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Technology · head to head

Dashlane vs Thought Machine

Dashlane logo

Dashlane

Technology

Password management made easy for businesses

From
$4.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Thought Machine logo

Thought Machine

Technology

Cloud native core banking where products are written as smart contracts

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Dashlane highest pricing among major password managers at $60/year with no monthly subscription option; Thought Machine a core replacement is a two to four year programme at an established bank, and the licence is a minority of total cost against system integrator fees, parallel running and data migration.
  • They diverge on capability: Dashlane covers Password manager, Thought Machine covers Smart contract product engine.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dashlane and Thought Machine actually diverge.

Attributes where Dashlane and Thought Machine differ
AttributeDashlaneThought Machine
Starting price$4.99/monthOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Browser ExtensionsWeb, API, Cloud
Founded2009Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Technology).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Dashlane

  • Password manager
  • Digital wallet
  • Dark web monitoring
  • VPN for WiFi protection
  • Two-factor authentication
  • Password generator
  • Secure sharing
  • Security dashboard

Only in Thought Machine

  • Smart contract product engine
  • Cloud native architecture
  • Real time ledger
  • Vault Payments
  • API first design
  • Multi entity and multi currency
  • Product versioning and testing
  • Configurable posting rules

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Dashlane

  • Password managementnot Thought Machine
  • Identity protectionnot Thought Machine
  • Secure credential sharingnot Thought Machine
  • Compliance requirementsnot Thought Machine
  • VPN protectionnot Thought Machine

Thought Machine

  • A large bank launching a separate digital brand on a clean core rather than migrating the back booknot Dashlane
  • A bank whose product launches are blocked by vendor change requests on a legacy corenot Dashlane
  • An institution needing real time balances and postings for instant payment obligationsnot Dashlane
  • A group consolidating multiple country cores onto one multi entity platformnot Dashlane

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Dashlane

  • Highest pricing among major password managers at $60/year with no monthly subscription option
  • Restricted free tier with only 25 passwords on single device compared to Bitwarden's unlimited free tier
  • No traditional desktop application, users must rely on browser extension or mobile apps
  • Closed-source code prevents independent security verification unlike open-source competitors
  • Limited 2FA options supporting only authenticator apps, not biometric or SMS authentication

Thought Machine

  • A core replacement is a two to four year programme at an established bank, and the licence is a minority of total cost against system integrator fees, parallel running and data migration.
  • The smart contract model presumes a bank can write and maintain Python financial products, and institutions without that engineering capability end up outsourcing the very flexibility they bought.
  • Cloud infrastructure cost sits with the bank and is not trivial at scale, so total cost of ownership comparisons against a hosted legacy core often miss a large recurring line.
  • Thought Machine has made two rounds of job cuts pursuing profitability, which is a legitimate supplier stability concern for a system a bank expects to run for fifteen years.
  • The functional footprint is core ledger and product engine, so origination, collections, regulatory reporting and channels all come from other vendors, and the integration estate around Vault is the bank's problem to design and own.

Pricing, plan by plan

Dashlane

$4.99/month
  • Premium$4.99/month
    • Secure vault
    • Password generation

Thought Machine

On request
  • Vault Core$undefined/year
    • Quoted per institution, typically on account volumes or annual contract value
    • Implementation and system integrator costs commonly exceed the licence fee
    • Cloud infrastructure costs are the bank's and are not included

Which should you pick?

Choose Dashlane if

  • You need password manager.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Browser Extensions.
  • You also want digital wallet.
Dashlane review

Choose Thought Machine if

  • You need smart contract product engine.
  • You work on Web, API, Cloud.
  • You also want cloud native architecture.
Thought Machine review

Questions people ask

Is Dashlane or Thought Machine better?
Neither clearly leads. Dashlane starts at $4.99/month and Thought Machine at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dashlane or Thought Machine?
Dashlane starts at $4.99/month and Thought Machine at On request.
Does Dashlane or Thought Machine run on more platforms?
Dashlane runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Browser Extensions. Thought Machine runs on Web, API, Cloud.
What is Dashlane best used for?
Dashlane is most often used for password management, identity protection, secure credential sharing, compliance requirements. Of those, password management and identity protection are not what Thought Machine is typically brought in for.
What can Dashlane do that Thought Machine cannot?
Dashlane covers Password manager, Digital wallet, Dark web monitoring, VPN for WiFi protection. Thought Machine covers Smart contract product engine, Cloud native architecture, Real time ledger, Vault Payments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Dashlane: What happened to Dashlane's free plan?

Dashlane discontinued its free plan in September 2025. The entry-level plan now starts at $4.99/month (billed annually) for Premium, or businesses can use a 30-day money-back guarantee to test the service.

Source
Thought Machine: Is Vault Core genuinely cloud native?

Yes. It is containerised, runs on Kubernetes on public cloud, and posts in real time rather than in overnight batch.

Dashlane: What platforms does Dashlane support?

Dashlane is available on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Chromebook. Browser extensions work with Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, and Brave. However, Dashlane no longer has a traditional desktop application.

Source
Thought Machine: How long does a migration take?

Eighteen months at the absolute fastest for a narrow greenfield launch; two to four years for a phased migration at an established bank.

Dashlane: Does Dashlane support SSO integration?

Yes, Dashlane integrates with SAML 2.0 Identity Providers for SSO, plus SCIM for user provisioning and deprovisioning. However, the Safari browser extension does not support self-hosted SSO due to Apple limitations.

Source
Thought Machine: Does the licence fee represent the total cost?

No. Implementation, system integration, parallel running and cloud infrastructure typically cost more than the licence over the programme.

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