Is your browser's password manager good enough?
For the basics, yes: the managers built into Google and Apple are free, reasonably secure, and better than reusing passwords. A dedicated manager wins once you live outside one ecosystem: it works everywhere, shares more safely, and adds extras like breach scans and secure notes.
The built-in managers have improved enormously. Google Password Manager warns about leaked passwords, and Apple Passwords has been a full standalone app since iOS 18, with passkeys and 2FA codes. If you live entirely inside one ecosystem and only need the basics, there is nothing wrong with them.
You feel the limits at the edges. Apple Passwords does not work on Android; Google's manager is clumsy outside Chrome and Android. Switch platforms, use multiple browsers, or share passwords with a partner or family, and you hit walls. The specialists also bring the extras: encrypted notes, secure file storage, email aliases, and proper vault health reports.
Switching is low-friction too: Bitwarden and Proton Pass are free and import your browser passwords in minutes. Our line: built-in is fine to start; a dedicated manager is the upgrade once your digital life is bigger than one ecosystem.