Safe and Sound: Keeper App Review

“Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don’t let anybody else use it, and get a new one every six months.” ~ Clifford Stoll

I’ve tried everything to keep all my passwords secure but still accessible. I’ve tried using phrases, combining dates, symbols and the like. But still my password combinations never seem to be long enough or ‘strong’ enough. When I think I have a handle on the password situation it never seems to work out.

The Keeper App has solved many of my day-to-day problems with login interfaces. Sometimes there are two part login screens that slow me down, especially if I’m in a hurry. With this app, you can register a device so it is recognized as secure. If you have to give your login details to another person, like an employee, it’s simple to do in a secure way. It’s also great to share sensitive data files like contracts or reports.

The downside is that the password capture isn’t completely automatic. Which is probably a good thing. It gives you the opportunity to change passwords and secure data storage. To log into the app itself, there is no need to make a code that has different symbols or a change in letter case. But again, I don’t see that as a negative. I think as long as your password is a unique phrase or something uncommon, you’re pretty safe.

Keeper Password Manager & Digital Vault gives me one location for passwords and secure files. It runs on multiple devices, so I can go back and forth between my iPhone and iPad with ease. Attaching certain files along with password records are of no big concern for most people. But it’s especially useful to me because I can have bundles of information together if I need to share them with contractors or temp workers. You can pay a little extra for a full on secure storage cache, but free apps like Dropbox and Google Drive seem to be acceptable for day-to-day file management.

The paid service starts at about $30 a month with add-ons like file storage for about $10 more. Although, if you limit the app to just one device it is free. You just won’t be able to sync files up to a third party cloud service, which is a better and more secure way to use this app. Otherwise, it kind of defeats the purpose of the app.

When you first create an account on this app, your login will have to be hard to guess. A potential criminal could gain access to all your other passwords in the process. Make it something random or special to you, like an old saying or a favorite book title. Don’t make it a number sequence. Since Keeper doesn’t gauge your password strength it’s up to you to make a good judgement call. The login also requires an email address and a security question, so there are additional safeguards.

Many Android devices already come preloaded with the free version of the app. You can also install the plug-in for your browsers with the paid subscription. You can take advantage of the desktop app as well for Mac, Linux, and Windows.

Keeper is super simple to use once you’re all set up. Go to your destination website to login to their page. Hit the lock graphic icon. It will appear in the text field. Enter your username as usual, and Keeper will show a dialog box. Hit “fill and save” to record that, so Keeper will remember it.

The Keeper App does just what is says, keeps your information safe. Today it is a great concern for us on the web. I think the paid subscription is handy but not necessary for everyone. It really depends on your habits on the web.