NordPass is the official password manager of Nord Security, NordVPN and NordLocker‘s parent company. The password manager has both a free and a premium (paid) version.
NordPass is a versatile password manager that offers a lot of features options. In addition to passwords, you can also safely store credit card information, notes and personal data. But are all these features handy, user-friendly and safe? And what about NordPass’s encryption? Is their software easy to navigate and install? We have tested all of the above. Read our findings in the review below.
Do you want to get started with NordPass right away? Then click here:
Also consult our top 5 article to get an overview of the best password managers right now.
NordPass review: In brief
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| User-friendly interface | Usernames need to be entered manually when using the browser extension |
| Handy browser extension | The free version can only be used on 1 device at a time |
| Good encryption and security | |
| Works with many operating systems and browsers | |
| Many useful extra (security) options |
NordPass is an inexpensive, yet high-quality password manager. The app and browser extension are user-friendly and you can easily and quickly save passwords, enter them on websites and share them with users you trust. In addition, NordPass has many additional options. We’ll discuss these below. Last but not least, NordPass supports almost all common operating systems and browsers.
Nonetheless, there is still some room for improvement. The main inconvenience we experienced with NordPass was that when saving passwords with the browser extension you have to enter usernames manually. Although not a huge issue, getting rid of this would make NordPass’s user experience much smoother. Another inconvenience is that you can only log in with 1 device at a time when using the free version.
Even so, we still think NordPass is an excellent password manager. If you consider how convenient, versatile and secure NordPass is and how many options you get for a relatively little price, there is no excuse to keep on storing your passwords the old-fashioned and unsafe way: writing them down on a piece of paper. Therefore, we give NordPass an 8.7 / 10.
Read our full NordPass review below to see if NordPass is the right password manager for you.
NordPass Specifications
| Specification | NordPass |
|---|---|
| Download link | nordpass.com |
| Price for the premium version | From $2.49/month |
| Free version | ✔ |
| Zero-knowledge policy | ✔ |
| Password generator | ✔ |
| Password auto-filling | ✔ |
| Synchronization across devices | ✔ |
| Unlimited number of passwords | ✔ |
| Data breach notification | ✔ |
| Password sharing | ✔ |
| Secure storage | ✖ |
| Business version | ✖ |
Safety: How secure is NordPass?
The fact that NordPass has many options and is well-priced is great, but the most important part of a password manager is safety. Therefore, we have extensively tested this aspect. Here are our conclusions regarding NordPass’s security:
- NordPass offers excellent 256-bit encryption to keep your data safe.
- NordPass uses a zero-knowledge policy where only you know your passwords and master password.
- NordPass’s Trusted Contact option allows for extra secure data sharing.
- NordPass’s security was extensively tested in 2020 by external cybersecurity agency Cure53 and the overall results were positive.
- NordPass offers several additional security options, such as Password Health, a Data Breach Scanner and a secure password generator.
Encryption and security methods
NordPass uses high-quality encryption to protect passwords and other data. The password manager uses the advanced XChaCha20 encryption algorithm. Thanks to this algorithm, your data is protected by an encryption key of no less than 256 characters. This means that criminals who want to misuse your data must guess the right combination of 2 to the power of 256 options (an unbelievably large number). This would take the average computer hundreds of years to decrypt.
Zero-knowledge policy
NordPass uses a so-called zero-knowledge policy. This means that no one except you and the people you share your passwords with can see them. NordPass encrypts your data on your device before it is sent to NordPass’s servers in the Cloud. This means that even if NordPass’s servers are hacked, criminals will not be able to view your data.
Thus, you can safely sync your data between all your devices and share it with people you trust (e.g., your colleagues). You can also store a huge amount of data thanks to NordPass’s secure cloud storage.
NordPass uses a master password to protect your data. You can also generate a recovery key should you forget your master password. Keep in mind that you are the only one who has this information, due to the zero-knowledge policy. So, make sure you keep the key somewhere safe. If you forget your master password and can’t retrieve the recovery key, you’ll have lost all your data. You can, however, set how long the NordPass “vault” will remain open before having to re-enter your master password.
Additional security options
NordPass offers additional security options that not all password managers have, but are very useful nonetheless. For example, Trusted Contacts (a way to share data extra securely), a password security analyzer and a scanner that checks whether your data has been breached. NordPass also has a password generator that generates secure passwords consisting of up to 60 random characters. We highly recommend using this to generate new passwords, rather than using combinations of names, birthdays, etc.
NordPass was extensively tested during a security audit in 2020. The results were by and large positive. Admittedly, there was room for improvement, especially with regards to securely sharing passwords and other data. To their credit, NordPass acted swiftly. Shortly after the audit, they launched the handy Trusted Contacts feature. This option allows users to manually exchange encryption keys with people they trust, keeping them in control of their data and preventing data from being intercepted. The audit was conducted by Cure53, a cybersecurity company that also audited popular password manager RememBear.
User-friendliness: How user-friendly is NordPass?
NordPass is very easy to use and installing the software is quick and simple. NordPass does have a number of drawbacks in terms of ease of use, however. These are our conclusions about the user-friendliness of NordPass:
- The NordPass app and extension are very user-friendly and easy to navigate.
- The NordPass website is clear.
- Installing NordPass is quick and easy.
- NordPass saves and enters passwords, notes and credit card information with ease.
- Uploading data into NordPass can be done manually, automatically or by importing it from spreadsheets or other password managers.
- NordPass offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- NordPass offers a large number of payment options.
- You can access NordPass’s customer service via email and live chat.
- If you save passwords with the browser extension, you, unfortunately, have to enter your username manually.
- With NordPass Free you can only be logged in with one device at a time.
Website and installation
The NordPass website is very clear. You will immediately see two buttons, one at the top of the page and one in the middle. Simply click on one of the buttons to subscribe. The website also offers some useful information about how NordPass works (“How it works”) and the options NordPass offers (Features). This is useful if you want to first familiarize yourself with the password manager.
Installing NordPass Premium
Below we explain how to install NordPass Premium on your PC and how to get started with the software right away.
- Go to the NordPass website.
- Click on the red “Grab the deal” button or the green “Get NordPass” button.
- Choose your subscription and optionally add NordVPN and/or NordLocker to your subscription.
- Click on “Continue to Payment” at the bottom of the page and complete the payment.
- Go back to the homepage to download the software. Click “Apps” and choose your operating system.
- Click on “Download”.
- Open the downloaded file and follow the installation process.
- Log in with your login details.
You now have access to your own secure online password vault!
Installing NordPass Free
Installing NordPass Free is even easier. Follow the steps provided above but start at step 5. Once you have installed the app, you can either create an account or continue without an account. The latter is fine if you only want to keep using the free version. Keep in mind that many (important) features are missing from the free version.
Installing the NordPass browser extension
Now that you have installed NordPass, it is time to add the browser extension. With this extension, you can enter and save passwords and other information super-fast (and safely). Go through the following steps to add the extension:
- Open the NordPass app.
- Go to “Settings”.
- Go to the tab “Browser Extensions”.
- Click the button next to the name of your browser.
- Add the extension to the page you are taken to. You will now see a code. Type this code in the small window that appears.
Software and options
NordPass has apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS. In addition, the password manager offers browser extensions for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Brave and Opera. NordPass certainly scores extra points for this, because not all password managers have apps and extensions for so many platforms. We mainly tested NordPass on a Windows PC, where everything worked fine.
NordPass allows synchronization across all your devices. Thus, your NordPass account is not linked to one device. You can access your passwords and data on any device, as long as you know your master password. However, there is a limit to the number of devices you can be logged in to at the same time. With the free version, you can only use NordPass on one device at a time. The premium version lets you log in on six devices at the same time.
With NordPass, you can store a total of four types of data: passwords (and their corresponding usernames), notes, credit card information, and personal information. You can view and save all this information manually, but also with the handy browser extension. More about this later.
When you start NordPass for the first time, you will be asked if you want to automatically upload all passwords saved in your browser to NordPass. This is super handy, so we definitely recommend this option. You can also (manually) add accounts one by one later, or a large number at the same time by importing a CSV file.
Despite the many options NordPass offers, the app remains well-organized. This is because NordPass uses handy tabs and neatly bundles information that belongs together.
NordPass browser extensions
The NordPass browser extension is very pleasant and easy to use. It’s a convenient and easy way to automatically enter and save your account information for all kinds of websites and apps. You can even generate strong passwords with its built-in password generator. We find it quite impressive how one small and simple program fulfils these three important functions.
A disadvantage of this extension is that we always had to manually enter our username when saving account information. The password and other information, on the other hand, are completed automatically.
Additional NordPass features
NordPass offers many extra options, especially with their premium version. This begins with the large number of different types of information that you can safely store. In addition, you can organize this information with NordPass’s optional folder system. NordPass Premium also offers an advanced password generator, where you can choose the length and type of characters used in your password. Other special NordPass features are described below.
| Feature | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Trusted Contacts | Trusted Contacts is a security option that allows you to share passwords, and other data you want to keep extra secure, with fellow NordPass users you trust. The special thing about this function is that you manually exchange encryption keys with the party you want to share data with. This prevents man-in-the-middle attacks from malicious parties trying to intercept your data. |
| Password Health | This is a handy option that tells you how many of your passwords are weak, reused or more than 90 days old. If any of your passwords are found to be weak, the software will prompt you to change these passwords. This is especially useful for new NordPass users. As many people don’t start using strong passwords until they use a password manager, the passwords they import to NordPass for the first time will often be quite weak. |
| Data Breach Scanner | This function checks if your data, such as email addresses, passwords and credit card details, has been the victim of a data breach. NordPass promises that they do this in a secure way, namely by “hashing” your data, which means that it is altered in such a way that no one can see your real data, and then they send it to a third party that specializes in investigating data leaks. This may sound risky, but it is important to know if and how much of your data is at risk. NordPass appears to be taking the necessary security measures in this regard. |
Price and payment options
NordPass has two versions: a free and a premium version. NordPass Premium offers three subscription options: you can pay per month, per year or every two years. The latter is of course the cheapest at $2.49 per month. Furthermore, NordPass offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
NordPass accepts various payment methods, which is great. Even people who are very fond of their privacy will be pleased with NordPass in this regard: they even accept cryptocurrencies.
Other payment options include iDeal, credit card, Google Pay, Amazon Pay and Alipay.
Customer service
We are very positive about NordPass’ customer service. First of all, the password manager has a “Help Center” on their website which answers frequent questions. You can also contact NordPass via email or live chat.
We have tried out both of the options above. Via email, it took four hours before we received help. This is fairly quick for email, but not as quick as you might wish. We nonetheless received a comprehensive answer to our question and we found the NordPass employee to be very knowledgeable.
We received a much faster response via live chat. This is the option that we would recommend in case you need help. We received an answer almost immediately after we typed in our question. In addition, the agent was very polite and helpful. You can find the NordPass chat option by clicking the chat icon at the bottom right-hand corner of the website.
Want to try NordPass? Then click on the button below.
Below are answers to questions we often receive about NordPass. Click on a question to read the answer. Do you have another question? Type your question in the comment section below this article and we will answer your question as soon as possible!
NordPass is a password manager. A password manager is a virtual vault in which you can store your passwords securely, using encryption. With a password manager you only need to remember one master password to access all your other passwords. You’ll never have to remember an infinite amount of account information again. Learn more about NordPass here.
NordPass has both a free and a paid version. The free version offers all the basic options. However, if you want to use NordPass on more than one device at the same time, you will need NordPass Premium. The good news: you can take out a subscription straight away from just $ 2.49 per month. The paid version offers many useful extra (security) options, such as sharing data securely with other users. Read here which version is most suitable for you.
To use NordPass, first download the app on your PC or smartphone. Then simply import your passwords from your browser or another password manager. If you use the password manager on your PC, you can also download the browser extension. This allows you to save all your new account details with a few clicks and easily enter them on websites and apps.
Yes. NordPass stores your passwords and other data securely. The password manager encrypts your data with high-quality 256-bit encryption. Even if criminals get their hands on your data, it will take the average PC hundreds of years to decrypt it. NordPass also uses a zero knowledge policy. This means that even NordPass can’t see or retrieve your data.
-
-
-
https://vpnoverview.com/password-managers/nordpass-review/
