. From there, you can view which devices have been authorized to access your Dashlane vault and when they last logged in. Notice a login time or device you don’t recognize? You can remove its access with just a tap or rename it to something more familiar.
I tested Dashlane using the web vault, Chrome and Firefox browser extensions, and the iOS app.
Password Capture and Replay
I had no trouble logging in with my existing credentials using Dashlane. Like most password managers, Dashlane captures passwords as you log in around the web. Use this feature by logging in to a site as you normally would, then accept Dashlane's pop-up prompt to save the login to your vault.
Click in an empty field on the account-creation page of your choice. If you have multiple email addresses associated with logins in your vault, Dashlane will ask you which email address you'd like to use to fill the username field. Choose, then tap the password field to generate a new password. Click Save to store the new credential in your vault.
Password Generator
Dashlane’s generator creates credentials using 16 characters by default. I recommend creating passwords with at least 20 characters, including letters, digits, and symbols. There's also a passphrase generator that makes your credentials a little more memorable but still hard to crack. Dashlane's password and passphrase generators are uniform across all platforms.
Dashlane has a password history feature that lets you view previous versions of your credentials and passwords that the app generated but didn't use. This feature is helpful when you accidentally close the app without saving your new password on a website.
Passkey Support
Dashlane also allows you to create and store passkeys in your vault. Create a passkey by visiting a website that uses passkeys, such as Adobe or Google. Sign in using a username and password, then set up a passkey in your account settings menu. After completing the passkey setup, log out of the website, return to the sign-in screen, and choose "Sign in with passkey."
Storage and Form Filling
Dashlane’s Personal Info section is where you can fill in data about yourself to help the password manager fill in forms for you across the web. You can add multiple entries for each info category.
Sometimes fiddling with browser permissions is necessary to get password managers to override Google Chrome's built-in password manager, but Dashlane handled form filling easily. While testing the app, I filled in the login fields by tapping the Dashlane logo.
There's also a Secure Notes section where you can keep private text. You can attach files to these notes, too. The maximum file upload size is 15MB, and you can store up to 1GB of files in your account. Previously, you could add more security to this section by locking entries with a PIN, but that feature is no longer available.
The app lets you add bank account information and credit and debit card details. A separate ID section lets you store a driver's license, ID card, passport, Social Security number, or tax number.
Sharing and Emergency Access
Sharing credentials is straightforward with Dashlane. You can share login information or anything else stored in your vault with anyone’s email address. After tapping the vault item and choosing Share from the pop-up menu, choose the level of access to grant to the recipient after they've signed up for a Dashlane account. Be careful! If you grant someone full access, they can revoke your access.
In the event of your inevitable demise, you can let someone else access your credentials. Unfortunately, Dashlane’s password inheritance system isn’t very straightforward.
Dashlane requires a multi-step process to access your data. You must set up and store a Dash file containing your encrypted vault data somewhere accessible to whoever you wish to access it. You also need to give your loved one a password to unlock the Dash file.
This system is a good way to ensure that your data is accessible only to the people you want to have access to it. However, many things can happen in emergencies. If your Dash file is on a USB thumb drive at the bottom of a box in your basement at the time of your incapacitation, your data may be lost to your loved ones forever.
LogMeOnce includes a helpful system to give a trusted friend or relative emergency access to your accounts. You can even include a note with instructions for your loved ones so they can shut down your accounts.
Mobile Apps
For mobile device testing, I used Dashlane's iOS app. The company also offers an Android app. Both apps are well-organized and easy to navigate. The Tools section of the app eliminates the need to hunt through a settings menu for features such as dark web monitoring, the password health tool, credential sharing, and VPN access.
I didn't have trouble setting up auto-filling on my iPhone. If you're unsure how to access the autofill settings on your device, don't worry, Dashlane will pull up the correct menus for you, which is ideal. The Android and iOS Dashlane apps offer biometric authentication and the same autofill capabilities as the browser extensions.
Dashlane can also serve as an authenticator app. The Dashlane Authenticator is similar to Google Authenticator or 2FAS, generating 6-digit one-time-use codes to verify your identity wherever MFA is available. Just use your phone to scan a QR code or enter the setup code provided by the website to link your account to the Dashlane Authenticator.
Business Plans
Dashlane's business password management plan costs $96 per seat annually. In addition to autofilling and storing unlimited passwords, Dashlane Business accounts include dark web monitoring, password health monitoring, unlimited credential storage and sharing controls, expanded monitoring, SSO and SCIM integrations, SIEM provisioning, and VPN access across an unlimited number of devices.
You can also pay a little more for Dashlane's newest business plan, Omnix ($132 per user annually), which adds AI phishing alerts, automated risk detection, and automated responses.
Omnix's interesting features include a credential risk detection system that monitors employees' password habits. There are also Nudges, which are automated, personalized credential-risk alerts delivered via the browser or corporate communication platforms like Slack.
Speaking of integrations with third-party apps, a Dashlane spokesperson told me that the company was among the hundreds affected by the devastating Salesloft/Drift breach last November. When asked about the impact of that breach, a Dashlane spokesperson said, "Through the compromise of that third-party application, an unauthorized party gained access to a very small subset of basic business customer profiles and contact information that was stored in Dashlane’s Salesforce CRM instance. After a thorough investigation, Dashlane confirmed that data stored in Dashlane user vaults remained secure. Dashlane also did not identify any impact to our products, services, or other Dashlane systems."
This isn't a case of negligence, and I don't think Dashlane is at fault for this breach, which is why it's mentioned so late in the review. The kind of data loss described in the statement is a risk associated with connecting any third-party application, including those that business owners want, such as CRM platforms. It's a good idea to assess the risks of using interconnected applications before integrating them.
Customer Support
Customers can get help using the Dashlane chatbot on the corporate website. According to the Dashlane support page, you can ask the chatbot (named Dashy) to connect you to a human agent during normal business hours (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET).
Business admin account holders can bypass the chatbot by typing "Send message" in the chat window and selecting an option to request a call with an agent. Once you've scheduled your call, you'll get a confirmation email containing a Zoom link for your help session.
Is Deleting Your Dashlane Account Easy?
If you use a third-party payment service like Apple, Google, or PayPal, you'll have to cancel your automatic payment directly with that service. Dashlane provides instructions for doing this on the support page. If you paid for your subscription with a credit card on the Dashlane website, you can cancel it by visiting your Account menu and confirming cancellation. You can request a full refund if you cancel your Dashlane subscription within 30 days of purchase. Find out how to claim your refund on Dashlane's support site.
To delete your account, first log out of it on every platform. Then, go to the Dashlane account deletion page and enter the email address you used to log into the account. Dashlane will email you a verification code. After confirming the code, you'll be able to delete your account.
Final Thoughts
(Credit: Dashlane)
Dashlane
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
Dashlane offers high-quality apps and extensions for browsers and mobile devices. I like its ultra-smooth password capture-and-replay system and its password hygiene features. I also appreciate its efforts to improve the customer login experience, but hope the company will consider adding some guardrails to that feature in future updates. All said, Dashlane's biggest drawback is that it is far more expensive than the competition, but bonus features like a VPN, dark web monitoring for email addresses, and anti-phishing alerts help justify the price and make the service worth considering. However, NordPass costs about half as much and offers similar features, like auto-fill protection, and an authenticator app to secure your online accounts, along with helpful extras, like email masking, which is why it's our Editors' Choice for paid password managers, while Proton Pass is our other top pick thanks to its generous free plan.
STILL ON THE FENCE?
About Our Expert
I review privacy tools like hardware security keys, password managers, private messaging apps, and ad-blocking software. I also report on online scams and offer advice to families and individuals about staying safe on the internet. Before joining PCMag, I wrote about tech and video games for CNN, Fanbyte, Mashable, The New York Times, and TechRadar. I also worked at CNN International, where I did field producing and reporting on sports that are popular with worldwide audiences.
In addition to the categories below, I exclusively cover ad blockers, authenticator apps, hardware security keys, and private messaging apps.
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