Kaspersky is one of the big names in security, so we’ve got high hopes for its password manager tool – and on paper the app impresses.
Kaspersky Password Manager includes every mainstream feature going, from password vaults and auto-filling to password generator, and Kaspersky’s tool also aims to prove useful in other ways thanks to document and photo vaults, card and address logging and biometric sign-in options.
The app misses some advanced features, so we’re going to find out if Kaspersky Password Manager can live up to its big-name status – or if lesser-known rivals are a more secure choice.
Kaspersky Password Manager: Plans and pricing
Kaspersky Password Manager has a free version that unlocks all features and works across devices. But, it’s limited to storing just 15 entries, which isn’t enough for most users. The paid version costs around $15 / £15 / AUD$25 per year and enables you to create an unlimited number of records. (Although this is noted as the price for new customers only, there is no price increase after the first year.)
Kaspersky Password Manager: Setup
Getting started with Kaspersky Password Manager is fast and easy. As with other password managers, you’ll start out by creating a master password for your account. If you want to use the software across multiple devices, you’ll also need to register and confirm an email account.
The first time you start the platform, it will prompt you to install a set of browser extensions to enable auto-filling. You can also download any stored credentials from your browsers to add them to your database. Helpfully, Kaspersky Password Manager supports importing entries from other popular password managers as well as CSV files.
Kaspersky Password Manager: Interface and performance
Kaspersky’s app interface will look familiar to anyone who has used another password manager, but there are some important differences. The first is that there are fewer data categories. Kaspersky Password Manager has six, whereas competitors like mSecure have more than 20. You’re able to create custom entries here, but you don’t get the templates, categories or level of control that you’l routinely find elsewhere.
In addition, we didn’t love the way that Kaspersky Password Manager organizes information. You can create groups of entries, but there are no tags. The folder view is also a little bit harder to navigate than the simple list view that many other password managers use.
The password generator in Kaspersky Password Manager is a standard affair. You can choose which special characters are allowed in a password, if any, but there’s no option to force it to create human-readable words.
Elsewhere, you get a conventional range of features. This app can store and autofill your payment details and addresses alongside login information, and synchronization across devices is near-instant. You can store documents in an encrypted vault, too. You also get leak detection and weak password checking.
That’s great, but Kaspersky Password Manager doesn’t have the high-end features found elsewhere, like self-destructing messages or powerful sharing options. You also can’t coordinate your passwords in alternative cloud storage products.
This app is available on Windows, mac OS, Android and iOS. It also has browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari. That’s a solid slate of options for mainstream users, but this is another area where other tools go further – it’s pretty normal now to find support for more browsers and operating systems.
Kaspersky Password Manager: Security
Kaspersky Password Manager does a good job at securing your data. Kaspersky operates a zero-knowledge principle, which means that the firm never knows anything about your data – and AES-256 encryption matches the high security standards found across the rest of the industry.
That’s a robust set of security options, and two-factor authentication is supported with facial and fingerprint recognition too.
That said, Kaspersky Password Manager doesn’t have a self-destruct feature to prevent brute forcing your password, and you don’t get the option to store your data at alternative locations in the cloud.
Kaspersky Password Manager: Support
Home users can deploy Kaspersky’s phone and live chat support, which operates seven days a week from 9 AM to 5 PM EST. You can also try the virtual assistant on the company’s website, which serves as a smart search bar. There’s a dedicated knowledgebase for Kaspersky Password Manager, which offers a fair amount of information about how to install and troubleshoot the software.
Kaspersky operates forums with helpful advice from the community, and the average response time for emails is 24 hours.
Business customers can access 24-hour phone and remote assistance support, although this is only available with more expensive products.
Kaspersky Password Manager: The competition
If you’re looking for a more flexible password manager, we’d recommend mSecure. This platform costs $19.99 for a lifetime subscription, so it’s actually cheaper than Kaspersky Password Manager after one year. mSecure comes with fully customizable data categories and enables you to create as many custom fields as you want. The software also matches Kaspersky Password Manager’s cross-device sync using the purpose-built mSecure cloud.
Kaspersky Password Manager: Final verdict
Kaspersky Password Manager is an affordable software that covers the basics well, but it does leave a lot to be desired. The platform doesn’t enable you to add customized fields to your data entries, nor can you share login credentials with family or coworkers. We liked the browser extensions, but the ability to auto-fill passwords is far from unique to Kaspersky Password Manager.
