Updated on: January 7, 2025
Short on time? Here’s the final verdict:
There is no winner. With LastPass’s history of cybersecurity breaches, I can’t recommend either its free or premium plans to prospective users. If you’re looking for an affordable yet reliable password management solution, I strongly suggest checking out 1Password or Dashlane instead. The comparison below remains on the site for informational purposes only.
LastPass Free and Premium both provide a way to store, manage, and access passwords, but they differ in terms of features and functionality. That said, they share key features like:
- Unlimited password storage.
- Automatic form filling.
- Password generator.
- Multi-factor authentication.
- Passkey support.
However, LastPass Premium offers several additional benefits, such as unlimited device sync, one-to-many sharing, 1GB encrypted file storage, etc. Read on to learn about all the specifics of each plan.
LastPass Free vs. LastPass Premium — Quick Overview
Security & Data Privacy — Premium Provides Additional Security
Both plans use the same security measures:
- Encryption — Both LastPass Free and Premium use 256-bit AES encryption, which is one of the most secure encryption methods available.
- Multi-Factor Authentication (2FA) — Both plans support 2FA, adding an extra layer of security to user accounts by requiring a second method of authentication when logging in.
- Zero-Knowledge Policy — LastPass operates on a zero-knowledge architecture, meaning that only you can access your encrypted vault, and not even LastPass can see it.
Both LastPass Free and Premium offer multi-factor authentication (MFA) options to secure your accounts. You can use the built-in LastPass authenticator or a third-party authenticator app with both plans. In my tests, setting up MFA was quick and easy. LastPass Premium additionally provides MFA options like Yubikey, fingerprint scanning, and smart card reader compatibility.
In terms of account recovery, LastPass provides the same options to both Free and Premium users. This includes mobile account recovery, master password hints, SMS recovery, the ability to restore a previous master password, and one-time passwords.
Unfortunately, LastPass has faced security vulnerabilities in the past, including a high-profile breach in 2022. In response to the incident, LastPass rebuilt its development environment, enhanced security measures, and added extensive logging and alerting capabilities among other things. Despite these improvements, I’m not 100% confident LastPass can protect your credentials, so I recommend choosing another password manager instead.
Features — Premium Comes With Advanced Features
Both LastPass Free and Premium come with the same password generator. It allows you to create strong, unique passwords of varying lengths and character types. During account creation, LastPass automatically offered to generate a secure password. Afterwards, I found the password generator to be consistently reliable. Whenever I needed to create a new password, LastPass promptly suggested secure options.
The free and the paid plan alike give you the option to log into accounts with passkeys on websites that support this new tech. Passkeys are a passwordless authentication method that uses public-key cryptography to provide a more secure, user-friendly, and phishing-resistant alternative to traditional passwords. However, they’re still in beta, so at the moment you can only use them on desktop, via the LastPass Chrome browser extension.
LastPass’s Security Dashboard, too, is available to all users. It provides dark web monitoring to alert you if any of your account info is found in known data breaches. The dashboard also has a helpful password auditing tool that gives you an overview of the strength and security of all your saved passwords. It identifies weak, reused, or compromised passwords in your vault so you can easily update them.
During my tests, LastPass’s auto-fill and autosave worked seamlessly. When I created new accounts, LastPass immediately prompted me to save the login. Later, when I navigated to those login pages, LastPass automatically filled in my credentials. You can disable auto-fill for specific sites if desired.
LastPass Premium also provides emergency access. With this feature, you can grant one-time, temporary access to your password vault to a trusted emergency contact. I think this is a great way to ensure your loved ones can access your important accounts and information in case of an emergency. Unfortunately, LastPass Free doesn’t include this feature.
When it comes to file storage, both plans offer secure encryption for sensitive documents. However, the Premium plan provides significantly more space at 1 GB compared to the free plan’s 50 MB — I was able to store important files like IDs, insurance cards, and tax forms.
LastPass Free and Premium also come with password sharing but with notable differences. Free users can only share individual passwords and other vault items with one person at a time, which is somewhat limiting. On the other hand, the Premium plan allows sharing with multiple contacts simultaneously.
Overall (and unsurprisingly), LastPass Premium is markedly more feature-rich than the free plan, offering benefits like emergency access, extra storage space, and one-to-many password sharing.
Ease of Use & Setup — Both Offer the Same User-Friendly Experience
LastPass is an intuitive and easy-to-use password manager. Both the Free and Premium plans provide the same user-friendly experience, with a simple setup process and helpful tutorials that explain all of the features.
I found it very easy to create a LastPass account and install the browser extension. The password requirements for the master password are complex, which is good for security. LastPass provides a link to its password generator to help users create a complex master password.
Once you install the browser extension, LastPass immediately takes you to the web vault. The vault interface is clean and uncluttered, making it simple to locate and use all the features. LastPass also provides a brief tour on first opening the vault, with clear explanations of what each section does.
Setting up additional security features like passwordless login with biometrics was also simple. LastPass walks you through the process step-by-step. After I finished following the process, the biometric login with my MacBook Touch ID worked perfectly.
The mobile apps for iOS and Android are equally user-friendly. Downloading the app, logging in, and accessing your vault data is seamless. LastPass lets you enable auto-fill for logins, addresses, and credit cards on your mobile device. The layout and features are very similar to the web vault, so you can easily use LastPass on the go.
Password importing, however, is a multi-step process. While you can import from many other password managers and browsers, the process isn’t as streamlined as competitors that offer one-click direct importing.
In terms of differences between the Free and Premium plans, the experience is virtually identical. The Premium plan unlocks some additional sharing and advanced MFA features, but that doesn’t change the core functionality or ease of use.
Customer Support — Premium Offers Additional Support Options
The support users get from LastPass on the Free plan is quite basic, offering access only to support articles and the community forum. There’s no email support, live chat, or phone support available unless you upgrade to a paid plan.
That said, I found LastPass’s “How To” guides, FAQs, and community forum to be comprehensive and helpful. The training videos and step-by-step guides made it easy to understand and resolve common issues. The community forum is active, with many users sharing solutions and tips.
Email support is available only for Premium, Teams, and LastPass Business users. Accessing it is straightforward — just log into the support center and click “Contact Us.” It was fast when I tested it; I received a detailed answer in just over 5 hours.
Though LastPass claims to offer live chat support, my experience was disappointing. It’s restricted to Premium users, and even then, it’s unreliable. I tried numerous times over several days to connect with a representative but never succeeded. There was no queue system, making it frustrating and time-consuming.
Phone support is a huge advantage for LastPass’s paid subscribers. After submitting a request through the support center, I received a callback within minutes. The representative was friendly and resolved my technical issues quickly. This level of support is uncommon among password managers.
Overall, LastPass offers decent customer support for premium users but falls short for free users. While the self-help resources are useful, the lack of accessible live chat and email support for free users is a drawback. For premium users, the inclusion of phone support and quick email responses are definite advantages.
Bottom Line
LastPass’s security issues stop me from recommending it, even its free plan.
As is evident from the comparison above, LastPass has a lot of valuable and well-functioning features — but top competitors like 1Password or Dashlane have that, too, in addition to a spotless track record. They also have some unique, interesting features LastPass doesn’t have. For example, 1Password comes with hidden vaults (Travel Mode) and email masking for enhanced privacy, while Dashlane is the only password manager with a VPN.
Even if you’re not yet ready to pay for securing your passwords, there are better free password managers on the market than LastPass Free. Thanks to these offerings, you don’t have to sacrifice your peace of mind regardless of what you’re in the market for, a free or a paid product.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is LastPass Free secure enough for everyday use?
No, due to its multiple security issues, I’m not confident that LastPass Free provides good enough security for everyday use. LastPass was hacked multiple times in the past. In 2022, it suffered a particularly serious breach, where users’ encrypted vaults and unencrypted account data were exposed. In December 2024, reports surfaced that the stolen data was still being exploited. While LastPass denies these allegations, these repeated security incidents have undermined users’ trust.
What features are included in LastPass Premium that are not in the free version?
LastPass Premium includes several features not available in the free version. These include advanced multi-factor authentication options, priority tech support, and the ability to share passwords, items, and notes with multiple people securely.
Can I use LastPass on multiple devices with the free version?
No, the free version of LastPass only allows you to use the service on one type of device at a time, either a computer or a mobile device, and you can only swap devices 3 times. If you need to access your passwords across multiple devices simultaneously, consider Avira’s free password manager.
Does LastPass Free offer password sharing?
Yes, LastPass Free allows you to share passwords with one person. However, this feature is limited compared to Dashlane’s free plan, which lets you share your vault items with an unlimited number of Dashlane users.