Dashlane Review 2026: Polished, beginner-friendly password manager that bundles a VPN and dark-web monitoring — but it's pricier than rivals.
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Dashlane
Pros
- Strong zero-knowledge AES-256 (CBC+HMAC) encryption with Argon2; SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified
- Bundles a Hotspot Shield VPN and dark web monitoring on Premium — rare among password managers
- Polished, beginner-friendly apps and browser extensions with reliable autofill and password health scoring
- Proactive security: real-time phishing alerts, AI scam protection, and Omnix credential-risk detection for teams
Cons
- No free plan since September 2025 and no monthly billing — annual commitment only
- Pricier than rivals: Premium $4.99/mo vs 1Password ~$2.99 and Bitwarden's free tier
- May 31, 2026 brute-force attack let attackers download the encrypted vaults of fewer than 20 users
- On Friends & Family only the plan manager gets the VPN — the other members don't
Best for: Individuals who want a password manager with a built-in VPN, Families needing up to 10 accounts under one annual bill, Businesses wanting SSO/SCIM plus proactive credential-risk monitoring.
What is Dashlane?
Dashlane is a password manager built around an encrypted vault that holds passwords, passkeys and Secure Notes, then logs you in instantly without typing and completes forms online across your devices. The vendor reports it uses AES-256 encryption and a patented zero-knowledge architecture, so Dashlane itself cannot view stored information.
What separates Dashlane from a plain vault today is how far the product has stretched in both directions. On the consumer side it bundles AI-powered Scam Protection, Dark Web Monitoring and a VPN. On the business side the company has rebuilt everything around a platform called Dashlane Omnix, which targets credential risk sitting outside single sign-on.
Inside the personal vault
The Premium plan is the core personal offering and it is generous on fundamentals: unlimited password storage, unlimited devices, cross-device sync, and a Password Generator for new accounts. Dashlane leans hard on AI-powered Autofill, which handles logins and forms without typing, and Premium also supports passwordless login for new users.
Beyond logins, Premium includes Secure Notes with 1GB of encrypted document storage, password history, unlimited secure sharing, two-factor authentication and live chat support. Dashlane offers a 14-day free trial, which is the practical way to test whether the browser extension behaves on the sites you actually use.
Scam Protection and breach alerts
Scam Protection is the newest headline feature. Rather than only blocking known bad domains, Dashlane says its proprietary AI analyzes webpage behavior in real time to catch fresh copycat sites, and the company states the model does not track your activity or train on your personal data. Paired with Dark Web Monitoring and personalized security alerts, it shifts Dashlane from a storage tool toward something more preventive.
Friends & Family extends that coverage to 10 accounts under one subscription. The plan manager keeps a full Premium account, members receive everything except the VPN, and the group is administered through a Friends & Family Dashboard.
Dashlane Omnix for business teams
Omnix Password Management covers the workforce vault: AI-Powered Autofill driven by a local machine learning engine, Passkeys stored in secure enclaves instead of on the endpoint, unlimited Collections for grouping shared credentials, and a Password Health dashboard where admins track an organization-wide score with per-employee breakdowns of weak, reused and compromised passwords.
Omnix Credential Protection is a separate product line handling detection: Credential Risk Detection, AI Phishing Detection, Credential Risk Alerts, plus Risk Insights and Remediation Insights dashboards. Dashlane reports that 37% of business logins occur on services outside SSO, which is the gap this line exists to close.
Admin controls and integrations
Administrators work from a centralized Admin Console with Admin Vault Policies for enforcing mandatory 2FA, automatic vault logout and organization-wide sharing rules. Secure Sharing supports role-based least-privilege permissions and audit-ready encrypted logs. Integrations span SAML 2.0 providers such as Okta and Microsoft Entra ID, SCIM provisioning, Google Workspace, Duo, Yubico, and exports into SIEM, SOAR and IGA tooling.
The Omnix Enterprise tier packages these pieces with volume-optimized pricing and dedicated account management for larger deployments.
Who should choose Dashlane
Friends & Family covers 10 accounts on a single subscription, which makes it straightforward to bring a whole household onto one plan. For companies, the pitch lands hardest where SSO is already deployed but shadow IT and personal work accounts stay invisible, since Omnix Credential Protection is aimed precisely at that blind spot.
It is a weaker fit for bargain hunters and tinkerers. The personal pricing page now lists only Premium and Friends & Family, with a 14-day free trial rather than a permanent free tier. Buyers should also note that Password Management and Credential Protection are sold as separate lines, so the full Omnix picture costs more than any single plan implies.
Key features
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Zero-knowledge encryption | AES-256 (CBC + HMAC-SHA256) with Argon2 key derivation; keys are derived and stay on your device, never sent to Dashlane |
| Built-in VPN | Hotspot Shield-powered VPN for securing public Wi-Fi, included with every Premium subscription |
| Dark Web Monitoring | Scans breach databases and alerts you when your saved credentials are exposed |
| AI scam & phishing protection | Real-time phishing alerts plus new AI-powered scam detection surfaced in the browser |
| Password Health dashboard | Flags weak, reused, and compromised passwords and gives an overall security score |
| Omnix Credential Protection | Business detection-and-response for credential risk with SIEM/SOAR and KnowBe4 integrations |
Dashlane pricing
| Plan | Price | Included |
|---|---|---|
| PremiumPOPULAR | $5.42/mo | Billed annually (~$59.88/yr); 1 user, unlimited devices, VPN + dark web monitoring |
| Friends & Family | $8.13/mo | Billed annually (~$89.88/yr); up to 10 members; only the plan manager gets the VPN |
| Omnix Password Management (Business) | $8/user/mo | Billed annually; SSO, SCIM, admin policies, secure sharing; 14-day free trial |
| Omnix Credential Protection | $4/user/mo | Detection & response add-on: phishing/credential-risk alerts, SIEM; Contact Sales |
| Omnix Enterprise | Custom | Volume-optimized pricing with dedicated account management |
How Dashlane compares
| Alternative | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 1Password | Cheaper per user (individual from ~$2.99/mo) and favored for teams/families, but no bundled VPN |
| Bitwarden | Open-source with a genuinely free tier and $10/yr Premium; less polished, more DIY |
| NordPass | Cheaper (~$1.99/mo) and also from a VPN maker, but a smaller feature set and audit history |
Dashlane ratings on other platforms
Independent user ratings from third-party review sites, linked here for transparency. These are not our editorial score, are captured on the date shown, and may have changed since.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dashlane free?
No. Dashlane discontinued its free plan on September 16, 2025. The only no-cost options now are a 14-day free trial of Premium and a 30-day money-back guarantee. After that, the cheapest plan is Premium at $4.99 per month, billed annually (about $59.88 per year). There is no monthly billing option.
How much is Dashlane?
Personal plans are billed annually: Premium is $4.99 per month (~$59.88/year) and Friends & Family is $7.49 per month for up to 10 members (~$89.88/year). For businesses, Omnix Password Management is $8 per user/month, Credential Protection $4 per user/month, and Enterprise is custom. Dashlane no longer sells monthly subscriptions.
Is Dashlane safe?
Largely yes. Dashlane uses zero-knowledge AES-256 encryption with Argon2 and holds SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications. However, in a May 31, 2026 brute-force attack, hackers registered devices and downloaded the encrypted vaults of fewer than 20 users. Vaults stayed encrypted and internal systems weren't breached, but it's a real incident to weigh.
Dashlane vs 1Password — which is better?
1Password is cheaper (individual from about $2.99/month) and often preferred for teams and polish, but lacks a bundled VPN. Dashlane costs more ($4.99/month) yet includes a VPN, dark web monitoring, and proactive phishing tools. Choose 1Password for value; choose Dashlane if the built-in VPN and security monitoring matter to you.
Does Dashlane include a VPN?
Yes. Every Premium subscription includes a VPN powered by Hotspot Shield for securing public Wi-Fi, which is rare among password managers. On Friends & Family, though, only the plan manager gets the VPN — the other members receive everything except the VPN. The business Omnix plans do not include the consumer VPN.
Verdict
Buy Dashlane if you want an easy, polished vault that bundles a VPN, dark-web monitoring, and proactive phishing/scam protection into one Premium subscription, or a business needing SSO/SCIM plus credential-risk detection (Omnix). Skip it if you want a free tier or monthly billing (Bitwarden), the lowest price (NordPass, 1Password), or if the May 2026 vault-download incident gives you pause — cheaper rivals match its core password management.
Facts verified against: www.dashlane.com, www.dashlane.com, www.security.org, support.dashlane.com, www.dashlane.com, www.dashlane.com, www.dashlane.com (as of August 2026).
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