Dashlane Review: Pros & Cons, Features, Ratings, Pricing and more

Dashlane is one of the oldest and most popular password manager apps on the market, and it’s got the headline figures to back that up. More than 2.5 billion credentials have been saved on it, and it supports more than 20,000 companies making it a great option for businesses. Companies like Wayfair and PepsiCo trust it – so you know they must be on to something.

A glance at its feature list will explain why it's remained popular for a decade. Its core features include 2FA encryption, customizable settings, secure autofill settings, and support for an unlimited number of passwords. Because it’s one of the largest options in its industry, it also has the backing to be able to adapt most quickly, so you can expect some of the latest and greatest features like passkey support.

We've explored the features that make Dashlane stand out in our review – and found out if this older app can keep up with its newer and possibly more agile rivals.

Our password manager advice doesn't stop there, either. Head here for our verdict on the best password managers, and take a look at our choice of the best password managers. 

Dashlane: Plans and pricing

There are loads of options available when it comes to Dashlane products. Individuals can opt for the free product tier, which includes support for an unlimited number of passwords and passkeys on one device alongside a password generator and some of the app's core features, like 2FA and personalized alerts.

The Advanced plan costs $3.49 / £3.49 / AUD$3.49 per month and it allows individuals to use Dashlane on an unlimited number of devices. It also includes dark web monitoring to make sure that your credentials are even safer. The Premium plan at $6.49 / £3.99 / AUD$3.99 adds a VPN as well, which is recommended when connecting to unsecured networks. In this instance, Dashlane gives users access to Hotspot Shield Premium, which itself is a service worth $12.99 / £10.99 / AUD$19.99 monthly, so Dashlane Premium represents really good value for money if you’re able to benefit from the VPN.

Families can pay $8.99 / £5.99 / AUD$5.99 per month for a package that supports up to ten family members. With that product, you get all the features available elsewhere – plus a dashboard for easy management.

All of the personal plans can be paid for annually, which means users willing to fork out more money in one go but less often can save themselves around 20% each year compared with paying monthly.

Three different business plans are available. Unlimited passwords, secure sharing, business and personal spaces, and dark web insights form the basis of the Starter plan which headlines at $2 / £2 / AUD$3 per month, but because it’s only available with 10 seats, it will cost $20 / £20 / AUD$30 per month regardless. The Team plan adds unlimited seats and VPN to the base product and is paid on a per-person basis and sits in the middle of the business-oriented lineup.

The priciest Business product costs $8 / £8 / AUD$12 per user per month, but it adds SSO integration, SCIM provisioning, a free friends and family plan for all users, and on-demand phone support – which is something you don't get with lots of cheaper products.

Check out the latest Dashlane promo codes to see how you can save further on certain plains.

Dashlane: Setup

The setup process is simple and straightforward and took us under five minutes to complete. The interface is so well-designed it led us seamlessly through the handful of steps required to register a new account and save our first set of credentials.

To begin, we were encouraged to add the Chrome extension. From here, we were directed to the sign-up page.

We were presented with a list of popular websites with links and logos and asked to select our first site. The software then guided us through the process of choosing and storing passwords using the Chrome extension.

Beyond the Chrome extension, there’s support for other popular browsers like Edge, Firefox, Brave, and Opera, including desktop clients for the major operating systems and mobile apps.

If the reason for your setup is that you’re moving from another password manager, you can import credentials straight into Dashlane by exporting from 1Password, Bitwarden, LastPass, KeePass, Keeper, or RoboForm as a .csv file. You can also do the same from Google Password Manager, Microsoft Edge Password Manager, iCloud Keychain, and the Firefox browser.

Dashlane: Interface and performance

Dashlane automatically fills login details for websites, credit and debit card numbers, and online forms. This feature can make the average working day far more efficient. A bulk password-changing function also makes it easy to change multiple passwords at once in the event of a significant data breach, or if you’re new to password management and up until now you’ve been using the same password for all accounts.

The software is packed with features, including a VPN for safe browsing on public Wi-Fi connections (for Premium plans), which makes Dashlane much more than just a password manager. Even the free version includes personalized security alerts and a password generator.

Dashlane's business suite handles every aspect of a company's password security, from password storage and bespoke security ratings for individual team members to security policy management via the in-built Admin Console. From this console, you can "Pinpoint password hygiene problems" from the Password health score that gets generated, along with details of compromised passwords.

Dashlane works with most operating systems, and there is a plugin for all the main browsers. There is also a desktop app available, but combined, the browser plugin and web app are more than adequate. There’s even an extension for Safari, which many companies fail to deliver on, but you’ll need the full desktop client to benefit from this.

It's a very easy app to use. Dashlane's interface is clean, logical and straightforward to navigate, and you don't have to download a separate app – it's all handled using browser extensions or the web.

Here, you can manage and add passwords, view your account information and access the other features that come with your plan. Any changes we made were instantaneous, and Android and iOS apps are also available – with instant syncing deployed across platforms.

The password generator is accessed through the browser plugin, a nice touch that enables you to create strong passwords while browsing.

Dashlane: Passkeys

Dashlane is slowly adding support for passkeys and was one of the first major password managers to do so. With the web app, users can save passkeys and use them to log into their accounts. Viewing, editing, and deleting passkeys are “coming soon,” according to the company, which failed to provide a timeline.

The same will be true for iOS 17 users when the mobile operating system becomes generally available, likely in September 2023, while Android users have been testing out passkey support in Android 14 beta already.

Dashlane has a dedicated page for keeping up to date with its passkey support rollout.

Dashlane: Security

Dashlane is the only US-patented password manager and uses military-grade AES 256-bit encryption alongside its patented technology.

Further security is enabled by two-factor authentication (2FA) compatible with common authenticator apps and U2F security keys. Like some other password managers, there is a master password that the user needs to enter to access the service, but only the user has it, and Dashlane has zero knowledge of it, and does not store it. What this means, though, is that if you forget your master password, you could be locked out for good.

There's plenty of support for different SSO apps here, too – Dashlane integrates with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Azure, Duo, Okta, and more. Businesses can also use customizable policies to create a tailored, secure environment, and automated employee management allows security to start immediately.

Dashlane even has a bug bounty program that offers rewards of up to $5,000 in return for the notification of vulnerabilities by eager security workers.

Dashlane: Customer support

Dashlane has a well-organized and easy-to-navigate support page that we could access through the web app and browser extension. It has a prominent search bar top and center to look for content and plenty of articles that guide users through key app features.

FAQs are comprehensive and arranged into categories such as Account & Security, Passwords & Data, and Platforms & Browsers.

Live chat support is available in English during working hours on weekdays, while out of hours, it's possible to consult the chatbot and contact the support team via email. We tested all options and were impressed with each of them, as there was no queue on the live chat and our request was dealt with quickly and professionally. Our email was answered quickly with information on contracting the live support staff, but the chatbot was a little underwhelming compared with other similar experiences across the web, especially during an era of generative AI. The responses and pre-determined inputs were somewhat limiting.

Remember, too, that certain product tiers also included phone support – ideal if you need help in a hurry.

Dashlane: The competition

Dashlane's biggest competitor is LastPass, which is consistently voted among the best password managers on the market.

Dashlane has a cleaner, more user-friendly interface, but LastPass wins on value for money. Its free version is only slightly different from its paid one, while Dashlane's free product misses out on features like dark web monitoring and VPN support.

KeePass is Dashlane's closest competitor in regard to security. The company sells its service on its security merits, but, unlike Dashlane, this advanced security comes at the expense of convenience. Another strong competitor is N-Able Passportal, which is well-suited to demanding businesses.

Dashlane: Final verdict

The simplicity of Dashlane's interface means even first-time users can benefit from the advanced password management services and security on offer, and its free product is a decent option for basic password protection.

There's plenty of functionality on offer from all of Dashlane's products, especially if you upgrade to the paid versions – but we will say that some of Dashlane's business products are quite expensive when compared to other password manager tools.

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