RememBear Reviews

At first glance RememBear’s desktop app bears (pun intended) a striking resemblance to a password manager that we have already tested. However, that’s not such a bad thing; quite the contrary, in fact, since the overall use of the program is simple and straightforward.

This is further aided by displaying the tabs of only the most necessary features, including credential types, achievements – which is a comprehensive list of features activated – and trash. Being able to find credentials that have been discarded from the vault is undoubtedly useful, but irritatingly the trash has to be emptied manually and, to make things all the more frustrating, they must each be deleted one by one.

Handling credentials is simpler, though, even if the program only allows the storage of website logins, secure notes, and credit card data. Yet once those credentials are added – and synced across devices – RememBear immediately categorizes them according to their respective type, also arranging them into alphabetical order. Additionally, the app sports a convenient search bar, with which looking for specific data to use or edit is reduced to mere seconds – a tool that is especially useful when using the ‘All Items’ tab to display everything within RememBear’s vault.

One of the more impressive features of the software is how easy it is to edit those stored credentials. Once the required item is selected, it only takes a few clicks to modify anything, while passwords can be edited so manually or have new ones generated automatically with RememBear’s in-built password generator – which has many settings to help generate truly unique passwords. And regardless of how the software takes in those passwords, they are always evaluated first to highlight which credentials might need updating.

But what about other popular features for password managers, important additions like emergency access, secure credential sharing, and such? Well, those should be forgotten: aside from a few additional options like a prompt to save passwords, the option for automatic login, and certain security features, RememBear only provides the features already discussed above.

With that said, there are smaller extras worth mentioning: firstly, the desktop app locks itself automatically if the user is inactive for a given amount of time, thus preventing unwanted access to the RememBear vault. And secondly, only authenticated devices may connect to the same vault via the desktop app.

Despite providing extensions for just three web browsers – Google Chrome, Firefox (Quantum), and Safari – RememBear users are in good paws. The reason for that is that the add-on is essentially a miniaturized version of the desktop app with everything that its big brother offers. It includes the same tabs of credentials, the password generator – which, in fact, is displayed here more suitably than in the software – and the search bar. Additionally, all saved data appears the same here as it does in the desktop program, but, as is the case with such add-ons, editing is restricted here.

The iOS and Android apps, on the other hand, don’t offer too many specialties compared to RememBear’s desktop version. The only exceptions from this rule are PIN code access and the in-built secure web browser features. The former replaces the master password with a PIN code and, disappointingly, the PIN code only works with the app itself and it doesn’t function as part of a two-factor authenticator. The browser, however, is basically a Google Chrome clone with the added benefit of auto-filling passwords that are already saved to RememBear’s vault.

RememBear underperforms a bit when it comes to its installation. Don’t get us wrong, the program works fine once everything is up and running, but the time spent between downloading the program to first opening the new vault was way longer than expected.I n addition to that, RememBear is only capable of automatically importing stored credentials from Google Chrome, albeit it can do so before the add-on is even installed. Sadly, the import process is a bit of a mess, too, as the app imports virtually everything that might even slightly resemble a password. However, this fuss can be avoided by deselecting these ‘non-passwords’ before allowing RememBear to proceed with importing credentials from a competing password manager – even though the only programs that are supported by RememBear are 1Password and LastPass.

Besides these grumbles, the setup process works like a charm. As a matter of fact, the installation showcases just how seriously the company treats the security of its users. Not only does RememBear analyze and evaluate the master password on the spot, but it also generates a so-called backup kit containing the device key, the email address and a box for the master password – which is not added for security reasons. This backup kit is the only way to verify new devices, which is especially handy if the QR code authentication on mobile devices doesn’t work for some reason – as happened to us.

Due to being the sister product to TunnelBear, it should be obvious that RememBear will receive the same care regarding overall security as the company’s VPN client. The fact that all its data is encrypted locally with military-grade AES-256 encryption before entering RememBear’s cloud storage is not surprising at all, and neither is the fact that all passwords are evaluated. What’s surprising, however, is that the iOS app of RememBear can be unlocked with Touch ID and Face ID. This reinforcement definitely elevates the overall security of RememBear vaults, which is why it’s such a shame that a similar feature isn’t available for either the Android app or any of the desktop versions.

Still, there is one thing that all RememBear versions have by default – and that’s third-party auditing by an independent security agency. Although it might not seem important at first, this is the main reason why the company can be trusted so quickly. Because that agency has confirmed that RememBear can withstand any kind of attack, it’s safe to say that your data won’t be stolen any time soon.

The pricing policy of RememBear is as simple as a pricing policy could get. Basically, users have two choices. The first option is to use RememBear for free without any important features being limited – and that includes the highly encrypted vault, the option to store various credentials, the importing of passwords, and the browser add-ons. However, the free version lacks two features that make using RememBear on multiple devices at the same time impossible: cloud syncing and the automated backup of your data. To unblock these features – and, as an addition, receive priority customer support – upgrading to RememBear Premium for $36 a year ($3 per month) is a must.

Sadly, this makes RememBear one of the priciest password managers out there, which is a bit questionable seeing that it doesn’t provide that much in extras when compared to similar products. And the fact that there is no way to try the software’s unlimited version for a certain period of time or to switch to a longer subscription plan doesn’t help either.

The staff is always happy to receive feedback about everything concerning the overall usability of RememBear or any matter that might result in a better product. But don’t expect miracles from the live customer service, since it usually takes between a few days for the staff to get back to you, regardless of whether the feedback or question is sent via an email inquiry or the company’s social media pages.

For this reason it’s highly recommended to turn to RememBear’s detailed FAQ, where the most common questions regarding the software are already answered. Additionally, the company maintains a blog that, despite being pretty void of content for the time being, is the best way to learn trivia about the product, such as the nature of the third-party audit that tested the software.