I've been a LastPass user for a very long time and really like the program. Their free program is sufficient for my needs and has served me well. A couple years ago LastPass was purchased by LogMeIn. Given LogMeIn's past behavior with their products, this purchase concerned me for the future of LastPass. Sure enough, I got an email this week letting me know my free LastPass program is now 'kinda' free. I have to pick whether to use LastPass on a PC 'or' a mobile device, for all practical purposes cutting off functionality to the other platform(s). 'Or', I can pay up and have the full functionality back that I have always had, plus some 'Premium' stuff I neither want or need. Forgive the comment, but this seems like a chicken shit move to me, and if the LogMeIn forums are any indication, I'm far from alone in my opinion. The LogMeIn forum handling this has exploded in the past couple days and the overwhelming majority of the posts are negative and noting people leaving LastPass. I just don't get it. If you want to put everyone on a subscription basis, then be honest and come straight out and say that instead of this stupid game of holding part of the functionality of the program hostage (i.e. the primary advantage of the program) hoping current users will knuckle under and pay up. I think this is what has really pissed off the majority of their users. But this is nothing new for LogMeIn.

Long story short, I'm done with LastPass/LogMeIn and am wondering how others here who use LastPass view this move. Also, if you use and like another password manager, please share given I'm shopping.

The email says:
'If you choose computer as your device type, LastPass Free will work on all computers in your life' this includes laptops.
So you choose between types (but not numbers) of devices. I guess I'll look for an alternative too.

When I read your post, I remembered I had put it on my phone a few weeks ago. I just removed it. Phones are not my preferred device anyway. I have a habit of plugging it in and walking away, especially on a weekend. I am surprised at the number of people that get so upset about this. They almost seem to believe it should be illegal to do so. Especially employers.

Are you complaining that you're not getting something for free anymore? Not sure I understand your post.

There are some free ones out there but you need to look at the feature sets, i.e. which platforms do you need? Windows? Mac? Android? iOS?

I'm an Apple product user; 1Password is a great paid password manager, but I'm not sure that I would buy it as a new user today. I believe that it is now being sold on the subscription plan. I started using it when it was sold as a one-time purchase and I'm grandfathered.

I used Roboform before I used 1Password, but that too, is subscription based now.

I've been paying for it for years. Not sure what feature I was after, but it's well worth the little I pay for it in totality.

FWIW, I have used the premium version for years and am very happy with it.

The other day a Sigforumite had a great quote. You're either paying for a product or you're the product.

When it comes to password managers, I prefer to be paying for the product. I'm on the Apple ecosystem and have had 1Password for years.

After so many years of using cryptic notes to manage my passwords, I decided to go with 1Password.

$60 a year for a family plan where everyone gets their own password vault and can share vaults with others that they designate. I can be on my computer, tablet, or phone.

It also tracks if a website I use has been compromised besides checking for weak or multiple use passwords. zero knowledge but people in the family can reset the other's account.

I got 214 log ins so it's certainly worth the money to me.

quote:

Originally posted by caneau:
Are you complaining that you're not getting something for free anymore? Not sure I understand your post.

No, and that's the point. Again, if the LastPass business plan dictates that all free users need to be converted to subscriptions, then that's fine. Be honest about the goal. If I don't like the new direction, I can seek another solution. Instead LastPass is still advertising their 'free' software without really offering the details about what is really free and what is now history. Also, don't offer me a 'free' program when you've removed the primary benefit from the 'free' program (i.e. cross platform integration). Without that feature, the software is near worthless to me personally (and apparently a whole lot of other people given the posts on their forums). As an alternative to this shady advertising, Bitwarden offers a truly free open source product, and they appear to be open and honest about it now and for the foreseeable future. Other password manager programs also offer 'scaled' features in their free software, but I know of not one that removes the cross platform integration feature. That's the core and draw of every password manager program.

In the end I can certainly migrate my password vault to another program. LastPass is a good program but its not worth the annual cost to me personally. And if you know anything about LogMeIn's background, then you know another price gouging increase is likely right around the corner as soon as the final financial carnage of this decision is quantified.

I use Password Safe (aka: pwsafe). It's not as convenient as some others in some respects, but, being open source, you can never get locked-in.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
The other day a Sigforumite had a great quote. You're either paying for a product or you're the product.

In most things 'yes', but not in all. Bitwarden for example has their Premium and Enterprise software subsidize their free product as an on-ramp to the more sophisticated software. Others have opted to add ad streams as a revenue source to offset their operations costs. IMO either of those options would have been preferable to the course LastPass and LogMeIn have opted to take.

LOL I just got this as well and was going to post the same question. Been using lastpass free for years. I'm tbe same as you, the free version has been all I ever needed. I also set my mom up with it a couple years ago. I will be following as I don't feel the paid version is worth the money for my or my moms needs.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
There are some free ones out there but you need to look at the feature sets, i.e. which platforms do you need? Windows? Mac? Android? iOS?

I'm an Apple product user; 1Password is a great paid password manager, but I'm not sure that I would buy it as a new user today. I believe that it is now being sold on the subscription plan. I started using it when it was sold as a one-time purchase and I'm grandfathered.

I used Roboform before I used 1Password, but that too, is subscription based now.

I’m a Mac guy too. I have the mSecure PW managers for my MacBook and iPhone (they sync). A small one-time fee for apps that are essential in today’s hacker-plagued world.

Many PW manager apps are sold by folks that are adept app developers, but maybe don’t understand the mathematical hazards of cryptology. The mSecure developers do.

Also, mSecure uses blowfish encryption, rather than the more common AES. There are far fewer hacker tools for blowfish.

I have used LastPass for many years and like them, but have always used the paid version so I have/had no clue about a free version.

I have used mSecure for years and really like it. It has both a free and pro version. The pro version is a one time fee and not a subscription service.

Chris

I've been using the fully paid LastPass service for years. I do not have the "family" plan as it is just for me and the wifey, so we have multiple devices on one account.

Back in 2016, it was $12 per year. Now it's up to about $38 per year. (The price actually doubled in 2018 and then up to $38 in 2019.)

I think it's worth it, but I have not been searching for alternatives.

I tried the free version of LastPass a few years back and didn't like it. I can't remember what it was I didn't like, but I remember it was a PITA to remove the program.

I've been using the premium (paid) version of DashLane for 3 or so years and really like it. They offer a free version which does just about everything the paid version does except sync with multiple devices, give you a VPN and a few other little featurs.. The paid version does this very nicely. However they are now migrating to a web based version. That is; no app, but rather a web browser extension that is supposed to do all of the same functions of the app when fully implemented (so they say). I donno, I like being able to look at my passwords without having to be connected to the internet. Right now you can have both and I do have both the app and web browser version running. We'll see how it unfolds, but you might give the free app version a try. I think you can import the passwords from LastPass.

Been using mSecure for years. I like that the payment is one and done. You have to buy the app for each device, but it is not a subscription.

Another vote for Bitwarden!