Did Apple just Sherlock our favorite password managers?

Password managers are essential. They keep track of your passwords, encourage better security practices, and generally help to manage your life across your devices. They’re the kind of feature that really should be built into every device — and Apple is massively expanding their reach with the launch of its new Passwords app, announced this week at WWDC.

We have companies like 1Password and LastPass to thank for the popularity of today’s password managers. But an announcement like Apple’s puts them in a tough position: now that Apple has a free, built-in Passwords app, is there a future for the third-party apps that defined the space?

So far, the leaders behind those apps think there is. “You’ve got to have the ability to not only go across browsers and apps, but also across multiple devices running multiple operating systems,” says LastPass CEO Karim Toubba.

Password managers have been competing against platform owners for a long time. Google has a password manager tied to your account that can sync your passwords across Chrome and Android, and Microsoft’s Edge has a built-in password manager, too.

But the big advantage of third-party password managers has been compatibility with a wide range of platforms. They are also generally more robust than first-party offerings. Although those additional features often come at a cost, paying for a widely accessible password manager is usually worth the price.

Apple’s Passwords app is mostly focused on Apple products — it will be available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and the Vision Pro — though you’ll also be able to access it on Windows via the iCloud for Windows app. Notice that Google is missing from that list; Apple didn’t say anything about Passwords support for Android, the most-used mobile operating system in the world, or Chrome, the most popular web browser in the world, despite the fact that there is currently an iCloud Passwords app available on the Chrome Web Store. Apple didn’t reply to a request for comment.

That lack of broad platform support could mean Apple’s Passwords app isn’t as obvious of a choice as it might seem. All four of the companies I talked to — LastPass, Dashlane, Bitwarden, and Proton — zeroed in on the importance of cross-compatibility. (1Password declined to comment.)

“What users appreciate most about Dashlane is that it seamlessly works across any platform, any device, any time,” says Dashlane chief product officer Donald Hasson. “The vast majority of our users have Dashlane on multiple platforms. Having options, especially when it comes to where and how you save your credentials, is key.”

“Apple’s track record with cross-platform support, such as the limited functionality of iCloud for Windows and conflicts with Google over SMS standards, raises concerns about the usability of their Passwords app across different platforms,” says Proton Pass product lead Son Nguyen.

The makers of password managers have also found that their users tend to stick around. “Once people start to get real value out of the application, it’s actually extremely sticky,” says LastPass CEO Toubba.

Apple’s Passwords app could be great for anyone who is deep in the company’s ecosystem and primarily uses Apple devices. Even better, the Passwords app is free. But I think third-party password managers will be fine. If you need to access your passwords across a range of devices and platforms, Apple’s Passwords app may not cut it.