Password Manager Review: Kaspersky Password Manager

Kaspersky is one of the most well-known names in the field of cyber security and has earned its recognition above all with the antivirus program of the same name. However, the software company Kaspersky Lab has more to offer than just malware protection. A password manager can also be found in the Moscow company's wide range of products. You can find out what it’s good for in this review.

Kaspersky Password Manager is a password manager from the Russian software company Kaspersky Lab, available for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. As a manager for passwords and other sensitive information, the software brings order and comfort to unorganized data collections, with a typical Kaspersky focus on security.

Usually, the setup of a password manager starts with the creation of a master password, but as a Kaspersky newbie you will need to create another password first. To start, you will need a user account with Kaspersky itself, which you can also use with other products from the software company. Only then, can you set the master password. This additional step makes the setup a bit slower than with other products, and an additional account might make you roll your eyes - after all, you are trying to bring order to account chaos - but Kaspersky is still ready to go in a few minutes.

It is practical that the browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Edge and Yandex can be installed at the same time, if desired. Kaspersky does everything at once, without leaving you with manual installations.

The first problems became visible when trying to import data: The program kept lagging. In general, Kaspersky supports many import sources, but in the end, we couldn't use any of them - the problem was so persistent that we had to contact support. This means, we had to re-enter existing datasets, which took time and tested our patience. With other password managers, the data import did not always produce ideal results and required some manual adjustment as well, but at least we got there.

Maybe we were just unlucky, because our research on the web did not indicate a far-reaching problem. Nevertheless, it made further setup after a quick start a bit frustrating.

Score: 3.0 / 5

As with most other programs of this type, you use Kaspersky's Password Manager mainly through two buttons: the desktop app and the browser extension. There is also a web version, which you can access from the desktop application, but it offers the same functions.

Desktop program

The desktop interface of Kaspersky Password Manager is easy to use. As is typical, the program has a three-column structure: On the left is the main menu where you can select the different types of entries, in the middle are the individual datasets, and on the right is detailed information about the datasets.

You can add webpages, apps, and other datasets directly in the program. When you log in to a webpage on a browser, you can also automatically save the data in Kaspersky Password Manager.

Overall, the desktop app is intuitive and easy to use. Unfortunately, we had to restart the program every now and then - not only during our import attempts.

Browser extension

In the password manager browser extension, you will find your websites, bank cards and addresses listed, as well as a password generator. For everything else, the extension sends you to the desktop app. The functionality of the browser extension is totally sufficient.

Overall, the password manager would be a clear leader in terms of ease of use if it weren't for the occasional program crashes. Kaspersky provides a user-friendly interface that clearly lists all the program's functions and rarely raises any questions.

Score: 4.0 / 5

The password manager is only one of many programs in the Kaspersky assortment. As one element among many, it offers a solid feature set without being (or wanting to be) able to keep up with competitors such as Dashlane or 1Password when it comes to the range of features. However, all the functions one would expect from a password manager are available.

Password check

During the password check, Kaspersky lists your compromised passwords - in order of their weakness. The program makes it clear if a password is compromised and needs to be changed urgently. Using data from Have, I Been Pwned, the program even reveals how many accounts with the same password have already been hacked.

Password storage for applications

A great feature is the ability to create datasets for applications. This way, you can also use the Autofill functions of the password manager for your desktop programs.

Features that we are particularly missing, are a password changer like the one that Dashlane has, and the ability to share passwords, notes, or other datasets. However, Kaspersky still delivers a solid package that works.

Note: 1,7

Like all password managers we reviewed, Kaspersky uses AES-256-bit encryption and treats your master password according to the Zero Knowledge principle. This means that Kaspersky never stores the password and only you know it. So far, so good. Unfortunately, Kaspersky made a mistake that doesn’t make any sense: 2-factor authentication isn’t there. To add to that, because a backup of your data can be created, this security gap doesn’t feel good. With 2FA, Kaspersky would be relatively equal to the competition in terms of security - unfortunately, this is why a better rating isn’t possible.

Score: 3.0 / 5

The mobile Kaspersky app automatically synchronizes with the desktop application. Like most other mobile versions of password managers, the app uses its own included browser to open the selected webpages. Autofill worked almost without glitches during the review.

Successful use in Chrome, for which you can also unlock Autofill, was less stable.

You will also find the password generator in the mobile version. As usual, activation is also possible with a fingerprint.

Kaspersky has done a really excellent job with the mobile app and leaves nothing to be desired: it is clearly arranged, fast and does what it is supposed to do.

Score: 5.0 / 5

Because Kaspersky Lab offers a wide range of products, support is somewhat less organized and understandably not focused on the needs of password manager customers. This means, it might take a while to find the right answers in the FAQs.

You will receive direct support via email, whereby you must first specify the product, your operating system, and other parameters. During the review, an answer to our request came after 4 hours.

If you are not in a hurry or appreciate community support, you can also post your question in the password manager sub-forum, where Kaspersky users can discuss all kinds of problems.

All in all, Kaspersky support is alright, even if we would have liked to have seen a chat function.

Score: 3.7 / 5

Kaspersky Password Manager is available as a free and a premium version. The former is a trial rather than a fully usable version like LastPass because it is limited to 15 entries. That means, 15 datasets in total - not per category. This limit is so small that the program is hardly useful in the free version.

However, it is not that bad, because Kaspersky Password Manager is extremely cheap. A friendly $1.16 per month is the premium rate. However, there are no other packages or special business offers.

Kaspersky does a lot of things right with its password manager and would be at the forefront, if it weren't for a few issues. Regular crashes were a frustrating companion from setup to standard use, and the absence of 2-factor authentication is completely incomprehensible - especially coming from a software company focused on security.

Nevertheless, we enjoyed managing passwords with Kaspersky, because the program's user interface is pleasant, everything worked wonderfully apart from the technical problems, and some functions - such as Autofill of desktop applications - would be great for other programs as well.

Many competitors' programs performed slightly better than Kaspersky Password Manager in our reviews. If you are looking for a similarly cheap password manager with 2FA, you should take a closer look at software from RoboForm or consider the feature-rich free version of LastPass.

The Kaspersky Password Manager desktop app was tested on a Lenovo laptop running Windows 10, the browser extensions on Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, the mobile application on an Android device (8.1.0 version).