Password management applications (Opens in a new tab) It is one of the most valuable tools every internet user can have. It allows you to keep track of your passwords across dozens of websites and apps and avoid locking out any of your accounts.
There are countless examples of Password administrator (Opens in a new tab) One of the most popular is LastPass. It allows you to store your passwords and other types of sensitive credentials in a digital vault and retrieve them whenever you want. It is a free tool, which means that it has free and paid versions.
We want to see how LastPass’s free and premium levels compare to each other, and this review will let you know which one is the best to choose. You can also see the above LastPass review (Opens in a new tab) for more information.
Features
LastPass’ free version gives you access to the platform’s core features. You can store passwords in a digital vault and retrieve them whenever you want. However, it is limited to only one device. You cannot manage your LastPass vault from multiple devices with the free version but only the paid version.
The free and premium versions of LastPass use the same encryption algorithms (SHA-256 and AES-256) to protect your vault from malicious elements. Because of this encryption, even LastPass employees cannot access your data.
But, there are many security features available for premium users but not for those on the free plan. You cannot use multi-factor authentication to protect your accounts on the free plan. You also can’t use Emergency Access, which provides a way for trusted people to access your LastPass account in the event of an emergency.
You can effortlessly share the passwords in your LastPass vault with other users. For example, you can share passwords to your social media accounts with trusted family members or passwords to company accounts with your office colleagues. Free plan users can share passwords with only one person at a time, while premium users can share with multiple users at once.
performance
You can access LastPass through the web interface, mobile app (iOS and Android), or desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux). If you’re on the free plan, you can only use LastPass on one device, so you’ll have to choose if it’s your computer or your mobile phone.
LastPass delivers solid performance across its web interface and mobile apps. This password manager always ranks high when it comes to ease of use. Once you create your vault, you are free to add as many passwords to it as you like. You can also add other types of sensitive information such as secure notes, social security numbers, credit/debit card numbers, and routing numbers. Then, you can combine multiple pieces of information to create a profile. The passwords you save on the LastPass vault autofill when you enter the relevant account login page on your web browser.
You may notice a lag in LastPass performance if you store too many credentials, think hundreds to thousands. The app may become slow to load and it may take longer to switch between different features.
There isn’t much difference between LastPass’ free and premium tiers in terms of performance and usability. It’s still the same platform after all.
the support
LastPass offers direct customer support for premium users but not for free users. Premium users can contact the platform’s support team via email or phone, but accessibility depends on which premium plan you subscribe to. Users on the Personal or Family plan can contact the support team via phone rather than email, while users on the Business plan can contact through both channels.
It’s not all bleak for free users though. LastPass provides a lot of support resources that any user can take advantage of. On the official support page, you can find comprehensive articles and user guides relating to all aspects of LastPass. These articles help you familiarize yourself with the platform and can solve your challenges without having to contact the support team directly.
There is also an official LastPass community forum where you can ask questions and have volunteer members of the community answer them. If you wish, you can also answer questions from other users to encourage the free flow of information.
When it comes to customer support, LastPass’ premium tier is way better than the free tier.
pricing
Obviously, the main difference between the free and premium tier of LastPass is the price. You can use the former without paying a dime but not the latter. LastPass offers different premium plans for personal, family and corporate use.
The Personal plan costs $3 / £3 / AU$5 per month and includes all the features of the free plan plus advanced features such as access on multiple devices, single sharing, 1GB of secure file storage, and a dedicated security dashboard.
LastPass’ family plan costs $4 / £4 / AU$6 per month and covers up to five users. It’s a bit more expensive than the Personal package, but it supports five accounts instead of one. Users on this plan can access family-oriented features such as easy sharing of folders.
LastPass offers two plans for organizations; Team and work. The Team plan costs $4 / £4 / AU$6 per user per month for a maximum of 50 users. The Business plan costs $6 / £6 / AU$6 per user per month for an unlimited number of users. The difference is that the business plan includes advanced features like single sign-on and a free family plan subscription for each user.
Note that if you’re a large organization with hundreds to thousands of employees, you can contact LastPass’ sales team to arrange a plan that includes bulk discounts.
Rule
LastPass premium tier costs money to use but is a much better solution than the free plan. Free users can only access the app on one device and are locked out of many of the advanced security features. There is also much better customer support for the paid users compared to the free ones.
If you have the budget, we will advise you to choose a premium plan instead of the free one. Other than that, the free version is still manageable but not the best you can get.
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