F-Secure, a company better known for their network security and antivirus products, has just launched their newest offering, a secure password manager called F-Secure Key. It aims to take on the other password manager apps like LassPass or 1Password by giving users a single, highly secure area to store all their passwords. All you need to remember is the one master password for the app and it does the rest.
As with the other apps like it, F-Secure Key can generate strong passwords for you and then enter them automatically when needed. There are apps for Android, Windows and Mac with an iOS version coming soon. The service can store passwords as well as credit card information and WiFi passwords.
The Android app pretty looks good and works well. It follows some of the Android design guidelines, but some parts of the app look unfinished. On high-resolution devices, there are certain graphics that look pretty pixelated. This is version one of the software, so these small graphical glitches will likely be fixed.
The Windows and Mac versions will enter passwords automatically on websites, meaning users don’t have to do anything. The Android app uses a slightly more annoying process of cut-and-paste since the app can’t insert passwords into other apps. It adds a step to the process, but it works.
One nice extra feature the app offers is a News section that provides a feed of news stories related to online security. Any stories about hacking or data breaches can be found there. The only downside is that the stories presented are very short snippets with no links, so if you wanted to read more about a news story in the app, you’d have to search for it yourself.
F-Secure promises that all information stored in the service is highly encrypted and secure. If you use multiple devices, it will even sync your credentials between them, making logging in easier.
The apps are free to download and use, but syncing requires a subscription, and this is where it gets a bit convoluted. Finding price details on the subscription is nearly impossible…their website makes no mention of the cost, and the Play Store listing only says it’s a “premium feature” with no exact price. You have to actually install the app, set up an account, and try to turn on sync before you are presented with the prices: $1.84 per month or $15.84 per year. The prices aren’t bad at all, but it would have been nice if F-Secure was more up front about the cost.
Overall, this looks like a solid password management option. Do you currently use a password manager service? Will you be checking out F-Secure Key? Let us know what you think!