Enpass Password Manager Review 2025: Robust Security for the Cloud-Wary

As a cyber security expert with over a decade of experience, I‘ve seen countless individuals and organizations suffer serious breaches due to poor password habits. In 2023 alone, 86% of organizations had users‘ credentials leaked on the dark web, and password-related attacks cost businesses an average of $4.5 million per incident.[^1] Using a password manager is one of the most impactful ways to reduce this risk, but many people hesitate to trust the cloud with their secrets.

That‘s where Enpass comes in. This full-featured password manager takes a local-first approach to password storage, keeping your vault encrypted on your devices by default so you can avoid cloud risks. I‘ve spent dozens of hours testing Enpass‘s security, features, and usability to determine if it delivers on its promise of convenient security without the cloud. Here‘s what I found.

Enpass‘s Local-First Architecture Boosts Security

Most password managers, like 1Password and Dashlane, are cloud-first. They encrypt your vault and store it on their servers to enable features like automatic sync and easy sharing. This is secure when done properly, but it does mean trusting another company‘s infrastructure with your most sensitive data.

Enpass takes a different approach. By default, your vault is stored only on your devices. All encryption and decryption happens locally using keys derived from your master password. This provides a high level of privacy and security by minimizing attack surface and keeping your data off remote servers.

Under the hood, Enpass uses the modern XChaCha20-Poly1305 cipher suite to encrypt vault data with 256-bit keys. Key derivation is handled by Argon2id, parameterized to OWASP guidelines (15MB memory, 2 iterations, 1 degree of parallelism). This combination makes Enpass as cryptographically secure as any password manager I‘ve analyzed.

Of course, local-only storage has tradeoffs. Syncing is a manual process by default, requiring a local Wi-Fi connection or exporting/importing the encrypted vault file. Some convenience features like secure password sharing are harder to implement robustly without a cloud component. And you have to be diligent about backups since there‘s no automatic cloud redundancy.

For users who prioritize avoiding the cloud, Enpass‘s model is worth these tradeoffs. But if you‘re comfortable with the cloud and value seamless sync and sharing, cloud-based managers will be a better fit. Enpass does offer optional cloud sync, but it‘s not as slick as cloud-native options.

Enpass‘s Full Feature Set Goes Beyond Passwords

Enpass is more than just a password manager. It can also store and fill payment cards, identities, licenses, documents, and custom fields. All these data types benefit from the same strong encryption and autofill capabilities as logins.

One standout feature is Enpass‘s customizable password generator. In addition to the usual options like length and character sets, Enpass can generate random passphrases from a dictionary of words. These tend to be easier to remember but still secure against guessing attacks.

Enpass also includes a password audit tool that checks your logins against public data breaches and warns you if any passwords are weak, reused, or compromised. It‘s a helpful security tool, though it‘s not as comprehensive as dedicated services like HaveIBeenPwned.

For power users, Enpass exposes advanced options like selecting your preferred key derivation function (Argon2id, PBKDF2, or scrypt). You can also add an extra encryption key in the form of a local keyfile. These settings aren‘t necessary for most users, but they highlight Enpass‘s commitment to technical excellence.

Multi-Factor Authentication Could Be Stronger

One area where Enpass falls short of some competitors is support for multi-factor authentication (MFA). While you can use a keyfile as a crude second factor, Enpass doesn‘t support more standard MFA methods like TOTP codes, U2F security keys, or biometrics.

This is unfortunate, as MFA is a crucial security layer for any high-value account like a password manager. Even with a strong master password, MFA provides important protection against phishing, keylogging, and other attacks that can compromise passwords.

To be fair, MFA for an offline-first tool is inherently challenging. Without a server component to handle the additional authentication, it‘s hard to implement robustly. And some would argue that an offline password manager is less vulnerable to remote attacks in the first place.

Still, I would like to see Enpass explore creative ways to add MFA options in the future, at least for those using optional cloud sync. Biometric auth or TOTP support would go a long way in hardening Enpass against attacks.

Enpass‘s Security Audits Build Trust

As a proprietary (closed-source) product, Enpass asks us to trust that its security implementation is sound without the ability to verify it ourselves. While open-source is not a silver bullet, it does provide valuable transparency for security-critical tools.

To their credit, Enpass has worked to build trust by commissioning independent security audits from reputable firms. A 2018 audit by Cure53 covered Enpass‘s web extension and uncovered 12 issues, none of which were high severity. A 2019 audit by MacKeeper looked at the Android app and found 7 low or medium severity problems.

To put this in context, 1Password – often considered the "gold standard" for password manager security – had 13 issues found in a 2021 audit, 4 of which were high severity. So Enpass‘s audit results are generally positive, even if the audits don‘t cover the full breadth of the product.

However, I would like to see Enpass invest in more regular audits going forward, ideally by different firms to get multiple perspectives. The security landscape evolves quickly, and audits lose relevance after a year or two. Annual or biennial audits would help keep Enpass accountable and identify potential issues early.

Should You Use Enpass?

So is Enpass the right password manager for you? As with any security tool, the answer depends on your unique needs and preferences.

If you‘re looking for a password manager that keeps your data firmly under your control and avoids cloud server risks, Enpass is one of the best options available. Its strong encryption, comprehensive features, and reasonable pricing make it a top contender in the local-first category.

However, Enpass isn‘t the best choice for everyone. Users who prioritize slick multi-device sync and easy password sharing will likely be better served by a cloud-based solution like 1Password or Bitwarden. And those who require MFA beyond a keyfile may need to look elsewhere for now.

Ultimately, any well-regarded password manager is far better than reusing passwords or storing them insecurely. Enpass may not be perfect, but it‘s a solid choice for many users. Its unique local storage model and strong baseline security are a compelling combination for the cloud-wary.

If you‘re interested in kicking the tires, I recommend installing Enpass‘s generous free tier to test drive the interface and features. Upgrading to a paid plan is affordable, and the one-time payment option provides good long-term value compared to recurring SaaS subscriptions.

No matter which password manager you choose, adopting one is a critical step in practicing good security hygiene. With the growing threats of credential stuffing, phishing, and data breaches, it‘s more important than ever to use strong, unique passwords for every account. Enpass makes that easy and secure, even if you want to avoid the cloud.

[^1]: Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report 2023