Google Authenticator

Free TOTP two-factor authentication app that gained optional cloud sync in 2023

As of 1 September 2026, Google Authenticator is free to use. A free code-generating app for two-factor authentication codes, used to log into other services. Softwr lists it under Cybersecurity. Google Authenticator is made by Google LLC, available on iOS, Android.

Visit siteVisit Google Authenticator

Overview

What Google Authenticator does

Google Authenticator generates time-based one-time passcodes (TOTP) used as a second factor when logging into other websites and services. It has no account of its own beyond an optional Google account link, no subscription and no in-app purchases. The fact worth stating plainly is the 2023 change: previously codes lived only on the device and were lost if the phone was lost or reset unless manually backed up; Google added an option to sync codes to a Google account so they survive a device change. People argue about this both ways. In favour, it prevents lockouts when a phone is lost, which was the most common real-world failure of the old model. Against, it means a compromised Google account can potentially expose synced TOTP secrets, and it moves the security boundary from the local device to the cloud account, which is a different threat model than TOTP apps are traditionally designed around. Google states the sync is optional and can be turned off, restoring local-only storage.

What people use it for

Someone setting up two-factor authentication on a website that asks for a TOTP app
A user who wants codes to survive a lost or replaced phone via account sync
Someone who prefers a simple, free, single-purpose authenticator over a password manager's built-in one
A person migrating between phones who wants existing 2FA codes to transfer automatically

Where it falls short

Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about Google Authenticator.

Enabling cloud sync moves the security boundary for your 2FA codes to your Google account, so a compromised Google account can expose the same codes syncing was meant to protect.
It has no built-in backup export in a portable format, so moving away from Google Authenticator to another app usually means resetting 2FA on every individual service.
It lacks organisational features such as folders, search or notes that some competing authenticator apps offer for people managing many accounts.
There is no desktop app, so codes must be read off a phone screen when logging in from a computer.
If sync is off and the phone is lost without a separate backup, all codes are unrecoverable and every linked account needs its 2FA reset through account recovery.

Pricing

What Google Authenticator costs

Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.

Free

Unlimited accounts and codes
Optional Google account cloud sync
No ads

Capabilities

Features

TOTP code generation
Generates time-based six digit codes compatible with standard 2FA setups
QR code setup
Scans a QR code from a service to add a new account instantly
Optional Google account sync
Syncs codes to a Google account so they survive a device change
Offline generation
Codes generate without network access once an account is added
Manual entry
Accounts can be added by typing a setup key instead of scanning a QR code

Answered, with sources

Questions people ask

Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.

Does Google Authenticator cost anything?

No, it is free with no subscription or in-app purchases.

Is cloud sync safe?

Google documents it as protected by your Google account security. Whether that is an acceptable trade-off versus device-only storage is debated; you can turn sync off if you prefer local-only codes.

Can I export my codes to another app?

There is no official bulk export; moving to a different authenticator typically requires re-adding each account from its setup page.

Keep looking

Where to go from Google Authenticator

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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Google Authenticator, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.

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