Unmaintained Dashlane discontinuing the Free plan for existing and new users

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Over the last several years, Dashlane has been innovating to deliver even greater value and comprehensive security to you and the millions of other customers who rely on us to secure their digital future.

As part of our continued investment in security, we're streamlining our personal plans by discontinuing the Free plan for existing and new users. We're focusing on developing advanced security features to defend your data from evolving threats, such as phishing scams, credential abuse, and breaches.

On September 16, 2025, the Dashlane Free plan will be discontinued and no longer available. If you're already on a paid personal or business plan, nothing is changing for you.

For existing Free plan users, you get a complimentary trial of select Dashlane Premium features before the Free plan ends. After the trial period, you can upgrade to a Premium or Friends & Family plan or export your passwords before September 16, 2026.

We're committed to supporting all users through this transition. We'll send helpful reminders and have easy-to-follow instructions to guide you before and after your Free plan ends.

https://support.dashlane.com/hc/en-us/articles/28150025262098-FAQ-about-the-Dashlane-Free-plan-discontinuation

 

[Marko :)]

See guys? This is what I'm talking about. When a service starts it will offer you a lot of features for free. As they get new customers and years go by, with each update same services start limiting free plan more and more. Once they gather enough users to keep them afloat, free plan is suddenly, without any prior announcement, no more.

Any company that does this immediately goes on my blacklist and I'm never buying anything from it. Yes, it's in their right to do so and they aren't obliged to offer anything for free. But it's just wrong and immoral to defraud users like that. Especially when they brag how premium users make free plan possible.

 

[Wrecker4923]

Meanwhile, Bitwarden and Proton: free "forever." Support "F"OSS. People also make free tools for them; witness Vaultwarden.

 

[n8chavez]

See guys? This is what I'm talking about. When a service starts it will offer you a lot of features for free. As they get new customers and years go by, with each update same services start limiting free plan more and more. Once they gather enough users to keep them afloat, free plan is suddenly, without any prior announcement, no more.

Any company that does this immediately goes on my blacklist and I'm never buying anything from it. Yes, it's in their right to do so and they aren't obliged to offer anything for free. But it's just wrong and immoral to defraud users like that. Especially when they brag how premium users make free plan possible.

So, there's a couple things wrong with what you're saying. 1. They are not terminating their free plan "suddenly, without any prior announcement, no more." Free users have over a month to find an alternative. This was not done spur-of-the-moment or without warning. 2. If a company doesn't give things away for free you'll put them on your "blacklist" and never buy anything from them, right? I mean, it sounds like enough people were leeching and not buying from them in the first place. Your answer to that problem is to not buy from them? That sounds illogical. It's not "just wrong and immoral" to want to be able to stay in business.

 

[Marko :)]

So, there's a couple things wrong with what you're saying. 1. They are not terminating their free plan "suddenly, without any prior announcement, no more." Free users have over a month to find an alternative. This was not done spur-of-the-moment or without warning.

I'm not talking about the grace period they give users to export data. They have to offer it otherwise lawsuits will keep coming. Just like they suddenly can't the delete data of free users, they can't suddenly lock them out too.

I'm talking about extended period. Fair and correct companies announce discontinuing their free plan up to a year before they kill it. A month doesn't give enough time for user to decide what they want to do, especially when announcement was done during summer when their users are on vacation. Not to mention they automatically upgraded all of their free users to "free trial of Dashlane Premium" without asking them if they want to try it or not.

My ISP used the same trick to fool people into staying with them few years ago, when they announced price hike and gave users a month grace period to cancel their contracts. In the middle of the summer. When people are away from home.

2. If a company doesn't give things away for free you'll put them on your "blacklist" and never buy anything from them, right? I mean, it sounds like enough people were leeching and not buying from them in the first place. Your answer to that problem is to not buy from them? That sounds illogical. It's not "just wrong and immoral" to want to be able to stay in business.

Absolutely not! Companies that never gave anything for free and were always offering paid products aren't on my blacklist.

It's just companies that offered a lot for free, then gradually took away more and more features for free users until they ultimately stopped offering free plan altogether. These are the types of companies/services that go on my blacklist.

Your answer to that problem is to not buy from them? That sounds illogical. It's not "just wrong and immoral" to want to be able to stay in business.

What makes you think free users will suddenly start paying? There's a reason why users used the free plan. Because they either a) don't want to pay or b) free plan was enough for them.

Why should I start paying for things that I actually don't need? If they aren't able to keep the free plan, they shouldn't have started offering it in the first place.

Meanwhile, Bitwarden and Proton: free "forever." Support "F"OSS. People also make free tools for them; witness Vaultwarden.

Proton uses exactly the same tactic. Their free plans were very generous, until they started to take away more and more features with each update. They are also on my blacklist.

 

[Wrecker4923]

Proton uses exactly the same tactic. Their free plans were very generous, until they started to take away more and more features with each update. They are also on my blacklist.

I haven't used Proton pass yet, but this is the first time I heard about "their free plans were very generous, until they started to take away more and more features with each update." Can you provide a sample list of originally free features that were later taken away?

 

[piquiteco]

@Marko :) He's quite a powerful member, everything he says comes true. Whether he's a psychic or it's just coincidence, I don't know, but sometimes I'm even afraid to talk to him lol. Take care, my friend! I'm going to get some rest. Good night!

 

[Parkinsond]

What makes you think free users will suddenly start paying?

Actually they will start pirating

 

[Marko :)]

I haven't used Proton pass yet, but this is the first time I heard about "their free plans were very generous, until they started to take away more and more features with each update." Can you provide a sample list of originally free features that were later taken away?

I can mention Proton VPN as an example because I used the service and still use it although very rarely.

Over the years, free plan of Proton VPN lost:

1. access to Secure Core servers
2. streaming and torrenting support
3. NetShield ad blocker and malware protection
4. ability to choose server/country
5. unlimited speed during peak times

I can't say for Proton Mail as I didn't use the service, but I can see in the list of features they were offering 20 labels when launched, soon to be dropped to 3. The rest of the services are fairly new so they didn't implement any additional restrictions yet.

@Marko :) He's quite a powerful member, everything he says comes true. Whether he's a psychic or it's just coincidence, I don't know, but sometimes I'm even afraid to talk to him lol. Take care, my friend! I'm going to get some rest. Good night!

Oh, I'm not psychic just long enough in tech world and on the internet to know how things work around here. And please don't be scared, I don't bite.

Look I even have milk and cookies for y'all...


┬──────────┬

Actually they will start pirating

Technically, you can't pirate online service. You can move to another free service though. In any case, they lost users for sure.

 

[Parkinsond]

Technically, you can't pirate online service. You can move to another free service though. In any case, they lost users for sure

No, I mean programs; I trumble frequently on activators of K and ESET and preactivated corporate versions of both; deprecation of free version may encourage some to try the activator which could provide you with a version with more features.

 

[Marko :)]

No, I mean programs; I trumble frequently on activators of K and ESET and preactivated corporate versions of both; deprecation of free version may encourage some to try the activator which could provide you with a version with more features.

Eh, it's 50/50. Some people with knowledge will pirate no doubt, others will probably just switch to another service. I used pirated software before and while I could trust some, most of them I definitely wouldn't trust. Especially if they require internet connection to work.

In the end I found my in free and open source software. Most of them are even better and offer more functionality than their commercial counterpart.

 

[n8chavez]

It just amazes me that people think they are entitled to full-featured products for free indefinitely. I wonder why that is? Nothing is free. There is a cost to everything, and someone is always paying that cost.

 

[Marko :)]

It just amazes me that people think they are entitled to full-featured products for free indefinitely. I wonder why that is? Nothing is free. There is a cost to everything, and someone is always paying that cost.

Full-featured product? WTF?! Dashlane's free plan literally limited you to 25 passwords and access from only 1 device.

The only reason why companies offer free plan is so everyone could use their service and with hope they will upgrade to better plan. It's a way for you as a user to get familiar with the service without pressing. And no, they aren't losing any money on free plan. The only thing they will lose though is potential customers if they don't have a free plan.

Even though I struggle to see why would anyone use Dashlane's free plan and these ridiculous limits.

 

[n8chavez]

I was referring to your ProtonVPN post, but you go ahead being needlessly entitled. You do you.

 

[Marko :)]

Okay. Can you please specify where did I say I expect "full-featured" product for free?

Proton VPN was limited from start and it was what I expected. I'm fine with product being limited for free users. I'm not fine with randomly taking features away, especially basic ones.
I mean, I don't care about port forwarding, torrenting, or streaming. I don't even care about their NetShield or Secure Core servers. Heck, I don't expect split tunneling feature.
But I do expect at least option to choose a country or server.

Wait until they start moving features from plans to more expensive plans, just how streaming services do on monthly basis.

 

[Sorrento]

No such thing as a free lunch, if you are using a service that is free & there are pay for options don't get upset if it ends - Most open source still need servers etc & they often end if no one contributes? For streaming, it the plan from the beginning to limit how many users & places it can be used, such as Netflix - Recently for Disney+ only after children are hooked watching it at grandparents etc then limits come on, you can see it coming a mile off, but no child had yet been injured not watching streaming TV though.

Edit: I had to look Dashlane up, never heard of them in my cave

 

[Marko :)]

No such thing as a free lunch, if you are using a service that is free & there are pay for options don't get upset if it ends - Most open source still need servers etc & they often end if no one contributes?

Of course there isn't free lunch. I don't expect company to offer anything for free. But when it does, I expect it not to take away features gradually with each update. If you're gonna do that, I'd prefer you didn't offer free plan from the beginning at all. Or tell me upfront, "this feature is here only for short period of time" so I don't waste the time with the service.

It's just scummy business practice, nothing else. You're showing your paid customers that if you're taking away features from free plan, sooner or later they'll start moving features from less priced plan to more priced plan. That's all.

 

[Parkinsond]

No such thing as a free lunch, if you are using a service that is free & there are pay for options don't get upset if it ends - Most open source still need servers etc & they often end if no one contributes?

Indeed I'll get upset if someone stopped serving me lunch

 

[Sorrento]

Of course there isn't free lunch. I don't expect company to offer anything for free. But when it does, I expect it not to take away features gradually with each update. If you're gonna do that, I'd prefer you didn't offer free plan from the beginning at all. Or tell me upfront, "this feature is here only for short period of time" so I don't waste the time with the service.

It's just scummy business practice, nothing else. You're showing your paid customers that if you're taking away features from free plan, sooner or later they'll start moving features from less priced plan to more priced plan. That's all.

As you have already worked that out I assume you no longer use any free services that have limits or pay options? Maybe, some don't mind, as for me I'm happy to thrown money down the drain to pay for what I feel are decent software's, of course I may change my mind & move on but that surely is capitalism? So soon I imagine 'your list' will be ineffective?

 

[n8chavez]

Of course there isn't free lunch. I don't expect company to offer anything for free. But when it does, I expect it not to take away features gradually with each update. If you're gonna do that, I'd prefer you didn't offer free plan from the beginning at all. Or tell me upfront, "this feature is here only for short period of time" so I don't waste the time with the service.

It's just scummy business practice, nothing else. You're showing your paid customers that if you're taking away features from free plan, sooner or later they'll start moving features from less priced plan to more priced plan. That's all.

No. The point is to entice free users to migrate to the pay versions because they like the product. Every single time, with every company, that's always the plan. Why would a company always offer an indefinite free version? That makes no sense. The first taste is always free, then you gotta pay.