RoboForm Review

Roboform is one of the most recognized affordable password managers on the market. Despite not costing a fortune, it has all the necessary features to keep your precious info safe and anonymous.

In this RoboForm review, I will look at the security and privacy features, technical specifications, ease of use, pricing, and customer support. I will also go over how to start using this password manager.

Overview

• Encryption: AES-256
• Two-factor authentication: Yes
• Mobile app PIN: Yes
• Biometric login: Touch ID, Face ID
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome OS
• Browser extensions: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Safari
• Free version: Yes
• Price: from $0.99/month
• Special offer: 30% off when getting Personal and Family plans

Security and privacy

RoboForm has a solid list of security features. I’ll take a look at a few of them: the encryption, two-factor authentication, and biometric login. I will also discuss this password manager’s reputation.

Encryption

RoboForm password manager uses military-grade AES-256 encryption with PBKDF2 SHA-256 and sends data over TLS/SSL. It means that it’s incredibly hard to decrypt your passwords.

If that wasn’t enough, your data goes through PBKDF2 hashing not once, not twice, but a few thousand times, preventing brute-force attacks.

The cherry on top is that RoboForm is a zero-knowledge provider. Meaning, it has no idea what your passwords, including the Master Password, look like. This is great from the privacy perspective, albeit it does also mean losing your password complicates things: you’ll only be able to regain access via your emergency contact.

Two-factor authentication and biometric login

RoboForm supports two-factor authentication which adds another layer of security by asking you to confirm your identity twice. You can choose your email, phone, or Google Authenticator as the second factor.

It’s worth mentioning that 2FA is turned off by default, and users (especially those just starting out using password managers) might not be aware of this option because of the rich choice of features.

When it comes to biometric login, you can use Touch ID with an Android. As for iOS, both Touch ID and Face ID options are available. In some cases, you will be asked to enable biometrics on your device by going to System Settings:

Reputation

RoboForm has a fine reputation in terms of keeping its users’ data safe.

There have not been any significant scandals related to RoboForm. Sure, you’ll find customers complaining online about disappointing updates or bugs, but that seems to be par for the course for any cybersecurity product on the market.

Apps and ease of use

RoboForm is continuously updated and new features are added every month or two. There are localized versions for many languages, including Spanish, German, Russian, and Japanese, among others.

Desktop app

RoboForm works on macOS 10.10 and up, iOS 8.0 and up, Windows Vista and up, or Android 4.1.3 and up.

Once you have this password manager downloaded and installed, you will also find a bunch of useful video tutorials that will make the initial setup a lot simpler:

Upon launching RoboForm, you will see a menu on the left with six categories: Logins, Identities, Safenotes, Shared By Me, and All Files:

You can now start adding and organizing your stored data into folders and subfolders, as well as share and send items with recipients of your choice.

Browser extensions

RoboForm has browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Edge, and Internet Explorer 8+, which can act as standalone versions if the app is not installed.

When you install your desktop app, you’ll see RoboForm try to connect to your browser. If you scroll below, you’ll be able to select the browser you wish for RoboForm to connect to:

From there on, RoboForm will be added to your browser.

Mobile app

When you first log into RoboForm with your phone, you may be a bit overwhelmed by the interface:

However, it has all the features that you need from your Password Manager:

• When you press Start you get to create your first login by tapping on +.
• Tapping on Identity would enable you to insert your data for Autofill.
• In the Browser, you can go to your preferred sites and choose whether you’d like for the password manager to remember your data to fill in forms.
• In the Tools section, you will find features such as Password Generator, Sharing Center, Security Center, and Emergency Access.

How to use RoboForm

In this section, I’ll go through the steps of installing and using RoboForm.

Installing and setting up RoboForm

The installation of RoboForm is no different than the majority of the programs you would download.

You have to complete these four steps:

1. Go to RoboForm’s website and download the Desktop app
2. Create your account by entering your email address and creating a Master Password
3. Add your passwords (I’ll discuss that part in more detail in the next section)
4. Add more devices if you wish

Import and export with RoboForm

With the account created and the app installed on your device, you can import passwords and start adding new ones. You will want to turn off any password capture and password manager functions that are in your browser default settings. These can interfere with RoboForm.

Importing and exporting with RoboForm is a piece of cake.

Let’ start by exporting your passwords:

1. Select the RoboForm icon on your taskbar or toolbar.
2. Click Options (or Preferences if on macOS)
3. Select Account & Data
4. Click Export
5. Select CSV file
6. Choose an alternate location to back up the CSV
7. Click Export

Save this CSV file on your desktop, you’ll use it shortly when importing your passwords to RoboForm.

If you don’t want to add your passwords manually, import them from your browser, another password manager, or from the CSV file you created once exporting your passwords.

Let’s see the example of importing your passwords from CSV file, this time using iOS:

1. Click the RoboForm extension in your browser
2. Click the three dots
3. Press on Preferences
4. Select Account & Data
5. Click Import
6. Select CVS
7. Click Import from file

There you have it – your passwords have been imported.

Using RoboForm – autosave, autofill

RoboForm saves your time – it enters your personal and payment information into webforms with its AutoFill feature.

Using this feature is quite handy, especially when you shop online, fill in your taxes’ forms, even when you’re hunting for a new job – your data will be filled for you in each resume.

The great thing is that when it comes to sensitive information (think of your Social Security or credit card number), this password manager will ask you to confirm whether you wish this data filled in for you.

Moreover, this password manager has excellent synchronization capabilities and digital inheritance.

Extra features

The paid version also has a Secure Sharing feature that allows you to give access to separate entries or whole password folders to others. It means you can set a list of persons who will be able to access your account if it stays inactive for your preferred time, ranging from twelve hours up to a month.

RoboForm also has a Password Generator. However, it’s not the best out there. While it can generate passwords of different lengths using different character types for you, a lot of other generators I have used created better passwords.

Luckily, the product also has a useful Security Center that helps you identify potential weaknesses in your passwords.

I have already mentioned Synchronization capabilities across all devices. Unfortunately, this feature becomes available only after you get a paid version of RoboForm password manager, just like for the Live Chat Support and Account Data Backup.

Interface

The RoboForm interface is decent but feels a bit overloaded, which might be evident for those new to password managers. It could also benefit from more buttons for simple tasks, like one for password sharing or creating a new folder, and fewer buttons for settings that mean nothing to a casual user.

The recent versions have greatly improved the overall performance of RoboForm. Still, the lack of significant updates has prevented it from surpassing some of its competitors that have gone through client software overhauls.

Pricing

When it comes to pricing, RoboForm is one of the most affordable password managers out there. There are several plans to choose from, and in this section, I’ll discuss what you can get with each option.

Personal plans

Let’s start with Personal plans. Here you have three options: Free, Everywhere, and Family.

When you choose the Free plan, you get unlimited logins, form autofill, password audit, and password generator. These features are great. However, you miss out on 24/7 support, which is quite disappointing.

Purchasing Everywhere would increase your options, and the best thing is that you wouldn’t be paying a fortune to get it. It costs $0.99/month if billed annually.

Once you have it, you get access to all devices, your account’s data backup, you can share your logins securely, and, finally, you can use Premium 24/7 support.

The Family Plan costs $2.32/month if billed annually.

Opting for it would allow adding five users, and all of you would enjoy the features the Everywhere plan has.

And as luck would have it, you can get 30% discount on RoboForm Personal and Family plans. So, don’t hesitate and get one of the most reliable password managers on the market.

Business plan

The Business plan starts at $11.15/month per user, billed annually.

Once you choose it, each user gets a bunch of great features, including Role-based permissions, Full separation of business and personal passwords, Unlimited sharing groups, Security policy deployment, among many others.

What I find useful, it’s a Free Trial to test whether you’d like the plan, or not.

Customer support

RoboForm has a dedicated page for Customer Support.

Here you can choose RoboForm Help Center, read RoboForm Manual or go straight to Online Support System.

In the Help Center, you can choose among 12 categories to find the answers you need:

If that’s not enough, use the search bar, or read the articles below.

RoboForm Manual will allow you to read all the instructions based on your device:

If you want to get away from reading tonnes of articles, opt for Online Support System. Here you’ll have to select a topic and explain your problem in a message:

 

RoboForm offers free support 24/7/365 for all users.

However, Everywhere subscribers have the priority to online support and they can also access Chat support from 9 AM – 5 PM ET Monday – Friday.

When writing this review I found that sending an email to support is fine too because they answer quite fast, even for the non-priority free account holders.

Pros and cons

Lastly, in this section, I’ll go through the main pros and cons of this password manager so you could make the final decision.

Bottom line

Altogether, RoboForm is the right choice if you are looking for a slightly cheaper alternative to big-name password managers. It might not be everyone’s password manager, but those who like to tinker with Advanced settings will find RoboForm’s windows and tabs the playground to enjoy.

RoboForm boasts top-level security and allows users the ability to synchronize across all devices. Still, you will need to get the Premium version to appreciate what this password manager has to offer.

And when it finally gets the much-needed user interface redesign, other password managers will have a truly formidable competitor.

For RoboForm alternatives, check out our list of best password managers.