Password Strength Checker

Type or paste a password to see its entropy, estimated crack times and weaknesses. The check runs entirely offline in your browser - Nothing is transmitted.

Start typing to see the analysis

Why Most Strength Meters Lie

Type P@ssw0rd2026! into a naive strength meter and it lights up green: 13 characters, all four types, textbook "complexity." Cracking software disagrees - it's a dictionary word with the exact substitutions (a→@, o→0) and the exact suffix pattern (year + !) that rule-based cracking tries in its first few seconds.

The gap exists because naive meters compute theoretical entropy (pool size ^ length) while attackers exploit how humans actually build passwords. Real-world cracking runs wordlists with mutation rules before it ever brute-forces, so:

  • A 13-character "complex" pattern can fall in seconds,
  • while 12 truly random characters survive thousands of years.

This checker penalizes the patterns first - Dictionary roots, keyboard walks, years, repeats - Then scores what entropy honestly remains. If two meters disagree, trust the pessimist.

How the Score Is Calculated

Entropy, then penalties

We start from information entropy - The size of the character pool raised to the power of the length, expressed in bits. Then we subtract penalties for the patterns cracking tools exploit:

  • Dictionary words - Even with l33t swaps
  • Keyboard runs like qwer and 1234
  • Repeated characters and years (2026 is not a secret)
  • The world's most common passwords

The result maps to crack-time estimates at three realistic attack speeds. The math is explained in our entropy guide and how hackers crack passwords.

Is it safe to type a real password here?

The analysis runs 100% in your browser with no network requests - You can open this page, go offline, and it still works. Still, security best practice is to test similar passwords rather than your actual ones, then generate a fresh one with the password generator or a passphrase generator.

Strength is only half the question - a strong password is still worthless if it already leaked. Run it through the password breach check too, and if it shows up, read what to do after a data breach.

How to Use the Password Strength Checker

1

Type or paste a password

Use a variation of your real password rather than the exact one - Testing similar structures gives the same insight.

2

Read the entropy score

The meter shows effective bits after pattern penalties for dictionary words, sequences, years and repeats.

3

Check all three crack times

A password that survives online attack can still fall instantly offline - Judge by the GPU column.

4

Fix what it flags

Regenerate with the password generator until you see 'Very strong' and no findings.

Realistic attack speeds this checker models

ScenarioSpeedWho does thisWhat survives
Online, throttled~100 guesses/secBotnets against login pagesAlmost any non-top-1000 password
Offline vs bcrypt~100K guesses/secAttacker with a stolen, well-hashed database12+ random characters
Offline vs MD5/SHA-1~100B guesses/secOne GPU rig vs legacy hashesOnly 14+ random characters or 5+ word passphrases

Password Strength Checker - FAQ

Why does this checker disagree with other strength meters?
Most meters only count character variety. This one subtracts penalties for the patterns cracking software actually exploits - Dictionary words, keyboard runs, years, repeats - So P@ssw0rd2026! scores poorly here even though naive meters call it strong.
What is a good entropy score in bits?
Under 40 bits is weak, 40–60 is fair for throttled online accounts, 60–80 is strong, and 80+ bits is effectively uncrackable offline with today's hardware. Aim for 80+ on anything that guards money or email.
Are the crack times guaranteed?
They're order-of-magnitude estimates assuming the attacker knows your password's length and character mix. Real attacks can be faster (better wordlists, ASICs) or slower (bcrypt, rate limits). Treat them as comparisons, not promises.
Does my password get uploaded when I test it?
No. The page makes zero network requests during analysis - You can disconnect from the internet and it keeps working. Still, best practice is to test a lookalike, then generate a fresh password.

More questions about passwords and security? Browse the security guides.