Dashlane updates the free version of its password manager. The tool becomes generally painful to use, with even greater restrictions.
When it comes to digital hygiene, storing your passwords in a password manager is undoubtedly one of the best pieces of advice for the general public, along with activating two-factor authentication. You still need to know which one to choose, however, because there are a good dozen top-notch solutions.
However, some can be ruled out straight away: this is the case of the free offer from Dashlane, a French manager. In fact, it announced on October 19 that its most basic formula will, in practice, be almost unusable. In question ? A drastic limit on the number of passwords that can be saved with a free profile.
Just a few allowed passwords
On November 7, new Dashlane Free users will only be able to keep 25 passwords simultaneously in their manager, compared to 50 before. Studies have shown that people juggle between a few dozen passwords. If they follow the one password per service guideline, then that number jumps to a few hundred.
Of course, Dashlane has no reason to make its free offer too attractive: its business model is based on the marketing of paid plans, monthly or annually, and these subscriptions must therefore be made more attractive. They also have exclusive features, some of which are not always directly linked to the world of passwords.
Furthermore, Dashlane Free must also be used to get your foot in the door. Indeed, once we start using it, the limits of the basic formula become obvious. The temptation is then great to move to the next level to break the limit of 25 passwords and to access comfort options, such as synchronization between terminals.
What about people already using Dashlane Free? They too will be hit with a limit on November 7, but it will apply differently: it will be based on the number of passwords actually recorded at the time the changeover takes place. If you have for example 33, then the limit will be 33. And so on, from 25 to 50 (the old limit).
Unsurprisingly, Dashlane is taking advantage of this announcement to display discounts to be used on the premium or family subscription, in order to take the plunge. The discount is 55% for the first year, and this can be activated until December 31, 2023. Beyond that, the standard rate will be applied again — unless there is another one-off discount that Dashlane decides.
Finally, the Dashlane Free plan will also lose another feature, a little less critical than the size of the manager: email assistance and instant chat support will disappear (they will remain for the paid plans). Only classic support, without interaction with the company, will be accessible. This development will apply on December 7, 2023.
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