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Read our review guidelines.
- Free forever plan
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Two-factor authentication
- Multi-platform support
- Learning curve for new users
- Limited immediate customer support options
Proton Pass is a robust password manager designed for users who prioritize security, yet it needs to improve its user-friendliness.
This Proton Pass review uncovers its strengths in encryption and where it could improve, guiding those seeking a secure digital vault for their credentials.
SMB Guide’s Verdict for Proton Pass
We gave Proton Pass a high rating of 9.4 out of 10 because it is incredibly secure (and verifiably so with open-source code). It has lots of freedom and flexibility with 2FA, password sharing and permissions, and even settings for auto-generated passwords.
The only thing we downgraded was customer support because you have to rely on an email response if you can’t find the answers you need in the help documentation.
Factor | Rating (out of 10) |
---|---|
Pricing & Plans | 9.5 |
Multi-factor Security & Authentication | 10 |
One-time Passwords | 10 |
Password Capture & Generation | 9.5 |
Password Sharing | 10 |
User Interface and User Experience | 9.5 |
Integrations and Compatibility | 9.5 |
Customer Support | 8 |
SMB Guide Rating | 9.4 |
In this Proton Pass review, I’ve followed SMB Guide’s detailed criteria for evaluating password managers.
Pricing & Plans
Two plans are available for businesses: Pass Professional and Pass Essentials. If neither of these plans suits your needs, you can talk to the company about a customized Enterprise plan.
Pass Professional
The more advanced password management tool for businesses.
Price
- $6.99 per user per month
- $2.99 per user per month, billed annually
Features
- Unlimited logins and notes
- Unlimited high-my-email aliases
- Integrated 2FA authenticator
- Organize items with multiple vaults
- SSO integration (coming soon)
- Require 2FA for organization
- Proton Sentinel program
Who it’s for: Businesses that require the ultimate privacy and security for their passwords and employees.
Pass Essentials
The basic password management plan for businesses.
Price
- $4.99 per user per month
- $1.99 per user per month, billed annually
Features
- Unlimited logins and notes
- Unlimited high-my-email aliases
- Integrated 2FA authenticator
- Organize items with multiple vaults
Who it’s for: Small businesses that want to keep passwords safe and secure.
Multi-factor Security & Authentication
Proton supports two different types of 2FA. You can use your smartphone with an authenticator app, or a Universal 2nd Factor (U2F) or FIDO2 security key.
It supports the following authenticator apps:
- Authy (Android, iOS, and iPadOS)
- Google Authenticator (Android, iOS, and iPadOS)
- Aegis Authenticator (for Android only)
- 2FA Authenticator (for iOS and iPadOS only)
You have to turn on this setting in your account. Settings > All Settings > Account and Password > Two-Factor Authentication > Toggle the Authenticator app switch on.
From there, there’s a QR code you can scan. Or you can manually enter the key into your app.
Once that’s done, you’ll receive a collection of 1-time use recover codes that must be stored in a secure location, because without them you won’t be able to recover the account if you lose the authentication device.
Resetting your Proton account password automatically disables 2FA and it will need to be set up again.
One-time Passwords
Proton Pass directly supports time-based one-time password (TOTP) generation within the tool. It helps with 2FA by generating temporary codes for secure logins, adding an extra layer beyond the stored passwords.
I didn’t see the option to automatically generate a password for this. But I saw the option to add one of my own when I created a manual login in the software.
I also noticed that I could go back to edit any password I added to my account and add one for 2FA.
Password Capture and Generation
Capturing the passwords I already had stored in Google was a bit of a pain because I had to download a CSV file, which wasn’t the most intuitive process. I had to:
- Open Google Chrome and go to Settings.
- Open the Autofill and passwords tab and select Google Password Manager.
- Open Settings and select Download File.
- Enter my device’s password to export the passwords.
- Save the .CSV file to my device.
But from there, all I had to do was upload the file into the Proton Pass settings and everything was in the account.
To test its password generation, I found a random service to sign up for free. Since I had the Chrome extension installed, I had two logos to click on – one in the email address box and one in the password box.
It let me choose to generate an email alias or to use my own. Then, it generated a fairly complex, long-character password, which it stored in my Proton Pass account for use.
In the Settings, I could choose between a “Memorable Password” or a “Random Password.”
With the Memorable option, you choose a number of words to use, whether or not you want to capitalize the words. You can choose between using hyphens, spaces, periods, commas, underscores, numbers, or numbers and symbols to separate the words.
You can also choose whether or not to include numbers with the words.
With the Random option, you choose the number of characters (20 is default, so it could be too long for many platforms), whether or not you want to include special characters, capital letters, or numbers.
Password Sharing
Once you create a login, or import your login information to your account, you can select which passwords you want to share. By default, you’ll share from your personal vault, but you can create separate vaults to control which passwords you share with which groups of people.
You can control the name of the vault, the color, and the icon you use. You share it using a person’s email address. I shared a vault with myself using another email address.
You have three different levels of access you can grant:
- Viewer: Can view items in the vault
- Editor: Can create, edit, delete, and export items in this vault.
- Admin: Can grant and revoke access to this vault
You can revoke access at any time and change sync automatically so it is updated with everyone it’s shared with.
User Interface and User Experience
It’s super easy to sign up, and because I use a Google account, I was able to use the Google Password Manager to automatically generate the password I needed to sign up for the Proton Pass account.
Immediately after signing up and verifying my email address, I was taken to a screen to secure my account with a downloadable Recovery kit, a 1.06 MB PDF file that I could use to recover my account if I lost access to it.
This is the only way to fully restore the account and keep it safe. After I did that, I installed the Chrome extension, and then was given the option to import my existing passwords.
I found the platform very easy to use and navigate, even on the desktop app.
Integrations and Compatibility
Proton Pass has apps and extensions for Windows, Android, iOS, Chrome, Brave, Firefox, and Edge. It also offers cross-platform sync so you can save passwords across all devices.
A macOS app and a Linux app are listed on the website as “coming soon” but are unavailable.
Customer Support
Proton Pass has rather extensive help documentation to help you with any number of issues you may run into. Contacting them is limited to email, after you fill out a website form.
An email address is not publicly listed. The blog also contains a lot of information about online privacy and security, and company news. No live chat or phone number is available, as the company is based in Switzerland.
Proton Pass — Unique Features
Beyond managing passwords, Proton Pass works as an identity manager. It allows you to create a unique email alias for each website, to enhance privacy and reduce the risk of email-related security breaches.
The Proton Pass premium subscription also includes features like auto-locking your account. There’s also an encrypted notes feature that allows you to share information between people that doesn’t fit the traditional username-password model.
What the Experts Say About Proton Pass
At the time of this writing, Proton Pass had the following reviews:
- G2 rating: 4/5 (1+ ratings)
- Google Play rating: 4.8/5 (10,800+ ratings)
- Apple App Store rating: 4.7/5 (1,700+ ratings
Overall I really like it as a password manager, I feel that they are stored securely and I have never had problems accessing them when I need them, plus it has features which other managers do not have and that in my opinion make it the best option.
Mechatronic Engineer Student – Verified Capterra reviewer
Proton Mail keeps getting better. Proton Pass is very well organized in my opinion, and works better than the one I’ve been using over the last several years. The one I have been using is a very good password app, but I have the bundle thing going on with Proton having Drive, Calendar, Mail, VPN, and now Pass. I am in an incremental process of moving all my saved log-ins into Pass now. Very satisfied with all the apps Proton is putting out and very worth the money I’m spending for my accounts, not to mention the help they are able to provide to lesser fortunate, oppressed citizens of other countries because of the fees I pay.
– Verified Apple Store reviewer
Proton Pass Alternatives
Not sure Proton Pass is the best choice for your needs? Check out these other alternatives:
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NordPass
NordPass comes from the cybersecurity experts behind NordVPN. It offers password health, a data breach scanner, and secure item-sharing features.
It has a free version, with paid business plans starting at $1.99/user/month.
Start your free trial of NordPass today
Keeper Password Manager
Keeper Password Manager offers a comprehensive suite of features beyond password management, including secure file storage, dark web monitoring, and a proprietary messaging platform for secure communication.
Keeper Security offers flexibility through various plans catering to individuals, families, and businesses.
Get started with Keeper Password Manager today
Bitwarden
Bitwarden is an open-source platform offering transparency and the opportunity for community review and contributions. This openness fosters trust and allows for a high degree of customization.
Other options: Best Proton Pass alternatives
Getting Started with Proton Pass
Proton Passs is a robust password management solution emphasizing unparalleled security and privacy. Its dedication to protecting user data through strong encryption and a zero-knowledge policy makes it a top choice for those who priortize the safety of their digital information.
Proton Pass offers a reliable and secure way to manage your passwords, with a comprehensive feature set tailored to meet the highest security standards.
Get Proton Pass today for free!
FAQs
How safe is Proton Pass?
It is a highly safe app, having passed rigorous security audits. It uses open-source code, so anyone can verify that the encryption works as advertised.
What does Proton Pass free include?
The free service tier includes unlimited password storage across unlimited devices and vault sharing for up to three years. Users can also create and store up to 10 email aliases.
Is Proton Pass an authenticator app?
Though it is not a dedicated authenticator app, it can function as one. You do not have to install a separate third-party authenticator app to generate TOTP codes for the websites you have saved login details for.
Proton Pass
Open-source, publicly audited, end-to-end encrypted, with passkeys and hide-my-email aliases.
Product Brand: Proton
4.7