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Which password manager should you use? A comparison for estate planning

Most password manager reviews ask how well it fills in passwords. We asked a different question: when the time comes, can the person you trust actually get in?

Last changed: 28 October 2026

A password manager is the safest place for your real passwords, and it's the first layer of a good digital estate plan (here's why). But they don't all handle what happens when you can't log in yourself. Some let you nominate a trusted person who can request access after a waiting period. Others have no way in at all without your master password.

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What matters for estate planning

Every option below keeps passwords encrypted and fills them in for you. For an executor, three other things matter more:

• Emergency access. Can you name a trusted person who can request your vault, with a waiting period during which you can say no? If you don't respond, they get in. That's the safeguard that lets you plan ahead without handing over your passwords today.
• What it costs your trusted person. Some services make them sign up for an account too. The fewer hoops, the more likely it works when it's needed.
• Track record. You're trusting one company with everything, so its security history counts.

The comparison

Prices are standard annual prices in US dollars, which is how most of these services bill Australians. The amount on your card statement depends on the exchange rate. Introductory discounts are common, and prices change, so check the provider's site before you buy.

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Why we recommend Bitwarden

• It does the one thing that matters. You nominate a trusted person and set a waiting period. If they ever request access, you have that time to decline (in case you're simply on holiday). If you don't respond, they're let in.
• It's the cheapest way to get that. At US$19.80 a year, Premium costs less than half of 1Password, and the Families plan covers six people for $47.88.
• Your trusted person doesn't pay. They only need a free Bitwarden account, which takes a couple of minutes to set up.
• You choose how much they get. View-only access lets your executor read your logins. Takeover gives them full control, which is useful if they'll be managing accounts for a long time.
• It's open source. Its code is public, so independent security researchers can check how it works.
• It works everywhere. Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and every major browser. That matters if your executor uses different devices from you.

One thing to know: Bitwarden's free plan doesn't include emergency access. You can start free and upgrade, but for estate planning, Premium is the version you need.

When another choice makes sense

• You already pay for Proton. If you use a paid Proton Mail or Proton Unlimited plan, Proton Pass and its emergency access are already in your subscription. One emergency setup then covers your email and passwords together. Your trusted contacts will need their own Proton accounts.
• You already use 1Password and love it. Switching isn't essential. Print your Emergency Kit, store it with your printed backup, and make sure your executor knows where it is and how to find your master password. On a Families plan, you can also keep the accounts that matter most in a vault you share with your partner.
• You only use Apple's or Google's built-in password saving. It's far better than reusing passwords, but neither gives your executor a clean way in. We'd suggest moving your passwords into a dedicated password manager. All of the paid options above can import them.

Why we don't recommend LastPass

In 2022, attackers stole copies of LastPass customers' encrypted password vaults. Security researchers later linked a series of large cryptocurrency thefts to that breach, and in March 2025 a US federal court filing connected a US$150 million theft to the same attackers. LastPass says it has seen no conclusive evidence of a link. Still, the stolen vaults remain in attackers' hands, protected only by each user's master password. If you used LastPass before 2023, move to another manager and change your most important passwords, starting with email, banking and anything holding crypto.

Whichever you choose

1. Set up emergency access now, not later. Choose your trusted person and a waiting period you're comfortable with. Between a few days and a couple of weeks is common.
2. Tell them. Let your trusted person know they've been nominated, which service you use, and what to do.
3. Record it in your inventory. Write down which password manager you use and who has emergency access. Never write down the master password itself.
4. Keep crypto seed phrases out of it. A seed phrase belongs on paper or metal, stored somewhere physical. Here's why.

Sources

We checked each claim on this page against these sources on 28 October 2026. Legacy Mapped isn't affiliated with any of these providers and isn't paid to recommend them.

1. Bitwarden: Pricing (Free, Premium and Families plans)
2. Bitwarden: Emergency access: who can use it, wait times, and view vs takeover
3. AlternativeTo: Bitwarden raises Premium and Families prices (January 2026)
4. AlternativeTo: 1Password raises Individual and Families prices from 27 March 2026
5. SimplyTrust: What happens to 1Password accounts when the owner dies
6. Proton: Emergency Access for your Proton Account (August 2025)
7. Security.org: Proton Pass review and pricing
8. Security.org: Keeper review and pricing
9. NordPass: Introducing Emergency Access
10. Security.org: NordPass pricing
11. OWC: Digital Legacy: how to set up an Apple Legacy Contact (Keychain is blocked)
12. Google: About Inactive Account Manager
13. Krebs on Security: Feds link $150M cyberheist to 2022 LastPass hacks (March 2025)