RoboForm Review – Does 20+ Years of Experience Equal Quality?

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In this RoboForm review, we test one of the original password managers with over 20 years of industry experience under its belt. RoboForm promises top-notch security and ease of use, but can this old hand compete with the new guard like NordPass?

At the very least, a password manager must store and automatically fill in your credentials. However, there’s more to a great app than basic features. That’s why we evaluated RoboForm’s ease of use, security measures, customer support, privacy policy, company background, and pricing.

Like any software, RoboForm has its flaws, but it also has standout features like passwordless login and shared folders. As such, reading the full review is the best way to determine whether it’s the right choice for you.

RoboForm Pros And Cons

Before we dive into a detailed RoboForm review, let’s look at its core benefits and some minor drawbacks.

What is RoboForm?

RoboForm keeps your data in an encrypted vault, which you can only access with a master password – the only one you’ll have to remember.

Initially, RoboForm was only for personal use, but launched an Enterprise version for businesses in 2009. Currently, over 40,000 businesses and an astonishing 6 million individual users trust RoboForm.

Users favor RoboForm for its simplicity, security, and reasonable pricing. It’s also compatible with all popular operating systems and browsers, including Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS.

Is RoboForm Safe?

Security is the most important factor for a password manager, so it’s natural to wonder if RoboForm is safe.

Fortunately, RoboForm meets the highest industry standards. With decades of experience, RoboForm has long figured out and patched common vulnerabilities and regularly updates its security measures.

Firstly, RoboForm uses AES-256-bit encryption protocol, which is considered uncrackable by brute-force attacks. Put simply, hackers can try millions of encryption key combinations with no luck. Encryption happens on your device to reduce the risk of interception.

Secondly, RoboForm doesn’t store your master password on its servers because it uses zero-knowledge architecture. Even if an attacker gains access to RoboForm’s servers, they would only find encrypted gibberish without the master password to unlock it.

Thirdly, you must enter a verification code received through email, SMS, or authenticator app to log in to your RoboForm account. Two-factor authentication (2FA) ensures no one can access your data even if they know the master password.

Furthermore, RoboForm has a strict, transparent privacy policy. It collects data like your name, email, phone number, and order ID to process your payment and manage your account. RoboForm doesn’t share this information with any third party other than Stripe, the credit card processor.

RoboForm is headquartered in the United States, which is a member of the Five Eyes Alliance, an intelligence-sharing agreement between five English-speaking countries. All RoboForm servers are also located in the US.

In theory, the US government can access data stored by any company within its jurisdiction. However, there’s no reason for privacy concerns because RoboForm never stores unencrypted data.

Lastly, RoboForm passed an independent security audit by Secfault Security. The company assessed all of RoboForm’s apps and browser extensions and concluded they meet reasonable standards. During the audit, Secfault Security identified several vulnerabilities, which RoboForm fixed immediately.

The fact that RoboForm has never been involved in a data leak or hacked throughout its 20+ years on the market proves its commitment to protecting user data.

RoboForm Key Features – What’s Included?

Now, let’s see what RoboForm has to offer and what sets it apart from competitors.

Password Generator

RoboForm creates strong, random passwords and passphrases in one click. You can select the password length and characters to include.

For example, you can create a simple hexadecimal password for your email and a 20-character code with a mix of letters, digits, and special symbols for work accounts.

Random passwords are harder to crack because they don’t contain personal information or common words. For example, if your password is ‘qwerty123,’ hackers will crack it in seconds. On the other hand, a random password like ‘F!iSc*RnMx$uR^xGC*63’ is almost impossible to hack.

The same principle applies to passphrases. A logical string of words, like AppleBananaOrange, is more vulnerable to hacks than random words like BroomAirplaneHorseGraduation.

Password Sharing

With RoboForm, you can securely send login details for shared accounts to other people. Sending passwords by email is risky because emails may travel through servers as plain text, unencrypted. If someone intercepts your email, they can steal your password.

The email with your password remains on several servers and devices even after sending it. A security breach on any of these systems can expose it. And let’s not forget about the likelihood of sending the email to the wrong recipient (we’re all waiting for Gmail to add a ‘Delete for all’ button).

RoboForm encrypts your passwords and gives you granular access control. Essentially, your login credentials are gibberish until the recipient decrypts them in their RoboForm app. We especially like the fact that you can decide what details to share and revoke access anytime.

Autofill

Many people find it hard to remember an eight-digit password containing their pet’s name, let alone a bunch of randomized passwords. RoboForm saves your login credentials for every website and fills them in automatically, so you never lose access to your accounts.

In addition to passwords, RoboForm can fill in lengthy online forms with your shipping address, credit card details, and other personal information.

You’d be right to note that most browsers also have an autofill function. However, due to their complexity, browsers typically have more security vulnerabilities. Plus, browser-based password managers can expose your information if you share the device with others.

Security Assessment

RoboForm assesses your password strength with a sophisticated algorithm called zxcvbn. It analyzes the password’s length, character types, keyboard patterns, sequences, and repetitions. Additionally, it looks for common words and phrases.

In addition to individual passwords, RoboForm examines the number of your compromised or duplicated login credentials. Then, zxcvbn gives you a security score and recommendations for improvement.

Web Monitoring

RoboForm regularly monitors the Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) database for your login credentials and informs you if there was a breach.

It’s worth noting that RoboForm’s web monitoring isn’t foolproof. It only tells you about compromised passwords if hackers sell them on the dark web or release them publicly.

Furthermore, data breaches can include information other than emails and passwords, which is not included in RoboForm’s audit.

Bookmarks Management

You can bookmark pages for quick access in any browser. However, RoboForm’s bookmark manager allows you to organize your saved websites using folders and tags. You can also sync bookmarks across devices where you have RoboForm installed.

Security is another benefit of RoboForm’s bookmarks. For example, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox don’t encrypt your saved pages. This means that government agencies and hackers can potentially access them. RoboForm keeps your browsing habits private.

Safenotes

Safenotes lets you save PIN codes, access instructions, and other sensitive information in an encrypted vault. You can even store your business ideas or write a diary; there’s no limit to what information you can keep confidential.

Emergency Access

RoboForm lets you designate a trusted contact to access your RoboForm data in case of an emergency (or if you forget your master password).

Here’s how it works. When you send an invitation to your emergency contact, they must accept it and install RoboForm. If they need access to your data, they must send you an access request via the RoboForm dashboard.

If you don’t decline the request within your chosen timeout period, the emergency contact gets access to all your data. You can revoke the access at any time. Still, it’s important you pick the trusted contact wisely.

Backup

You can choose to store your RoboForm data locally, so it’s never uploaded to the cloud. However, this means you may lose access to your data if something happens to your device.

Luckily, RoboForm offers optional local or cloud data backup. In the former case, you duplicate your data to another device and can access it offline. In the latter scenario, you can only access your data online, but it’s automatically synced across all your devices.

2FA

Apart from being a great password manager, RoboForm can act as an authenticator for other apps and websites that support Time-Based One-Time Passwords (TOTP).

You must first enable 2FA in the specific app, then select TOTP as the authentication method. When you try to log in to said app, RoboForm will generate a six-digit secret key that you must paste there. Alternatively, you can scan a QR code.

Passkeys

Unfortunately, password managers don’t guarantee malicious actors won’t access your accounts. Traditional passwords are vulnerable to phishing attacks, where hackers use social engineering to trick you into sharing your data.

For this reason, passwordless logins are gaining popularity. Think of it like unlocking your phone with a FaceID or fingerprint instead of a PIN. Passwordless logins use similar ideas to verify you are the account’s owner.

Recently, RoboForm introduced Passkeys, which uses your device’s biometric verification functionality to make the login process more secure and fast.

Currently, Passkeys can only be used on desktop apps, but RoboForm will soon roll them out on mobile devices.

RoboForm Pricing – Is it Affordable?

The Free plan is one of the best things about RoboForm. There’s no free trial for Premium subscriptions, but you can test the core functionality for as long as you want.

Furthermore, you get a 30-day money-back guarantee on RoboForm Premium and Family plans. You don’t have to specify the reason for a refund, but you must provide proof of purchase, so save your order confirmation email.

You can cancel RoboForm auto-renewal anytime, but it won’t initiate a refund if 30 days have passed from the purchase date. You’ll still be able to use RoboForm until your subscription period ends, but you won’t be charged again.

Now, let’s take a closer look at RoboForm’s Free vs paid plans.

Free

The free RoboForm plan includes the following features:

Such a comprehensive set of features is impressive for a free app. If you need basic password management on one device, RoboForm is a solid choice.

However, you may want to consider the Premium subscription if you need to sync data across several devices. Plus, the Free plan has limited sharing features – you can only send individual logins.

Premium

The Premium subscription offers everything included in the Free plan, plus:

The main benefit is that you can access your data online, so there’s no need to install and set up RoboForm manually on every device. However, you can also choose to store your passwords entirely on one device for extra security.

Secure access to common folders is handy if you share several accounts with family or colleagues. What’s more, you can set granular permissions to control who can view and edit data in shared folders.

Family

With the Family plan, you can create up to five Premium accounts, which is significantly cheaper than getting several individual subscriptions. Each family member gets their own RoboForm vault, but you can also conveniently share logins.

Business

The Business plan pricing depends on the number of users and subscription length, with long-term plans offering the best value.

You get all the premium features, including web form autofill, secure sharing, a data breach scanner, and password audits.

Mind that RoboForm doesn’t issue refunds for Business plans. On a good note, you can request a 14-day free trial to see if your team likes the app.

How does RoboForm compare to other providers?

RoboForm is one of the few password managers to offer a forever-free plan, along with NordPass, Norton, and Avira.

Its Premium plan, too, is reasonably priced. For example, NordPass costs $1.99 monthly with the annual plan, whereas 1Password costs $2.99 monthly. RoboForm pricing stands somewhere in between – it’s not the cheapest option, but far from expensive.

RoboForm Interface – Is it Easy To Use?

RoboForm works on the following operating systems:

We like that RoboForm supports older versions of Windows and Android, unlike some competitors like NordPass, which only works with Windows 10 and above.

Additionally, RoboForm is compatible with Firefox, Chrome, and Edge browsers, so you can also protect Linux and Chromebook devices.

RoboForm has comprehensive installation guides for every device, so you’re unlikely to encounter a problem even if you aren’t techy. There are screenshots and detailed explanations for each step.

However, RoboForm also has 24/7 support for all users. During our test, support agents quickly responded and did their best to resolve our query. It’s worth noting that customer support won’t be able to recover your master password.

RoboForm browser extensions have a clean interface. Despite the array of features, we found it easy to navigate because of logical button placement and descriptions. Your notes, passwords, and other data are quickly accessible from the left sidebar.

Windows 8+ and macOS apps are virtually the same, but the RoboForm mobile version has a different layout.

Windows 7 users get a somewhat outdated design because the new app version doesn’t run on older devices. Nevertheless, you get the same set of features.

Some features are available online, like a random password generator and password strength assessment, so you don’t have to install an app.

RoboForm vs Other Password Managers

There’s no doubt RoboForm is a reliable password manager, but is it your best bet? We’ve put together a comparison table to help you find the best fit.

RoboForm password manager stands out as one of the few apps that supports passwordless logins and acts as an authenticator for other apps. Plus, not every competitor can autofill web forms.

However, NordPass and Keeper have better web monitoring capabilities because they don’t rely on a single database. In turn, Avira simplifies online payments with a credit card scanner.

Lastly, 1Password has two unique features: Travel mode, which lets you temporarily hide specific vaults, and Watchtower, which keeps you informed about security problems on the websites you use.

We advise you to read our review of the best password manager apps for more details.

RoboForm Reviews – What Are People Saying?

While our experience with RoboForm was positive, everyone’s needs are different. That’s why we searched for verified user reviews on trusted platforms like G2, TrustPilot, and Reddit to see how they matched our opinion.

Several Reddit users admit they’ve been with RoboForm for over a decade and see no reason to switch to a different app.

TrustPilot users note that having a monthly payment option would be great, which is understandable because not everyone wants to pay upfront for several years.

We also came across some reviews mentioning occasional glitches with saving logins and difficulties in installation, but customer support quickly resolved these issues.

Overall, RoboForm reviews show why the app has been on the market for so long and has acquired such a large user base. It’s a user-friendly app with a good reputation and affordable pricing.

RoboForm Alternatives

Since RoboForm only has long-term plans, you may want to consider alternatives before committing. Read our password manager reviews to find your perfect app:

Why You Can Trust Our RoboForm Review

‘Don’t trust anything you see on the internet’ is a reasonable suggestion. There’s plenty of misleading and outdated information because anyone can post, and no one’s truly in charge. That’s why you may wonder why you should trust our RoboForm review.

We understand how difficult it is to find accurate information online, so we have a specific review process that includes:

Additionally, we check verified user reviews from platforms like TrustPilot and G2 to see if others have encountered any issues we missed.

How To Use RoboForm – A Step-By-Step Guide

Our step-by-step guide will help you get started with RoboForm.

Step 1: Download RoboForm

Go to the official RoboForm website and install the version for your operating system. Get a browser extension if you want to use the free version because it’s only available online. Follow on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Step 2: Create an Account

Once you have the app or extension, you’ll be prompted to log in. If you don’t yet have an account, click Sign Up. Enter your details and create a master password. Then, click Get Started.

Step 3: Start Using RoboForm

Add your passwords, bookmarks, and notes to RoboForm via your dashboard. You can access different features from the left sidebar.

RoboForm Review – The Verdict

Our experience shows that RoboForm has earned its good reputation for its continuous dedication to security and user satisfaction.

It combines advanced functionality with ease of use, which makes it equally suitable for beginners and power users. We particularly like the Passkeys feature, given its convenience and resistance to phishing attacks, which are currently on the rise.

The best thing is that you can try many features for free. If you upgrade to a paid plan and decide it’s not right for you, you can claim a refund, so there are virtually no risks involved.

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