6 Best Password Managers for Security Auditing in 2026

When you're running a business, you need to know who's accessing your company passwords and when they're doing it. A good password manager doesn't just store your passwords. It keeps track of every login, every password change, and every time someone shares access with a coworker. 

Think of password manager audit features like a security camera for your digital doors. You'll see who's using weak passwords, catch risky behavior before it becomes a problem, and have all the records you need if questions come up. LastPass makes this easy with clear reports and automatic monitoring. 

We've looked at the top password managers to find which ones give you the security and visibility you need, while keeping things simple enough for your whole team to use. 

Quick guide: 6 best password managers for security auditing 

1. LastPass: The best overall password manager for security auditing according to G2 global grid reports 
2. Keeper: Government-grade security for regulated industries 
3. NordPass: Simple activity tracking with clear reports 
4. Bitwarden: Transparent open-source security 
5. 1Password: Audit trails for growing businesses 
6. Dashlane: Compliance features with activity monitoring 

How we evaluated the best password managers for security auditing 

We chose these password managers based on how well they help small businesses track and monitor password usage. Each one was evaluated for its ability to create audit trails and generate reports without requiring extensive technical knowledge. 

• Audit trails: How many activities are tracked and for how long? 

• Security certifications: Which compliance standards does the platform meet? 

• SIEM integration: Can you connect to existing security tools? 

• Report generation: What compliance and audit reports are available? 

• Dark web monitoring: Does it alert you when credentials appear in breaches? 

• Zero-knowledge architecture: Can you audit without accessing actual passwords? 

The 6 best password managers for security auditing 

1. LastPass: Best overall password manager for security auditing 

LastPass keeps track of everything your team does with passwords. Every login, every password update, even every form that gets filled out automatically gets logged. When you need to show someone what happened (maybe for an audit or just to check on things), you can export everything to Excel with just a few clicks. 

Your Security Dashboard works like a report card for your passwords. It automatically checks how strong each password is and tells you right away if someone's using "password123" or sharing the same password across multiple sites. Plus, if any of your business passwords show up in a data breach somewhere on the internet, you'll get an alert so you can change them immediately. The whole system connects with tools like Splunk and Azure Sentinel if you already use those for security monitoring. 

LastPass features 

• Audit history: Track every login event, password update, and form fill with Excel export capabilities 

• SIEM integrations: Connect with Splunk and Azure Sentinel for centralized security monitoring 

• Security scoring: Automated evaluation of password strength with immediate weak password identification 

• Dark web breach monitoring: Near real-time alerts when employee credentials appear in known breaches 

• SaaS monitoring: Uncover unvetted apps and enforce app usage policies 

• Customizable compliance reports: Generate user activity, admin activity, and shared folder access reports 

LastPass pros and cons

Pros: 

• "The vault and the dashboard are intuitive. I like being able to share passwords with other members of the team." –verified review
• "New feature for Saas Monitoring is really helpful" –verified review
• "It monitors passwords and alerts you to duplicates, overly simple passwords and provides the capability of recommending more secure alternatives." –verified review

Cons: 

• "Adding new passwords takes a while to populate." –verified review
• "Self-service password resets have often been difficult" –verified review

2. Keeper: Government-grade security for regulated industries 

Keeper offers the same security that government agencies use. It tracks over 200 different types of activities (with the paid tier) and keeps those records forever, so you'll always have the documentation you need. 

If your business already uses security monitoring tools like Microsoft Sentinel or Splunk, Keeper can send its data directly to them. The Advanced Reporting module (which costs extra) sends you text or email alerts when something unusual happens, like someone trying to access passwords they shouldn't. 

Keeper features 

• 200+ tracked event types: Monitor all user activities with unlimited event history (paid feature) 

• FedRAMP authorization: Meet government security requirements with FIPS 140-3 validated encryption 

• Multiple SIEM integrations: Connect with Sentinel, Splunk, Sumo Logic, QRadar, Elastic, and Datadog 

(Platform features reflect the information available on the Keeper website as of the publication date.) 

Keeper pros and cons

Pros: 

• "Keeper remembers every single one of my credentials." –verified review
• "The support is really excellent and above expectations." –verified review
• I like that it allows us to keep our passwords all in one secure place. " –verified review

Cons: 

• “Autofill doesn't work with as many websites as some other competitor password managers. " –verified review
• “Setting up the admin features was somewhat challenging at the beginning, particularly when it came to understanding roles and permissions. “–verified review
• “I wish the password generator was more easily accessible on the web extension like other competitor products have.” –verified review

3. NordPass: Simple activity tracking with clear reports 

NordPass keeps an Activity Log that shows you everything happening with your team's passwords, including who's logging in, what they're accessing, and when they're sharing passwords with colleagues. The platform has passed independent security audits by Cure53 and holds certifications that prove it meets professional security standards. 

You can pull audit records out through their API (basically a way for NordPass to talk to other software), which works with common security tools like Splunk and Microsoft Sentinel. NordPass also lets you set rules for passwords, such as how long they should be, how complex, and how often they need to be changed. 

NordPass features 

• Real-time activity tracking: Monitor all credential-related behavior with detailed audit trails 

• Password policy enforcement: Set and monitor compliance with length and complexity requirements 

• API-based SIEM integration: Connect to Splunk and Sentinel for centralized monitoring 

(Platform features reflect the information available on the NordPass website as of the publication date.) 

NordPass pros and cons

Pros: 

• “NordPass has made password management much easier for our small business. It saves us time, improves team collaboration, and ensures our sensitive information stays secure.” –verified review
• “What we like most is the high level of security and encryption.” –verified review
• "The UI is intuitive even for non-technical users." –verified review

Cons: 

• "Limited password customization options, preventing users from adding custom fields, files, or attachments." –verified review
• "The major downside is that we can't generate 2FA from our mobiles." –verified review
• "Groups and folders are good for organizing, but make it difficult to provide additional access on individual records to specific employees." –verified review

4. Bitwarden: Transparent security you can verify yourself 

Bitwarden tracks more than 50 different types of activities in its audit logs, including login attempts, password changes, and admin actions, and keeps these records forever. What makes Bitwarden different is that it's open source, which means anyone can look at the code that makes it work.  

The platform works with security monitoring tools like Splunk Enterprise, Microsoft Sentinel, Rapid7, and Panther. These connections come with pre-made dashboards, so you don't have to build your own reports from scratch. 

Bitwarden features 

• 50+ tracked event types: Capture all activities retained indefinitely with CSV export 

• Open-source transparency: Publicly auditable code verified by security researchers worldwide 

• Multiple SIEM platforms: Native apps for Splunk, Sentinel, Rapid7, and Panther with pre-built dashboards 

(Platform features reflect the information available on the Bitwarden website as of the publication date.) 

Bitwarden pros and cons

Pros: 

• “The password fill is incredibly easy, also thanks to keyboard shortcuts.” –verified review
• "With enterprise plan I can have shared vaults for convenient password share." – verified review
• "Syncing across devices is reliable, and the autofill feature just works." – verified review

Cons: 

• "Bitwarden fails to make it easy to create new logins as its browser addons insist upon closing every time you navigate away from it to put in either a username or a password into the target website." – verified review
• “The interface feels dated, autofill can be inconsistent...” –verified review
• "Auto-fill doesn't always work consistently." –verified review

5. 1Password: Strong audit trails for growing businesses 

1Password keeps a full year of activity logs, tracking every sign-in, password use, and change made by your team. Their Events API (a tool that sends security information to other programs) works with Datadog, Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, and other monitoring platforms you might use. 

Business Watchtower gives you a bird's-eye view of your company's password security. It shows you which passwords are weak, which ones are being reused across different sites, and which ones might have been exposed in data breaches. 

1Password features 

• 365-day activity retention: Track user actions with advanced filtering by date, actor, and event 

• Business Watchtower: Organization-wide reporting for weak and compromised passwords 

• Native SIEM streaming: Real-time event delivery to major platforms with detection rules 

(Platform features reflect the information available on the 1Password website as of the publication date.) 

1Password pros and cons

Pros: 

• “Web browser extensions and desktop/mobile apps make it easy to leverage through current workflows.” –verified review
• "1Password offers strong security with end-to-end encryption and a unique Secret Key for extra protection." –verified review
• "I really like its intuitive interface, cross-device syncing, and strong encryption that ensures my data stays protected." –verified review 

Cons: 

• "It logs me out in the middle of the day when I am trying to work on cases." – verified review
• "Editing mode is clunky in the browser extension, as you have to go to their website, authenticate again and then edit your content." – verified review
• “SSO Integration with JumpCloud could be easier.” –verified review

6. Dashlane: Good compliance features with activity monitoring 

Dashlane saves 15 months of activity logs, tracking logins, password actions, and admin changes. It has ISO 27001:2022 certification, a security standard that shows the company follows best practices. Their Password Health feature gives your business a security score that updates every hour. 

Smart Space Management keeps personal and business passwords separate. This way you can monitor your company's security without prying into employees' personal accounts. Dashlane can even spot weak passwords that employees type in when they're not logged into Dashlane, giving you extra visibility into potential risks (only for paid plan).  

Dashlane features 

• 15-month activity retention: Track events with CSV export for forensic analysis 

• Credential Risk Detection: Monitor at-risk passwords even from non-logged-in users (only for paid plan) 

• Smart Space Management: Separate personal and business vaults with targeted monitoring 

(Platform features reflect the information available on the Dashlane website as of the publication date.) 

Dashlane pros and cons

Pros: 

• “Dashlane is very much easy to use, and access/password sharing within teams is easy and efficient.” –verified review
• “Our firm uses many different online software programs, and each of them has different password management requirements. " –verified review
• “The clean interface and built-in VPN also make it easy to manage and protect all your credentials in one place." –verified review

Cons: 

• “The UI is cludgy compared to other password keepers." – verified review
• "Dashlane can be a bit glitchy and isn't very intuitive with its browser extension." – verified review
• “We have run into issues when generating new passwords, when we select to use a generated password and then save it as a new login or update an existing, the new password will not be correctly saved.” –verified review 

Comparison table: The best password managers for security auditing 

Platform	Policy Controls	Audit Log Retention
LastPass	120+	2 years
Keeper	Not disclosed	Unlimited
NordPass	7	Up to 90 days
Bitwarden	15+	Unlimited(only 367days' worthof data may be viewed at a time)
1Password	15+	1 year
Dashlane	16	15 months

What security auditing features should I look for in a password manager? 

When you're choosing a password manager for your small business, you want one that tracks everything important without overwhelming you with data. Look for tools that record the basics, such as who logged in, when they changed passwords, who they shared access with, and what admin changes were made. You should be able to export these records easily, ideally to Excel or another format you're comfortable with. 

The best password managers keep your actual passwords completely private (this is called zero-knowledge architecture) while still letting you see important security information. You can monitor security scores, see patterns in how passwords are being used, and check if your team is following good practices, all without seeing the actual passwords. 

Getting alerts in real-time makes a huge difference. If one of your passwords shows up in a data breach or someone breaks a security rule, you want to know right away, not weeks later. Look for password managers that can send you these alerts through email or even connect to other security tools you might already use. 

How do password managers help with compliance audits? 

Password managers create a digital paper trail that shows exactly how your business handles passwords. Every time someone on your team logs in somewhere, changes a password, or shares access with a coworker, the system writes it down. When audit time comes (whether it's for a client, an insurance company, or a regulatory requirement), you can pull up reports showing you've been managing passwords responsibly. 

These tools also help you enforce good password habits automatically. You can set rules like "passwords must be at least 12 characters" or "passwords need to be changed every 90 days," and the system won't let people break these rules. This means you can prove your team is actually following the security policies you set. 

Many password managers include pre-made reports designed for specific compliance standards. Instead of spending hours pulling together evidence for an audit, you can run a report that already has exactly what auditors typically look for.  

Why LastPass is the best password manager for security auditing 

LastPass gives you professional-level audit capabilities. Your 2-year audit history captures everything you need for compliance, and you can export it all to Excel when someone needs to see the records. With ISO 27001 certification and other security standards, LastPass proves it takes security as seriously as you do. 

The Security Dashboard turns complicated security data into simple, color-coded scores that make sense at a glance. Dark web monitoring powered by Enzoic watches for your passwords appearing in breaches and alerts you immediately. If you use tools like Splunk or Azure Sentinel, LastPass connects right to them so everything works together. 

Ready to get better visibility into your password security? Try LastPass and see why businesses trust us to keep their credentials safe and compliant.