Keeping up with one password is difficult enough. Keeping up with several is an almost impossible task. This is especially true if you follow standard security recommendations and change your passwords frequently.

With all of the sensational stories about hacked accounts and stolen identities many of us are increasingly turning to password managers to make it easier and safer to create unique, secure passwords for each of our online accounts.

There are several password managers on the market and most come with the standard ability to generate and remember random passwords for each of your accounts as well as the ability to auto-fill online forms with your saved information.  RoboForm Everywhere 7, Password Box, LastPass 3.0 Free and Premium editions, and Dashlane 3 are some of the most popular password managers, but there are numerous others. They also vary widely in price, and range from free to around $30 a year.

Additional features, such as two-factor authentication and the ability to be compatible across multiple platforms, including your desktop to smartphones and other mobile devices, often require premium upgrades to service.

The following tips can help you to select the best password manager for your needs.

Best choices if you are forgetful and have several accounts

If you have numerous logins, and several accounts, it’s a good idea to choose a password manager that syncs across multiple platforms and devices, including mobile ones. This way you can easily update all of your passwords from one location, even if you use multiple devices to access your accounts. RoboForm Everywhere 7 and Password Box are good choices if you have several passwords and devices.

It can also be a bit time consuming to set up all of your passwords for all of your accounts for the first time. LastPass 3.0 and Dashlane simplify this tedious task by allowing you to automatically import your saved login and password information from your internet browser. These managers then delete your passwords from the browser so that you don’t have to worry if your computer or smartphone is hacked.

While most password managers notify users about the security strength of their passwords, LastPass 3.0 and Dashlane also provide users with a list of all of their passwords and can automatically detect duplicates as well. It’s then a relatively simple matter to have the manager generate a new password when you discover a duplicate or one that’s been reused. Dashlane 3 also provides the additional bonus of being a secure digital wallet as well as a password manager.

Drawbacks: While LastPass 3.0 is free, you will need to upgrade to the premium version to be able to sync your passwords across multiple devices.

RoboForm Everywhere will work across all of your devices but is limited to storing only 10 unique passwords and Password Box allows only 25.

But what if you need extra security?

Check out next post when we have more advice for you.