SecureSafe PM Review 2024: Should You Use It?

SecureSafe is a Swiss-based password manager and data vault for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. It syncs data across all devices, even with its free plan, and comes with a mailbox that automatically saves all mail content and attachments to your private vault. Features like Team Safe let you create shared vaults for storing and managing important data, and SecureSend enables password and file sharing with people who don’t have a SecureSafe account.

However, SecureSafe’s interface is frustrating to use. Even though it’s far from crowded with options, it took me some time to get comfortable navigating the app. There’s also inconsistencies across platforms. For instance, password auditing (checking for weak or reused passwords) is available on the web but not on the browser extension or mobile app. In contrast, 1Password offers a uniformly pleasant user experience across all device types.

That said, SecureSafe isn’t entirely lacking. Its browser extensions, mobile apps, and desktop dashboards work adequately, even if they’re less visually appealing and intuitive than some top competitors.

SecureSafe Full Review — Basic Password Management & Not Much Else

SecureSafe offers password management and data storage with syncing on all its plans. You can also get Team Safe for an extra fee, which allows you to create shared vaults — a decent option for those who need to securely share passwords and other items with teammates, colleagues, or family members. There’s a 1-month free trial of Team Safe, but competitors like 1Password let you create multiple vaults without paying extra.

SecureSafe doesn’t provide many extras. 1Password provides extras like dark web monitoring, vault auditing, virtual cards, Travel Mode, email masking, and more.

SecureSafe Plans & Pricing — Pricey & Inflexible

SecureSafe offers a free plan and 3 paid plans of various subscription lengths. This may sound like an excellent selection of plans, but with a 10-password limit, the free plan is pretty restrictive compared to top competitors, and the paid plans don’t offer monthly subscriptions.

I also think that the price increase for higher-tiered plans is not justified by the number of added features because the only difference is in the amount of storage you get, secure password and file sharing, and some minor perks like secure PDF and image previews. Anyway, here’s a quick breakdown of SecureSafe’s plans:

SecureSafe Security Features — Decent Performance (But Not Top-Notch)

SecureSafe uses 256-bit AES encryption, the same standard used by banks and the military… and any other respectable password manager today. SecureSafe also operates under a zero-knowledge policy, meaning the company cannot access your data.

While these features will undoubtedly keep your data safe if you lose your master password, SecureSafe only offers a 36-digit recovery code if you need to recover it (you’re offered to save it as a PDF file when registering an account) — which feels cumbersome compared to recovery methods provided by, for instance, LastPass, which offers SMS recovery, familiar device recovery, and biometric recovery. It’s also not as secure: if you don’t securely store that PDF file, anyone who gets a hold of it can easily unlock your vault and access all its data.

Two-factor authentication (2FA), an important security feature, is unfortunately missing from SecureSafe’s free plan. While it’s understandable that free plans come with (often considerable) limitations, I never like seeing those limitations implemented in security rather than convenience.

On the bright side, SecureSafe is one of the rare password managers that support biometric login on both mobile and desktop. For anyone already accustomed to using Windows Hello or Touch ID, this is a super convenient way of accessing the vault.

SecureSafe’s password generator is useful but unremarkable. You can create passwords between 6 and 32 characters using numbers, letters, and special characters. You can opt to make your passwords easier to remember, but SecureSafe’s approach to this is different from what you’d expect: instead of strings of random words, it creates strings of syllables like “Figuva97vaco*” or “Cicunu96byho+” that are pronounceable (but honestly, not necessarily memorable).

SecureSafe’s Team Safe feature allows you to create password vaults for shared access, making sharing data with team members or family easy. You can even share with non-SecureSafe users, which is a nice touch.

Apart from passwords, you can securely store various data, including pictures, videos, sound files, and more — up to 100 GB on the top plan.

SecureSafe also provides emergency access (called Data Inheritance). You can assign an activation code to one or more trusted persons (up to 20). They are called Beneficiaries. If something happens to the vault owner, Beneficiaries can activate their code and access the entire vault or some parts (depending on how the vault owner sets it up). For security reasons, they can’t access the vault as soon as they activate their code: the vault owner can set a blocking period of various lengths that has to expire before Beneficiaries can gain access.

Finally, SecureSafe includes password auditing on its desktop app, which checks if any of your passwords are weak or reused. However, this feature is unavailable on the mobile app or browser extension. You’ll need to open the desktop app periodically if you want to audit passwords. And it doesn’t check if your passwords have been leaked on the dark web, a feature I’m used to seeing in password managers these days.

Ease of Use & Setup — Mostly Functional, Occasionally Frustrating

Setting up SecureSafe is pretty straightforward. The browser extensions are available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, and Safari, while the desktop app can be accessed from SecureSafe’s website.

The process of adding passwords is simple, but the platform’s design is needlessly complicated in areas like password categorization. Once a category is created, you cannot edit it — an irritating flaw that forces you to delete entries entirely to remove the category. This lack of flexibility can slow down the organization and make using SecureSafe more of a hassle.

The password auto-fill feature works well on mobile apps and browser extensions, making the login experience seamless across different apps and websites. Auto-save worked seamlessly on my Android device but didn’t function with the browser extension.

Overall, SecureSafe has all the basic features you’ll need to manage your passwords effectively, but occasional glitches are not unheard of.

Customer Support — Reliable (But Limited to a Contact Form)

SecureSafe’s customer support is reliable and professional, but the only way to reach them is via the contact form on the website. There are no options for live chat or phone support, which are features that competitors like Dashlane offer.

That said, the support agent I interacted with was friendly, courteous, and thorough. Despite using the free plan, I received a prompt and helpful response, which was more than I expected. SecureSafe also offers a detailed knowledge base and FAQs, which provide helpful information and might solve many common issues without direct contact.

While the support is good, the lack of live chat or phone options feels restrictive. It’s understandable for free users but for those paying for SecureSafe, having only email support feels outdated compared to the more accessible support offered by other password managers.

Should You Really Use SecureSafe Over Other Options?

Not really, but it may be a good choice for some users. SecureSafe offers robust security features and the ability to sync passwords across devices, making it a suitable option for those needing basic password management with collaboration tools. You can share passwords and files with others, including non-SecureSafe users, which is useful for teams or families. However, these features are outweighed by the platform’s many limitations.

Navigating the app takes getting used to; not all features are available on all device types, account recovery options are limited to a PDF with a recovery code, and there aren’t many valuable extras included, even with the most expensive plan. When it comes to the free plan, I appreciate that it offers unlimited devices, but being able to save just 10 passwords makes it of little use to most people.

If you’re looking for a password manager with simplicity and comprehensive functionality, options like 1Password or Dashlane are much more appealing. Both provide better cross-platform support, a more intuitive interface, and several useful extras. Unless you specifically need SecureSafe’s team-sharing capabilities (and arguably, even if you do), there are better alternatives for most users.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the SecureSafe app free?

Yes, SecureSafe offers a free plan, but it has significant limitations. You can only store up to 10 passwords, and features like two-factor authentication (2FA), and additional storage are locked behind paid plans.

While the free version does include basic syncing across devices and secure file sharing, its restrictions may frustrate users. If you need more robust features like password auto-fill across platforms or greater storage capacity, you’ll have to upgrade to one of the paid plans. Other free options, like Dashlane, offer far more for free users.

How does SecureSafe work?

SecureSafe stores passwords and sensitive data across devices, providing online and offline access. It uses 256-bit AES encryption to protect your information and offers password generation and secure file-sharing features.

You can sync your passwords and files across Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS platforms. Users can also create Team Safes to share data securely with others, making SecureSafe useful for collaboration, though its overall usability could be improved.

How good is SecureSafe?

SecureSafe offers solid security and valuable features like password syncing and sharing, but it falls short of many top competitors. Its complicated user interface and restrictive free plan make it hard to recommend for everyday users.