As someone who works online and travels a lot, passwords are my archnemesis. Having one easy-to-remember password across everything leaves you exposed to so many risks. But having a unique and strong password for every single login causes a real headache when I’m away from home most of the time.
I am always logging into new devices, using public WiFi networks that I can’t fully trust. It would be dangerous to store my passwords in the notes app of my phone. Even worse if I were to carry them all round in a notebook in my bag.
Which is where password managers come in. I have been using one on every single device of mine for years. It began with LastPass, but after their major security breach, I’ve been testing out many others.
In this guide to the best password managers for travel, I’ll share the ones I recommend, including my favourite, NordPass, from the team behind NordVPN. You’ll also find out why a password manager matters so much when you’re on the road.
My top picks
- NordPass | Skip to review
- 1Password | Skip to review
- Bitwarden | Skip to review
- Apple Passwords | Skip to review
- Google Password Manager | Skip to review
NordPass
- Best for: Anyone who already uses/needs a VPN
- Free plan: Yes, with limits
- Price: Free, or Premium from £1.09/mo
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and browser extensions
- Standout: Bundled with NordVPN, plus a Data Breach Scanner
NordPass is the one I actually use because I already use NordVPN, and it comes bundled with the Complete plan, so my VPN and my password manager are in a single handy subscription. You can also buy NordPass separately here!
Having all that security in one place is so useful, and the password manager added into the mix is a real bonus for me.
As for security, NordPass uses XChaCha20 encryption with a zero-knowledge setup, so nobody at NordPass can see inside your vault, and Premium adds a Data Breach Scanner. It keeps an eye on known data breaches and warns you if any of your saved emails, passwords or card details show up in one, so you can change them before anyone else gets there.
I also love their secure sharing feature, which means you can send a login to someone safely instead of firing it over text in plain sight, which is handy when you’re splitting a booking with a travel companion, plus email masking to keep my real address off sign-up forms.
There’s also an offline mode, so if your signal drops, you can still open your vault and get to your logins. It also stores more than passwords: I keep my card and address in there and autofill them when I’m booking a last-minute hotel from my phone. And it handles passkeys, the newer fingerprint or face logins.
It syncs across all my devices, and autofill is quick, which is what you want when you’re logging in on a new phone abroad.
NordPass
The password manager I travel with, bundled into my NordVPN plan so my VPN and my logins sit in one subscription.
1Password
- Best for: Crossing borders with sensitive logins
- Free plan: No, 14-day trial only
- Price: about £3.75/mo (Individual, converted from $4.99)
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS, Android, and browser extensions
- Standout: Travel Mode
If your worry is a border officer asking to look through your phone, 1Password is the one built for it. Its Travel Mode lets you mark which vaults are travel-safe, then hide the rest from your devices with a single toggle.
Beyond that, they have a strong track record with security and a Watchtower tool that flags weak, reused or breached passwords and points out where you could still add two-factor login.
The catch is the price, since it’s the dearest of the mainstream picks, and there’s no free tier, only a trial.
Bitwarden
- Best for: Free plan
- Free plan: Yes
- Price: Free forever, with Premium about £1.25/mo (converted from $1.65)
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, browsers, open-source
- Standout: Unlimited free passwords across unlimited devices
Bitwarden’s free tier gives you unlimited passwords across unlimited devices, and it’s open-source, so its code is independently audited and out in the open rather than something you have to take on trust.
Premium costs only a few pounds a year and adds vault health checks, a built-in authenticator and emergency access, but plenty of people never need it.
The trade-off is in usability and design; it is a heavier set-up than NordPass or 1Password.
Apple Passwords
- Best for: People entirely on Apple devices
- Free plan: Yes, completely free and built in
- Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Windows via the iCloud extension. Weak on Android
- Standout: Zero setup and first-class passkeys
If every device you own is Apple, the Passwords app is a logical choice. Since it became a proper standalone app, it’s turned iCloud Keychain into something you can actually browse and manage.
It’s free, it needs zero setup, and its passkey and two-factor code handling is among the best. The limits show the moment you step outside Apple.
It’s patchy on Android, tied to Safari and the Apple world, and sharing beyond an Apple family or storing more than basic logins is where it stops being so useful.
Google Password Manager
- Best for: Chrome and Android users
- Free plan: Yes, completely free and built in
- Platforms: Chrome on any system, and Android. Weaker off Chrome
- Standout: Already set up and ready for Google users
If you’re on Android and you use Chrome everywhere, Google Password Manager is already set up and syncing across your account for nothing.
It handles passkeys, warns you about weak or breached passwords through Password Checkup, and does the everyday autofill without you thinking about it.
The snag is that it’s really a Chrome feature. Use Safari on your iPhone, as plenty of people do, and your passwords aren’t there, which is a real problem when you’re switching between devices on the road.
As a standalone manager, it’s thin, and sharing or advanced features barely feature. Fine if you’re all-in on Google, limiting if you’re not.
Password manager comparison table
| Feature | NordPass my pick |
1Password | Bitwarden | Apple | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes (limited) | No (trial) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Genuinely cross-platform | Yes | Yes | Yes | Weak on Android | Needs Chrome |
| Travel Mode (hide vaults at borders) | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Built-in 2FA codes | Yes | Yes | Yes (Premium) | Yes | No |
| Email masking | Yes | Via Fastmail | Via integrations | iCloud+ only | No |
| Open-source | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Zero-knowledge encryption | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Optional |
| Price (from) | Free, or £1.09/mo* | about £3.75/mo | Free, or about £1.25/mo | Free | Free |
Apple and Google are free within their own ecosystems. Verified 14 July 2026; always check the current price on the provider’s site before buying.
My verdict: The best password manager
For my needs, NordPass is the perfect choice. I need a VPN for public WiFi anyway, NordVPN bundles the password manager in, and getting both halves of my security kit in one subscription is genuinely good value. It does everything I need it to, and more!
And even if you don’t need the full NordVPN stack, their dedicated NordPass subscription is one of the most affordable and secure. Since leaving LastPass (more on that below), they have become my go-to. I use it across my phone and laptop, for logging in to all my apps and accounts.
NordPass
The password manager I travel with, bundled into my NordVPN plan so my VPN and my logins sit in one subscription.
You may have noticed that I left off LastPass. In 2022, attackers stole backup copies of customer vaults. The passwords inside stayed encrypted behind each user’s master password, but having the vaults offline let attackers brute-force the weaker master passwords over time, and it’s been linked to real thefts as recently as late last year, with the UK’s data regulator fining the company over it. The encryption held for anyone with a strong master password, so it isn’t a disaster for everyone, but with this many strong alternatives, I wouldn’t pick it today.
FAQs
Do I really need a password manager when I travel?+
More than at home, if anything. Travelling means logging in from new devices on WiFi you don’t control, and reusing the same password everywhere is how one leak becomes many. A password manager creates and stores a strong, unique password for every account, so you only have to remember one.
Are password managers safe?+
Yes, when you use a reputable one with zero-knowledge encryption. Your vault is encrypted on your own device before it ever reaches the company’s servers, so even the provider cannot read it, and nor can anyone who breaches them without your master password. It is far safer than reusing a handful of passwords across dozens of accounts.
Is it safe to use a password manager on public WiFi?+
Yes. Because your vault is encrypted with your master password, which the app never sends anywhere, someone snooping on the network cannot read it. I still travel with a VPN on public WiFi as a second layer, and I would not log in to anything sensitive on an open network without one.
What happened with LastPass, and should I use it?+
In 2022 attackers stole backup copies of LastPass customer vaults. The passwords inside stayed encrypted behind each user’s master password, but having the vaults offline let attackers slowly brute-force weak master passwords, and it has been linked to real thefts since. It is not one I would choose today when there are strong alternatives.
My go-to travel health insurance:
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