First, I like the way the Password Manager dialog box pops up (after logging in to the vault) and asks if you want to save the login info, when creating a new account login. I trust Norton security for the most part ( with 98% feeling of safety). I like the convenience of having the passwords / account logins securely stored in a central place. Also, the autofill feature is so easy and convenient when going to a login website and having the info right there for autofill if the vault has a record for the site. The option is there on the site login page to see or not see the PW with an eyeball symbol or eyeball with line drawn thru it. It is nice to have the vault access ( icon) on the MS Edge header bar. Passwords and account logins are easy to copy, paste, autofill or edit/ update from the vault. I find the vault opening from my laptop is inconsistent however. It appears I receive a vault opening login request for my mobile phone almost immediately which works fine. But I have to prompt the laptop vault login again to send an opening request to my phone for my laptop; the message states the manager didn’t receive a reply to the first request. When I select RESEND, it sends it on my phone and I select APPROVE, , but it still doesn’t register on my laptop vault. So I end up keying the laptop vault password manually. This whole process takes time!!! I don’t know why opening the phone vault won’t open the laptop vault more easily. So I’ve decided to just open laptop manually.

I really like the Norton Password Vault. Not only can you store passwords, but also addresses and it has a wallet section for your cards, online banking and apps such as cash app and Venmo. You can make notes and generate strong passwords that are automatically saved and add another layer of protection by clicking the toggle switch that activates the need for the vault password to access a certain app or profile password. You can also select sign me in automatically for each individual website, which is super convenient. The password manager section on your safety dashboard tells you how strong your passwords are or how many times you’ve duplicated that password, how long ago you changed the password for each site. It has an option to auto change it right there. You get an overall score on your ability to create strong, safe passwords. When you generate a password, you can edit it, and make it longer or smaller and it tells you the odds of someone being able to figure out your password. My only complaint would be, you know cause we have to have at least one complaint lol I noticed it doesn’t always update the password if you have to change it, so I get stuck because it tries to enter and old password. There may be a way to fix this that I’m not seeing but that would be the only thing I dislike.

I don’t like being held captive by a product that has all of my personal data locked up. It is a little like paying for protection to a mobster. Only a little. And I don’t like the constant upselling. Norton, like most other products of this kind, tend to offer less expensive alternatives of their service, then once they have you as a customer, bombard you with horrific scares designed to upsell more product. I wonder if any Norton employee ever feels the slightest shame for creating a product, which, once sold, they immediately begin telling us is not sufficient to fulfill the implied promise of protection they made. So why did I give this product a rating of four? Well, for one because salesmen have been pulling versions of this ploy for millennia. It is irritating but hardly news anymore. Just know this: find an online good buying guide and do your research. And DO NOT expect the best protection for the lowest price. Decide what services you need and budget for those services. Then expect an inbox full of scare tactics from Norton. Don’t let them wreck your peace of mind because well researched purchases will give you a hedge against button pushing sales tactics. Another reason the product/s get a 4 rating from me is that they have been reliable, include reasonable strategies for recovering your data if you lock yourself out, and have reasonably good customer service- not stellar, but slightly above average. In other words no serious flaws that I can detect (I’m not a professional IT person, so take that last with a grain of salt).

I’ve had Norton for about 8 or 9 years. It has worked well except for one recent day when it just wouldn’t come up (the only time) and one major problem years ago (I let the tech person into my computer and he wiped out all my passwords and they couldn’t get them back; never again!). I have to say, I don’t understand why Norton isn’t straightforward about offering a full package including all virus prevention available. I thought I bought everything and then find out later they are offering a different anti-virus package, and not cheap. They charge plenty and that should include everything. I also don’t appreciate that passwords won’t automatically load unless I use Norton’s search engine. I am now duplicating passwords on the “keyword” app on my devices, which are mostly what I use. Lastly, Norton Password takes way too long to load when I’m trying to get a password. I sigh a lot when I go to put in my Norton passcode because I know I’ll have to look awhile at the picture of that poor guy who shows up each time at the wait screen. He must be very tired of showing up to wait withme! Norton, if you want to keep most of your customers, you need to upgrade a few things, and not at their cost.