Dashlane review: our verdict

This Dashlane review looks at one of the longest-running paid password managers and asks a simple question: is the polish worth the premium? Dashlane stores and autofills passwords and passkeys, warns you about weak or reused logins, watches for your email addresses in data breaches, flags phishing pages in your desktop browser, and bundles a Hotspot Shield VPN with its Premium plan. It no longer has a free tier, it only sells annual subscriptions, and it had a security incident this year that every buyer should understand before signing up.

Our assessment is that Dashlane remains a strong choice for people who want a password manager that feels finished: guided setup, smooth autofill, a clear security dashboard and a few genuinely useful extras in one subscription. It is not the cheapest way to manage passwords, and people who only need a vault and autofill can spend less elsewhere. This review is an editorial assessment built from Dashlane's own plan, help and security pages and from independent reviews; NerdBible did not run its own hands-on trial.

What Dashlane is and who it is for

Dashlane is a cloud-synced password manager for individuals, families and businesses. On a computer it now runs as a browser extension and web app rather than a classic desktop program. Its help centre says the extension works in Chrome and other Chromium browsers such as Opera and Brave, in Microsoft Edge, in Firefox and in Safari, while phones and tablets use the separate Android and iPhone apps. Tom's Guide notes that Safari users on a Mac still need a small macOS app, because that is how the Safari extension is delivered.

It suits three kinds of buyer best. The first is someone moving from a browser's built-in password store who wants something that works the same way on every device and nudges them toward better habits. The second is a household that wants one subscription covering several people, through the Friends and Family plan. The third is anyone who would otherwise pay separately for breach monitoring and a basic VPN for public Wi-Fi, since both are part of Premium.

Key features

Vault, autofill and passkeys

Both personal plans include unlimited passwords and passkeys, unlimited devices, a password generator, password history and secure notes with 1 GB of encrypted file storage, according to Dashlane's plan comparison. PCMag found the capture and replay of logins smooth across the web vault, browser extensions and the iPhone app, and confirmed that passkeys can be created and stored in the vault. Dashlane also includes an authenticator for one-time codes, which PCMag describes as working much like a standalone authenticator app.

Password Health and Dark Web Monitoring

Password Health scores the logins in your vault and lists the ones that are weak, reused or known to be compromised. Dark Web Monitoring is included on both personal plans and, per PCMag, covers up to five email addresses, with a confirmation email sent when an address is enrolled so that nobody can quietly monitor an address that is not theirs.

Scam and phishing protection

Dashlane's help article on Scam Protection describes two layers. AI scam alerts check pages you visit in a desktop browser against a model that looks at dozens of page signals, and the company says that analysis runs locally on your device. Separately, vault phishing alerts warn you if you try to autofill or paste a saved login on a site that does not match the one it belongs to. The scam alerts are not available in desktop Safari or on mobile, which is worth knowing if you live mostly on a phone.

Built-in VPN

The VPN is Hotspot Shield's premium service, set up from inside Dashlane. According to Dashlane's VPN help page, it covers up to five devices, is available to Premium subscribers and to the manager of a Friends and Family plan, and is not included for invited family members or for anyone on a free trial. It is a convenience for public Wi-Fi rather than a reason to choose Dashlane on its own.

Sharing and emergency access

Items can be shared with other Dashlane users with a chosen level of access. PCMag points out that granting full rights lets the recipient revoke your own access, so share carefully. It also found Dashlane's approach to emergency access clumsier than some rivals, because it relies on an exported encrypted file and a separate password rather than a built-in trusted contact feature.

How much does Dashlane cost? Plans and pricing structure

Dashlane now sells two personal plans, Premium for one person and Friends and Family for up to ten members, plus business tiers. Our page shows current prices; this section covers how the plans are structured.

  • No free plan. Dashlane's announcement explains that free users were moved to a Premium trial and that the free plan then stopped working. Former free users can export their passwords up to a deadline the company set, after which the data is no longer available.
  • Annual billing only. The plan comparison states that Dashlane no longer offers monthly subscriptions on any plan, and that older tiers such as Premium Plus, Essentials and Advanced are no longer sold.
  • A free trial instead of a free tier. Dashlane offers a 14-day trial of select Premium features. PCMag notes the trial excludes the VPN.
  • Family coverage. Friends and Family includes the same core features for every member, but only the plan manager gets the VPN.
  • Refunds. PCMag reports that a subscription bought directly with a card can be refunded within 30 days of purchase.

Is Dashlane safe?

Dashlane is built on a zero-knowledge model. Its security page says vaults are encrypted and decrypted on your own devices, describes AES-256 encryption with Argon2d key derivation, and says a separate device key is used to register trusted devices so that vault encryption and device authentication rely on distinct secrets. You can unlock with a master password, a hardware security key or a passwordless setup that combines a device PIN with biometrics.

Any honest answer on safety also has to include the incident Dashlane disclosed in its own security advisory. An attacker ran a brute force campaign against the flow used to add a new device to an account, aiming to guess the six-digit verification codes. Dashlane's automated defences locked the targeted accounts, but before the attack was contained the attacker registered devices on fewer than 20 personal accounts and downloaded copies of those encrypted vaults. Dashlane says the vaults cannot be opened without each user's master password, that no internal systems were affected, and that affected users were contacted directly. A later update says extra verification layers were added to new device registration, and that legacy endpoints are being retired faster.

What this means in practice: the encryption design did its job, but the incident is a reminder that the master password is the last line of defence. Use a long, unique master password or a hardware key, turn on two-factor authentication, and review the list of devices registered to your account from time to time. PCMag also flagged that the passwordless PIN can be set to something trivially guessable, which matters if other people can reach your unlocked computer.

On privacy, Dashlane told PCMag that it does not sell personal data, does not know which sites users store credentials for, and can only hand over basic account details if served with a valid legal demand.

What could be better

  • Price and flexibility. Every independent outlet we read calls Dashlane expensive for what a password manager does, and the move to annual-only billing removes the option to pay month by month.
  • No free tier. People who want a permanent free password manager have to look elsewhere.
  • Uneven feature coverage. Scam alerts are desktop only and skip Safari; the VPN skips trial users and invited family members.
  • Login design. PCMag found the passwordless option convenient but criticised the weak PIN rules and the need for a recovery key when no logged-in device is at hand.
  • Emergency access. The exported-file approach is less friendly than the trusted contact features some rivals offer.

Who should choose something else

If cost is the main concern, a fully featured free manager such as Bitwarden or Proton Pass covers the core job, a point PCMag makes directly. If you already live in one ecosystem, the password managers built into Apple devices and Google Chrome now store passkeys and sync well, and may be enough for a single person who does not need sharing, breach monitoring or a VPN. Anyone who wants a standalone VPN with more locations and settings should buy one separately rather than relying on a bundled add-on. And if the recent device registration incident leaves you uneasy, it is reasonable to wait and see how the promised hardening work progresses.

What other reviewers found

  • PCMag rated Dashlane highly for smooth password capture, phishing alerts and dark web monitoring, but called it the most expensive app it has reviewed and kept two cheaper rivals as its top picks. Its review also carries an editor's note on the device registration incident.
  • TechRadar concluded that Dashlane has the full set of features you would expect from a market leader and praised its passkey support, with cost as the main drawback.
  • Tom's Guide summed it up as "a top-notch experience for users willing to pay a higher price" and valued the bundled VPN, while criticising the price and noting that an automatic password changer had been dropped.
  • Security.org recommended Premium for unlimited storage, dark web monitoring and the VPN, but reported missing features in some of the apps and wished monitoring went further.

Where they agree: all four outlets like Dashlane's interface and autofill, and all four name price as the biggest drawback. They also agree the VPN and breach monitoring are the extras that justify the premium.

Where they differ: the TechRadar, Tom's Guide and Security.org reviews still describe a limited free plan, because they were written or last updated before Dashlane withdrew it; PCMag's more recent review reflects the current paid-only line-up. PCMag is also the only one of the four that covers the device registration incident.

What that means for you: treat any review that mentions a free tier as out of date on pricing, but its notes on usability still hold. The decision comes down to whether you will use the VPN and monitoring. If you will, Dashlane's bundle is fair value; if you will not, you are paying for features you do not need.

Is Dashlane worth it? Bottom line

Dashlane is a polished, easy password manager with useful extras, and it suits people who value a smooth experience over the lowest possible price. It has real limits: no free tier, annual-only billing, and a recent incident that showed how much depends on a strong master password. For buyers who want vault, autofill, breach alerts, phishing warnings and a basic VPN under one roof, it remains one of the most complete subscriptions available.

Frequently asked questions

Is Dashlane free?

No. Dashlane discontinued its free plan and now sells only paid personal plans, Premium and Friends and Family, both billed annually. New users can start a 14-day trial of selected Premium features before paying. If you want a password manager that stays free with no time limit, look at options such as Bitwarden or Proton Pass, or the password manager built into your browser or phone.

Was Dashlane hacked?

Dashlane disclosed that an attacker brute forced the verification step for adding new devices and copied the encrypted vaults of fewer than 20 personal users. The company says those vaults cannot be read without each user's master password and found no impact on its internal systems. It has since added further checks to new device registration. A strong master password and two-factor authentication remain your best protection.

Does Dashlane include a VPN?

Yes, Premium includes Hotspot Shield's premium VPN, set up from inside the Dashlane app and usable on up to five devices. On a Friends and Family plan only the plan manager gets VPN access, and the VPN is not available during the free trial. It is suited to protecting traffic on public Wi-Fi rather than replacing a full standalone VPN subscription.

Does Dashlane have a desktop app?

Not for most computers. On Windows, Linux and ChromeOS, Dashlane runs as a browser extension together with its web app, and supports Chrome, Edge, Firefox and other Chromium browsers. Mac users who prefer Safari install a small macOS app that delivers the Safari extension. Phones and tablets use the dedicated Android and iOS apps, which include autofill and biometric unlock.

Can Dashlane store passkeys?

Yes. Dashlane can create, save and autofill passkeys alongside ordinary passwords, and reviewers including PCMag and TechRadar confirm passkey support works across its browser extensions and mobile apps. On iPhone, PCMag also found you can import passwords and passkeys from Apple's own password store without exporting a CSV file, which makes switching less fiddly.

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