Updated on: December 27, 2024
Short on time? Here’s the final verdict:
- 🥇 Dashlane — Winner in all categories. Dashlane has high-security practices, live dark web monitoring, unlimited password sharing, and a surprisingly good VPN. It’s great value, and it comes with a 30-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Out of 50+ password managers, Dashlane consistently ranks in the top 5 on our top 10 list. Dashlane is secure, easy to use, and has impressive features — making it one of the best choices available. On the other hand, LastPass is no longer a recommended option due to repeated security breaches it has faced in recent years.
Dashlane has all the features I expect to see in a premium password manager in 2025, including 256-bit AES encryption, password generation, auto-save and auto-fill, and two-factor authentication (2FA). It also offers secure password sharing, intuitive mobile apps, and support for passkeys, a cutting-edge technology that could replace passwords altogether.
Additionally, Dashlane has high-security tools, including advanced dark web monitoring and anti-phishing protection. It’s also the only password manager to provide a virtual private network (VPN).
LastPass offers features like multiple account recovery options and helpful in-app tutorials. However, due to its history of security incidents, we no longer recommend it as a secure option.
After thorough testing, I confidently rank Dashlane as the better password manager. Its comprehensive features and focus on security make it a great choice for individuals and families alike.
Dashlane vs. LastPass — Quick Overview
Security & Data Privacy — Dashlane Has Never Been Hacked
Dashlane is an exceptionally secure password manager that offers strong security features, such as 256-bit AES encryption (all of your data is encrypted on the device level with military-grade encryption), zero-knowledge protocol (Dashlane’s staff cannot access your password vault), and multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Dashlane provides a good range of 2FA options: authenticator apps (mobile-based apps, like Google Authenticator, Authy, etc.), backup codes (you can use these codes to access your password vault in case you lose the device with the authenticator app installed), and biometric scanning.
All of Dashlane’s 2FA options work really well, but I’m a bit disappointed that the company no longer offers USB security keys (it used to offer U2F support prior to switching to a web-based app). That said, it’s good that Dashlane has introduced an account recovery key option, ensuring users can regain access to their vault if they lose their master password.
LastPass also uses 256-bit AES encryption and zero-knoweldge architecture. It also has more 2FA options than Dashlane, including authenticator apps (LastPass MFA, Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Duo Security, Toopher), printable spreadsheets (Grid), and support for USB security keys (YubiKey), fingerprint sensors, and smart card readers.
Unfortunately, LastPass has faced multiple serious security breaches in recent years. In 2022, attackers exploited vulnerabilities to access LastPass’s development environment and later obtained customer vault data backups. While the vaults were encrypted, metadata like website URLs were exposed. Especially troublesome is the possibility that the data stolen in 2022 continues to be exploited. For this reason, we no longer recommend LastPass as a secure option.
Winner (Security & Data Privacy): Dashlane
Dashlane has never been hacked, while LastPass has experienced several security breaches of varying severity in 2015, 2021, and 2022. These repeated incidents obviously give Dashlane an edge in security.
That said, both password managers offer similar core security features, including end-to-end encryption and zero-knowledge architecture. They also provide a variety of 2FA options, though Dashlane no longer supports USB authentication.
Basic Features — Dashlane Is More Reliable
Both Dashlane and LastPass are excellent at basic password management. They both work with the most popular operating systems and browsers, and they both have essential features such as unlimited password storage, multi-device synchronization, and secure notes.
Dashlane’s password generator is pretty basic, but it works well. You can create a password between 4 and 40 characters, including numbers, letters, symbols, and similar characters (for example, Z and 2). Unfortunately, Dashlane doesn’t generate passphrases, which are easier to remember and, according to some experts, more secure than passwords.
LastPass’s password generator provides additional options, such as generating passwords that are “easy to say” (excluding special characters) or “easy to read” (omitting characters like I, l, O, and 0). It also supports longer passwords — up to 99 characters, or 128 characters on Android devices — more than Dashlane’s 40-character limit. However, like Dashlane, it lacks a passphrase generator.
During my tests, Dashlane’s auto-save and auto-fill features worked great. Every time I created a new login, Dashlane would automatically ask to save my credentials. And whenever I navigated to a login field, Dashlane automatically logged me into my account. You can choose login credentials to auto-fill either automatically or with a single click on the Dashlane icon in the login field.
LastPass’s auto-save and auto-fill functions are also good — it was even able to auto-fill my details on pages with separate windows for usernames and passwords.
Winner (Basic Features): Dashlane
While LastPass offers a more flexible password generator, Dashlane’s overall reliability and consistent performance make it the better option. Its password generator, while simpler, is effective, and its auto-fill works seamlessly.
Advanced Features — Dashlane’s Extras Are More Valuable
Dashlane and LastPass have a lot of extras in common, but each also offers some unique ones. For example, LastPass has country restrictions. Dashlane, on the other hand, offers a VPN, advanced phishing protection, and real-time dark web monitoring.
Both Dashlane and LastPass offer 1 GB of encrypted storage to paid users. Dashlane offers the same amount of storage to free users as well, but LastPass limits the free accounts to 50 MB. With Dashlane, the maximum file size for individual files is 50 MB, while LastPass is more restrictive, limiting individual file size to 10 MB.
Passkeys are another advanced feature that both Dashlane and LastPass offer. Designed to entirely replace passwords in the future, passkeys are used to encrypt and decrypt your data on your device before it’s uploaded to the password manager’s servers, ensuring that the data is only accessible to you with the correct passkey. Passkeys free you from the responsibility of choosing a strong password for each account — they’re automatically generated to be unique and exceptionally secure. LastPass’s passkeys are in beta, and they only currently work via the desktop Chrome extension, while Dashlane can handle passkeys on mobile as well.
Dashlane is the only password manager on the market that comes with a VPN. Its VPN is powered by Hotspot Shield, uses 256-bit AES encryption, comes with a kill switch (for Windows and Android) and a strict no-logs policy, and maintains fast speeds. While the VPN isn’t as feature-rich as the top standalone VPNs, it does have split-tunneling, it allows torrenting, and it works with top streaming services like Netflix.
Dashlane also has the best dark web monitoring on the market. It uses live agents with access to hacking forums and sites on the dark web. If any of your information gets leaked, they personally notify you and quickly work with you to protect your data and identity.
Finally, Dashlane’s anti-phishing feature ensures users are always on the genuine site by verifying the website’s URL before auto-filling credentials. Additionally, Dashlane sends real-time alerts if users accidentally land on a suspicious website and try to fill their credentials there.
LastPass also provides data breach alerts through its partnership with Enzoic (a human and AI-powered agency that scans the internet, dark web, and torrenting services for compromised data). If any of your credentials have been leaked, LastPass will notify you through the Security Dashboard and tell you what information was breached.
I really like LastPass’s country restrictions. When you create an account on LastPass, you can lock it to the country you registered the account in. This extra layer of security can prevent hackers from other countries from getting into your account. However, if you plan to travel internationally or use a VPN, you can set up a list of trusted countries from which you’ll be allowed to log into LastPass.
Winner (Extra Features): Dashlane
Dashlane’s advanced dark web monitoring and VPN are some of the most valuable extra features on the password manager market. Dashlane is also the only password manager to offer advanced phishing protection, alerting you if you try to input your credentials on a fake site. That said, I like LastPass’s data breach alerts and country restrictions.
Apps & Browser Extensions — Dashlane’s Web App Is More Secure
Starting from January 2022, Dashlane stopped offering a dedicated desktop app for its password manager and instead became a web-only platform, meaning that you can only access it through a web browser. While the web apps are easy to use and lightweight, this also means that offline access to your data is more complicated.
LastPass, on the other hand, still provides desktop apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The apps are well-designed and intuitive and provide offline access to your vault. Unfortunately, while this is convenient for some, LastPass’s recent security breaches make me doubt the app’s overall reliability.
LastPass’s iOS and Android apps are a bit different from the web vault but still very easy to use. The app makes auto-filling across mobile sites a breeze. The password generator is also available (under the Security tab), as is the Sharing Center, but the latter can only be used by Families, Teams, and Business users.
Both Dashlane and LastPass offer extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, and Opera. In addition to that, Dashlane also supports Brave. The extensions are pretty similar, both give you access to the same features and work without any glitches. LastPass also offers a universal Windows installer that will install the LastPass extension on all your browsers, which is pretty convenient.
Winner (Apps & Browser Extensions): Dashlane
Dashlane comes out on top thanks to its better security and reliable mobile and browser support. While LastPass offers desktop apps and offline access, its ongoing security concerns make me question its reliability.
Ease of Use & Setup — Dashlane Keeps It Simple
Both Dashlane and LastPass are very intuitive, and I think both new and advanced users will find it easy to use both password managers.
Dashlane is really user-friendly despite offering a ton of extra security features. It has a clean, uncluttered interface that makes it easy to find everything you need.
My only complaint with Dashlane is that importing passwords isn’t as easy as with LastPass. To import passwords into Dashlane, you need to first download them as a CSV file, whereas LastPass has a one-click import option from both other password managers and browsers. (That said, try not to import more than 200 passwords to LastPass at once, as you may encounter import issues.)
LastPass provides concise, clear instructions on how to use the app and all of its features. However, even if you ignore the built-in tutorials, LastPass’s user interface is still really simple to navigate no matter your age or skill level, you’ll be able to locate and use most of LastPass’s features without any difficulties. However, I still wouldn’t recommend it since there’s no guarantee your data will be secure.
Winner (Ease of Use): Dashlane
While LastPass offers features like in-app tutorials and one-click importing, Dashlane’s simplicity and better security give it the edge.
Plans & Pricing — Dashlane’s Premium Plan Provides the Most Value
Dashlane and LastPass both provide free plans and a 30-day free trial of their premium versions. Dashlane’s plans are backed by a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee, whereas LastPass doesn’t provide a money-back guarantee.
Dashlane Free gives you 25 passwords and 1 GB of encrypted storage. It also comes with the password generator, form and payment auto-fill, 2FA, password sharing with an unlimited number of Dashlane users, security alerts, password vault auditing, basic anti-phishing protection, and a 30-day free trial of Premium. However, it limits you to just 1 device.
LastPass Free has unlimited passwords and 50 MB of encrypted storage. It also includes the password generator, form and payment auto-fill, 2FA compatibility with authenticator apps, one-to-one password sharing, a TOTP generator, and data breach alerts. However, you’ll only be able to use it on 1 device type (desktop or mobile).
Dashlane offers an individual premium plan, Dashlane Premium, as well as a Family plan, and 2 business plans (Business and Enterprise). Dashlane Premium ($4.99 / month) has all the same features as Dashlane Free, along with unlimited passwords, multi-device synchronization, dark web monitoring, and a VPN (provided by Hotspot Shield).
LastPass has 1 premium plan for individual use (Premium), 1 family plan (Families), and 2 business plans (Teams and Business). LastPass Premium ($3.00 / month) has all of the features included in the free plan, but it also provides 1 GB of encrypted storage, one-to-many sharing, 2FA with USB tokens, use on unlimited devices, and emergency access. You can try out LastPass Premium with a 30-day free trial, but there’s no money-back guarantee.
Winner (Plans & Pricing): Dashlane
LastPass’s history of security incidents aside, Dashlane offers better value: its Premium plan includes a VPN, which isn’t offered by LastPass. The Dashlane Free plan also offers more encrypted storage than LastPass’s free plan, although you can only use it on 1 device. Finally, Dashlane’s personal plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, offering more security to users who may be hesitant to commit to a paid plan.
Customer Support — Dashlane’s Support Is More Accessible
Dashlane and LastPass provide similar customer support options, but I found it easier to access Dashlane’s support team. Dashlane doesn’t restrict its email support to business users like LastPass does, and its live chat is much better than LastPass’s. Both Dashlane and LastPass have comprehensive knowledge bases, where it’s easy to get your technical questions answered.
Dashlane has great live chat support, as well as email support, an extensive knowledge base, Twitter support, and an official Reddit page. Its live chat is available Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 6:00pm EST. After establishing a connection through an automated bot, I was able to connect with an agent in less than a minute — the support rep was friendly and professional, and they were able to answer all my questions. However, I was a bit disappointed with the email support — it took them more than two days to reply.
LastPass has a dedicated support portal that offers ticket (email and phone) support, live chat, an active community forum, and an extensive knowledge base with helpful video tutorials. During testing, I couldn’t get its live chat support working, as it never had a representative available to speak with me. Instead, I had to submit a ticket and wait more than a day for an email response. Support was much faster via phone — when I selected the “Call Me” option in the support portal, I received a phone call from a helpful agent within 5 minutes.
I don’t like that LastPass’s customer support is very limited for users on the free plan, who only get access to the community forum and support articles. You’ll have to upgrade to a paid plan if you want live chat (if and when it works), email, or phone support. Dashlane offers priority support for premium users, but all its live chat and email support are available for free users, too.
Winner (Customer Support): Dashlane
Dashlane takes the edge here thanks to its responsive live chat. What’s more, it provides email support to all users, unlike LastPass, which restricts both email and phone support to paid users. Both password managers have comprehensive knowledge bases, but Dashlane’s accessibility to support channels for free users and its fully functional live chat give it an advantage over LastPass.
Overall Winner: Dashlane
Dashlane is a remarkably secure and feature-packed password manager offering a host of premium extras. It provides intuitive apps across various platforms, password auditing, sophisticated dark web monitoring, a VPN, alerts for anti-phishing, and limitless password sharing, thereby boosting the overall safety of user accounts. Moreover, Dashlane boasts a highly user-friendly interface, top-notch customer service (including live chat), the most competitive free plan available, cost-effective individual and family plans, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
LastPass has a user-friendly interface and useful features like enhanced two-factor authentication, password vault auditing, secure password sharing, data breach alerts, and strong account recovery options. It also offers affordable premium plans. However, repeated security breaches have significantly impacted its reputation. These incidents raise concerns about LastPass’s ability to protect user data, making it difficult to recommend despite its strong feature set.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dashlane better than LastPass?
Dashlane is better than LastPass. It’s got better security, more advanced features, better plans and pricing, and better customer support. While LastPass is user-friendly and its basic features are solid, its repeated security breaches make it difficult to recommend as a reliable option.
Does Dashlane have more security than LastPass?
Both Dashlane and LastPass offer strong security features, including 256-bit AES encryption, two-factor authentication (2FA), zero-knowledge architecture, and biometric scanning. However, LastPass has suffered several security breaches in recent years, which has raised concerns about the actual effectiveness of its security measures.
Dashlane, by contrast, has maintained a spotless security record, making it a far more trustworthy choice. Its features, such as advanced phishing protection and real-time dark web monitoring, further enhance its ability to safeguard user data and prevent potential financial losses.
Why is Dashlane better than LastPass?
Dashlane is better than LastPass because it has never been hacked, and it has unique advanced features such as dark web monitoring and VPN, a more generous free plan, and superior customer support, including live chat. These factors combine to make Dashlane a more comprehensive and user-friendly password manager, ensuring users have both an optimal experience and robust protection for their sensitive information.
Do Dashlane and LastPass have free plans?
Both Dashlane and LastPass have free plans, but both come with certain limitations. For example, Dashlane Free is limited to one device and LastPass Free forces you to choose between using it only on desktop or only on mobile devices. In my opinion, it’s better to choose a paid package instead of dealing with the hassles and limitations of a free password manager.