Dashlane vs. LastPass 2024: Dashlane Keeps Your Security in Mind

You may find no problem with remembering one or two passwords. But what happens when you create multiple online accounts and need different passwords for all of them? This is the norm for many of us these days. A password manager secures your login info so you don’t have to keep track of numerous password combinations.

How do you choose the right password manager for your needs? Dashlane is a good choice if you want a secure product with lots of features, such as a virtual private network (VPN) with the premium plan. The downside is Dashlane doesn't reveal how it audits its security, though it does say it's never been breached.

LastPass comes with security features such as digital legacy and strong security encryption, but it has been breached recently. It’s great if you still care about using LastPass's strong password security features but can forgive a security incident.

Dashlane vs. LastPass

• Dashlane: Best for those who want a user-friendly dashboard and plenty of features, but don’t mind a somewhat unclear privacy policy.
• LastPass: Best for those who want a host of features, such as multi-factor authentication and a password generator, and aren't wary of the recent security incidents.

Dashlane vs. LastPass review at a glance

	Dashlane Our Pick	LastPass
Price	Starts at $4.99/mo	Starts at $1.50/mo (billed annually)
Free version
Number of devices	Unlimited devices	Unlimited devices
Browser extensions	Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari	Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Opera
Password sharing
Encryption	AES 256-bit	AES 256-bit with PBKDF2 SHA-256 and salted hashes
Password generator
Form filler
	Get Dashlane Read Dashlane Review	Get LastPass Read LastPass Review

As you can see, these password managers are stacked pretty evenly. Both products allow password sharing and provide password generators. LastPass does offer a browser extension that’s compatible with Opera, but Dashlane does not.

LastPass also utilizes a Password-Based Key Derivation Function (PBKDF2). That’s a password-strengthening algorithm to make it harder for a hacker to guess a password. Dashlane doesn’t employ this feature, but it does offer passwordless authentication that works in the place of a general password. You can use biometric options, such as fingerprint scanning or Face ID, or you can use an authentication key to access your account.

LastPass had a recent security breach in November 2022. As of this writing, Dashlane has not had a breach. Yet, Dashlane doesn’t show any recorded third-party audits on its website. The company does internal auditing and server scans to check for data penetrations.

Dashlane vs. LastPass: prices

	Dashlane	LastPass Our Pick
Price range	Free-$7.49/mo	Free–$2.00/mo
Best value plan	for	LastPass Families for $2.00/mo (billed annually)
Money-back guarantee	Yes — 30 days
	Get Dashlane Read Dashlane Review	Get LastPass Read LastPass Review

The price range for these two products is quite different. Dashlane is a bit cheaper for the lowest cost, but LastPass outshines its competition with the LastPass Families plan for $2.00/mo (billed annually). That’s half the monthly price of Dashlane for a comparable subscription.

LastPass also doesn’t offer refunds. Dashlane gives you 30 days to try the product. If you don’t like it, you can get your money back. You can try LastPass for a trial period of 30 days. You’ll get all the product features for that time. After that, you can keep your data for one device if you keep the free version.

Dashlane vs. LastPass: features

Feature	Dashlane Our Pick	LastPass
Password sharing
Two-factor authentication
Password generator
Autofill
Password strength report
Digital legacy
Dark web monitoring
Emergency access
VPN
	Get Dashlane Read Dashlane Review	Get LastPass Read LastPass Review

Dashlane and LastPass both offer a means to keep your passwords secure in a password vault. Both also provide password strength reports, which show whether you need to change your login credentials to something more secure. You can change your weak passwords immediately for the best password security.

Dashlane’s Advanced plan offers dark web monitoring, and you can get that coverage with LastPass Premium and LastPass Families, too. That’s a good feature to have because it alerts you when your private information is being used on the dark web.

But if you want a VPN included with your password manager, you won’t find that option with LastPass. Dashlane does include this feature with the Dashlane Premium subscription. You’ll find the feature directly below the Dark Web Monitoring section.

Which is safer, LastPass or Dashlane?

When you look for a password manager, you want to know the product will keep your data secure and private. As we mentioned, Dashlane has not had a security breach. 

LastPass has had more than one, the most recent being in November 2022. The company was transparent about the breach and gave customers information on how it was working to keep information safe, which included an investigation into threat activity. We feel that transparency could go a long way with customers.

We would’ve liked to have found more information on Dashlane’s audits, as there’s no mention of third-party security testing. It does internal auditing to check for security issues, but we’d like to see more transparency in this area. After reviewing both products, we feel Dashlane is the safer choice. Although LastPass did inform users about the recent security incident, it comes down to Dashlane never being breached.

Dashlane vs. LastPass privacy and security

	Dashlane Our Pick	LastPass
Most recent security audit	No information shown	No information shown
Most recent data breach	No data breach	November 2022
	Get Dashlane Read Dashlane Review	Get LastPass Read LastPass Review

Although LastPass mentions that it takes part in regular audits and penetration tests, we couldn’t find any data on the dates these were performed. It shows in the features overview that third-party security firms conduct testing, but we didn’t see an indication of what companies were used. 

Dashlane doesn’t list third-party testing but performs internal security audits, which also include server scanning. The data on those tests also proved elusive when reviewing the product.

Dashlane vs. LastPass: compatibility and ease of use

	Dashlane	LastPass
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox
Microsoft Edge
Safari
Details	Get Dashlane Read Dashlane Review	Get LastPass Read LastPass Review

Dashlane and LastPass are available on all the same operating systems, mobile devices, and web browser extensions. Both password managers are user-friendly with intuitive interfaces. You’re able to enter secure notes and credit card information, along with bank accounts.

Coming up with original combinations that include letters, numbers, and special characters can become a gruesome task. Their password generators make it easy to access accounts without having to think of a unique password every time.

If you’re using a Macbook, you may have some issues enrolling your new passwords and account links with LastPass. Although this is not a dealbreaker, it can cause some frustration when using the authenticator.

Dashlane vs. LastPass: customer service

	Dashlane Our Pick	LastPass
24/7 live chat
Phone
Email
Support forums
Online guides

Neither product offers stellar customer support. When you visit the customer service pages, you’re encouraged to search through articles to find an answer to your questions.

You won’t get phone support from these password managers and LastPass doesn’t even offer email support. At best, you’ll sort through online guides or be directed to a support forum where you can ask another user how to fix an issue. We weren’t particularly impressed with the customer support for Dashlane or LastPass.

Dashlane vs. LastPass FAQs

Dashlane vs. LastPass: which is better?

Both Dashlane and LastPass have benefits for users. Either way, you’ll get a password generator, two-factor authentication, and a password strength report. These are all features you’d want to find in a good password manager.

Dashlane comes with an optional VPN for the premium plan, and LastPass doesn’t offer that feature. A VPN appeals to many users because it gives you an extra layer of security protection. The 2022 security breaches LastPass experienced don’t help its case. To date, Dashlane hasn’t gotten hacked.

With this in mind, we believe Dashlane is better than LastPass. Overall, the password manager seems more secure, but we would like more transparency with the security audits and exactly how those get handled. Having a password manager comes down to safety and ease of use. Both products are easy to use, but because Dashlane hasn’t had a security breach, we feel it’s better than LastPass for those more cautious about data protection.