LastPass Full Review: Hackers Shall Not Pass
With more than 2 million customers, LogMeIn, Inc.'s LastPass password manager tool takes the spotlight in the market as a top contender in the password managers' turf.
LastPass manages your passwords, credit cards, and online life for you while reducing the risks of hacking attempts or forgetting the password.
Pros
Cons
Quick Stats
In the modern world, our online identity has become an integral part of our everyday lives, and with that came online identity theft. Online identity theft is no joke; millions of people suffer every year because of it. A major part of why identity theft occurs is predictable passwords. Can LastPass help with that?
LastPass is a password manager. In general, password managers work by storing inside an encrypted vault long, intricate, and complex passwords that can be retrieved by a single simple master password. Using a password manager can be a very beneficial tool to protect your Online identity and accounts.
Is LastPass the password manager for you? Let's find out...
LastPass Plans
LastPass has multiple plans for both home users and businesses, each with features that appeal to the target audience.
1. Single Users & Families plans
For casual users, including individuals and families, LastPass provides the following plans:
| Plans | Free | Premium | Families |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multifactor Authentication | Basic | Advanced | Advanced |
| Save & Autofill Passwords | Included | Included | Included |
| Secure Notes | Included | Included | Included |
| Password Generator | Included | Included | Included |
| Device Access | One device type only | All devices | All devices |
| Encrypted File Storage | N/A | 1 GB | 1 GB |
| Dark Web Monitoring | N/A | Included | Included |
| Dashboard | N/A | Security dashboard | Family manager dashboard |
2. Business plans
Business plans by LastPass are more customizable relative to the single users and family plans. They provide tools for a large number of users and, most importantly, have a zero-knowledge security model so that they don't intrude on any corporate-related information.
Business plans by LastPass include:
| Plans | Teams | Business |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Folders | Included | Included |
| Zero-Knowledge Security Policy | Included | Included |
| Dark Web Monitoring | Included | Included |
| Dashboard | Security dashboard | Admin dashboard |
| Reporting | Basic reporting | In-depth reporting |
| Integrated SSOs | N/A | 1200+ Apps |
| Security Policy | Standard security policy | 100+ customizable policies |
The Teams plan is meant for small companies with 50 or fewer users, while the business plan is meant for medium and large companies.
Security and Privacy
A password manager is a tool made to secure your passwords and online credentials first and foremost. No matter how many shiny extra features a password manager has if it lacks robust security, then none of the extra features will matter.
LastPass offers the following privacy features:
- Password generator: LastPass provides a robust password generator that can be optimized to create your perfect password.
The password generator allows users to customize how long they want their password to be, ranging from 1 to 50 characters and what type of characters can be used in it, including lowercase letters, upper case letters, numbers, and symbols.
Furthermore, LastPass has options allowing users to make passwords more readable by avoiding certain ambiguous characters that look alike and might be confusing, and an easy to say option which omits numbers and special characters.
- Secure Vaults: Storing sensitive information in an online vault doesn't have to be nerving; the vaults used by LastPass are encrypted with 256-bit encryption.
256-bit encryption means that if a hacker tries to guess access to the decryption key, it will take them 2256 attempts at guessing. Using the fastest modern supercomputer would take close to 40 years to crack this code.
- Multi-Factor authentication: Instead of relying on a single password to access your password vault, you can further your security by adding multi-factor authentication MFA, which increases the number of steps required to access an account for added security.
LastPass Authenticator is primarily a business variant of a multi-factor authentication tool that can set certain conditions for login, including a certain IP (often set to a static VPN IP address), biometric data, and more.
- Dark web Monitor: In the event some of your credentials and personal information, such as your credit card numbers, are compromised, it would be very useful to have a tool to warn you of such breaches in order to take some appropriate steps beforehand.
A lot of ID and credit card theft info is sold on the dark web. In fact, it's one of the largest marketplaces for ID theft goods to be sold, with prices ranging depending on the product type.
The dark web scanner can inform you of activities on the dark web that involve you, which could save you in certain cases, such as when your credit card info is leaked, as you can contact your bank and disable or change your card.
- Automatic Password Changer: LastPass allows users to change their passwords automatically with the click of a button. Many cybersecurity experts recommend a password change every 3 months.
LastPass automatic password change is compatible with approximately 70 of the most popular websites.
- Safe sharing: Some information shouldn't be sent in a simple text message and require individuals to be more subtle. Safe sharing does the job by allowing users to share sensitive information using an encrypted format.
General Features
LastPass has a long list of features that you can benefit from, along with a secure network, but what makes it unique?
- Form filling: LastPass automatically detects fields that require data and fills them accordingly with the appropriate type of information with a single click cutting down on time required to finish repetitive operations.
- Admin control: Using a single dashboard, gain access to information and reports regarding audits, activity, and how secure the passwords actually are for you and your employees or family members. Using the admin controls, you can also set privileges for individuals regarding roles and functionalities, which works very well in a work environment.
- Digital Wallet: LastPass allows for the storage of different credit card information for users to call for in times of need. Upon request of payment in websites, LastPass detects relevant fields and allows users to choose which credit card they want to use in an instant.
- Digital will/legacy: In the event something happens to you, all your credentials and information will be sent to a recipient of your choice acting as your digital heir, which can be very useful if you're saving some crypto wallet passwords on LastPass for example.
User Experience
User experience is an important aspect of using any program. Whether it's how easy it is to use the program or how reachable and helpful the customer support is, a positive user experience can make or break a digital product's appeal.
Regarding user experience, the following was checked:
1. Ease of use and setup
Using LastPass is quick and easy; their user interface is very simple and intuitive. You can start by selecting your plan, registering your account, and setting a master password (further described below).
Afterward, whenever you enter a website using a username and a password, LastPass will offer to save them. Upon reentering the same website, a small icon next to the fields will be visible, allowing for an autofill function once clicked.
How to set up your LastPass step-by-step:
- Step 1 Choose your plan: Select your plan of choice depending on your needs and budget. Available plans include Free, Premium, and Families.
- Step 2 Payment and registration: After choosing a plan, you will be sent to the billing and payment page, which will require you to fill in your basic information along with billing information. After entering your email address, you will receive an authentication code to proceed with the registration.
- Step 3 Verify your account: Once you make a purchase and create an account, you will be required to verify your account using a code that will be sent to your email.
- Step 4 Start using LastPass: Long into your account and enter a master password. Choose your master password carefully as this password will be the only password that you have to remember; keep it protected as if someone obtains it, they will have complete access to your accounts.
2. Compatibility and browser extensions
LastPass is compatible with most platforms, allowing a smooth user experience. The list of LastPass compatible devices includes:
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
- Chrome OS
However, it is important to note that only one type of device can be accessed with the free version at a time.
Regarding browser extensions, you can use LastPass on all of the mainstream browsers, including:
- Microsoft Edge
- Firefox
- Google Chrome
- Opera
- Safari
3. Customer support
LastPass allows users with questions to find the answers through multiple different customer support methods available for use. Whether it's by directly contacting the support team using live chat or by checking their comprehensive knowledge base, you'll find your answer.
Furthermore, LastPass allows users to share their experiences with each other using their local community forums so that they can ask each other specific questions based on personal experiences, such as business-related to a certain field.
Methods of customer support by LastPass include:
- Live chat
- Knowledge base
- Blogs and articles
- Community forums
- 24/7 Email and ticketing support (Not included for the free version)
- 24/7 Phone Support (Business plans only)
4. Supported languages
LastPass is available in 7 languages:
- English
- Deutsch (German)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Francais (French)
- Espanol (Spanish)
- Italiano (Italian)
- Portugues (Portuguese)
Prices and Payments
After going through all the features, we reach the point of is it worth it for this amount? Can we have a test sample? And do you accept credit cards?
Accordingly, we shall discuss:
1. Pricing
Regarding pricing, LastPass has multiple options for users. Starting with the free plan, you can opt to try out their service and discover how amazing it is to have LastPass remember uncrackable passwords for you.
It is important to mention that the prices are billed annually upon registration rather than on a monthly basis.
Personal and family plans:
| Plans | Free Plan | Premium Plan | Families Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Prices | N/A | $3/month | $4/month |
| Annual Cost | N/A | Billed annually for $36 | Billed annually for $48 |
Business plans:
| Plans | Teams Plan | Business Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Prices | $4/user/month | $6/user/month |
| Annual Cost | $48/user/year | $72/user/year |
2. Payment methods
LastPass provides the following payment methods for users:
- Credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover)
3. Trial and money-back guarantee
LastPass provides a 30-day free trial period on its premium individuals and family plans services, so you can try out their product in its full glory and power before making a decision on whether it's worth your money or not. As for the business plans, the trial period is 14-day long.
Final Verdict
Is LastPass worth it? Yes, it is!
For the simple price of a single cup of coffee per month, you ensure your passwords, credit cards, and by extension, your online ID remains safe and sound.
LastPass provides many high-quality features, which we found to be very useful and easy to use, adding that their prices range from low to high given that everyone searches for different features.
With a very useful free version, you can try out and get a feel of how much life becomes easier with LastPass. Despite the lack of a money-back guarantee, the 30-day free trial period (or 14-day for businesses) on the premium product lets you experience the joy of a first-class password manager with no restrictions.
All in all, LastPass has most of the features you would want in a password manager. LastPass barely has any drawbacks; therefore, we highly recommend it for your personal and business use.