First look at Spideroak’s password manager Encryptr

Password managers serve many purposes: from securely storing important data such as account passwords to password generation and usability features such as automatically entering login information on websites.

But similarities end there. Some password managers run locally as programs, others are integrated into browsers and other programs, and a third-kind uses the cloud to sync the data across devices.

There is no perfect password manager that fits the bill for all users. My favorite, KeePass is an excellent program, but if you require cloud syncing you are out of luck as it does not support the feature. While I don't want my data to be stored in the cloud, other users may want that feature.

LastPass, another popular program supports that and more, but some users may not want data saved in the cloud.

Encryptr is a new password manager by Spideroak that does not reinvent the wheel. If you visit the main project page you will notice that device support is quite good for a new product. You get versions for Android, Windows, Linux and Mac OS X currently with an iOS version on its way as well. It is also open source, the client that is.

Basically, what it does, is encrypt and decrypt data locally so that it can only be accessed by authorized users. The encrypted data is stored in the cloud and synchronized between all devices the user installs the application on.

Encryptr Setup and usage

This is the setup of the Windows version. Other versions should have a similar setup procedure.

After you have installed the program on your Windows machine and started it up, you are asked to log in or create an account. The account is created locally and all you need to enter to create it is a username and passphrase.

It is synced to the server however so that it can be used on different devices. While that is comfortable, it means that anyone with knowledge of the username and passphrase can access your data. Choose a very secure password because of that reason.

Once you have created the account and signed in, you get to the account list. Here you find all entries that you have created in the past using the application.

You can create new entries easily with a click on the plus icon in the upper right corner. The program supports three different types currently: credit card, general and password.

• Credit Card: Enter a label, type, name on card, card number cvv, expiry date and notes.
• General: Enter a label, text and notes.
• Password: Enter label, username, password, site url and notes.

The label is shown on the frontpage along with the data type.

You can access any entry with a click on it, and copy any information by pressing and holding the left mouse button for a short while on a field.

And that is about it. It is simple and easy to use, but because of that, lacks features that some users require. For instance, there is no real password generator included. While a random password is displayed in the password field when you create a new entry, there is no option to change the password's strength at all.

There is also no search which makes the program unusable for users who work with dozens or even hundreds of accounts.

Verdict

Encryptr is a basic password manager that supports cloud synchronization and is open source. That's all there is to say about it right now. If you compare it to established password managers it is not fairing too well in that comparison. While it may be a bit too harsh to compare a relatively new product to established programs that have had years to grow, it makes sense to do so from a user perspective.