When the company behind the superb NordVPN (opens in new tab) bring out a password manager (opens in new tab), it pays to take notice – you know there's going to be some strong security pedigree powering NordPass (opens in new tab) behind the scenes.
Indeed, the firm boasts its own encryption algorithms, a zero-knowledge architecture, multi-factor authentication and more.
Beyond that, NordPass offers secure sharing, autofill for passwords, credit cards and login details, single-click saving and the knowledge that more than 1,300 companies trust NordPass for password security.
We'll find out if NordPass lives up to the hype – or if it's too good to be true. If you'd like more information about the best business password managers (opens in new tab), examine our verdict on the best choices.
- Interested in NordPass? Check out the website here (opens in new tab)
NordPass: Plans and pricing
There is a free tier with NordPass, which isn't always a given with password managers – that gets you storage for an unlimited number of passwords, and the ability to sync those passwords across multiple devices. Negatively, the free option only works effectively on one device – it won't let you stay logged in when you switch hardware. It won't detect weak or reused password, and it won't scan the web for data breaches.
The Premium account turns all of those features on and costs $1.69 / £1.50 / AUD$2.50 per month. It also allows you to use trusted sharing, which grants access to trusted contacts in case of emergencies.
The top personal tier is the Family plan, which starts at $2.79 / £2.50 / AUD$3.50 per month. You'll get six accounts with this product alongside all of the features included with the Premium product.
NordPass's standard Business product starts at $2.56 / £2.50 / AUD$3.50 per user per month and can handle up to 250 users, so it's ideal for small and medium businesses. You get all of the features we've mentioned before alongside a security dashboard, the option to deploy company-wide settings and Google Workplace SSO. The business product also includes team management features, like user account provisioning, company-wide settings deployment and real-time monitoring.
That product also includes Azure SSO and AD FS Setup. The conventional business product doesn’t come with a dedicated account manager or face-to-face onboarding. If you'd like those features, you'll need the Enterprise product and you'll have to contact NordPass directly to get a quote.
NordPass: Setup
It's very easy to get started with NordPass. Download the app from the firm's website, create an account with a master password, and you're good to go. You're able to import passwords from any big-name browser and directly from a CSV file. Nordpass will also import your passwords from other password managers, including big-name apps like LastPass, Remembear (opens in new tab) and Roboform (opens in new tab). Indeed, ten different products are supported.
In terms of support, NordPass is decent – it runs on Windows and mac OS, and Android and iOS apps are available. Linux is supported, too. It also includes browser (opens in new tab) extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Safari and Brave. The only real thing missing here is the Command Line options you'll encounter on techier software.
NordPass: Interface and performance
Everything about the NordPass interface is smooth and elegant, from the initial sign-up page to the apps you'll install as you get the software set up – it's actually one of the most polished experiences we've seen lately. Everything is built to be user-friendly and accessible, so it's a password manager that will suit users at all levels of technical know-how.
The software does a really good job of hiding itself away in the background and only popping up discreetly when needed, and we had no complaints in terms of getting our passwords synced across multiple devices (it only takes a second or two usually).
The helpful touches spread throughout were much appreciated. You can customize generated passwords by length or by turning off characters that can be misread as something else, for example). Following this theme, you can even streamline online shopping by letting NordPass input your credit card details and shipping info for a smoother checkout. It’s even possible to switch between different Nordpass accounts without compromising your security.
When it comes to managing your account, logging in and accessing your settings, passwords, and other stored information is very straightforward. It would be nice to have a few more organizational tools – like tags for particular groups of data and just folders – but overall the apps are easy to get around and make it clear where to find everything. We appreciate the clean interface that is well laid out, and easy to use.
The app's extra features are just as easy to use. Look to the bottom-right of the app and you'll find a password generator (opens in new tab), password health assessment module and a data breach scanner (opens in new tab), and they're all as straightforward as the app's main functions.
NordPass: Security
As you would expect from a developer that also offers a VPN, NordPass has a tight security setup. For a start it deploys a zero-knowledge approach, with end-to-end encryption for your password backups and data syncing – that means not even the NordPass team can see the data that you've got saved.
The increasingly well-respected XChaCha20 encryption algorithm is used, which is also a favorite of companies like Google and Cloudflare: it goes up to 256-bit encryption and is seen (by some at least) as a more future-proof solution than the AES-256 encryption commonly used elsewhere.
Biometric security can be added where supported – FaceID on an iPhone, Windows Hello on a Windows machine, or a fingerprint reader for other smartphones. Two-factor authentication (opens in new tab) is supported for your NordPass account and the accounts you're storing passwords for. You're also able to use OTP generators or USB sticks to activate multi-factor authentication for added security.
NordPass: Support
The customer support is fairly standard – you get round-the-clock email support, but there's no way to call directly. There's no forum, either.
The various online options are good though, including a very well laid out help center which should answer most basic questions.
NordPass: The competition
NordPass is one of the most prominent password managers around and, as such, it faces loads of strong competition. Apps like LastPass (opens in new tab) are good alternatives with similar feature sets and pricing structures, and you'd be well-served by either of those tools.
If you'd like something more affordable but admittedly more basic, a product like mSecure (opens in new tab) will get the job done – it doesn't have the business options or the high-end features of NordPass, but it ticks mainstream boxes and it's cheaper.
NordPass: Final verdict
We're impressed with what we've seen of NordPass during our testing, and we think it's a great choice for individuals and small-to-mid-sized companies. It balances an aesthetically pleasing design with some useful features and advanced security protection, and it holds up well when you compare it against anything else on the market.
Pricing is competitive, and it's nice to see a free tier available. Negatively, it doesn't have more advanced tools like Wi-Fi syncing and Dark Web scanning, but that shouldn't put you off unless you're looking for a password manager with every possible feature.