Web User - UK (2020-02-05)

Two-factor authentication apps

Discuss 2FA apps at http://www.facebook.com/webusermagazine 5 - 18 February 2020 47

What we
liked:
Not
everyone
wants to
hand over
eirsecuity
datatomega-
companiessuchas Cisco,
Microsoft and Google,
particularly as there’s
no telling how that
information could be used
in the future. If you don’t
trust the big guns, you’ll
be delighted with FreeOTP,
which is a free, open-source alternative.
It works in much the same way as Duo

• tap the QR code icon to add a new
  service to the app, or tap the key icon to
  add it manually. It’s not as slick in its
  presentation but it does the job. Security
  codes are hidden behind dashes by
  default – you just tap the service you’re
  using to reveal the code below.
  The best thing about FreeOTP is its
  privacy policy. Although it needs to
  access your camera for codes and the

What we
liked:
There isn’t
much
difference
between
icrosoft
Authenticator and
Google Authenticator –
both apps are perfectly
functional and your
preference will come down
to which company’s
services you use the most:
if you’re a Gmail user, opt
for Google’s; if you use Microsoft’s
online tools, use this one.
That said, Microsoft Authenticator
works a little harder in its presentation,
with icons next to the lists of account
names and numbers, which Google
doesn’t bother with. The Microsoft app
also lets you choose whether to display
the security numbers at all times or hide
them away, so you can see a longer list
of services.
The huge benefit that both Google
and Microsoft have over the other
authenticators is that they use push

notifications to let you

accept logins to their own

services. If you use these

accounts to register for

other tools, too, you could

save yourself a lot of time.

How it can be improved:

Microsoft has put a little

more design into its app

than Google but there’s

plenty that vexed us.

We particularly disliked

the fact that it takes

two taps to collapse or

expand each account to show or hide

the security code. That’s definitely

one tap too many.

like, it claims not to

collect any data.

How it can be improved:

Most phone screens will

only fit a handful of

services on the FreeOTP

home screen before you

have to scroll down to find

the ones at the bottom,

and there’s no way to

rearrange them (new

services are added to the

top). All our services

looked the same, too,

using the same 3D box

icon (not as shown in our screenshot).

OUR VERDICT

FreeOTP doesn’t have the pizazz of

our Gold Award winner but, like

most open-source alternatives, it

does the job with a minimum of

fuss. Most importantly, you aren’t

sharing any data with the

organisation behind the software.

OUR VERDICT

Which websites do you spend most

time on? If the answer is Microsoft’s,

then it makes sense to use it’s

own-brand Authenticator. However,

it falls well short of Duo in its design

and doesn’t respect your privacy as

much as FreeOTP.

GoogleAuthenticator

bit.ly/googauth494

As we mentioned

in the Microsoft

Authenticator

review, Google

Authenticator’s

advantage is the

ease with which it

logs you into

Google accounts.

If you use Google

as a catch-all

login for other

services, its

Authenticator app is going to

save you a lot of time. It’s just a

shame that the app has had so

little effort put into its presentation.

On looks and usability, Microsoft’s

app is better.

Authy

bit.ly/autand494

bit.ly/autapp494

Authy locks itself

to your phone and

you need to enter

a phone number

to get it working.

If you’re prone to

changing phone

numbers every

time you get a

new phone, that

may not be ideal,

but if you’ve had

the same number

for most of your life, it’s a sensible

option. The app works well and has

an optional ‘grid’ layout that’s a bit

different to the usual list format, but

we still prefer Duo Mobile.

LastPass Authenticator

lastpass.com/auth

If you already use

LastPass to

manage your

passwords, then

letting it control

your 2FA is a a

no-brainer. The

app does a good

job of controlling

accounts and

issuing passcodes,

but it doesn’t

rival Duo on

presentation.

However, if you’re not already tied

into LastPass, you’re unlikely to be

won over by this app.

BEST OF THE REST

W

th

W

M

FreeOTP| freeotp.github.io| +++++++++

FEATURES+++++++++ PERFORMANCE++++++++++EASE OF USE++++++++++

MicrosoftAuthenticator | bit.ly/msauth494 | +++++++++

FEATURES+++++++++ PERFORMANCE+++++++++EASE OF USE+++++++++