A beta product that’s off to a reasonable start thanks to a good base of features, but it’ll have to improve if it wants to impress.
ExpressVPN Keys (opens in new tab) is one of the newest names on the password manager (opens in new tab) scene, but anyone who keeps an eye on PC software will be familiar with ExpressVPN (opens in new tab) – it’s one of the best and most popular VPN tools on the market.
It’s only natural that the firm would expand into other areas of security, like password management, and its new app offers many of the best features you’ll find elsewhere, from password autofills to a built-in password generator.
We’ve dug deep to find out if this beta app will be worth your attention when it’s properly released – or if you should stick to an established product.
ExpressVPN Keys is currently in beta and it’s being gradually rolled out to ExpressVPN’s existing users – so if you’re a member you may not have it yet, and if you don’t have an ExpressVPN account then at the time of writing there’s no way to try out this software.
Eventually, Keys will be rolled out as a free extension to the ExpressVPN service, so you’ll have to be a member to use this particular password manager.
The cheapest ExpressVPN subscription costs $8.32 / £8 / AUD$12 per month if you sign up for a one-year deal – that works out at a $99.84 / £95 / AUD$150 annual cost. A six-month subscription costs $9.99 / £9.99 / AUD$14.99 per month, and a one-month deal is the poorest value at $12.95 / £12 / AUD$20.
Those prices are higher than most mainstream password manager tools – LastPass and 1Password are cheaper – but they don’t also include excellent VPN (opens in new tab) options.
ExpressVPN Keys will be a very easy app to use – because it’s going to be a free integration into the existing ExpressVPN software. At launch it’s going to work as a Chrome extension on Windows, Linux and macOS and it’ll be integrated into the ExpressVPN app on iOS and Android. That’s reasonable support that covers lots of people, but plenty of dedicated password managers support more platforms and browsers – we hope ExpressVPN adds more support in the future.
