Sticky Password, easy to use and secure password manager
You’ve heard about Sticky Password and want to learn more
about it.
There is a lot of information about password managers out there which can be confusing and is often contradictory. Comparing them with each other only complicates things further.
Which is why I've focused on just one.
In my research, instead of comparing different password managers to each other, I first wrote down the requirements a solid password manager should have.
I then compared password managers to that set of requirements.
The result was a decision to use Sticky Password. Easy to use and secure, Sticky Password is an excellent password manager that greatly simplified my online life.
No more passwords to manage!
Here is why I use Sticky Password.
Easy to use
You don't have to be a computer expert to use Sticky Password.
Automatically logging in with Sticky PasswordAll functionality can be accessed from the main Sticky Password window. The most used section is "Web Accounts", under which you store usernames and passwords for websites.
"Secure Memos" is where you can create and keep simple notes that are just as securely stored as passwords. A note can be any text and is a good place to store information that is personal and private.
You can also create "Identities", which are collections of your personal information that you can use when you are shopping online or filling out web forms.
List of Web AccountsFor example, an "Identity" can be a record that contains your name,
credit card information and billing address. When you need to fill out
this information on a shopping website, instead of typing it in manually
you can have Sticky Password fill it in automatically for you, with one
click.
You don't have to enter the same credit card information over and
over again, which is frustrating, time-consuming and can lead to typos.
Sticky Password stores your personal information securely and protects
is the same way it protects your passwords.
When it comes to security tools, simple is good because it helps you avoid making mistakes. Mistakes are made when you are not sure where to click, or what certain software feature or option does.
Making security-related mistakes is costly. It can lead to your personal information and data being stolen or your computer broken into.
Excellent security
Sticky Password uses high-grade encryption to protect the information stored inside it. Encryption means that the information is scrambled in such a way that it is impossible for anyone to make any sense of it. It is completely unreadable.
The encrypted form of a sentence "You should have a different password for every website." may look like this:
"xLglUUlpO7lF/RYl8SumhpuX0wzBnx+6oqS7ceWdZMhaPqiswbpvYhStU+ uxL56hjnxYsO+dhzp0wWizb0sWQ"
Information encrypted by Sticky Password is only readable to you, after you enter your Master Password to unlock it. Master Password is your key that unlocks the password database. It is the only key. No one else knows it, even Sticky Password staff!
Military grade protectionIf someone breaks into your computer and steals the Sticky Password database in which passwords and other information is stored, they will not be able to read it. Even if they apply a cracking technique known as brute force, if your Master Password is strong they will need hundreds of years to guess it.
Sticky Password does not force you to synchronize your passwords with
their cloud. While using Sticky Password cloud is sometimes a good
idea, the fact that you have a choice is important.
It also shows that Sticky Password respects you - the end user - and
cares about your security. Most technology companies today don't give
you any choices, they decide for you. Because we users are dumb!
If you don't want to use Sticky Password cloud, you don't have to. You can synchronize your multiple devices (computers, tablets, smartphones) over your local home or work Wi-Fi network. With this option your password database never leaves your devices.
Cloud sync, local Wi-Fi sync or no syncThis is a controllable setting you can turn on and off, so if you change your mind you can always change the way Sticky Password works.
Only one password to remember
The best password security is having a different, unique and strong password for every single website.
If this gives you anxiety, relax. No one can make that work without a tool. Humans are not very good at remembering random pieces of information.
Unlocking Sticky PasswordWith Sticky Password, all you have to remember is one strong password, called Master Password. You never have to know any of your other passwords that you use to log into websites.
You will never be in a situation where you forgot your password, or the one you have written down doesn't work.
Using Sticky Password saves a lot of time and frustrations. Your password use is streamlined. As you surf around the web, you are logged into websites automatically, and no matter what web browser (Firefox, Chrome, Edge) or device (laptop, desktop, tablet, smartphone) you use, your passwords are always available and secure.
Not having to worry about passwords is a life-changing experience!
With Sticky Password your productivity increases dramatically.
Access to passwords when you need them
You can install Sticky Password on as many computers, tablets and smartphones as you want. It runs on Windows PCs (desktops and laptops), Macs, Android phones and tablets, iPhones and iPads.
Sticky Password keeps your passwords available on all your devices through a process called synchronization, or sync for short.
Access to passwords on all your devicesYou control the sync process and can decide between three options:
- Sync through Sticky Password secure cloud servers: This is the easiest and most convenient option. You don't have to do anything, just use Sticky Password and it will keep all your devices in sync and all your passwords and information instantly available on all of them.
- Sync through your local Wi-Fi network: With this option you manually sync your devices. It is easy, just click the "Sync" button. Your devices must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network, preferably your home network that you control. The benefit for this inconvenience is that your Sticky Password database stays on your devices and doesn't get uploaded to the Sticky Password secure cloud servers.
- Don't sync at all: Maybe you have only one computer and don't want to sync passwords to your phone. You have the option of not using password sync at all.
Sync passwords via cloud, local Wi-Fi, or turn syncing offThe bottom line is, you have a choice. Choice is precious because most of
the time, with technology, you simply don't have a choice, and are at a mercy
of a large corporation that has already decided what is the best for
you.
Generate strong passwords
Sticky Password generates strong, unique, secure passwords.
Remember how you have to use a different password for every website? And how you don't have to remember them, because all you have to remember is your Master Password that unlocks the Sticky Password?
You have to use a different password for every website because if one website gets broken into (it happens more often than it should), thieves cannot use your password from that website to log in as you at any other website.
Generating a strong, unique passwordSince Sticky Password keeps all your passwords for you, you might as well have unbreakable passwords - and Sticky Password can generate them.
You don't have to know what they are and you never have to see them. You know they are strong and secure, which gives you a peace of mind. No one will be able to guess your passwords.
When Sticky Password detects a website is asking you to generate a
password, it will ask you if you want it to generate it for you. If you
accept, it will come up with a strong password and save it, with the
website name, link (URL) and username. Next time you visit the same website
Sticky Password will automatically log you in.
It will also automatically (if you have the cloud sync enabled) copy the new password record to all your devices (tablets, smartphones). If you have manual sync enabled instead, you can slick the "Sync" button and sync them up yourself.
Does one thing and does it well
In security, simpler is better. The more complex a software or solution is, the more security-related problems it has. This is the nature of software development, complexity breeds issues that can go undetected for years.
Often the bad guys find security issues before the company that wrote the software. This leads to computer break-ins and loss of personal information and data.
Effective password securityWith passwords, the risk is very high. If someone steals your passwords, they can steal your data, personal information, lock you out of websites and cause you all sorts of additional problems.
Sticky Password is simple. You use it to manage passwords. You can't surf the web, read and write emails, or video chat with it.
Password management is a trend. Many application now also want to manage passwords. Web browsers want to do it, email programs want to do it, everyone is jumping on the password management bandwagon.
What those companies really want is to lock you in, because if your passwords are stored in their software then you will have the "incentive" to continue using it even if you find another, better software. Because moving passwords between, for example, web browsers, is a major pain.
In security, simple is not only beautiful, it is necessary.
Sticky Password keeps passwords in a central location, and can interact with other software products like web browsers. It works with most of them, not just one.
There is no lock-in, because Sticky Password focuses on one thing only, managing passwords. This focus also makes it more secure than, for example, a web browser, which was created for a different purpose and to which password management was added as an afterthought.
Focus on ease-of-use and security
Sticky Password was founded in 2001 with a goal of creating an easy-to-use and secure password manager. The fact that the product, after almost 20 years in development, still focuses on ease-of-use and security means that is their focus.
It is the right focus for a password manager.
All software has a tendency to grow in complexity and features. Over the years, software that was originally designed for a specific function ends up having many other functions. It also ends up not doing any of them well. The software becomes bloatware.
Simple and secureThere are very few software projects I know that have stayed true to their cause and purpose. Sticky Password is one of them.
Sticky Password is well known in the password security field. It has
been integrated into other products, including those from large
companies like ESET, Vipre antivirus and Kaspersky Lab.
Good support
Many support optionsA password manager is a pretty important piece of software because it stores your passwords. It is like a key chain that has all your keys. It is important for it to work well and be reliable and robust. And Sticky Password is.
On top of that, the support is very good. There is no usual
run-around that technology companies give you these days. Did you ever have the pleasure of calling a cable company for help? It is a painful experience.
Sticky Password support is straightforward, just like its password manager software. Knowing you have someone reliable to contact for help gives you a peace of mind.
Of course, do not lose your Master Password! No one else knows it but you!
For any other problem, there is help available.
Sticky Password review summary
If you do a search for password managers you will see some trendy names come up. Sticky Password is one of them, but there are more popular ones.
It is my impression that many reviewing websites don't spend enough time using the software products. They use one password manager for a few days, maybe a week, and then write a review about it. This is not good enough.
Maybe this is why many password manager reviews sound alike. Do the reviewers work together? Are they writing reviews for multiple websites?
Who qualifies the reviewers? What makes them experts? The fact that they review software products for a living?
Keep intruders at bayI've done my own research over the years and decided on Sticky Password. They have the right approach to software development and user interface design. They keep things simple and don't create bloatware products. They don't sacrifice security for some perceived convenience.
Technology products are so much about marketing today. It is difficult to get to the truth - what does the product do? How does it work? Will it do what it claims?
With Sticky Password, it is clear what you get. Its focus has been the same for almost 20 years - to be an easy-to-use and secure password manager.
It is a joy to use and a real gem in today's world of bloated, awkward-to-use, do-everything-but-shine-at-nothing security software.