Apple, Google, and Microsoft offer free password managers - but should you use them?

The three dominant computing platforms have each tried to build features that help you manage passwords without paying for third-party software. Are any of them worth your time and effort?

You're probably sick of hearing this, but you really need a password manager. You can take your pick of excellent third-party password management utilities, but for the less technical among us, there's a tempting option that looks much easier: use the password management tools that come with your platform of choice.

In recent years, these platforms -- Apple, Microsoft, and Google -- have focused their development resources on password management, turning what were once basic browser features into more capable cross-platform tools.

• Apple's iCloud Keychain, a core feature of its desktop and mobile operating systems, now comes with a Passwords app that helps you generate and save passwords. Those saved credentials are also available on Windows ...