Compared to a lot of password management software you can find on the market, SplashID is a decent but limiting one. It has most of the basic features like a password generator, limited autofill, limited 2 factor authentication (2FA), and so on.
Its lack of a decent free plan and automated import feature, however, puts it far below its competitors on the market.
The Company Background
SplashID , also known as SplashData claims on its official website that has been a leading provider of security applications for more than 10 years. SplashID secure password and record management solution – SplashID Safe – has more than 1 million individual users worldwide as well as hundreds of business and enterprise clients.
SplashID was founded in the year 2000, and is based in Los Gatos, California.
How To Identify The Best Password Manager?
Before choosing a password manager, you may want to have a look at the criteria of before settling for any. Although some users may have mentioned how SplashID is one of the most limiting password managers for them, it still does not hinder you from having a look at the software objectively.
What Features Available Using Your Password Manager?
First and foremost, you will have to look at the features available and offered by the password manager software. A lot of times, there are password manager software that provides a lot of features where the average person do not really use or need.
It’s the same when some password manager softwares have so much features that a lot of it do not work. You can consider it an average or less than redundant password management software.
Check what the password manager software has to offer in its features first. And see if you really need all of them.
Does Your Password Manager Offers Easy Setup?
Setup (and ease of use) is where you will see if it is easy to set up the software on your devices. Some software’s setup is pretty easy and straightforward, no problem at all. While there are some where the setup are complicated and take a lot of your time and attention.
It does not just stop there. It goes into the user experience too. Sometimes, upon installing the software or app on your devices, you will find it difficult to use it. Which is odd and frustrating if you think about it, because you have already spent some time installing the app or software, but the preceding user experience is horrendously vexing.
In this case, you will need to do thorough research and read-up on what other users are saying about the software or app. Take it with a pinch of salt. Sometimes the 5 stars recommendation and reviews may not reflect what the app has to provide. It’s the same thing when the software receives less than savory feedbacks online, but works out pretty well actually.
Does Your Password Manager Offers Security Features?
What is a password management software when it does not help protect the password (and other personal data) you have stored in it? The primary job of a password management app or software is to protect your private data and password stored in it.
Having failed that, what’s the point of using the app then?
At the same time, occasionally there will be times where the software gets hacked or attacked by 3rd party hackers. It’s normal for cyber and tech software to get attacked sooner or later.
What is important that the software company turns it around to fix the issue later on. As long as your private data and information are not compromised, it should be fine. That and the fact that you have taken extra measures to make sure that your own information is in safe hands.
Does Your Password Manager Offers Customer Support?
You may want to check up on their customer support beforehand. There will be times where you will need to contact its support team when your software or app ran into some problems.
If there is no live help (live webchat, hotlines, etc.) check and see if they have a really good FAQ section. Or a forum where you can get help at the very least.
What Are Your Password Manager’s Subscription Plans and Pricing?
Of course, last but not least, the subcription plans and pricing available. More often than not, the free versions are more than sufficient for the average user. However, if you are a tech whiz with top-notch needs, then of course the paid or premium packages are something you should look into.
But then again, if you are an average user, you may not need the paid plans. The free and basic packages may have been enough for you.
SplashID Review in 2023 : Why Should You Choose It?
Now that we have covered the criteria and what you should look out for, here are what SplashID has to offer.
SplashID’s Features Available
At cursory glance, SplashID offers some basic features to its users. When we go through some of the features, we honestly have to say it is made for the regular joe or tech newbies. Here is a list of features what SplashID offers:
- 2 Factor Authentication (2FA)
- 256-bit AES Encryption
- Multi- Device Sync (paid)
- Backup and Recovery (paid)
- Mobile Apps Availability (Android and iOS)
- Password Generator (paid)
- Form Autofill
- FAQs
- 24/7 Support (on the forum)
While SplashID has a free plan, note that a lot of the features they have are only available on a paid plan. Its free plan does not provide for much, unfortunately, which loses out compared to a lot of other password manager software.
Key Safe of SplashID
SplashID has a licensed hardware device called a key safe. Most other password manager software we have seen do not posess something as such. It holds up to 4GB of information, and this USB stick holds your information offline for ultimate protection.
Plug it into a Windows or Mac device, the SplashID application will open up with all your data. Once you have removed it, none of the information will be stored on the device. This is a fee on top of the traditional software. However, there are bundle plans that include a year of the software with purchase of the hardware.
If you wish to refund the key safe, you can. It will still work, however, even with existing accounts if you choose to buy one later.
We are not sure if this is a good idea in all honesty. Think about how if you may lose this key safe, anyone is able to pick it up and open it on their desktops or laptops. You will most likely be better off without needing any of it.
Dashboard of using SplashID
The dashboard works more like a password strength detector than your typical dashboard. The software provides an overall record of your passwords. It will let you know which ones are weak, which ones are old and needs changing, and which ones are repeated.
You are able to list the affected categories based on their issues. You will, however, need to go in a manually change each password from there.
Other password managers like Dashlane and LastPass will sort your passwords by strength and can automate the changing process depending on the website. However, SpashID’s just informs you of the problem and you will have to go back and change it manually yourself.
Users mentioned how it is very basic. It will tell you on the amount of password records, what types they are, and then categorize your info is broken into, such as your business or personal logins.
It will also show you your last 5 data backups and provides a link to the backup page. That is something you can download, unlock or share the backed up information.
Information Sharing of SplashID
SplashID allows you to share any of your information with other users and non users with a click of a button. This is a pretty standard feature, it seems, as password managers like RoboFom is offering it as well.
All you have to do is to enter the email of the user you want to share with and a password for them to unlock it. I recommend that you choose the option where it says “send password in email”. That is an insecure way to share information. If someone you do not wish to read the email, reads it – they will have access to your data.
Once retrieved, the user simply keys in the password and a website details the shared information. But someone with SplashID cannot automatically integrate this data into their SplashID client.
That means the integration has to be done manually. Furthermore, those competitors will keep the password private – it’s a feature that SplashID does not support unfortunately. It’s also valid for 24 hours only.
Password Generator of SplashID
SplashID’s password generator works just fine. It offers the baseline features for a generator and nothing else. That being said, a generated password is still much more secure than one that is memorable.
You can choose the character length and even on the special characters you like. The software can generate up to 10 passwords for you to choose from.
However, you can generate any field in the software, not just passwords. That means you can accidentally overwrite something like a website URL or an insurance policy number if you mis-clicked.
It’s unlikely to happen though, but still possible. Fortunately the software will ask you to save the changes before you leave. So if you accidentally do something, it will probably not save.
Setup of SplashID
It is said that SplashID has a very easy setup and only takes several minutes. After you have installed it, you will log in with your master password or you can create a swipe pattern that works on both desktop and mobile. Unfortunately, the setup is said to be time consuming and more difficult than it necessary.
To get started, you can import features from a CSV file or through a previous SplashID account. That can be a bit tedious because that means you will need to manually key in all the details yourself.
It doesn’t even have a browser extension either, which can be quite inconvenient. At the same time, SplashID is only available in English language. So, if you are someone or knows someone who wishes to use it but don’t know English, they will find SplashID rather unfriendly towards them.
Security Features of SplashID
This password manager software offers 2 factor authentication (2FA) for new devices via an email or mobile phones. It cannot be enabled from the desktop or mobile application though. To switch it on, you will have to log into the SplashID web app and head to account settings to enable it.
If not, it will encrypt information from the industry standard 256-bit AES. According to the app’s support page, its security team performs regular scans to search for network vulnerabilities. It ensures that any information you have stored in their servers remain safe.
You will have the option of cloud backups or local device storage. Most users will tell you that local is the safer option. However, keep in mind that information won’t sync to other devices with that option checked.
On the down side, there is no family plan or emergency contact options like how some password manager softwares have offered. Let’s say if you lose your master password, then you are out of luck. Passwords are never seen by SplashID staffs. Multiple wrong logins will delete all local files off a device.
SplashID’s Customer Support
Unfortunately, SplashID’s customer support is rather limited. Without having to compare to any password manager software, paid subscribers will get priority support. Also, there is no phone number to contact.
It does, however, provide an email address for you to contact. However, clicking on the email takes you to a fillable form. The lack of contact option is quite frustrating for some users.
We also found out that there is a helpdesk full of useful articles and user questions. It works as a sort of forum, though not many people post here. It’s easy to use, as you can search through the posts or type in some keywords in the search bar.
If you wish to get your refund back, you will be attended to accordingly. Overall, a lot of users said that the customer support team replies in a timely manner. Which is not so bad if you think about it.
What are SplashID’s Subscription Plans and Pricing?
SplashID offers a free plan but with limited features. However, you can only install it on 1 device, so you may have to choose carefully. You can install it on your phone, your desktop or laptop, or your tablets. BUT once you have downloaded the app on that device, it will stay on it forever.
With the paid plan, you will get more features however.
The Final Verdict – Should You Get SplashID?
In conclusion, we can say that SplashID is one of the most limited password managers we have come across. With that being said, it is an average password manager software according to user reviews.
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SplashID Review – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is SplashID secure?
SplashID Safe provides pretty comprehensive privacy and security features to safeguard their user data. SplashID offers two factor authentication, using a multi-layer data security hashing, salting, and 256-bit encryption. Furthermore, SplashID Safe’s network is secured by a hardened server with monitoring on top-tier Rackspace infrastructure.
However, given that SplashID’s paid versions allow simultaneous connections to multiple devices – iOS, Android, Windows Phone, MacOS, Windows and Blackberry, you may run the risk your personal information to be stored in SplashID’s local storage. Bottom line is SplashID is secure but not bulletproof hence, I recommend that you purchase the hardware safe key as an extra layer of security.
How much does SpashID cost?
SplashID Pro is US$1.99/per month, or US$19.99/per year.
How do I use SplashID?
Login to any SplashID 8 client app – from iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, or Web. Then select the SplashID Backup tab on the side menu. To restore a backup, select the backup you would like to restore, based on the date and number of records it contains, then click Restore.
What is SplashID?
SplashID is the simplest Password management solution. All the information you need to access your accounts and sensitive information across the web in one secure location. Secure and managing passwords are easier than you think.
How do I sync my iPhone with SplashID?
Open the SplashID desktop. Choose the correct user from the user menu in the SplashID desktop to match the device name. Set the passwords the same on both the desktop and handled software. Adjust the sync settings in Options/Preferences. Then sync if you wish.
As a Master Degree graduate in the Internet Technology field, Stefan is highly dedicated towards improving the overall web security so internet users can browse freely without having to be afraid of technical loopholes. With over 15 years in the internet security industry, you should definitely take his advice seriously.