mSecure Review: Pros & Cons, Features, Ratings, Pricing and more

A good option for individuals, although it’s not the best option for families and businesses.

mSecure website screenshot
(Image: © mSecure)

TechRadar Verdict

mSecure is a quality password manager targeted at individuals, with customizable templates and syncing across devices – but it’s not as impressive when tasked with family or team password management

Pros

  • +

    Free product available

  • +

    Syncs with cloud services

  • +

    Supports Apple Watch

  • +

    Pro product is affordable

Cons

  • -

    Few business options

  • -

    Limited support options

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Any password manager and security app that’s been around as long as mSecure is likely to have a good range of core features, and mSecure certainly delivers in that regard. It’s got AES-256 encryption, secure password generation, and seamless automatic logins.

There’s lots of competition when it comes to the best password manager, though, so mSecure needs to impress beyond those mainstream abilities if it’s going to convince people to part with their money.

On paper, mSecure goes the extra mile with flexible data templates, intelligent searching, and loads of organization features, but we'll see how well these play out in practice.

mSecure pricing July 2023

(Image credit: mSecure)

mSecure: Plans and pricing

There was once a free version of mSecure which had all the basic functionalities, plus some additional extras like Windows Hello login and customizable templates for data entry. This appears to have been dropped, now, but really, most users will have wanted to spend some cash to get access to the full functionalities.

The Essentials product costs $1.66 / £1.50 / AUD$2.50 per month if you pay annually, and it upgrades your app with syncing across cloud services, fingerprint login, browser extension support, and a more advanced security center for quick analysis of your passwords. With that product, you also get Apple Watch support alongside everything that was already included in the free product. This, and all the other plans, are available on a monthly rolling basis but you’ll pay a little bit more.

The Premium version of mSecure only costs $2.49 / £2.20 / AUD$3.25 per month, so it’s one of the more affordable options on the market. You get every feature included in the Essentials package alongside comprehensive sharing options, the option to attach files to your data entries, advanced customization options, and tags for easier searching.

Previously, there was no business-focused plan, but things have changed recently and mSecure has introduced a new Teams tier. Teams members get access to all the Premium features plus the ability to share data with the rest of the team and other mSecure users. The admin also gets free access to a Family account as a gift, and plans start at $19.99 per month when paid annually for 10 users.

mSecure 5

This is the user interface of mSecure's Windows desktop app (Image credit: mSecure)

mSecure: Setup

Getting started with mSecure is fast and easy. You just need to enter your email and a master password to launch the software for the first time.

From there, you can import records from a CSV file or restore a backup database made by mSecure on another device. Note, though, that mSecure can’t easily import records from another password manager without copying them into an unsecured CSV file first. Most other password managers can import straight from other password managers directly.

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mSecure can only import data from a CSV file or mSecure backup file (Image credit: mSecure)

mSecure: Interface and performance

To start, mSecure covers all the essentials you need from a password manager. There’s no limit on how many entries you can keep and the built-in categories enable you to store much more than passwords. All entries support custom fields and you can also separate entries into groups in lieu of simple tags.

The password generator included in mSecure works well, and you can take your pick from completely random characters or a series of human-readable words. You can further customize the passwords by toggling the length and enabling letters, numbers, and special characters. You can even set exclusions which can be handy if you’re using less common keyboard layouts. Additionally, mSecure is constantly refining its tools and listening to feedback, so its password generator is even stronger than before.

Also included as part of the plans is a one-time code generator, so you won’t need to use a separate authenticator app.

One of the things that’s unique about mSecure is its cross-device syncing. You can sync new data entries across all your devices using the mSecure Cloud, Dropbox, or your home Wi-Fi network. Alternatively, the software enables you to create encrypted backups of your database at any time, which can be ported across devices.

mSecure’s desktop and mobile apps recently underwent a full redesign, so they now sport a modern and sleek user interface. One of the best things mSecure added is the auto-downloading of logos when you create an account online. That makes it very easy to find the entry for a specific login, like Netflix or Amazon, when you’re scrolling through your database.

We also liked that mSecure has added flexibility to the data entry process. You can not only add custom fields to every individual record but also redesign the templates for entire data categories.

In terms of platform support, you’ll find apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, alongside browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox – albeit only on Mac. That platform support will cover most people, but it’s pretty weak compared to most other products. Many have desktop clients for Linux, while the majority support extensions in even more browsers, including more obscure options like Brave and Opera.

Despite the various consumer-facing plans, mSecure has not yet announced any plans to support passkeys despite some pressure from online communities. Many other popular password managers have either already started rollout out passkey support or are on the cusp of doing so, and with Android and iOS both making passkeys more widely available to third parties in 2023, it is hoped that more websites will start to support them.

This is unlikely to be of much relevance to businesses for some time as they wait to see how the passwordless login method pans out.

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mSecure also includes auto-lock and self-destruct settings (Image credit: mSecure)

mSecure: Security

mSecure uses AES 256-bit encryption to ensure that your data stays locked down, and this is a zero-knowledge service – so your master password is never stored anywhere within the mSecure app or on the company’s servers.

Beyond that, your data is kept secure with automatic locking with customizable inactivity time, self-destruct options, and automatic backup. You’ll also benefit from secure sharing, and biometric two-factor authentication on every platform adds another layer of protection.

There are plenty of security features missing here, though. You don’t get reporting and analysis in the same level of detail as you’ll find elsewhere – there’s no breach detection or dark web monitoring here, for instance. Many other apps go further in terms of management, deployment, and customization, especially for businesses and teams.

mSecure help center

You can find FAQs and other tips in mSecure's knowledgebase (Image credit: mSecure)

mSecure: Support

mSecure provides support by email only using an online ticket system through a support portal, with no direct email address provided. Don’t expect a same-day response, either.

Beyond that, mSecure does offer a comprehensive knowledge base and a forum with separate sections for different platforms and problems, so it’s easy to drill down and try and find the knowledge you need.

Overall, mSecure could do better by offering phone support or access to live support by chat - even an adequately trained chatbot could be helpful.

mSecure: The competition

If secure password sharing is important to you, it’s worth checking out LastPass. This popular password manager offers sharing with one other user for free. You can share passwords with an unlimited number of users for as little as $3 / £2.50 / AUD$4.50 per month. We also like that LastPass includes more comprehensive multi-factor authentication options. Proton Pass also has impressive security credentials and is totally free, though there is a Plus plan with a few extra features.

Bear in mind, though, that LastPass and virtually every other big-name alternative to mSecure will be more expensive than either of mSecure’s paid product tiers.

If you’re interested in the business plan, there are plenty of options to consider. Bitwarden is noteworthy for its option for self-hosting, and Zoho Vault is another popular option that forms part of the very wide range of Zoho-branded productivity tools.

mSecure: Final verdict

mSecure is a decent password manager that makes it easy to keep records across multiple devices. We appreciated the redesigned interface and the ability to fully customize data fields and category templates.

For individuals who aren’t tech-savvy and people who want to save a bit of cash, this is a very good option – it’s easy to use and affordable. However, its lack of browser extension support and high-end features mean you’ll get more power and security elsewhere. Another of its selling points - that it’s cheap - is becoming less unique with more companies offering similarly priced or even free plans.

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Mike has worked as a technology journalist for more than a decade and has written for most of the UK’s big technology titles alongside numerous global outlets. He loves PCs, laptops and any new hardware, and covers everything from the latest business trends to high-end gaming gear.