Proton Pass Review – best free password manager for privacy

Proton Pass is an open-source password manager. It has autofill, unlimited passwords, email aliases, a Password Generator, and many other useful features. Read our full Proton Pass review to see how it works.
We’ll analyze its security, privacy, and value for money. This will help you decide if it’s the best password manager for your needs. Plus, we’ll explain how Proton Pass compares to password managers like NordPass, 1Password, and Bitwarden.

Proton Pass was created by the team behind Proton Mail and Proton VPN. It is built using the highest privacy standards, including end-to-end encryption. Proton is based in Switzerland, a country known for strong privacy laws, and it uses a strict zero-knowledge framework to protect against hackers and unauthorized access.

Proton Pass includes Proton Sentinel (AI security) to ensure the highest level of security for your vault, as well as E2EE. It also supports Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), dark web monitoring, and password sharing.

With Proton Pass, you can log in to apps and websites without needing to remember dozens of individual passwords. And the Pass Monitor displays whether you have any weak or reused passwords.

Proton Pass is a free password manager that lets you protect unlimited passwords across an unlimited number of devices. Upgrading unlocks additional features such as password sharing, dark web monitoring, and Proton Sentinel (AI security). You can purchase Proton Pass as part of a bundle that gets you Proton VPN (with the fast WireGuard protocol), Proton Calendar, and Proton Drive.

Proton Pass overview and features

Proton Pass is built from the ground up with security and ease of use in mind. It’s perfect for both beginners and advanced users thanks to its exceptional attention to detail and generous feature set.

The free plan is a powerhouse, letting you store unlimited passwords on an unlimited number of devices. Upgrading to a paid plan unlocks premium tools such as password sharing, dark web monitoring, and Proton Sentinel (AI security).

Users seeking the best online protection will find Proton’s premium plan particularly appealing. It bundles Proton Pass with Proton VPN, Proton Calendar, and Proton Drive, giving you one of the best privacy suites money can buy.

You can access your vault on any device thanks to the Proton Pass mobile and desktop apps, or log in on a friend’s device via the web app. It offers extensions for all popular browsers, letting you autofill your credentials with one click on any website. You can also easily import your existing passwords from Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or another password manager.

The benefits of the Proton Pass app:

• Master password to access your encrypted vault
• End-to-end encryption with a strict zero-knowledge framework
• Proton Sentinel (AI security) to detect unusual login behavior
• Store and organize unlimited passwords in folders
• Access on desktop, mobile, and via browser extensions
• Autofill and autosave credentials for faster logins
• Password Generator to create strong, unique passwords
• Pass Monitor for weak or reused passwords
• Import existing passwords easily
• Email aliases to protect your identity online
• Secure password sharing with trusted contacts
• Store encrypted notes and credit card details
• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and biometric login
• Regular cloud syncing and automatic backups
• Dark web monitoring alerts if your credentials are leaked
• Offline mode for password access without an internet connection

These tools make Proton Pass one of the most comprehensive password managers we’ve ever reviewed. The company has designed the definitive password management solution that balances usability, aesthetics, security, and privacy.

The Password Generator and Pass Monitor help you maintain strong, unique credentials, while Autofill and easy imports save time. And combined with Proton’s Swiss-based privacy protections, zero-knowledge vault architecture, and AI-powered threat detection, Proton Pass easily outperforms all its competitors.

Proton Pass pricing

You can get started with Proton Pass for free. The Free plan lets you store an unlimited number of passwords on an unlimited number of devices. You can install the app on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, or Linux, and access your vault via the web app. This means you can autofill passwords on any device completely free of charge.

You may rightly wonder, then, what’s the point of upgrading?

It’s a fair question. Because the Proton Pass free tier is so advanced, you may find that you don’t need to upgrade at all. Ultimately, that decision is yours.

However, it’s worth noting that Proton Pass Premium includes several useful extras that many users will appreciate.

How much does Proton Pass Premium cost?

Proton offers three options for you to consider. With the discount you receive by following the link in this review, Pass Plus will cost you $35.88 for a year, which works out to $2.99 per month. This is an excellent discount, so if you do need full access to Proton’s features, be sure to click through!

The Pass Plus plan unlocks all of the limits you get with free, meaning that you get the following extras:

1. Create unlimited vaults for organizing your passwords (limited to 2 on free)
2. Unlimited hide-my-email aliases
3. Secure file and vault sharing (which is unavailable with the free plan)
4. Dark web monitoring (to track whether your email address or other personal details have been leaked or sold on the dark web)
5. File attachments (allows you to secure personal files, such as a photo of your passport, in your encrypted vault)
6. Advanced account protection using Poton’s Sentinel AI
7. Passkey support for modern biometric logins
8. Integration with more Proton privacy services for a richer experience
9. Built-in two-factor authentication (2FA) for accounts stored in the vault
10. The ability to initiate an email chain from your alias

Family Plan – Pass Family

If you want to save money while ensuring your whole family can protect their passwords inside a private vault they control, you can opt for Pass Family. It costs $4.99 (when you use our link to get a discount) and provides access to all of the Pass Plus features for six individuals. That works out to just 84 cents per month per account – a significant saving.

It’s also worth noting that if you have a small business with six or fewer employees, and you want to ensure your staff manage passwords securely, the Pass Family plan could be a smart choice. It allows your team to protect company passwords effectively and share them safely – perfect for teams working remotely, where sharing credentials over email or Slack could be risky.

Proton Unlimited

Anybody looking for the best value for money should consider the Proton Unlimited plan. It gives you full access to Proton Pass, Proton Mail, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive with 500 GB of storage, and Proton VPN (with up to 10 simultaneous connections).

Just bear in mind that although you could share the VPN with up to ten family members, each using their own device, the account is technically for one user only. This means only the account holder can use the password manager, Proton Mail, Proton Calendar, and Proton Drive.

Considering Unlimited includes 500 GB of cloud storage, the cost of $9.99 per month is very impressive. Compare that to AT&T Personal Cloud (which offers 500 GB for $4.99 per month), and it basically means you get the VPN and password manager for just $5 more per month. That’s incredibly cheap.

Can I get a monthly Proton plan?

Yes. Whether you want a standalone Proton Pass Plus account, a Pass Family plan, or the fully featured Proton Unlimited plan, you can choose to pay monthly if you prefer. This lets you access all Proton services without being tied into a long-term contract. However, bear in mind that paying annually gives you a steep discount – especially if you use the coupon code through our link.

Just remember that while a monthly Proton VPN plan can be useful if you’re going on vacation or traveling for work, the other services (Proton Pass, Proton Mail, and Proton Calendar) offer limited value on a one-month basis. Those tools are designed for ongoing use, which is why it makes more sense to take advantage of our annual discount if you plan to use them long term.

Money-back guarantee

If you’re already using the free Proton Pass tier and wondering whether it’s time to upgrade to Proton Pass Plus or Proton Unlimited, you can test it completely risk-free. Proton offers all new subscribers a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to try every feature without commitment.

This means you can explore the paid Proton Pass extras and check out the usability of its additional products – for example, testing Proton VPN to make sure it works smoothly with your streaming accounts like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+

Payment options

Proton accepts various popular payment options:

• Major credit and debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, etc.)
• PayPal
• Bitcoin (can be used to upgrade an existing account, not for new sign-ups)
• Cash payments (sent by mail to Proton AG in Switzerland, accepted in USD, EUR, or CHF)
• Bank transfers (in USD, EUR, or CHF via IBAN to Proton’s Swiss bank account)

Cryptocurrency and cash payment options allow anybody to get an account without having to link their payment identity. This is useful if you want to sign up with added privacy (using a burner email and name, for example).

Just bear in mind that you can only pay with Bitcoin if you are an existing account holder – so set up a free Proton Pass account first, and then upgrade through the member’s area.

Does Proton Pass offer discounts?

Yes, by following the link in this review, you can purchase Pass Plus with a 40% discount. This is an exclusive discount, so be sure to follow our link.

Besides our automatic coupon code, you can also expect special offers during Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and other holidays.

We always update the links on our website to get you the lowest possible price, so bookmark this page and come back during the holidays if you want to get the lowest price.

Is Proton Pass good value for money?

Proton Pass is so good on the free plan that it beggars belief. Many people will find they can easily get by with the free version and never feel the need to upgrade. And for those who do, the price is so reasonable that it’s hard not to take your hat off. Proton Pass is a steal.

Proton Pass ease of use

When you first log in to Proton Pass, the website offers you a few options from the get-go. First, it asks you to choose your theme. I went for Dark, but I did like the option to use Auto too, which will change the theme based on what time of day it is.

Next, you are served a prompt that asks you to install the extension into your browser. This ensures that you are ready to start using Proton Pass within the browser you are currently using. Don’t worry, you can install it into another browser and other devices later if you use more than one.

Once you have pinned the extension to the extension bar in your browser, you are ready to move on.

All things considered, my first impression of Proton Pass was extremely good. Not only is it extremely easy on the eye, but it does a fantastic job of getting you set up quickly and without any confusion.

Getting started using Proton Pass

With the setup complete, you are ready to start adding passwords. The home page clearly labels everything you can add to your private vault in the middle of the page.

Your options are:

1. Create a login (for passwords).
2. Create a hide-my-email alias (to create a forwarding address for your primary email account).
3. Create a credit card (securely store your credit card details for autofilling during checkout for added speed and convenience).
4. Create an encrypted note (perfect for storing away valuable information inside your zero-knowledge vault).
5. Create an identity (allows you to store your name, address, date of birth, gender, phone number, social security number, social media details, and other personal info for easy autofilling forms online).
6. Create a custom item (store anything personal inside your vault).
7. Import passwords (allows you to import from an existing password manager)

These options make it instantly clear what is available inside your vault, which turns out to be much more than just a password manager. Instead, with Proton Pass, you get a single super-secure vault with which to save as much personal info as necessary.

Import passwords

If you’ve never used a password manager before, you can go ahead and start adding passwords manually. However, many people nowadays will either already want to migrate from a competitor like Dashlane, LastPass, or KeePass, or want to bring across their passwords from the password manager inside of Chrome or Firefox.

The good news is that Proton Pass allows you to easily migrate from any of these services (and many others):

I decided to test the import feature by using a CSV file with passwords acquired from a Chrome account. Some other password managers may offer you a ZIP file, and when this is the case, Proton will accept these as an import option.

To begin the process, I went over to Chrome’s settings and selected Export passwords:

With the CSV file now safely in my possession, I went ahead and clicked the import from Chrome button in Proton Pass. It asked me to locate the file on my computer, and once I did, all I needed to do was click the large purple Import button.

Finally, it asked me to confirm that I wanted to import the passwords. With an option to create a different name for my vault if I wanted to. I left it as Personal and went ahead with the upload.

The upload completed within a few seconds, and from that point on, my passwords were imported and ready to autofill on the websites I use. The entire process was child’s play – which is what we like to see.

Creating a new vault

In addition to using the pre-set Personal vault, you can also set up additional vaults. You can use this to protect work passwords or passwords by use case, depending on your needs. For example, you could have a vault for shopping websites, a vault for social media websites, and a vault for work websites.

To set up a new vault, click the plus sign above your Vaults on the left-hand side, give the vault a name, and then save it. It will now appear in your list of vaults.

You can change the name of any of your vaults by clicking next to them. You can also delete the vault, search the vault, or share the vault. So, if you want to share multiple passwords, putting them into a shareable vault makes it nice and simple:

Managing your vault

Once your passwords have been entered, either manually or by importing, you will see them in your vault. Note that you don’t have to import or enter passwords directly into Proton Pass one at a time, either, if you don’t want to.

The Proton Pass extension will constantly monitor your sessions, and when you come to log in to a service for the first time, it will ask you if you want it to save that password to your vault. This makes it easy to slowly populate Proton Pass with credentials during regular usage.

As you can see in the screenshot above, my passwords imported without any issues. However, once installed, the password manager warned me that one of my passwords was Vulnerable by displaying a red warning next to the password:

This feature is designed to actively monitor your passwords, so that you know when to take action and change that password to improve your protection against brute force attacks.

Just remember that you need to head over to the account in question (in my case, Amazon) to change the password there first. With that done, you can update Proton Pass to keep autofilling safely each time you want to log in.

Once you have appropriately safeguarded your account, the password manager will show that you were successful with a green Strong symbol.

Sharing passwords

An advantage of using Proton Pass is that you can easily share passwords with family members, colleagues, or friends at any time that you want to. To start, simply click the button in the top right of your vault that looks like two little people and a plus sign:

You can choose to share with other Proton users or via a secure link if it is someone who doesn’t have an account. I tested the feature via a secure link and was able to give my password to a colleague without issues.

Autofill – Testing Proton Pass on websites 

One of the main reasons that people use a password manager is to avoid filling in passwords each time they visit websites and services. As you would expect. Proton Pass allows you to autofill passwords directly from your vault via the extension.

I decided to test this feature to make sure it works smoothly. I started by heading over to Amazon, which is one of the passwords I imported from Chrome via the CSV file. As expected, the Amazon login showed a little Proton Pass symbol.

When I clicked the symbol, it asked me to connect to my vault. Once the Chrome extension had connected to my value using my master password, I could see the Proton Pass login credential:

Clicking the button automatically completed my password, which allowed me to log in.

Overall, I found the autofill experience extremely smooth and straightforward, which is exactly what you’d hope for from a market-leading password manager.

Proton Pass Mobile apps

Next, I decided to test the mobile app. I downloaded Proton Pass for Android onto a Samsung Galaxy Tablet. The app is available on the Google Play Store (and Apple App Store if you need it for iOS).

The download only took a few seconds, and it let me log in with my password without any problems. Following that, the app asked me whether I wanted to enable fingerprint unlock, which I accepted to be able to log in to the password manager quickly from that point on.

As hoped, all the passwords I had imported from inside Windows had automatically migrated over the the mobile version, and I was able to log in to the Amazon website and App using the Proton Pass.

Again, the level of convenience I experienced while testing Proton Pass was truly exceptional. I never had to jump through any hoops – or rack my brains to understand anything – during the time setting up and beginning to use Proton Pass, which is pretty unusual.

Pass Monitor

Another element of Proton Pass that I found both extremely useful and well-presented was the Pass Monitor feature. This part of the hub allows you to check whether any of your passwords need improvement.

I had already updated a weak password earlier, due to the alert Proton Pass gave me directly in my vault. However, I was happy to see that Proton Pass noticed one of my passwords had been reused across two of my accounts.

Reusing passwords is dangerous because it gives hackers access to multiple accounts if they compromise just one. To protect myself from a credential stuffing attack, I changed the password on one of my accounts so that every login had a unique password.

Because I had already enabled Two Factor Authentication for all my accounts, the Inactive 2FA tab displayed zero. If Proton detects that you have not yet set up multi-factor authentication (for a service that offers it), this tab will encourage you to act.

This part of Proton Pass is enormously useful. It makes Proton Pass not just a boon for protecting your passwords and signing in to accounts more easily, but also helps you stay safer by flagging any weak or risky passwords that might put your data at risk.

Proton Pass settings

Clicking on the cog symbol in the bottom right gives you access to Proton’s settings. Here, you get the ability to export all your passwords as a CSV, which means that if you ever decide to migrate to another password manager, you have the freedom to do so.

Users who run into issues can easily reach out to support or check their account status to see which features are available on their current plan.

We recommend opening the Account tab, as this lets you enable two-factor authentication (2FA). You can set it up via SMS if you prefer, though Proton’s own 2FA app offers a quicker, more seamless setup.

Setting up 2FA adds an extra layer of security by requiring secondary verification when you log in to your account. Don’t worry, though, you won’t need to enter two-factor authentication every time you autofill a password. It’s only required when you access Proton’s main dashboard or vault directly.

Extras – Identities, Email aliases, Secure notes

Finally, I upgraded from the free plan in order to test the remaining features you get with a paid account.

Once upgraded, I uploaded a note, created an identity using my personal information, created an email alias, secured a picture (using the Other feature), and secured one of my cards using the Card feature. I even popped over to the adidas store and purchased a hoodie (I had it in my cart anyway, and it seemed like a good excuse to bite the bullet) to test the card autofill feature.

All of these features worked as advertised to allow me to autofill my information, including my address and card details.

I also tested the dark web monitoring and enabled the AI-driven security feature Proton Sentinel. I was happy to find that my results came back negative. In addition, I did not notice any performance changes when using Sentinel for added account security.

Email aliases

One feature that really stood out to me was the email alias option, which Proton calls Hide-My-Email. It’s a clever privacy tool that keeps your real inbox safe from spam and phishing by letting you create throwaway addresses whenever you sign up for new websites or services. During testing, I found it quick and effortless to use, with smooth integration through SimpleLogin (Proton’s own aliasing system).

It’s also worth noting that you can create up to 10 aliases for free. I’ve always hated having to give away my real email (or phone number for SMS verification codes) when signing up for services, so this feature really appealed to me.

Best of all, when you upgrade to Pass Plus or Proton Unlimited, you can make unlimited aliases, manage custom domains, and reply directly from those aliases. It feels like a massive upgrade for everyday privacy, letting you use online services freely while keeping your real email address completely hidden.

Ease of use conclusion

Proton Pass is easily one of the best and most user-friendly password managers I’ve ever tested. The setup process is quick, the interface looks amazing, and every feature works exactly as you’d expect.

Importing passwords was simple, autofill worked flawlessly, and managing my vault had virtually no learning curve at all.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or a long-time password manager user, you’ll have no trouble migrating to Proton Pass. And considering that you can use it for free on an almost unlimited basis, there’s really no reason not to give it a try.

Not only will it make logging in safer, but it will also overhaul the health of your passwords with automated checks that help strengthen every account you own.

If you want a password manager with an intuitive experience that puts convenience first without ever compromising on security or privacy, I honestly can’t recommend this enough.

The fact that you can use it on an unlimited number of devices for free is mind-blowing. An incredible way to improve your online life in one quick move.

Proton Pass password vault security

Proton Pass is a zero-knowledge service, meaning only the vault holder can access their data. The advantage of this setup is that you never have to worry about Proton peeking inside your vault.

All passwords are encrypted locally before being uploaded to Proton’s servers, using robust end-to-end encryption. This ensures that your data remains fully protected both in transit and at rest.

The same applies to all other data you store in your vault (including passwords, usernames, URLs, notes, payment cards, and metadata), which is always encrypted locally on your device before transferring to Proton’s servers.

This zero-knowledge framework is a two-way street because it also protects Proton in the event of a hack or a government raid. In either case, Proton would have no plaintext customer data to expose.

Even if the authorities served it with a warrant that demanded access to your vault, it could only provide a fully encrypted database (which only you can unlock using your master password).

What encryption does Proton Pass use?

Proton encrypts vaults using AES-256-GCM (Advanced Encryption Standard, 256-bit key, Galois/Counter Mode) with a randomly generated 32-byte (256-bit) key.

For added security, it uses bcrypt for password hashing. This is an algorithm intentionally designed to be slow and resistant to GPU-based brute-force attacks.

This is a highly secure encryption standard considered future-proof – meaning it would take thousands of years to crack your vault using current technology.

In addition, each vault item is secured with its own randomly generated encryption key. This means that even if an attacker somehow intercepts one key, they still can’t decrypt any other vaulted items.

When you share a password, Proton Pass uses the open-standard OpenPGP protocol with Curve25519 elliptic curve cryptography. A new ephemeral key is generated for each sharing session, providing perfect forward secrecy. This means that even if a key were somehow compromised in the future, any previously shared passwords couldn’t be decrypted.

Of course, it’s theoretically possible that a government agency could one day gain access to a supercomputer powerful enough to brute-force an account. However, companies are already working on introducing quantum-resistant encryption, so this issue should be resolved long before it becomes a real-world problem.

Poton Pass security conclusion

Overall, I was extremely impressed by the level of security and transparency Proton provides regarding its security model. All relevant data is published in an easy-to-digest manner, allowing anybody to understand how their vault is secured.

It’s also worth noting that Proton Pass is fully open-source. This allows anyone to inspect code independently for vulnerabilities. Alongside this, Proton runs a public bug bounty program for all its products: Proton Pass, Proton Mail, Proton VPN, Proton Drive, and Proton Calendar.

This incentivises white hat hackers and security researchers by allowing them to earn up to $100,000 USD, depending on the severity of the vulnerability they uncover.

Third party audit

I was also happy to learn that in 2023, Proton commissioned a third-party security audit from the respected German firm Cure53. It carried out a comprehensive security assessment of  Proton Pass covering the mobile apps, browser extensions, and backend API.

The audit and penetration testing confirmed Proton Pass’s security claims. It also identified a few minor areas for improvement (which means that Proton’s security is even stronger now).

This audit means you don’t have to trust Proton’s security claims on word alone. Proton Pass’s encryption model and zero-knowledge security claims have been independently verified.

Related: Are password managers safe?

Proton Pass customer support

Proton’s password manager ensures that users can always get help when using its services. The website is packed with FAQs, user guides, privacy news, and detailed troubleshooting steps for each product.

The quality of the content is exceptional, making the Proton website an outstanding resource not only for privacy news and opinion pieces, but also for learning how to get the most out of Proton Pass, Proton VPN, and the rest of its apps.

If you can’t find a guide or FAQ to help with your question, you can also speak with one of its customer support representatives via the website. Anybody with a free Proton account can log in to the member’s area of the website and initiate a conversation via settings > support.

Simply fill in the request form, and wait to receive support via email. It is also worth noting that Proton Unlimited subscribers can log in to the ProtonVPN website (using the same credentials) and access live chat support in the top right:

Unlimited and Proton VPN subscribers get exclusive access to live chat support, which helps VPN users set up, use, and connect to the right servers.

I found the live chat support agents to be very helpful, but as expected, they could not answer questions regarding Proton Pass. So, if you need help with Proton Pass specifically, stick to using the support form that it takes you to.

How does Proton Pass compare to NordPass and other competitors?

Should you use Proton Pass?

If you want a world-class password manager that overhauls your ability to log in safely to accounts, Proton Pass is excellent. The free tier is second to none, and the paid features are well worth the upgrade – particularly when opting for Proton Unlimited.

All of the features worked exactly as advertised, and the fact that it uses end-to-end encryption alongside a zero-knowledge security system ensures that it’s one of the safest password managers on the market.

The independent audit removes any lingering doubts about the strength of those systems and shows that this Swiss-based company takes privacy and security seriously – always putting the user first.

What are the drawbacks of Proton Pass?

It’s hard to pick at a service that offers so much for free. However, to give readers a balanced understanding of the service, here are the main drawbacks:

Free plan is incredibly generous, but you will need to upgrade to get: secure password sharing, credit card autofill, and identity autofill for web forms. The same goes for premium features like built-in MFA code generation, extra storage for attachments or API keys, and expanded dark web monitoring through Proton Sentinel.

Another small drawback is that Proton Pass still trails a few older competitors in feature maturity. While it has recently added Emergency Access (for paid plans), the lack of features like family-level emergency recovery options for free users might put some people off.

It is also worth noting that while the annual price is great, the $4.99 monthly price for Pass Plus is slightly higher than the entry-level paid plans offered by rivals like Bitwarden or NordPass.

Overall, these are pretty trivial complaints. The free plan outperforms most paid password managers, and Proton’s ongoing updates mean that it is only going to get even better in the coming months and years.

If anything, my biggest gripe would be that Proton Pass is too good on the free plan. It honestly leaves you wondering whether it’s even worth upgrading. That’s the real problem — it’s so good, and so free, that it almost feels like stealing.

Methodology: How we tested Proton Pass

As always, we took a hands-on approach to our Proton Pass review. We tested the app for an extended time, across multiple devices (Windows computer, Android tablet, and iPhone), to see exactly how it performs in real-world conditions.

Our performance-focused tests concentrated on three main areas: features, usability, and security.

This involved analyzing its security credentials, checking its privacy policies, and checking that each feature worked properly in practice: from importing passwords to autofill and alias creation.

We also carefully checked whether the free plan delivered what it promised, and how it compared to other managers we’ve tested – such as NordPass, Bitwarden, and 1Password.

Finally, we also looked at Proton’s encryption model, transparency, and overall reliability as a company. And only when we were sure that it worked properly, did we then evaluate its feature set against its price point to decide whether it offers value for money on the paid tiers. Read more on our password manager methodology here.

Proton Pass Review FAQs