ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Dashlane is discontinuing its free plan, efficient Sept. 16.
- Present Dashlane Free subscribers get 50% off a one-year paid plan.
- Subscribers who do not wish to pay have one 12 months to export their information.
Dashlane, one of many world’s hottest password administration options, is about to get much more costly for an enormous chunk of its customers. In an e mail to clients, the corporate stated it is discontinuing its Dashlane Free plan. Present customers of that plan have till September 16 — roughly six weeks from the date the shutdown was introduced — to enroll in a paid private plan or export their information and transfer to another solution.
The corporate has printed a FAQ about the discontinuation.
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It is one other transfer in what Dashlane calls a “streamlining” of its private choices, as the corporate shifts its focus to superior safety choices for enterprise clients. The change comes on the heels of an earlier choice to finish month-to-month billing choices and promote solely annual Dashlane subscriptions.
It is unclear how many individuals shall be affected by this choice. Dashlane’s free plan comes with vital limitations — it permits use on just one system at a time, and customers are restricted to a most of 25 saved credentials. It is not an influence person’s choice, however it works for undemanding customers who aren’t notably energetic on-line. Many of the complaints on the Dashlane Subreddit are from customers grumbling at what they see as consumer-unfriendly strikes, together with value will increase and what they describe as declining buyer assist.
The restrictions are just like these supplied in free plans from industrial rivals. LastPass Free restricts use to 1 sort of system (pc or cell, however not each), however has no limits on the variety of saved credentials. The free NordPass plan additionally permits a vast variety of saved passwords, however requires customers to log off on one system earlier than opening the app on one other system. Keeper Free is much more restrictive, permitting customers to avoid wasting as much as 10 passwords on a single cell system.
Bitwarden stands to realize most within the transition, providing a “free forever” product that has many of the options of its paid rivals. A premium improve for shoppers prices solely $10 a year.
What occurs to Dashlane Free plans?
All present subscribers with a free plan have been upgraded to a trial of the Premium plan, with a suggestion to avoid wasting 50% on a subscription to Dashlane Premium (usually $60 a 12 months) or Friends & Family (usually $90 a 12 months). That supply is sweet till August 12, and the tremendous print makes clear the low cost is legitimate for one 12 months solely, with renewals on the common value.
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After August 16, subscribers who selected to not improve shall be unable to edit or view saved information, however they’re going to be capable of export the contents of that vault for one 12 months. As of September 12, 2026, these inactive vaults shall be completely deleted.
How one can transfer your information
In the event you’re not inquisitive about upgrading to a paid Dashlane plan, you will must export your passwords to a comma-separated values (CSV) file after which import them into whichever password supervisor you choose as a substitute.
Within the Dashlane net app on a PC or Mac, go to My Account, click on Settings, after which click on Export Information > Export to CSV. You may must unlock the vault together with your grasp password or biometrics, after which the CSV file is saved to your default downloads location. Be aware that the file containing the exported credentials doesn’t embody passkeys, and you should export any saved attachments individually.
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The procedures for exporting passwords on a cell system comply with the identical steps however begin from the Dashlane app quite than an online browser.
Be aware that the ensuing CSV file is a plain textual content file and isn’t encrypted. Anybody who has entry to that file can learn and replica its contents, so safeguard it fastidiously and delete it after you have imported its contents into your new password supervisor.
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