The best password manager for families in 2025: Expert tested and reviewed

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A password manager is a valuable tool for families that share devices and subscriptions requiring logins, such as Wi‑Fi credentials, streaming service passwords, and smart home codes. It also allows you to help family members, such as kids or aging parents, improve digital security habits and ensure their sensitive information is kept safe.

Also: The best password managers: Expert tested

Some password managers for families have greater integration between user accounts -- through shared vaults or multiple permission levels managed by an admin -- while others simply bundle personal accounts under one subscription. All users also have individual logins and private vaults that aren't visible to anyone else on the family plan.

What is the best password manager for families right now?

At ZDNET, we tested the best password managers for families to determine which ones make it most straightforward to share logins and files, while allowing each user to keep their data private. 1Password stands out above the rest for families -- especially those in the same household -- that want easy access to common passwords and the ability to securely share with temporary users like babysitters and houseguests. For large groups of relatives or friends simply looking for individual password management with less account integration at a per‑user discount, Dashlane is a good value.

The best password manager for families in 2025

1Password features: Private and shared vaults | Temporary guest accounts | Account recovery | 24/7 customer support

1Password consistently ranks among our top picks for password management thanks to its feature list and exceptional user experience. We also highly recommend it for families. A family plan includes up to five users for $60 per year, and each individual gets both their private vault (with all of 1Password's premium features) and shared vaults for group-wide items, such as streaming passwords.

Review: 1Password

A 1Password family account starts with one organizer -- who invites members, creates shared vaults, manages guest access, and controls billing and settings -- with an option to add organizer permissions for other users. A family organizer can help family members recover their accounts if locked out. Each user creates their login with a master password and Secret Key.

1Password uses strong AES-256 encryption and has helpful features like multi-factor authentication, 1GB of secure storage per account, vault security reports, privacy card integration, and a travel mode. It also offers a large selection of templates beyond logins and payment methods. In addition to the ability to share individual items with anyone (even if they don't have 1Password), a family account allows temporary, limited vault access for up to five guests who may need secure information like smart lock codes or Wi‑Fi credentials.

1Password is on the pricier side per user than other family password managers. Still, its unique features and overall experience make it well worth considering -- especially if you use all five accounts.

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NordPass features: 24/7 live support | Private vaults | Secure sharing | Emergency access

NordPass is a highly secure, user-friendly password manager under the Nord umbrella. Its family plan includes up to six personal vaults under one subscription, and all users can access all of NordPass's premium features. The family plan can cost as much as $72 per year, but frequent promotions may get you a cheaper price.

Review: NordPass

NordPass family plans have a designated owner who oversees the subscription and can invite additional users. Unlike some password managers, NordPass does not have vaults or folders with shared access between family members. Instead, you can share specific items in your vault with any NordPass user -- including those on your family plan -- a premium feature available to anyone with a paid NordPass account. Thus, the benefit of a family plan is that it ensures members can access anything you share. NordPass does have granular permission settings, including a new time-limited sharing option. You can add family members as Trusted Contacts and send credentials to their shared items folder.

Aside from secure sharing, a NordPass account includes features like email masking, data breach scanning, password health reports, up to 3 GB of file storage, and emergency access. The platform uses xChaCha20 encryption and requires a global Nord Account login and a master password for your vault.

With its intuitive interface, NordPass is an excellent choice for those with family plan members who are new to password management.

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Bitwarden features: Encrypted storage | Emergency access | Private vaults and shared collections

Bitwarden offers a solid password management tool for individual and family plans at an affordable price point. The latter includes premium accounts for up to six users for $40 per year. Each user gets their private vault with the option to share unlimited items or folders (called collections) with other family members. Bitwarden refers to its family plan as "Families Organization."

Review: Bitwarden

An organization's members can be assigned as account owners, admins, or users with varying permission levels. Admins can manage account recovery and some user settings, while users have access to the collections they are assigned. Regardless of their role, each user gets premium Bitwarden features for their account, such as encrypted sharing via Bitwarden Send, encrypted file storage (1GB personal plus 1GB for the organization), priority support, and emergency access.

Bitwarden isn't as intuitive to use as some other password managers, and the password can be challenging to navigate when helping family members learn the platform. Still, it is a secure, open-source, and budget-friendly option for storing and managing your family's sensitive information.

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Dashlane features: Private vaults | Secure sharing | Live chat support | Multi-platform

Dashlane is a premium password manager with many unique features. Its Friends & Family plan combines up to 10 individual accounts under a single $90 per year subscription, making this a much more affordable way to get Dashlane if you can fill each slot. Users get access to (almost) all of Dashlane's features and a private vault to store their data.

Also: The best mobile VPNs: Expert tested and reviewed

Dashlane allows secure item sharing but has no shared vaults or folders among plan members. You can share one or more logins or notes with one or more people as long as they have a Dashlane account, or you can set up a trusted contact who can access your entire vault (whether or not they are part of your family). A Dashlane Friends & Family subscription has an administrator who manages users added to the plan, but that account cannot access anyone else's data. Dashlane also requires admins to approve user requests to leave the plan.

Dashlane has the most expensive family subscription on our list, but if you have a large group of family or friends that share the plan, the cost per user is more affordable, and the features are worth the price. Dashlane offers dark web monitoring, 1 GB of secure storage per user, real-time phishing and security alerts, and live support for premium users. Note: With a family plan, only the admin account includes a VPN.

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Keeper features: Secure sharing | Private vaults | Multi-platform | Emergency access | 24/7 customer support

Keeper is a user-friendly password management tool that takes security seriously. A family subscription costs $75 per year and includes five private vaults and all of the service's premium features.

Review: Keeper

Keeper Family plan owners can invite up to four additional members who can securely share vault records and folders (or with other Keeper users) via email or a one‑time sharing link. There are no shared group vaults, but each user also gets access to features like unique record types, password health reports, emergency access, an offline mode, and customer support. Dark web monitoring is a paid add‑on.

Keeper's family subscription costs more per user than other recommendations on our list, but it comes with account‑wide 10 GB of file storage (plus the option to add more) protected by the same AES‑256 encryption as your passwords. Thus, it may be worthwhile for families that need a secure place to save and share many documents, such as healthcare records, estate plans, property deeds, and other sensitive items.

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Proton Pass features: Private and shared vaults | Secure sharing | Multi-platform

Proton Pass's family plan is newer on the scene, but it's a worthy choice for those who want to help their relatives securely manage their passwords and other sensitive data. Pass Family includes six premium user accounts with private vaults for $60 per year under an annual subscription.

Review: Proton Pass

A Proton Pass family subscription allows up to two admins to add or remove users and set up (or help others set up) shared vaults that are accessible to everyone. When an admin changes items in shared vaults, the changes sync automatically for all users on the plan. Additionally, admins can set vault permissions for each individual. There's also an option to share records with individuals whether or not they are on your family account.

Proton Pass is one of our top picks for privacy features, which range from hide‑my‑email aliases to dark web monitoring and AI‑powered security recommendations. Proton Pass does not support file storage at the time of writing, but the company has consistently rolled out new features and states this is coming soon.

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1Password is our top password manager for families that want or need to easily share logins and other sensitive data -- especially those with kids or relatives who live in the same household. Here's how the best password managers for families compare:

Password manager	Shared vaults?	Number of users	Annual cost per user	Key features
1Password	✓	5	$12	Guest access
NordPass	x	6	$12	Sharing permissions
Bitwarden	✓	6	$7	Emergency access
Dashlane	x	10	$9	Security monitoring and alerts
Keeper	x	5	$15	10GB file storage
Proton Pass	✓	6	$10	Shared vaults

Choose this password manager for families…	If you want…
1Password	An exceptional user experience with easy sharing and granular control over permission settings.
NordPass	An easy-to-learn platform for family members new to password management.
Bitwarden	A secure password manager at a budget-friendly price.
Dashlane	Premium password management for a large group of individuals at a per-user discount.
Keeper	Plenty of space for secure document storage no matter how many users are on your family plan.
Proton Pass	A 1Password alternative with additional privacy features included.

When comparing password managers with family plans, you should consider the following:

Sharing options: Some password managers treat family sharing like sharing on individual accounts, where plan members can send specific logins to each other as needed. Others allow families to create shared vaults, so a group of passwords is always accessible to everyone. All of our picks have private vaults for each user.Family size: Password managers with family plans allow anywhere from five to ten users under one account. If you have a large group, you may be limited to those with bigger headcounts.Cost: When considering family plans, you should consider both the annual fee and the cost per user, especially if you are splitting the expense with friends or relatives on your account.Features: We recommend that your password managers provide storage, sharing, and essential security monitoring, but some come with additional privacy features or permission settings to meet specific needs.

To select the best password managers for families, we identified password management tools from trusted companies. These choices include those we recommend for individuals and those that offer shared plans for multiple users. We then compared price, features, security stance, and hands‑on user experience.

Yes, all of our recommendations allow multiple people (anywhere from 5 to 10) to share a password manager. With a family plan, each user gets a private account with the option to share some information with other members.

Some password managers, like 1Password and Proton Pass, let family members add credentials and notes to shared vaults or folders that are visible to everyone with permission to access them, while others simply permit the secure sharing of items between plan users.

Password manager family plans typically consist of individual user accounts under one subscription, so each person can keep their vault private while accessing data shared between plan members. Your family cannot see items stored in your personal vault.

Yes -- a family password manager isn't limited to people in your immediate family or those in your household. You can sign up for a family plan with friends or other relatives if you'd like.

While we've included the family password managers we recommend most, there are other options available if none of the above fit the bill: