Password Safe Review 2025: A Relic That‘s Showing Its Age
Password Safe is a veteran in the password manager space, first released way back in 2002. It was designed by renowned security technologist Bruce Schneier and was one of the first tools to popularize the concept of securely storing passwords in an encrypted database.
However, a lot has changed in the two decades since Password Safe‘s debut. Password managers have evolved from niche tools for the ultra-paranoid to mainstream essentials used by millions. In this landscape, Password Safe is starting to show its age, with an outdated interface and feature set that lags behind the competition.
In this in-depth review, I‘ll analyze Password Safe‘s security model, evaluate its pros and cons, and help you decide if it‘s still a viable option for managing your passwords in 2024. I‘ll also recommend some modern alternative password managers that provide a better balance of security, convenience, and features.
Under the Hood: Password Safe‘s Security Model
At its core, Password Safe is a secure database for storing usernames, passwords, and other sensitive data. When you add a credential to Password Safe, it encrypts that data with your master password and stores the encrypted version on your device. Whenever you need to view or edit your credentials, you enter your master password, which decrypts the database and allows access to your data.
Password Safe uses the Twofish encryption algorithm with a 256-bit key to secure your data. Twofish was one of the five finalists for the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) competition in the late 1990s, along with more well-known algorithms like Rijndael (which became AES) and Serpent.
While Twofish is not as widely used as AES, it is still considered a very secure cipher. It has a 128-bit block size and supports key sizes up to 256 bits. Twofish uses a complex key schedule and a balanced Feistel network structure that makes it resistant to known cryptanalytic attacks.
However, the strength of Twofish is only one part of the security equation. The other critical factor is the strength of your master password. If you use a weak, easily guessable password, it doesn‘t matter how secure the underlying encryption is – an attacker could simply guess your password and decrypt your entire database.
Unfortunately, Password Safe does not have any built-in tools for evaluating password strength or encouraging the use of strong master passwords. It also lacks support for two-factor authentication (2FA) via standard methods like TOTP or SMS. The only 2FA option is to purchase a separate hardware security key like a YubiKey, which is an added expense and inconvenience compared to other password managers that support software-based 2FA.
The Pros and Cons of Password Safe
Password Safe has some notable strengths, but also significant weaknesses compared to other password managers. Here‘s a breakdown of the key pros and cons:
Pros:
- Robust encryption with the Twofish cipher
- Free and open source (at least for the Windows version)
- Portable version can be run from a USB drive
- Long track record (20+ years) with no known major security breaches
Cons:
- Very outdated user interface compared to modern password managers
- Lacks many expected features as of 2024 (password generation, autofill, password sharing, etc.)
- Confusing system of "cloned" apps for macOS/iOS/Android with inconsistent pricing
- No official browser extensions except in iOS clone
- Limited 2FA support (requires separate hardware key purchase)
- No cloud syncing of vault across devices
- Development seems slow, raising questions about future support and updates
One of the biggest issues with Password Safe is its clunky, dated user experience. The interface looks like it hasn‘t changed much since the early 2000s, with a spartan design and lots of manual interactions required.
Adding credentials to your vault requires manually typing in or copy/pasting the username, password, and other fields. There‘s no automated password capture like in most modern password managers. Retrieving a password is also a multi-step process of searching your vault, copying the password, and then pasting it into the login form.
There‘s also no password generator, which is a standard feature in nearly all password managers today. Password generators make it easy to create long, random, unique passwords for each of your accounts. With Password Safe, you have to come up with secure passwords on your own.
Autofill is another huge time-saver that‘s missing from Password Safe. With autofill, your password manager can automatically fill in your username and password when you visit a login page. Password Safe requires you to manually copy and paste your credentials each time you log in (with the exception of the Safari extension in the iOS app).
One of Password Safe‘s few distinguishing features is its portability. You can install Password Safe on a USB drive and take it with you to use on any Windows PC. However, this portability comes with risks – if you lose your USB drive, whoever finds it could potentially access all your passwords. Most modern password managers achieve portability through end-to-end encrypted cloud syncing, which is more secure and convenient.
Password Safe‘s Unusual "Cloned" Apps
While the "official" Password Safe app is only available for Windows, there are "cloned" third-party versions for macOS, iOS, and Android. These clones use the same underlying codebase but are ported to other platforms and distributed separately from the main Password Safe project.
This cloning situation creates a lot of potential for confusion and inconsistency. The features, user interface, and pricing of the clones vary significantly from the official app and from each other.
For example, the Android clone is free, but the macOS and iOS clones cost $14.99 and $2.99 respectively as of 2024. The iOS app is the only version with a browser extension for autofill. And there‘s no official way to sync your password vault between the original Windows app and any of the clones.
This fragmentation makes it difficult to use Password Safe across multiple platforms, which is a standard use case for most password manager users today. It also raises security concerns, since the cloned apps are not directly controlled or audited by the original Password Safe developers. While the clones claim to use the same secure codebase, the lack of central oversight is still worrisome.
Should You Use Password Safe in 2024?
So is Password Safe still a viable choice for managing your passwords in 2024? For a small niche of users, it may be sufficient. If you exclusively use Windows, have simple password management needs, and don‘t mind a very manual workflow, Password Safe‘s core security is still solid. Its open source nature and lack of cloud syncing may also appeal to users who are extra cautious about trusting companies with their credentials.
However, for the vast majority of users, I recommend choosing a more modern password manager. Password Safe‘s bare-bones feature set and clunky interface make it a huge pain to use compared to its competitors. Its lack of secure cloud syncing and inconsistent "cloned" apps for other platforms is also a major downside in an age when most people regularly access their passwords across multiple devices.
There are numerous other password managers that provide a better balance of security, convenience, and features. Many of them are open source, just like Password Safe, but with more modern designs and active development.
Here are a few of the top password managers I recommend as alternatives to Password Safe in 2024:
- Bitwarden
- Free and open source
- Sleek, modern interface with autofill, password generation, and secure sharing
- End-to-end encrypted cloud syncing across unlimited devices
- Affordable premium version with extra features like 2FA and encrypted file storage
- KeePassXC
- Free and open source
- More modern UI than Password Safe but still lightweight and portable
- Cross-platform with native apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Supports a variety of convenient sync methods and browser extensions
- Extensive customization options via plugins
- 1Password
- Proprietary but has undergone multiple independent security audits
- Slick, user-friendly apps for all major platforms
- Wide range of features including autofill, password generation, 2FA, and secure sharing
- Cloud-based syncing with end-to-end encryption
- Unique Travel Mode for temporarily removing sensitive data when crossing borders
These are just a few of the many excellent password managers available today. All of them provide a more polished, full-featured, and convenient experience than Password Safe while still maintaining a high level of security.
The Bottom Line
Password Safe deserves credit for pioneering the concept of secure password storage, and its encryption remains robust after 20 years. However, it hasn‘t kept pace with the evolution of password managers and falls short of modern standards for convenience and features.
In 2024, most users are better served by a password manager that provides secure cloud syncing, autofill, password generation, and a user-friendly interface across all their devices. While Password Safe‘s open source nature and local-only storage have some niche appeal, its day-to-day experience is clunky and frustrating compared to its competitors.
If you value simplicity and don‘t mind a manual workflow, Password Safe can still get the job done. But for the vast majority of users, I strongly recommend choosing a more modern alternative like Bitwarden, KeePassXC, or 1Password. These password managers provide a much better balance of security and convenience for the realities of our multi-device, cloud-centric world.
With the frequency and severity of data breaches on the rise, using a full-featured password manager is more important than ever. By generating strong, unique passwords for all your accounts and storing them securely, you can dramatically reduce your risk of falling victim to credential stuffing attacks and other password-related hacks.
Password Safe was ahead of its time in 2002, but in 2024 it‘s a relic that‘s showing its age. While its encryption remains solid, its bare-bones feature set and dated design make it a tough sell compared to the many more polished and powerful password managers now available. Unless you have very niche needs, you‘ll be better served by a more modern alternative that makes it easy to stay secure across all your devices.