# Password manager teardown: coding notes, codebook v2.0 (collected September 26, 2026)

The published codes are in coded_v2/. Every one of the 100 answers was coded by two independent AI readers (Claude agents) working blind from the written reader protocol (reader-protocol.md, codebook v2.0); where they disagreed, a third AI reader decided. No person coded these answers.

## Method and agreement

- Six codes per brand per answer: picked (the answer's own verdict), recommended (assigned to a stated case or fit without being the verdict), listed, passing, anchor (the brand being replaced in an alternatives question), not_a_mention. On the page, "recommended" includes picked.
- Reader vs reader agreement in this teardown: 95.7% on the six codes, 98.8% at the recommended level.
- Codes decided by the third reader: 15, in seven answers (q014, q024, q027, q064, q067, q087, q094).
- A rules-based first pass (codebook v1.6 rules) matched the final reader codes on 96.5% of codes at the recommended level. The older v1.5 rules coder, whose output (coded/) the retired draft of this write-up used, matched on 72.3%. Neither rules pass is published; the reader codes are.

## Judgment calls that matter in this category

- **Picked vs recommended when an answer narrows its list.** Several answers give a catalog with fit labels, then narrow to two or three. Brands outside the narrowed set stay recommended, not picked. The third reader settled these in q014 (Proton Pass: "fit for existing Proton users; not in narrowed picks"), q024 (1Password, Proton Pass and RoboForm recommended; the pick is Bitwarden), q027 (Keeper excluded from the answer's picks), q064 and q067 (Bitwarden is the pick; the rest carry fit labels).
- **Conditional picks in head-to-heads.** "Choose LastPass if you want polish" (q033), "if you want a free option" (q039) and "I'd choose LastPass if you're already invested" (q055) make LastPass picked, even where the answer leans toward the other side. That is why LastPass has 3 picks although it is rarely named.
- **Head-to-head with no verdict.** q032 (1password vs lastpass) gives both brands a fit ("free option and features" / "security model and interface") and no verdict: both recommended, neither picked.
- **Moving away from a product.** q088 ("switch to from lastpass"): LastPass is passing, the product being left. Bitwarden and 1Password are picked ("I'd narrow it to Bitwarden or 1Password").
- **Things to avoid and follow-up offers.** In q087, Chrome and Edge password storage are named as something to avoid: passing. In q094, Dashlane and Keeper appear only in a closing offer to compare more products: passing. 1Password and Bitwarden are picked there ("the strongest options"; 1Password Business "is probably the smoother choice").
- **Clarifying questions.** q099 (healthcare practice) names no product and asks about user count and Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace: no codes, no pick. q023 (most popular) describes 1Password and Bitwarden as popular with no fit: listed.
- **Anchor brands.** In alternatives questions the replaced brand is anchor whatever the answer says (e.g. Keeper in q065 and q076; RoboForm in q078).
- **Apple Passwords** picks all carry an Apple-only condition (e.g. "if you are all-in on iPhone", q093) or, in q009, maximum simplicity on a Mac.

## Reader-added brand mentions

18 brand mentions across the two readers (14 distinct answer-brand pairs) were named by meaning without a dictionary alias match, mainly:
- Proton Pass named only as a "[proton.me]" table row or bullet (q014, q096, q098).
- Keeper and Dashlane in q012 and q013, and Apple Passwords in q061 and q062, were also flagged by one reader, although in all four answers those brands were already in the alias-matched candidate list; they are counted once in the codes.
- Google Password Manager and Microsoft Edge Password Manager as "Chrome/Edge password storage" or Microsoft's built-in system (q087, q095, q097).

## Collection

One ChatGPT task (q099, "which password manager should a healthcare practice use") first returned "No Search Results"; it was re-run once through the same standard queue (tag pwm-retry1) and the successful answer is the one coded.

## Dictionary notes (still apply)

- CyberArk is matched on cyberark.com, which now redirects to paloaltonetworks.com. Palo Alto Networks pages are not treated as CyberArk's own site.
- Vaultwarden (a community Bitwarden-compatible server) was left out of the dictionary because it has no domain of its own; it is described in prose where it appears.
- wired.com and security.org are classed "other third-party" because they are not on the codebook's review-and-media list, which is the same list every teardown uses. Read the review-and-media share (3%) with that in mind.
- Case-sensitive aliases (capitalized only): Keeper, Aura, Psono, Passwork, Specops.