Check if a password manager is worth it.
The time-saving case for a password manager is measurable: reset cycles eliminated, multiplied by the minutes each one costs, valued at your hourly rate. A ninety percent elimination factor is applied because a few resets survive any tool. Cost per account is the second framing and is usually startling — pennies a year per credential — though the real argument is that unique strong passwords stop one breach from cascading.
Time recovered
Annual minutes saved = minutes per reset x resets per month x 12 x 0.9
Net benefit
Net benefit = minutes saved / 60 x hourly value - annual subscription cost
General guidance only, not a security assessment. Account protection needs depend on your threat model — follow your organisation's security policy for work accounts.
For a single device, often yes — browser-integrated and open source managers cover the core need. Paid tiers buy cross-device sync, secure sharing, breach monitoring and support.
Well-designed managers encrypt the vault client-side with a key derived from your master password, so the provider stores ciphertext it cannot read. The master password strength is what protects you, which is why it must be unique and long.