Passkeys vs Passwords — What Are They, And Which Is Better?

In the digital age, your identity is often just a login away — but that simple process of “logging in” has been the root of countless security nightmares, data breaches, and personal headaches.

For decades, passwords have been the foundation of online security, acting as digital keys to unlock everything from email accounts to banking portals. But passwords, for all their familiarity, come with major flaws: they’re easy to forget, prone to being stolen, and increasingly outdated in the face of modern cyberattacks.

That’s where passkeys come into the picture. It’s a new, more secure, and user-friendly alternative that promises to render the traditional password obsolete. Supported by tech giants like Apple, Google, and Microsoft, passkeys are designed to simplify your login experience while making your accounts virtually unhackable.

But wait! Before you make the switch, you probably want to understand the basics.

What exactly are passkeys? How do they differ from traditional passwords? And, most importantly, which one is better for keeping your digital life safe?

Let’s break it down step by step.

What are Passwords?

A password is a unique string of characters — often a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols — that serves as a security token to verify your identity online. When you create an account on a website, you’re asked to choose a password. When you return to log in, the website asks for the password again to confirm that it’s really you.

It’s one of the oldest and most universal forms of authentication, and for good reasons. These are easy to implement for developers, and users can create them instantly without any fancy equipment.

However, this convenience comes with significant security risks, which we will discuss later in the article.

How Does a Password Work?

When you create an account on a website or app, you’re usually asked to create a unique password. Ideally, the password should be long, complex, and hard to guess. It often contains a mix of:

• Uppercase and lowercase letters.
• Numbers.
• Special characters.

Once you set your password, its encrypted version (hashed) is stored on the server. When you log in later, the system hashes the password you enter and compares it to the stored hash. If it matches, you gain access.

While this sounds secure on paper, passwords have always been their own worst enemy because they depend on human behavior. Users tend to choose weak passwords or reuse the same password across multiple services, which creates a huge security vulnerability.

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Common Issues with Passwords

Despite being the long-standing standard for authentication, passwords have several weaknesses that have made them a favorite target for hackers, such as:

• Predictability: Studies show that the most common passwords worldwide still include “123456,” “password,” and “qwerty” — all of which can be cracked in seconds.
• Password Reuse: Many people use the same password for multiple accounts. If one of those platforms gets hacked, all your other accounts become easy pickings for cybercriminals.
• Phishing Risks: Even strong passwords can be stolen via fake login pages designed to trick you into entering your credentials.
• Brute-Force Attacks: Automated bots can cycle through thousands of password combinations in seconds until they crack yours.
• Memory Overload: Managing dozens of strong, unique passwords across various sites can be mentally exhausting, leading users to resort to unsafe practices like writing them down or saving them in plain text files.

What are Passkeys?

Passkeys are a modern replacement for passwords. Instead of relying on something you know (like a password), passkeys rely on something you have (like your device) and something you are (like your biometric signature).

Passkeys are built using public-key cryptography. It is the same technology that secures websites via HTTPS. This system creates two mathematically linked keys, which are as follows:

• A public key, which is saved on the server.
• A private key that never leaves your personal device.

When you log in, your device uses the private key to securely prove your identity, usually confirmed by your biometrics (like a fingerprint or facial scan) or a device PIN. There’s no password to enter, nothing for hackers to steal from your brain or trick you into typing on a fake website.

How Does a Passkey Work?

To understand how Passkey works, let’s walk through a real-world example:

1. Account Creation: When you sign up for a passkey-enabled account, your device generates a public and private key pair.
2. Public Key Storage: The public key is sent to the service you’re signing up for, which stores it on its servers.
3. Private Key Protection: The private key stays on your device, protected by hardware encryption and accessible only after a successful biometric scan or PIN entry.
4. Login Process: When you log in, your device signs a cryptographic challenge sent by the server using the private key. The server then uses the stored public key to verify the signature. If the verification succeeds, you’re granted access without typing anything.

Remember that you usually unlock the private key using biometrics (like a fingerprint or Face ID), a device PIN, or even a physical security key (like a YubiKey).

Another benefit is that passkeys are syncable across devices via cloud services like:

• Apple iCloud Keychain
• Google Password Manager
• Microsoft Authenticator

This means if you get a new phone or computer, your passkeys come with you, making them both secure and convenient.

Benefits of Passkeys

Now that we know that Passkeys are designed to address the core weaknesses of passwords, let’s examine some of their benefits.

• Phishing-Proof: Passkeys bind to the website domain, meaning even if you’re tricked into visiting a fake site, the passkey won’t work.
• No Memory Required: You don’t have to remember anything, write anything down, or manage complex combinations.
• Unique to Each Service: Unlike passwords, which people often reuse, passkeys are created uniquely for each website or app.
• Biometric Convenience: Using facial recognition, fingerprint scanners, or secure device PINs makes logging in fast and frictionless.
• Sync Across Devices: Services like iCloud Keychain, Google Password Manager, and Windows Hello allow you to carry your passkeys to new devices without starting over.

Passkeys vs Passwords: Key Differences

Let’s stack the two head-to-head so you can clearly see where each stands:

Feature	Passwords	Passkeys
Security Level	Vulnerable to breaches, phishing, and brute-force attacks.	Highly secure. Protected by cryptographic key pairs.
User Experience	Requires memorization, updates, and management.	Almost effortless. The device handles authentication.
Adoption & Compatibility	Supported everywhere but doesn’t keep up with the modern cybersecurity best practices.	Rapidly growing support from major tech platforms.
Recovery Process	Password reset via email, phone, or security questions.	Device-based recovery via cloud sync and backups.
Attack Resistance	Low — especially vulnerable to phishing and reuse	Very high — designed to resist phishing, leaks, and brute-force attacks

Are Passkeys More Secure Than Passwords?

The short answer is…yes. But let’s unpack why.

Passwords depend on human behavior, which is notoriously unreliable. People tend to pick easy-to-remember (and easy-to-guess) passwords, reuse them across services, and fall for phishing scams.

Passkeys, on the other hand, remove the human error factor almost entirely. Because private keys never leave your device and aren’t stored on any server, there’s nothing for a hacker to intercept or steal, even if the website is compromised.

Additionally, passkeys eliminate some of the most common attack vectors:

• Phishing Attacks: Fake login pages won’t work because your device only signs in to legitimate domains.
• Brute-force Attacks: There’s no password to guess or crack.
• Credential Stuffing: Since passkeys are unique to each service, reusing them across platforms is impossible.

Limitations and Challenges of Passkeys

That said, passkeys aren’t perfect — at least not yet. Here are some of the limitations of Passkeys:

• Adoption is Still Growing: While major platforms like Google, Apple, and Microsoft are aggressively promoting passkeys, many smaller services still rely on passwords.
• Device and Ecosystem Dependence: Passkeys are often tied to the ecosystem you use (Apple, Android, Windows). If you switch platforms, it might complicate things.
• Account Recovery: If you lose all your devices and haven’t set up proper backups, recovering access to your accounts could be difficult.

Should You Switch to Passkeys?

If your favorite services offer passkey support, the answer is: yes, you should absolutely switch. They offer better security, convenience, and peace of mind than passwords.

That said, passwords still have their place in the modern digital world — at least for now. Until the majority of websites fully adopt passkeys, you’ll probably need to juggle both systems.

A smart strategy is to combine passkeys where available with a reputable password manager and multi-factor authentication for accounts that still rely on passwords.

Final Verdict: Which Is Better?

In the battle between passkeys and passwords, passkeys win on almost every front:

• Better security.
• Easier login experience.
• Less cognitive load for users.
• No risk of phishing, brute-force attacks, or data breaches.

So, if security and convenience are your priorities, passkeys are, hands down, the superior choice. They eliminate the pitfalls of passwords — from phishing scams to the mental burden of remembering long, complex character strings.

However, passwords aren’t entirely obsolete. Until passkeys reach widespread adoption, passwords will remain a necessary part of your digital life. The key is to treat passwords as a short-term solution while preparing for a future where passkeys become the norm

Frequently Asked Questions