Unlocking Secure Convenience: Inside Look at ExpressVPN’s Password Manager Features and Usability

Key Takeaways

• ExpressVPN Keys is a competent password manager included with every ExpressVPN membership.
• It offers AES 256-bit encryption and zero-knowledge security practices for a highly secure experience.
• While still lacking in features and limited to Chromium browsers, it is a great money-saver and continues to work even if you cancel ExpressVPN.

All ExpressVPN memberships now include ExpressVPN Keys , a straightforward password manager for desktop and mobile devices. While ExpressVPN Keys is still a bit green and lacks some important functionality, it’s a great money-saver. The basic functionality works as expected and AES 256-bit encryption ensures a highly secure experience.

ExpressVPN Keys

7/ 10

Though it’s still a bit bare-bones, ExpressVPN Keys is a competent password manager that’s included with every ExpressVPN membership. If you can tolerate the growing pains of a new password manager, it’s a no-brainer.

OS

Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux

Supported Desktop Browsers

Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge, Vivaldi, Brave, etc)

Pros

• Included for free with ExpressVPN
• Uses zero-knowledge encryption for customer security
• Continues working even if you cancel ExpressVPN

Cons

• Lacks Firefox and Safari support
• Bare-bones functionality, especially on desktop

See at ExpressVPN

A Fledgling Password Manager With Real Security

Like all good password managers, ExpressVPN Keys follows a zero-knowledge security policy. All user data is protected by AES 256-bit encryption, meaning that ExpressVPN cannot access your passwords, credit card numbers, or secure notes. Even if ExpressVPN falls victim to a data breach, your information should be secure. If you’re coming from your browser’s built-in password manager, this is a huge step up in terms of security.

Canceling ExpressVPN will not affect your ExpressVPN Keys membership. You can continue using the password manager for free. I see this as a huge selling point—your passwords won’t be held hostage if you fail to pay a monthly fee.

Of course, ExpressVPN Keys offers all the basic features you’d expect from a password manager. It can autofill passwords, store credit card information, protect private notes, and generate 2FA codes. You can keep an unlimited number of items in ExpressVPN Keys, and the service supports an unlimited number of connected devices. There’s also a password health checker in the mobile app, though this particular feature isn’t available on desktop devices yet.

But ExpressVPN Keys is still very new. It can’t autofill names or addresses, it doesn’t support password sharing, and there’s no desktop app—you’re forced to do everything through the browser extension or mobile app. Families that want to share a password manager will find that ExpressVPN Keys doesn’t offer user profiles either. Passkey support is also absent, though this is fine for the time being, as passkeys are still very niche.

And while ExpressVPN Keys works great in Chromium-based browsers, such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Vivaldi, there’s yet to be a Firefox or Safari release. Thankfully, the ExpressVPN team tells me that Firefox and Safari support are a number-one priority.

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Setting Up ExpressVPN Keys Is a Breeze

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While it may not be the most fully-featured password manager, ExpressVPN Keys is nicely put together. The setup process is particularly smooth. After downloading ExpressVPN to your desktop, open the ExpressVPN Keys extension page, download the extension to a compatible browser, create a unique ExpressVPN Keys password, and hit the ground running.

If you’re not at a computer, you can also complete this process in the standard ExpressVPN mobile app on iPhone or Android .

Once you’ve logged into ExpressVPN Keys, you’re free to generate new passwords for websites. But, if you’re like me, you’re probably coming from another password manager (or a browser with password management services). Thankfully, you can use a CSV file to import the data from your previous password manager. This took me only a few minutes. I opened the “Import from existing services” page in the ExpressVPN Keys extension and followed the import instructions for my previous password manager—no Googling needed.

The App and Extension Are Very Minimal

Design-wise, there’s not much to say about ExpressVPN Keys. The extension is just a list of passwords and credit cards with some extra buttons and a search bar. You get the same experience on mobile, but it’s tucked behind a tab in the standard ExpressVPN app. And that’s about it.

I’m happy with this super-simple design. A password manager doesn’t need to be complicated, and while custom folders or categories might be handy, they aren’t a necessity. It’s a far cry from the 1Password interface, which left me lost or confused at least a few times.

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My only complaint, at least in terms of design, is ExpressVPN Keys’ handling of password icons. When I scroll through the app, I just see a bunch of green circles with abbreviated website names. Only popular websites like Netflix and Adobe have real icons. Is ExpressVPN manually adding each website icon to its password manager? Other services automatically pull the favicon for each website, so I’m a bit confused by this particular problem.

And while I do wish that ExpressVPN Keys had a dedicated desktop app, it may not be necessary for all users. Dipping into Chrome when I need to access ExpressVPN Keys isn’t as annoying or inconvenient as I expected. Plus, those who have never used a password manager may see this as a good thing, as it keeps the ExpressVPN Keys experience as straightforward as possible.

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Should You Use ExpressVPN Keys?

An ExpressVPN membership costs $12.95 each month. And, if you buy a year of service upfront, that price falls to $8.32 a month. That’s a very low price for a VPN and password manager—an undeniably good deal. Even if you decide to leave ExpressVPN for some other service, you won’t be locked out of ExpressVPN Keys , which is just icing on the cake.

For reference, VPN memberships usually start at $12 or $13 a month. If you were to join Surfshark ($13.99) and 1Password ($2.99), you’d pay a total of $16.98 each month for their services.

The only option that’s comparable to ExpressVPN is NordVPN Plus , which includes a VPN and password manager for $13.99 a month. Choosing between the two is really a matter of taste unless you happen to find one or the other on sale, I suppose.

In any case, I haven’t encountered any problems with ExpressVPN Keys. It pops up when I need to autofill my information, and it hasn’t been stumped by any websites. My complaints are pretty straightforward—I need Safari and Firefox support, and I need to autofill addresses or contact information. These are easily addressable shortcomings, and as I’ve been told, Firefox and Safari support should be here by the end of 2024.

Note that ExpressVPN Keys isn’t a good option for families. This password manager can be installed on an unlimited number of devices, but it doesn’t support individual user profiles or other family-centric features. For the time being, 1Password is still the best password manager for families, though ExpressVPN Keys is a solid choice for individuals.

ExpressVPN Keys

7/ 10

Though it’s still a bit bare-bones, ExpressVPN Keys is a competent password manager that’s included with every ExpressVPN membership. If you can tolerate the growing pains of a new password manager, it’s a no-brainer.

See at ExpressVPN