Should You Use RoboForm as Your Password Manager? Review of Features and Usability

Key Features

RoboForm password manager may not be the best compared to other options, but it does have some really good features. 

And it comes at a very affordable price rate! However, if you are still skeptical about using it, you can test out the basic version or even undergo a free trial before purchasing a premium version.

Here are some of its key features:

Ease of Use

Getting started with RoboForm is very convenient. There are multiple plans available, including a free version, and you can choose one according to your need.

Signing up with RoboForm

It is simple to install RoboForm Password Manager into your devices. Once you download it through the appropriate installer, it will then add browser extensions to your default web browsers. 

There are numerous video tech tutorials available if you need any instruction guidance.

Afterward, you would need to set up your user account and generate a master password. To add new members to your family or business accounts, RoboForm would send them emails asking for permission and further instructions. 

After the initial setup, the program then imports all the passwords from your browsers, other password managers, and even a correctly written CSV file (if you have one). It can also sync in bookmarks, although the import option collection is smaller than other programs.

In the Free version, you can only sync your data with just one device. That is not necessarily a problem if you only use a primary device with an internet connection. 

But I ended up getting the premium family plan since there are no device or storage limits. 

Master Password

To access your RoboForm account and keep it protected, you need to input a unique combination of a minimum of 4 characters, and at most, 8. 

This is your master password. Since the master password is not transmitted within the servers or stored in the cloud backup, it is impossible to recover when forgotten. 

Although the RoboForm password manager is late to join the party, they have finally introduced the emergency password access feature with their updated version. I will talk about it a little later.

Note: You may be able to reset the master password, but all stored data will be deleted for security purposes.

Bookmark Storage

One feature of RoboForm that caught me by surprise was bookmark sharing. I found it very convenient because I have an iPhone and an iPad but use Google Chrome on my PC. 

And since Safari allows me to view the web pages, I have opened all my IOS devices and easily accessed them. I was so happy to be able to do the same for my Chrome.

It is a real-time saver and is surprisingly not available in other prominent password managers.

Password Management

RoboForm supports features that you would expect from a high-quality and expensive product despite being a budget password manager.

Import Passwords

As I mentioned earlier, RoboForm imports passwords from all major web browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc., and some of the minor ones as well. 

Some users prefer deleting the passwords from browsers due to their less security. Unfortunately, RoboForm does not offer any automated clean-up features, so you need to do them yourself.

Password Capture

Just as you would expect from a password managing program, RoboForm captures your login credentials when you sign up or sign into a new portal and offers to save it as a pass card. 

You can even register it with a custom name and categorize it by adding it to a new or existing folder. 

For someone who likes to keep everything organized, I could not help loving this little feature. All it takes is a drag and drop to organize the passcards into the sections I want.

Apart from a few weird login pages, the program works faultlessly with most others. Although, on some pages, not all the data fields are appropriately captured. 

For example, the username is not saved, but the password is. You can fill them up later by yourself, but it just feels like extra work you should not be doing. 

So, when you revisit a site, RoboForm scans your database for any matching pass card. If found, the passcard would pop up, and you would have to click on it to fill in the credentials. 

Chrome users need to perform an additional step and choose that option from the toolbar’s button menu. 

It may not seem like too much trouble to do so, but it does seem a little annoying when you think about all the convenient options available with other programs.

You can also enter different sites from the browser extensions’ toolbar button. Just search for your saved credentials from your organized lists and folder and click on any attached site link. It will log you in right away.

AutoFill Password

RoboForm was initially designed to automate inputting personal data in web forms. Thus, it performs exceptionally well when it comes to auto-filling passwords as well.

It offers 7 different templates for each passcard, although you have the option to customize a few fields and values as well. They are:

• Person
• Business
• Passport
• Address
• Credit Card
• Bank Account
• Car
• Custom

You can add multiple details for each identity, such as your contact number, email address, social media IDs, etc. 

There is also the option to type in more than one data type, such as multiple addresses or more than one credit card information.

I do not think I have seen this security touch anywhere else, but RoboForm requests confirmation to enter sensitive data. 

You can also save personal data for your contacts, such as their address, which is exceptionally convenient if you plan on sending them presents or mails in the future.

To fill up the data, you must select the desired identity from the toolbar, click auto-fill and then watch as your relevant information gets pasted into your web form. 

Password Generator

One of the most critical functions of a password manager is to generate strong and unique passwords. Since your manager will be storing them for you in a cloud backup, it saves you the trouble of remembering them all.

After accessing the program through the browser extensions’ toolbar, it will generate a password for you by default with eight characters.

The default passwords of Chrome are weak as they contain a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, digits but no symbols. 

And it only contained eight characters, whereas the default password generated in IOS devices was slightly longer. 

But do not worry, as you can change the settings. To make it stronger, you need to go to the Advanced settings and increase the length of your password and check on the include symbols box.

Application Passwords

Besides simply storing the passwords for your web portals, it also saves the password of any desktop app. 

After logging into your app, RoboForm requests permission to save the credentials. For employees or users who tend to use their computers to access secure applications regularly, this can be extremely time-saving and efficient.

But this feature is far from perfect. Due to the internal sandboxing protections of some applications, it makes it impossible for RoboForm to auto-fill information in those apps. 

This is a slight annoyance I faced in my Apple devices running on IOS but not on my Windows laptop. Except for this, I did not find any significant problem otherwise.

Security and Privacy

While I was a little disappointed with RoboForm’s two-factor authentication system, I did not mind it as much. That is because I was utterly impressed by its encryption system and security center features.

Two-Factor Authentication and Biometric Login

Two-factor authentications are must-have security features to avoid any possible remote hacking. 

Because once somebody guesses your master password, it can be game over. Instead of using SMS, RoboForm uses apps like Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, and more to send a temporary one-time password (OTP) to your device. 

Without entering this code sent to your new devices, you may not get the required permissions to access your accounts. 

This program may not feature the advanced multifactor authentications you would expect, but it does an excellent job of keeping any unwanted entry out of your account.

Fortunately, even though RoboForm’s two-factor options are limited, you still get a fingerprint or face identification in Windows Hello to unlock your accounts.

In biometric authentication, only a few permitted personnel can access their fingerprints, face ID, iris scans, or voice recognition. 

Since these are hard to replicate, you never have to worry about somebody hacking your account anymore!

Note: The 2FA feature is not available in the free version, RoboForm Everywhere.

Encryption System

RoboForm employs AES encryption with 256-bit keys known as AES256 to secure any stored data.

All the information is packed into a single file and is encrypted and decrypted locally to protect against hijacking or any cyber-attacks. In fact, this is one of the strongest encryption systems available right now.

The encryption keys are coded with a PBKDF2 password hashing algorithm combined with a random salt and SHA-256 as a hash function. 

The former is responsible for adding extra data to your master password as an additional layer of protection.

Security Centre

The Security Centre quickly tracks all your login passwords and identifies the compromised, weak, and reused passwords amongst them. 

Despite my best to avoid using the same password across multiple sites, I was surprised to see that I did repeat a few of them, especially in my least visited sites.

To avoid any security breach, I had to manually log in and change the password for every listed item. 

I was expecting an automated password change feature and was very disappointed for not finding it here. It was time and energy-consuming.

Note: Every time you change a password, RoboForm automatically registers it and replaces the old password in the database. 

You can also check the strength of your password in the main list. Since I already spent a lot of time changing my reused passwords, going back again to change the weak passwords felt like too much work.

Sharing and Collaboration

I have already mentioned password sharing earlier, which is highly secure and is an excellent tool for joint accounts.

Password Sharing

RoboForm uses public-private key cryptography that allows users only to access the data assigned to them for business accounts. 

Each employee will have their own master password and specific permission level to enter the vault but never know the actual passwords. 

In the family plan, you can set up separate accounts for your children. So, if they want to log in to a site, you can share the password from your device without having to type it in manually. 

It avoids the possibility for them to accidentally see the password as well!

This easy password sharing feature is also convenient for paying bills, listing maintenance tasks and services, logging into joint accounts, etc.

There are two options for collaborating – one is sharing, and the other is send. When I initially got the free version, I could only send one password at a time. 

But with the paid version, I have unlimited sharing with different users and can even send an entire folder at a time. This made working more efficient, and I was astonished that free users missed such a great feature.

If you share your passwords with users, any future password changes will be automatically synced to the recipients’ devices. 

But if you send a password, you will only be giving them the current password. That is, if you change the login details, you need to send it to the recipients again. This is perfect for guest users as you want them to have temporary access.

If you have decided to share the credentials, you can also determine their permission settings. There are 3 options available: 

• Login Only: New users can log in and access the account but cannot edit or share the password.
• Read and Write: Users can view and edit the items, which will be synced across all devices.
• Full Control: These users have admin control. They can view and edit the items as well as add in new users and modify permission settings.

I think this is an ingenious feature as you do want everybody in your family/business accounts to have the same authority. 

Emergency Access

In case of unforeseen situations, such as incapacitation or losing your device, you also have the option to select an emergency contact to access your data. 

This person can even enter your vault in your place. So, you should choose a trusted person as your emergency contact.

This feature is only available in the updated version, which is RoboForm Everywhere, version 8. If you click on the browser extension toolbar button, you will find the tab for it at the bottom of the main content list.

There will be one tab for your contacts and another for people who have designated you as theirs.

Setting up this feature was a breeze. After entering the person’s email address and specifying a waiting period of 0-30 days, the recipient will get an email explaining the process, their requirements, and further steps. The recipient may also install a free version if they want.

The time-out is a preliminary period to avoid any misuse. If the recipient requests access within that time, you will be notified immediately.

So, you can continue to keep them as your emergency contact or cut them off if you want. But remember, once the time-out ends, they will get full access to your account and the data within.

So, if you lose your master password, the contact can log in to your account and download the CSV file for you. You can later re-upload this file if you reinstall RoboForm into your new device.

Free vs. Premium Plan

There are 3 different RoboForm versions available at different prices: free, premium, and a family plan. 

I started with a free version and ended up getting the family plan to use with my siblings. All three options are available for Windows, macOS, IOS, and Android.

RoboForm Free

This is the free version that may not be the best, but it does offer decent features. You will get standard services, such as:

• Automatic web form filling
• Autosaving
• Password Auditing
• Password Sharing

However, free customers miss out on a lot of great features, which is a shame since competitors, such as LastPass and Dashlane, offer free versions that are more advanced and have better features. 

But if you are set on getting RoboForm, the free version is a great way to get introduced to the program.

RoboForm Everywhere

The premium version includes a variety of features and that too at very affordable pricing. Besides the standard services, it also has:

• Unlimited password storage
• Two-factor authentication (2FA)
• Secure sharing for multiple logins at a time
• Emergency contact access

Despite being considerably cheaper than most competitors, Roboform 8 Everywhere offers discounts for multi-year subscriptions and money-back guarantees.

RoboForm Family

This plan is like the Everywhere plan and has all the same features. However, the account limit for this plan is set to 5. The deals and discounts for RoboForm Everywhere and Family are almost the same.

Pricing & Plans

There are 3 RoboForm plans available apart from ‘Business.’ RoboForm only offers yearly payment options, but they are incredibly affordable.

When you purchase a 3 or 5-year contract for the premium versions, you will get a further discount.

But if you are still skeptical about any subscription issues, do not worry, as there is a 30-day money-back guarantee that lets you try out the program risk-free!

Important: The refund option is invalid for enterprise licenses.

Plans	Pricing	Features
Individual/Basic	Free	One device. Automatic web form filling. Autosaving. Password Auditing. Password Sharing
RoboForm Everywhere	$19 From $1.99 per month	Multiple devices. Unlimited password storage. Two-factor authentication (2FA). Secure sharing for multiple logins at a time. Emergency contact access
RoboForm Family	$38	Multiple devices for 5 separate accounts. Unlimited password storage. Two-factor authentication (2FA). Secure sharing for multiple logins at a time. Emergency contact access
Business	$29.95 to $39.95 (according to the numbers of users)
Enterprise	N/A

Questions & Answers