Norton Password Manager is a free password manager that offers unlimited password storage across all of your devices. It's easy to set up and delivers smooth cross-platform syncing, which is ideal. However, we found that creating new logins using the browser extension wasn't very smooth on Chrome and Firefox, and we were unable to auto-fill our personal information, such as names and addresses, on shopping sites. It also lacks features such as password sharing and passkey storage. By comparison, Proton Pass offers premium-level features at no cost, including email alias creation, password hygiene tools, and more, which is why it's our Editors' Choice winner for free password management.

Getting Started With Norton Password Manager

Norton Password Manager is free. It's also available as part of Norton's antivirus and security suites. It offers browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari. Mobile apps for Android and iPhone round out this limited platform selection. Bitwarden, for example, supports a wider range of browsers, including Brave, Opera, Tor, and Vivaldi.

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To get started, download the appropriate browser extension and then create or sign in to your Norton account. After signing in, designate a separate vault password (don't worry, you won't need to enter it very often). After signing in to your password vault, Norton offers you a PDF containing the recovery key for your account, requests permission to set Norton as your default password manager, and provides instructions for pinning the password manager to the Chrome bar.

Now it's time to set up passwordless access to your vault. To login using your face or fingerprint, you'll need to install the Norton Password Manager app on a biometrics-enabled device. I don't use biometric logins for test phones, so I was relieved to see that Norton also lets you unlock the vault if you're using a PIN to lock your device. If you don't want to unlock your vault every time you need to fill a password during a browsing session, set a vault unlock duration in the Settings menu. Keep that vault password handy, by the way. You'll need it to get into your vault whenever you log in using an unfamiliar browser or a new device.

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If you're switching from another password manager, you can import your existing passwords into Norton Password Manager's vault. It was easy to import my saved Dashlane file to Norton Password Manager.

Data Privacy and Security With Norton Password Manager

Before evaluating these apps, I always send a list of questions to password management companies inquiring about privacy and security practices. I do this because I want you to have enough information about the companies handling your data to make a safe buying decision for you and your family. Norton's answers are in italics below.

Has your company ever had a security breach?  

Norton Password Manager has not been breached. In December 2022, Norton identified a credential stuffing attack targeting some Norton accounts, and some personal information was available to attackers for accounts believed to have been accessed; however, Norton systems were not compromised.

What unencrypted information does the password manager store in user vaults? 

Password Manager VAULT is where all the logins, addresses, credit cards, etc. are saved. This VAULT is based on a zero-knowledge architecture and is a security framework that ensures service providers (Norton, Gen) can't access user data, even if their servers are compromised. It works by using encryption that is controlled by the user's private key, which is generated on their own device and never sent to the service provider. This means that even though the company stores encrypted data, only the user who holds the decryption key can decode it and access it. 

With the zero-knowledge architecture, there is the risk of permanent data loss if the user loses their secret credentials (like a password or recovery phrase), since the system doesn't store them and has no way to retrieve them. 

You encrypt your data on your device before sending it anywhere  

The company storing it has no way to read it - they literally cannot see what you're storing, even if they wanted to, because  

Only you (your device) have the decryption key to unlock and read your own data  

Even if hackers break in, they only get encrypted gibberish they can't decrypt 

We do save some metadata such as timestamps and unique IDs tied to the Norton Account (not the Password Manager account) that are saved in a different Data Store outside the VAULT. This metadata is non-sensitive data and it’s unencrypted. 

What is the company's policy regarding selling or sharing customer data with third parties? 

Gen does not sell its customers’ data. We may share certain personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business as described in our privacy policy.  

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How does your company respond to requests for user information from governments and law enforcement? 

We respond to legal process requests received from law enforcement and/or government agencies to the extent we are legally required to respond and have responsive information. However, due to the encryption methods and zero-knowledge architecture of the password manager product, stored credentials are not visible to Norton and therefore cannot be shared with third parties.

This is an important distinction for the Password Manager product specifically, while Norton may be required by law to respond to government requests, the zero-knowledge encryption architecture means they cannot actually provide the encrypted passwords themselves, even if compelled. 

Authentication and Security Features

Your passwords are the keys to your digital castle, so you'll want to keep them locked away behind multiple layers of protection. That's why, in addition to setting up your passwordless vault entry method, you'll want to designate another form of multi-factor authentication for your Norton account, such as authenticator apps, hardware security keys, or SMS verification. To do so, head over to your Norton account page and set up your authentication method.

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Norton's password manager features a Safety Dashboard, which scans your passwords and highlights duplicate entries and old or weak passwords. Clicking on the link to change the password directs you to the website associated with your credentials, where you can change it first and then save the new password in your vault. You can change some credentials right from the vault, which is helpful. I was able to get this to work with my Norton account password, but the rest of my saved passwords required me to leave the vault to make changes.

Hands On With Norton Password Manager

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I tested Norton Password Manager's functionality using the Chrome and Firefox browser extensions, as well as the iOS app.

Norton doesn't offer a secure way for you to share credentials or pass on your passwords after you die, making it less practical for business settings. You also can't generate or store passkeys in your vault, a feature found in many other password managers, including 1Password, Bitwarden, Dashlane, Enpass, LogMeOnce, Keeper, NordPass, and Proton Pass.

Credential Capture and Replay

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During our testing period, filling in my existing passwords was effortless with Norton Password Manager's browser extension; however, capturing new credentials proved to be a challenge. First, the Chrome extension rarely offered to create new passwords, and could not fill in any of the personal information stored in my vault in web forms (more on that later) or password creation fields. Occasionally, the extension locked me out of a web form, preventing me from entering a new username or email address, which is not ideal.

To circumvent these limitations, I opened the Norton Password Manager browser extension window, clicked the hamburger button in the top-right corner, and then selected the Password Generator button, which opened the tool in a separate browser window. I copied the newly generated password and pasted it into the password field in the original browser window, and finished creating the account. At the end of all that, a pop-up window from Norton Password Manager swooped in to ask if I wanted to save the account in my vault.

Historically, Google's browser hasn't played well with non-Google password managers, so I tested Norton Password Manager's add-on for Firefox, and unfortunately, I had a similarly clunky credential creation experience. Credential creation is a one or two-click process for most other password managers' browser extensions.

Password Generator

The Norton Password Manager password generator creates 20-character passwords by default using all character types (letters, numbers, and symbols). Enpass features a phrase generator that can create passwords using pronounceable words.

Form Filling

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The web vault contains a wallet where you can store credit card information, a section for address information, and a section for notes where you can enter as much text as you want. I like that you can choose to require a password to access any of your vault entries. Clicking on the plus sign icon on the far right side of the top navigation menu allows you to create additional addresses, logins, notes, and wallet entries.

Other password managers, such as RoboForm, offer to enter your information into web form entry fields with a single click. Norton Password Manager only lets you fill in your credit card details on web forms, which makes storing other personal information in the vault pretty useless.

Mobile App

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The Norton Password Manager app is available for Android and iOS. I tested the app's functionalities using an iPhone.

In testing, the Norton Password Manager mobile app made entering credentials easy. In both Android and iOS, you turn on Norton Password Manager's AutoFill capabilities in the mobile device's Settings menu. Next, open the app, tap the credential entry to navigate to the login page, and then tap the Norton icon at the bottom of the page to fill in the required fields.

The apps feature a well-organized interface with a white menu set against a cream background. The app functions are identical to those found in the web vault's interface, with the addition of a built-in private web browser.

Customer Service and Cancellation

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Norton subscribers can get help via Norton's self-help support website.

Is Deleting Your Norton Password Manager Account Easy?

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You can delete your Norton Password Manager vault via the browser extension. To do so, open the web app from the browser extension window, then visit the Settings section within the Password Manager window in your browser. Then, select Delete Norton Password Manager Vault and sign in to your Norton account. After signing in, you'll see an on-screen notification asking you if you're ready to reset your vault. If you are, click Reset, and your Norton Password Manager vault will be gone.