Norton Password Manager Review 2024: A Free Way to Elevate Your Cybersecurity

Norton Password Manager is a solid free product with autofill capabilities and secure encryption, even if i t's not the most comprehensive. This is a great digital lockbox option if you’re looking for an alternative to the built-in password managers that come with Apple and Google.

It does lack a few features, like password sharing and a digital legacy option, but there are ways around those, especially if you’re looking for free storage. We also ran into issues using it while testing with the Safari browser, but it was seamless to use when we switched to Chrome. 

Overall, we found a lot of positives and some negatives with Norton Password Manager. We’ve laid them all out for you in this review.

At a glance

Price	Free
Free version	Yes
Number of users	1
Compatibility	Android, iOS
Browser extensions	Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
Password sharing	No
Encryption	AES-256
Password generator	Yes
Password strength report	Yes
Autofill	Yes
Digital legacy	No
Cloud storage	No
Learn more	Get Norton Password Manager

We last tested Norton Password Manager on November 6, 2024.

Our experience

Norton Password Manager was easy for us to activate, since we had a Norton login already. All we had to do was download the Chrome extension onto our PC. 

During our initial testing, Norton had no options for importing credentials, but we were pleased to find that this is part of the account setup process. There's a dropdown where you can select your previous password manager or you can drop a CSV file to import. 

In our experience, many of the Norton products we've tested have had in-depth tutorials and the password manager was no different. We were prompted to import passwords, download our recovery key in case we're locked out, and set up passwordless vault unlock with our smartphone. 

We also liked that Norton let us know our data was encrypted, though we wish it was more specific about what kind of encryption.

We also did some browsing to test Norton autofill. After navigating to the AVG website, the Norton Password Manager logo popped up when we navigated to the sign in to account page. 

We were only disappointed that Norton's password generator didn't pop up when we tested creating an account. But the extension is still easily accessible so long as you have it pinned on your taskbar, so you can create a new login and password. 

How much does Norton Password Manager cost?

Norton Password Manager actually doesn’t cost a thing. You can download and use the service completely free of charge and get all of the features included.

If you want to bundle it with another Norton plan, you can choose from a variety of features and services. Norton sells antivirus software, identity theft protection services, and a variety of other cybersecurity offerings to keep you and your family safe.

	Norton AntiVirus Plus	Norton 360 Standard	Norton 360 Deluxe	Norton 360 With LifeLock Select
Price for first year	$29.99/first yr	$39.99/first yr	$49.99/first yr	$99.99/first yr
# devices supported	1	3	5	1
Antivirus, malware, and ransomware protection
Password manager
VPN
Dark web monitoring
Parental controls
Identity theft protection
Details	View Plan	View Plan	View Plan	View Plan

While you don’t need to purchase Norton Antivirus to use the password manager, the additional security provided by each of these plans can keep you safe online. Since the password manager feature is available with all plans, people on a budget could snag the AntiVirus Plus plan for a lower cost and get protection for a single device and unlimited password storage. It’s a win-win.

If you’re looking for a little more protection, Norton offers increasing security as you go up in tiers. The Standard Plan includes a virtual private network (VPN) and dark web monitoring, while the Deluxe Plan includes all this plus parental controls. 

For the most protection, including identity theft protection, Norton 360 with LifeLock Select is a comprehensive security tool. Identity theft protection can be a lifesaver in a variety of situations, from a lost wallet to a full-on stolen identity and missing bank funds.

Norton Password Manager features

A password manager is an effective way to increase your security, but it becomes even more useful when additional features are included. Norton Password Manager isn’t the most robust when it comes to features, but it does offer some useful ones that will enhance your experience. 

Our favorite is the password generator, but we’ll provide more details on all the offerings.

Password sharing

Unfortunately, Norton Password Manager doesn’t include the ability to share passwords with anyone. The only way we could share passwords was by copying and pasting them manually. 

This is a useful feature we’d love to see added because it allows you to securely share sensitive information with encryption. So if Mom is asking for the Netflix password again for the third time that week, you could send her the link while keeping your password secret from potential hackers.

Password generator

Norton's password generator is easy to use and plenty customizable. If the site doesn’t accept special characters, you can indicate that. If you need a password of a certain length, you can configure that too. Strong, unique passwords are a cornerstone of account security, so having this option will enhance your safety across the board.

While testing, we adjusted the character length and Norton let us know how much time would be needed to crack the password with every change. It ranges from 16 minutes to more than the age of the universe, which could be reassuring while creating passwords. 

We only wish there was a tab for the password generator on the browser extension. Every time we needed to create a new password, we'd have to open the web vault or the extension would open it for us. 

Autofill

With Norton Password Manager, autofil should integrate into your browser seamlessly, but you’ll need to set it up first. You can go into your dashboard and set a variety of addresses for yourself. Afterward, you’ll be able to quickly fill in any online forms with the information saved in your password vault.

The autofill feature worked well as we browsed websites and logged in to accounts. Just note that the autofill won't appear if you create a new account and need to generate a password. You'll need to visit the web vault for that.

Password strength report

A password strength report is a great way to see where vulnerabilities lie in your online accounts. Strong passwords help keep accounts safe, so letting Norton assess your saved passwords could keep you from becoming a victim of an online crime.

From the Safety Dashboard, we could see all of the passwords we've saved and see what score Norton gives them. Anything that isn’t scored as “very strong” can be replaced with a new password. You can use Norton’s password generator to choose a strong, complex password and then save it easily.

Digital legacy

Digital legacy is where you can assign an heir to your passwords in case of your passing. Unfortunately, Norton Password Manager doesn’t offer this feature.

If you want a way around this, make sure to leave your login credentials in a place that will be easily accessed by your loved one. We suggest a family lockbox in the home or a safety deposit box at the bank.

We hope Norton decides to add this security feature soon, as it’s useful and can relieve some of the stress on family members when settling their deceased loved ones’ accounts.

Bonus features

Norton isn’t the most robust password manager, but we do appreciate the recovery key feature. It allows you to download and print out a copy of your master password for your vault. Norton prompts you to delete this file after printing it.

This is a great way to work around the fact that Norton doesn’t provide a digital legacy feature. By keeping this paper with your other important documents, you have another way to access your account if you ever forget your master password.

Norton Password Manager privacy policy

Norton Password Manager falls under the general Norton products privacy policy. There are individualized spaces for each product where you can see what personal data is collected and how it’s “processed,” but there’s no language in the policy explicitly stating what the data is for or if it’s shared with third parties. 

In the general Norton policy, it states that data is shared “with your consent” for a variety of purposes including to third parties and for a variety of other reasons, one of which is advancing the interests of third parties.

Even though we don’t love this, it’s an unfortunate compromise in using basically any software now. You can circumvent some of the damage by using an email masking service along with ad and tracker blockers.

Be wary of companies that tell you your data won’t be sold. In all likelihood, your data won’t be sold, but the company will probably still have partnerships with third parties where your data is shared. Technically, that’s not selling your data, but it’s still being given out, and the company sharing your info is getting a kickback from the third party. It’s shady but very common.

Norton Password Manager third-party audits

We weren’t able to find any third-party audits specifically for Norton Password Manager. Third-party audits are when an independent company evaluates a product’s effectiveness fairly and without bias. 

Antivirus software is usually evaluated through companies like AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives, but there isn’t a standard for password managers. Since we weren’t able to find an audit, we’re left to trust reviews, user experience, and Norton’s own claims.

Is Norton Password Manager safe to use?

Norton carries a lot of weight since it’s been in the cybersecurity game for such a long time. But with all its history and growth, there are bound to be some hiccups along the way.

Norton Password Manager experienced a security breach about a year ago. Norton alerted the public and urged users to change passwords and update privacy settings, as they’d likely had all their data exposed. There have been no additional incidents reported since.

If you’re worried about using a password manager that’s experienced a breach, remember to enable two-factor authentication on as many accounts as possible and keep an eye on password security reports.

Two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is quickly finding widespread adoption through a variety of apps and websites, so it makes sense for a security tool like Norton to use it. After digging in our vault, we found that Norton allows you to use a mobile authenticator app, security key, or your phone number for 2FA.

Norton also offers you a backup method that can be configured with the service. While you should be using 2FA to keep your accounts safe, some people find it annoying. If you really don’t want to use the extra protection, you can toggle it off.

Norton Password Manager customer service

Norton offers several forms of support. You can browse the self-help section, ask the community, or contact Norton. 

We clicked on the chat box, which is automated, and asked about Norton's encryption method. After waiting a few minutes for an agent to connect, they seemed confused about our question and were providing long-winded responses. We later found that Norton uses AES-256 on an FAQ page, but we wish the support team was able to answer our question directly. 

Having had insider experience with cybersecurity customer support, we can tell you that it’s likely Norton does what everyone else is doing, which is utilizing a set of support technicians who mainly answer questions via email. While there are options for calls and automated chatbots, the number of support techs who actually man the phones is a much smaller number. 

You’ll probably receive a response faster if you wait on hold on the phone, but you’ll also probably wait on hold for a while. If you can get your answer through the chatbot, that’ll be the fastest response.

Norton Password Manager compatibility

We downloaded the Norton Password Manager extension onto our Mac from Apple’s App Store, but it’s also available for Android and iOS devices.

It says it covers Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, but we did find it to be buggy with Safari. We ended up using it on our Chrome browser. Here’s the full list of compatibility options:

• Android
• iOS including iPhone, iPad, iPod
• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Apple Safari
• Microsoft Edge

Top alternatives

If some of the features that Norton Password Manager lacks are important to you — looking at you, password sharing — then trying one of the products below could be for you. We’ve independently tested and reviewed each of these password management options to give you a comprehensive view of the features and functionality. User-friendly security tools? Yes, please.

Norton Password Manager FAQs

Bottom line: Is Norton Password Manager good?

Yes, despite the fact that Norton Password Manager is missing some features like password sharing, we do believe that it’s a good product. It’s more robust than some of its free competitors, and it’s backed by Norton’s experience and expertise. We don’t love the way it works on Safari, but it was seamless on Chrome.

As far as wondering if you should use it, there’s no harm in trying a free product. If you want to purchase Norton antivirus, you’ll be able to integrate this password manager for free and have even more protection.

In the end, you should be using a good password manager that can securely store all your complex passwords. It’ll help make your life so much easier and keep your credentials safe.