Top 15 Password Alternatives with Pros and Cons

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The increasing amount of data breaches and cyber-attack success against password-based authentication is the biggest reason to look for password alternatives. Also, the pain of considering passwords’ do’s and don’ts is so much so that it impacts user experience that bothers both users and businesses. Using no password authentication is the best fit to combat both security and experience concerns.

Let’s first dig into the frustrating do’s and don’t of passwords:

Password Do’s and Don’ts for Users

Don’t create common passwords or use common patterns in passwords
Don’t reuse passwords across accounts
Don’t use short passwords
Don’t write down passwords but remember them
Do create complex and lengthy passwords
Do store passwords in a secure location like password managers

Password Do’s and Don’ts for Businesses

Don’t let users use common or dictionary passwords
Don’t let users reuse their previous account passwords
Do set policies for users to create complex passwords
Do offer multi-factor authentication (MFA) to enhance the security of password-based authentication
Do ensure user convenience and security
Do educate users not to reuse their passwords across accounts
Do invest in securing access against common password attacks like credential stuffing
Do invest in hashing and encrypting the password data
Do manage the cost of passwords

Despite all the efforts that businesses put into educating users not to use common or dictionary passwords, a large number of user segments still end up creating weak and common passwords.

Top 15 Passwords Alternatives with Pros and Cons

There are many good alternatives to passwords that not only resolve security concerns but provide a great user experience too. The following is the list of 15 top password alternative authentication: