Sticky Password review: the offline, on-device password manager

No matter how secure an online service is, offline is an inherently safer place to store private data. That’s tricky with account logins you need to access from multiple devices. That’s why most of the best password managers use cloud syncing.

Sticky Password has an option to store your data online like other password managers, but it also supports multiple offline synchronization solutions. I tested Sticky Password’s on-device logins solution to find out how well it works and whether it’s worth the cost.

Specs

Tiers and pricing

Sticky Password Premium costs $20 annually (regularly $40), making it one of the least-expensive password managers available. Bitwarden’s $10 subscription plan is the only competitor I’ve tried that costs less.

For an even better deal, you can buy a lifetime subscription to Sticky Password Premium for $40 (regularly $200). That makes the lifetime option very enticing. It’s like getting a free subscription to a full-featured password manager after paying for two years.

The free version of Sticky Password comes with a 30-day trial of Premium. It reverts to a free account if you don’t subscribe. Sticky Password Free works on only one device and doesn’t allow login syncing or sharing.

While there are better free password managers, upgrading to Sticky Password Premium is worth the minimal annual cost, and the lifetime plan is a great bargain.

Design

Sticky Password’s setup is quite simple thanks to an interactive installer. I was guided to choose several preferences and options during installation. When the app opened, it was ready to use, and my browser logins were automatically imported with no further effort.

The installer let me selected offline data storage with local syncing, dark web monitoring, declined to share anonymous, enabled Windows Hello unlocking, and installed the Sticky Password browser extension.

The app has a tabs on the left to manage my web and app accounts, secure memos, IDs, and more. The sharing tab lets me check on logins I’ve shared, and the security tab alerts me to passwords that are less than ideal.

A menu button at the bottom left lets me manually synchronize across devices, and the time and date of the last sync appears to the right of that control. The main menu at the top right contains import and output controls, settings, help, and more.

The layout is clean and simple, and I had no trouble finding everything easily. The browser extension is a convenient, slimmed down version of the app.

Features

I opened Netflix, and my login appeared along with two tiny Sticky Password logos to the right of my username and password. Autofill is the most basic feature of a password manager, and it worked as expected.

Sticky Password supports cloud sync so all my devices automatically update when I add, remove, or change any items in my vault. For more security, I opted for offline storage. That meant I need to manually sync from my Windows PC to my iPhone.

With Sticky Password installed on both, that was simple. I selected the sync local option on my computer and chose my iPhone in the pop-up window, and encrypted passwords synced over my home Wi-Fi connection without the risk of uploading that data to the internet.

There’s also an option to create a portable version of Sticky Password along with your encrypted data on a thumb drive to use on any Windows PC without installing the app. That makes it possible to use my passwords on a public computer then unplug and keep my account logins secure.

A new Contactless Connect option, currently in beta, lets me access logins by using my phone to scan a QR code displayed by the desktop browser extension. This makes Sticky Password compatible with ChromeOS and Linux.

With Sticky Password Premium, I can share logins or folders with another Sticky Password user by email. There’s an option to share administrative control or limit the recipient to view and autofill options while blocking edit and share.

A free or paid Sticky Password account is needed to access a shared item, adding an extra step for some people. Password managers like Keeper and 1Password let anyone with the link view shared logins and offer more nuanced sharing restrictions, but those subscriptions cost more.

Support

Like most low-cost software, Sticky Password support comes by email. I browsed and searched the help center, which is thorough but not encyclopedic.

I sent a message via a web form late one evening, and the reply came in eight hours. Within 24 hours is standard for email support, so Sticky Password was fairly quick.

I asked about cloud storage and uploading photos and files. I learned that Sticky Password doesn’t limit storage, but there currently isn’t a way to attach files or photos to notes or IDs.

Some password managers like NordPass offer live chat that’s available 24/7 to help with account issues and technical questions, which Sticky Password lacks.

If I lose access to a critical account login, I’d like to have the option to quickly chat with support to seek a solution. Still, Sticky Password has offline features that most password managers lack.

Privacy and security

Sticky Password’s offline mode puts you in charge of security. Good antivirus software is critical in this case.

There’s also a cloud storage mode that uses industry standard end-to-end encryption to keep your account logins safe. The same AES-256 encryption secures your data in offline mode and requires your master password to unlock. If your master password is secure, so are your logins.

Sticky Password had independent audits to assess its security. We don’t know if the cloud storage option is as robust as its competitors. If you choose offline mode, your account logins are as safe as your own devices.

Is Sticky Password right for you?

Sticky Password is a unique solution that lets you access your logins, cards, and secure notes on all your devices without storing that sensitive information in the cloud. You can also temporarily turn on cloud sync for greater convenience, then delete that data later.

If you’re feeling vulnerable, you can disable synchronization and revoke shared links, so only the devices that already have your logins have access to your accounts. If that sounds appealing, Sticky Password could be the best password manager for you.

It’s inexpensive, easy to use, yet offers lots of fine control when you dig deeper into settings. The lifetime plan slashes the cost of long-term password protection. I recommend Sticky Password for anyone who wants to reduce their subscription burden and take charge of their own security.