Password Typer vs. Password Manager
A password typer does the same job as a password manager, which is remembering strong, unique passwords so you don't have to. The difference is the machine doing the job, because a password manager is software with an account, while a password typer is a thumb drive that types.
We make a password typer (it's called Lomenett), so you should assume we're biased. Our company policy is "never lie," so here's the comparison the way we'd give it to a friend, including the parts where the software wins.
Same job, different machine
Both exist for one reason, which is that every account you own can have a long, random password that you never memorize and never reuse. If you're choosing between these two, you've already made the important decision, because either one is a major improvement over reusing one password on forty websites.
A software password manager keeps your encrypted vault in an app, usually synced through the company's servers, and fills passwords in through a browser extension. A password typer keeps the vault on a stick in your pocket, and gets the password into the box by typing it as a USB keyboard. If you're new to the idea, start with What Is a Password Typer?
Where the software password manager wins
Autofill knows what site you're on. A browser extension fills your password only on the matching website, so if a phishing page imitates your bank, the extension won't fill it, and that can save you. A password typer types wherever you've clicked, including into a fake page if you've been fooled. That's a real security point for the software, and we're not going to pretend otherwise.
Sync. Software puts your passwords on every device you own automatically, phone included. A password typer is one physical object, so if it's on your desk at home, it's not with you at the coffee shop.
Free tiers. Several good software managers cost nothing to start, while a password typer is real money up front.
Living in your browser. Extensions offer to save new passwords as you create them, and many warn you about reused or weak ones. A password typer does none of that.
Sharing. Family plans let two people share a login without texting it to each other, and a physical stick has no equivalent.
Where the password typer wins
No app, no account, no install. It works on any machine that accepts a USB keyboard, which is nearly all of them, including your locked-down work computer, a library machine, a borrowed laptop, and most phones. It even types into places no browser extension can reach, like the login screen of the computer itself.
No cloud to breach. A software manager's servers hold millions of vaults, which makes them one of the most attractive targets on the internet, and the industry has had its incidents. A password typer has no server, so there is nothing to attack remotely. Getting at your vault means getting your specific stick in person, and a locked stick is a dead end.
Nothing between you and your passwords. There is no account to get locked out of, no company outage, no forgotten master password reset flow, and no terms-of-service change, because the vault is in your hand.
One price, once. Lomenett is $90 one time, with no subscription ever. Subscriptions are also how free software eventually gets paid for, and we'd rather charge you money openly than find another way.
It makes sense to normal people. Some folks will never install an app, create an account, and configure a browser extension, but all of them can plug in a thumb drive and click.
The honest table
| Software password manager | Password typer (Lomenett) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your passwords live | Encrypted vault on the company's servers and your devices | Encrypted on the stick in your pocket |
| Getting a password into the box | Autofill, matched to the right website | Types like a keyboard wherever your cursor is |
| Phishing lookalike sites | Extension refuses to fill the wrong domain | No protection; it types where you point it |
| Works across your devices | Automatic sync everywhere | One stick; you carry it |
| Works on machines you can't install software on | No | Yes, anything that takes a USB keyboard |
| Remote attack surface | Company servers, your account, the app | None; no radios, no server, no account |
| Requires an account | Yes | No |
| Price | Free tiers; typically a subscription for full features | $90 once |
| If you lose it | Log in from another device | Locked stick is a dead end for the finder; restore your backup to a new one |
What neither one protects you from
Neither protects you from a computer that's already compromised. If malware is running on the machine, it can capture a password at the moment of use, whether it was autofilled from the cloud or typed by a stick, and no password manager of any kind can defend a computer an attacker already owns. Everything is hackable. It's just a matter of time. All we can do is extend that time.
So which should you get?
If you live in a browser across five devices and you want autofill everywhere, a good software password manager will serve you well, and we'd rather you use one than reuse passwords. The longer version of that trade-off, with the big cloud names, is in Lomenett vs. Cloud Password Managers.
If you want your passwords to exist in exactly one place you can hold, if you type passwords on machines that don't allow installs, if you're buying for someone who will never touch an app, or if you just want to pay once and be done, get a password typer. Ours is Lomenett, which costs $90 one time and is launching soon.
One more thing, because it comes up constantly: a YubiKey is neither of these, because it proves who you are rather than storing passwords. It's a different tool, and you can use it alongside either option here: Lomenett vs. YubiKey.