LastPass frees cross-device password sharing from subscription, goes ad-supported

In a blog post on Tuesday the LastPass developers announced that the multi-device password service allowing users to access passwords from multiple registered devices was no longer bound to users paying a monthly fee. Users on the free tier need not do anything to enable the feature, and can start using it immediately.

A user's content in LastPass, including passwords and data, is protected by one master password, similar to that of the Apple Keychain. Information is encrypted with AES-256 bit encryption with PBKDF2 SHA-256 and salted hashes, with encryption and decryption taking place on the device itself.

LastPass can be used as extensions to Chrome, Firefox, Opera, or Safari browsers for home users, or as a system-wide utility on macOS or iOS.

The $1 per month premium subscription for home users allows for family sharing for up to five users, tech support, encrypted file storage, and removes the ads from all registered devices. Enterprise licensing is available, and pricing varies.

The first version of LastPass launched in 2008 as a series of browser extensions. The system-wide Mac utility for LastPass debuted in 2015.