14 DAY TRIAL // With more and more online services emerging every day, the value of a good password manager has increased drastically. It’s impossible to recall all the credentials unless they are all the same or you are someone with extraordinary memorization skills.
Even if you can log into various services using Facebook or Google authentication, there are still plenty that require specific credentials (e-banking, antivirus services, email services, etc.) and this is where utilities such as Sticky Password come into play.
The application has been recently updated to version 7, which is available in two editions: one with synchronization support across various devices and one that works only locally.
Apart from sync capability making the difference between the two, license prices are also different. The online sync edition is $19.99 / €16 for one year of usage on all supported devices (Windows, Android and iOS), while with the offline version you have to shell out $29.99 / €22 for a lifetime license.
Installing the product is far from being a tough job because it takes you through standard screens. At the end of the procedure, though, you are prompted to enable the online synchronization feature in order to have the same database on all devices on which you plan to use the application.
At the moment, the developer offers the online sync edition with a discount, at $12 / €9.95. This is also the version we used for the evaluation.
An account is required for My Sticky Portal, a web console that provides access to the list of trusted devices currently using Sticky Password, and to access the settings for how the authorization should be carried out: indiscriminately for any device, OTP-based (one-time PIN), or restricting any new device.
Additional options in the online console include restoring a version of the database if synchronization fails multiple times, deleting all the data in the cloud, or even the account.
Just like other programs of the same feather, Sticky Password requires a master password to secure the local database. It is of paramount importance not to lose it, because without it all the data becomes completely unavailable.
Security measures impose that the database be encrypted locally, using the AES-256 algorithm. The unlocking key is derived from the master password using PBKDF2 (password-based key derivation function), which further processes the input by applying cryptographic salt in thousands of cycles.
All this, coupled with the fact that the master password is not actually stored anywhere and that the database travels encrypted to the cloud servers, makes it impossible even for the developer to gain access to your information.
Sticky Password works with all major web browsers (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome) and even with some of the less popular ones. It installs an extension that can detect the credential fields on web pages and, if the link matches an entry in the database, it offers the possibility to fill it automatically.
It can store not just authentication credentials (for both web accounts as well as applications), but also bookmarks, personal details that can be automatically filled online, as well as all sorts of information that should be secured (credit card details, software licenses, etc.).
The interface has been completely redesigned to increase usability and overall user experience with the application. At the top of the window there is a search bar that shows results as you type, while on the left-hand side run down the menus.
Adding new information to the database can be done in three ways: type it in manually, import the details from a different password manager, or the application can offer to save the credentials the first time you log into an account.
Out of these three methods, importing proved to be the quirkiest during our tests. Sticky Password managed to integrate most of the credentials from LastPass and KeePass, although the initial report showed a low success rate.
From LastPass, the application imported a total of 179 web accounts, but the total number was somewhere over 210.
In KeePass we had 219 different entries, which were exported to CSV and XML databases. Out of these, Sticky Password could add to the web accounts section only 30 and 36 entries, respectively. However, a larger amount of credentials was assimilated, but it was stored under the Secure Memos section.
Moving the entries from one section to another is not a difficult task; but depending on the amount of data to be processed it could be time consuming, especially since only the username and password are saved, without the login link.
Unlike CSV, importing from XML showed more errors but it proved to be a better choice as far as grouping of the items is concerned, because it also maintained the folder structure we had in KeePass.
Sticky Password offers a comfortable way not just to store and fill in the credentials, but also to create them from scratch. Due to the built-in password generator, you no longer have to worry about the countersign.
A progress bar shows exactly how strong the password is, and you can enable the use of special characters to make it more difficult to crack.
Additionally, for a customized experience, you can set a default browser to launch the account, and even define the login form manually if it is not detected by the application automatically.
Synchronization of the database is done frequently and the process is not completed in the background, which puts accessing the information on hold. Fortunately, it is carried out quite fast. Alternatively, you can disable synchronization and turn it on only when necessary.
We also tested the Android app, which is a lighter version of the desktop program, featuring only the most necessary options.
It works offline, but if you are connected to the Internet, synchronization is initiated automatically at launch by default. To save data costs there is the possibility to enable this functionality only when connected to Wi-Fi.
The app provides access to all the sections present in its desktop counterpart, the possibility to import a database, PIN protection, change the master password, or to disable group view for the items.
An account can be launched from Sticky Password for Android in the Sticky Browser, an alternative featuring a special button on the top right side of the screen that can be used for filling in the credentials.
The Good
Online synchronization works across multiple devices (Windows, Android and iOS) and can occur automatically or whenever the user so desires. All information is encrypted locally and transmitted securely into the cloud.
You can create a portable version out of it in order to carry the application on removable devices. The built-in password generator can create strong countersigns, and the virtual keyboard lowers the risk of input details being captured by spyware.
The Bad
Sometimes, the login forms are not detected accurately and further tweaking needs to be done. Also, on some pages with both the signup and login forms available, credentials are inserted in both of them.
The Truth
However, the glitches with parsing and importing the database from other password managers may keep users away from it, as additional steps need to be taken in order to have everything organized properly.
NOTE: We have a total of 50 licenses to give away for Sticky Password 7. Half of them are for the sync-capable release and the other half for the desktop edition.
In order to win one of them, you are expected to come up with a smart post in English, positive or negative, about the application in the comments section below. The best 25 comments receive a key (valid for one year) for the sync-capable edition.
The campaign ends on Friday, November 22. Winners will be notified by the end of the week; needless to say that we need valid email addresses in order to contact you.
Winners:
