Is password anxiety ruining your life? How many do you have? If you're like most people, you have passwords for almost every website you visit. Passwords are required by credit card companies, banks, email services, and social media accounts, and this is just the beginning.
When you log into a website to view your investments, you must enter a password. If you want to order shoes online, you will need a password. What if you want to access and pay a utility bill online? What do you think you’ll need?
If you are truly concerned about security, you will understand the importance of using a unique, complex password for each of these websites. In fact, many websites are making passwords more difficult to remember.
Many of them now have to be at least eight or twelve characters long, combining upper and lower case letters, numerals, and special characters.
It is nearly impossible to remember them all, and it is not always advisable to ask your computer or ISP to do so. If your system is hacked, all of those passwords become extremely vulnerable.
This is where services like Dashlane come in handy. Dashlane is a password management app. It not only remembers your passwords for dozens of websites and accounts, but it also allows you to quickly and easily change all of your passwords at once.
Furthermore, Dashlane offers some secure data storage as well as identity theft protection. It also provides VPN services. However, this feature is severely limited and is generally not regarded as a compelling reason to use this service.
Dashlane in a Nutshell
Dashlane’s services have been described as “versatile” and “powerful” in a variety of ways. Dashlane can assist you in filling out time-consuming online forms, and you can be confident that the system is capable of securely storing virtually any type of data.
What truly distinguishes Dashlane from the competition is its ability to change all of your passwords with a single click. The time savings provided by this feature are nothing short of astounding.
Dashlane users also benefit from a user-friendly interface that is extremely simple to use. It also makes little difference whether you are using the desktop or mobile version of the website. Both are responsive, and there isn’t much of a difference between them.
It is, without a doubt, more expensive than the competition. However, many users will find that the cost is justified based on the service’s features.
How much does Dashlane cost?
It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on a password manager. A free level of the service that stores 50 passwords is available. This includes the ability to use the service on a single device as well as useful security alerts. This plan also includes payment autofill and instant form completion capabilities for members.
The premium membership costs $4.99 per month and is charged annually. This plan allows you to manage an unlimited number of passwords across an unlimited number of devices. When passwords and data are updated, this plan also includes automatic syncing across all devices.
Autofill for forms and payment information, as well as dark web monitoring, are included. This programme also includes storage for sensitive files. Another appealing feature is the VPN, which allows for a secure and private connection on any WiFi network.
With a premium plus membership, customers get all of the features that come with the premium plan in addition to credit monitoring and identity theft insurance of up to one million dollars. This program is billed on an annual basis at a cost of $9.99 per month.
Dashlane's VPN Service
If you already have a VPN service, choosing Dashlane’s premium or premium plus accounts may not make sense. Dashlane’s VPN services are unquestionably among the most expensive on the market.
Furthermore, this is a very basic VPN service. If you’re on the go and want to connect to a local WiFi network, select the VPN option from the Dashlane menu. You select “setup,” which leads you through a brief procedure. There are few options.
For example, unlike other VPN providers, you cannot select which server you want to use while browsing.
Dashlane will automatically choose the closest available server. Depending on your reasons for using a VPN, this may or may not be useful to you.
This essentially means that you will not be able to spoof your location using this VPN service. If this is a primary reason for relying on a VPN, another service would be better suited to your needs.
Use of VPN on Unlimited Devices
The good news is that you can use Dashlane’s VPN on any device that has the company’s services installed.
With the ability to instal Dashlane on an unlimited number of devices, you could potentially have a basic VPN on every device you use for web browsing.
Aside from the ability to use the VPN on multiple devices, this is a fairly basic service. There is no way to customise your VPN protocol. Furthermore, there is no kill switch.
Your browsing session will not be automatically terminated if your VPN connection is disrupted or otherwise becomes unexpectedly unavailable. This can be a major issue because the connection status is not displayed unless you click on the VPN menu.
Dashlane Compatibility
Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple Safari all are compatible with Dashlane. System requirements include Windows 7, Android 4.0, Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan and iOS 10.
Getting started with Dashlane
The Dashlane app can be downloaded from the company’s website by most users. This is extremely simple to accomplish because the necessary extensions are automatically installed on every available browser on the device that is compatible with the software. To complete the setup process, all that is required is an email address and a master password.
This master password must be remembered at all costs. It is not possible to recover it if you forget it. This means that you must restart the process from the beginning.
Of course, Dashlane recommends using a master password with at least eight characters, so choose wisely.
If users have previously used a reputable password manager on their computer, Dashlane may be able to automatically import their data. As a result, using your computer rather than a mobile device for initial account setup may be more valuable and efficient.
If you want to install Dashlane on additional devices, then Dashlane will send you an email with a unique security code for each device.
Using Dashlane on the Computer
Dashlane can be accessed via a standalone app, by logging into the company website or by using a browser extension. The most features, and probably the best user experience, are available through the app.
The app’s interface is simple and straightforward. It has nine main sections that can be seen on the left side of the screen. Users can view their personal data in either grid or list format on the right.
The data includes icons for various websites, making it easier for users to find what they’re looking for.
The Password Changer feature is the main reason Dashlane is a worthwhile service. It allows you to change all of your registered passwords with a single click.
Approximately 500 websites are currently registered for this service. Most of the websites for which you have a password are most likely among these 500.
How good are your passwords?
A Security Dashboard makes it easy for users to see at a glance how healthy their status is. If you have any passwords that are not up to par, that is, that they are weak, old, reused or compromised, the system will let you know.
Use the Security Dashboard in conjunction with Password Changer to keep your security up to snuff across the web.
Keeping data secure
Also on the Dashlane app, users will find a feature called Secure Notes. This is the place where customers can store all sorts of text. Most people use it for software licenses and banking information, though other types of uses are possible.
There is also a Wallet section in the app. This has a plethora of useful features that make it simple to fill out online forms with minimal fuss and effort. This is a particularly appealing feature for people who are prone to typos.
The section Wallet is divided into four sections. The customer can fill out receipts, identification, payments, and personal information. These are fairly straightforward, but the interface, as is typical of Dashlane, is quite impressive.
Sharing with Dashlane
Dashlane’s app also allows users to share their passwords with other Dashlane users. This is a completely secure procedure that allows customers to retain control over their data. They can simply share the password, or they can grant permission to edit, share, and view all available data.
Dashlane's Zero Knowledge Architecture
In the virtual world, anonymity and privacy are becoming increasingly important. As a result, people who use VPNs to browse the web are particularly interested in companies with a no-logging policy.
Dashlane employs AES-256 encryption to ensure your privacy and security. This holds true for the company’s servers as well as the devices where the software is installed. As previously stated, each customer’s master password is the only way to access their account.
Dashlane does not store this password in any way. This means that not only Dashlane, but also potential identity thieves, do not have access to your account.
Dashlane also employs two-factor authentication. This is only available when using the desktop version of the app. Dashlane may also support biometric logins on select newer iOS and Android devices.
Should I use Dashlane VPN?
As a password management system, Dashlane provides excellent value. It is extremely secure, and it is undeniably useful when users need to ensure that their passwords are strong, or when multiple passwords must be updated at the same time.
However, if you do not have a VPN provider and are considering purchasing a Dashlane premium or premium plus plan primarily for the VPN, this is not the best option.
Dashlane’s VPN is, at best, a shaky protocol.
You have no server options, so spoofing your location is impossible. Your connection could go down at any time, and you wouldn’t know about it until you went looking to see if it was still secure.
Many other VPN providers provide far more robust services with far more options and faster upload and download speeds. This is possible because these businesses have access to hundreds, if not thousands, of servers.
Moreover, these servers are located in incredibly diverse places, and users have the option to choose which server they connect with. Dashlane generally does not offer these services.
This is because Dashlane is primarily aimed at password security and management. Look elsewhere for VPN services.
