Password Manager Reviews – RoboForm vs Lastpass
Keeping track of all the passwords you use for the many internet sites you visit is a real problem.
For the past few years, I’ve used RoboForm – which is regarded as the best password manager and form filler available.
I recently stopped using it. Here’s why.
They always seem to have their hands in your wallet. The software for your first computer is $29.95. And $9.95 for additional ones.
If you want to sync files between computers you have to pay extra.
A while ago, I also wanted the ability to synchronise my password files across the internet, so that they would be available on any computer that I used without having the hassle of carrying around a USB drive.
Roboform wanted to charge me another $29.95 for the privelege.
That’s where I spat the dummy.
So I changed over to the free password manager and form filler LastPass, which is an excellent application, very highly rated by all the industry commentators.
It is free for all your computers, and also does online synching between them all.
It works very well, and I’m extremely happy with it.
Lastpass also has a $12 per year upgrade which allows some extra goodies like synching to iphone and PDA’s. I’m more than happy to pay that.
Sorry Roboform. It’s a great product, but you’ve nickel and dimed me to death.
The King is dead. Long live the new King – Lastpass. Get Lastpass free
Interesting what you say about RoboForm, Eric. I have used RF for a number of years and only paid once – despite having to install RFPro on a new computer whenever I bought one.
On the other hand I have never had to synchronise the RF files, so can’t comment there.
Nevertheless I shall take a look at Lastpass – it’s always good to bone up on alternatives.
Thanks – Keith
Hi Keith.
If you only have one computer you only have to get one licence. But if you have multiple computer then you have to buy a license for each one.
cheers, Eric G.
Hey thanks. I was going to go down the Roboform route. Since reading your post, I have signed up with Lastpass a week ago. So far so good. Thanks for the tip. Cheers Sandy
Thanks dude. I use Lastpass and have always been happy. Thanks for the tips. Cheers Rob
I’m using roboform currently; however, upon reading your post, I think I’m going to give lastpass a look at. It’s always nice to get informed information to help you review other products. Especially, if they are free…..
Thanks,
JGT
I’ve been a Roboform user and lover for years. Even when I first saw and tried Lastpass and liked it, I stayed loyal to Roboform. However, I have spent a lot of money on Roboform licenses and Goodsync licenses for several computers. Today, I upgraded to Firefox 4 and discovered that Roboform Pro 6 doesn’t work (at all) with it. If you try to use Roboform, it takes you to the Roboform web site and tells you that you now have to upgrade to Roboform 7 and pay an annual fee to use it. They say you get a discount if you have Roboform 6 Pro, but the discounted price ended up being twice what the first year price is for new users. That’s it for me. They have lost a customer. I’m switching to Lastpass right now.
And now RF wants you to pay to upgrade to their new release 7 – and 7 is required to work with Firefox 4!
Don’t do it – there’s an easy way to make RF rel 6 work by using a piece of the free version of rel 7.
I’ve been using Lastpass for the last few years but lately it stopped working.
I’m using Windows 7 FWIW.
The support is not very good. I emailed them and they said to empty all of my saved sites/passwords and start over. Nice!
I’m looking for another program that works as it should. I mean how hard can it be to make program login automatically for you?
So far RoboForm looks like the way to go though I am seeing a lot of folks saying around the web that they do keep demanding more $$ so I won’t go with them until I’m conviced its my only option.
I use Lastpass with Windoze 7 .
Works fine – no problems at all.
@Chet: Yes, it’s not hard to make a program that will log in for you.
but if you want it to be as secure as possible, and have lots of other features as well then it’s much harder.
Roboform is unethical. After advertising for years that upgrades were free (which is a big part of what motivated me to buy) they reneged on their word and have told me I must purchase an upgrade to go to Roboform version 7. Since version 7 is required for Firefox 6 (or 5, or 4!) I either must succumb to their piracy or go through the pain of switching. It’ll be a pain… but it’s worth it to not support dishonesty.
Here’s the link that advertised free upgrades when I bought the product: http://web.archive.org/web/20080822215550/www.roboform.com/why-pro.html
But their advertised word is meaningless today!
I prefer roboform. I always use it in my Avant browser. These two application match perfectly. They are the two indispensable softwares in my win7