I’ve been in this field long enough to see every trend come and go, and these so-called “free” password managers for Android have never sat well with me. Sure, vendors like Bitwarden and LastPass are often touted as the go-to free solutions—but what are we really getting? When a product is offered at no cost, who’s paying for it behind the scenes, and at what expense to our security and privacy?
I’m curious: Has anyone here done a deep dive into how these free options stack up against each other in terms of actual security features, transparency in their code and policies, and how they handle user data? Are there cases where the “free” model has led to compromises, or is it just a marketing scare tactic from vendors trying to push premium versions?
I’m not asking for mere opinions based on marketing hype—I want to hear real experiences and, if possible, some technical evaluations. Are there hidden trade-offs that only emerge after extended usage, or do these free managers genuinely deliver the level of protection we need without a catch?