Security Tool

Password Strength Tester

Check entropy, crack time and get real-time feedback on how strong your password really is

Test Your Password

Very Weak Entropy: 0 bits

How This Password Strength Checker Works

This tool calculates password entropy — a mathematical measure of how unpredictable your password is — and converts that into an estimated crack time based on current GPU attack speeds. Everything runs in your browser using JavaScript. Your password is never typed into a form that submits to a server, never logged, and never leaves your device.

Unlike tools that just flag "weak" or "strong" based on simple rules, this one shows you the actual entropy in bits and the estimated time it would take an attacker to brute-force it, so you can see exactly how much each character you add actually helps.

How to Use This Tool

  1. Type a password into the input field — the strength meter updates in real time as you type
  2. Check the entropy score in bits — higher is better
  3. Read the estimated crack time — this assumes a fast GPU brute-force attack
  4. Use the toggle button to show/hide your password as you type
  5. Try adding more characters or switching to a passphrase to see the entropy jump

Password Entropy Reference — What the Numbers Mean

Entropy is measured in bits. Each bit added doubles the number of possible combinations an attacker must try. Here's what different entropy levels mean in practice:

Entropy (bits) Strength Est. Crack Time (GPU) Example
0→28 bits Very Weak Instant — seconds abc, 1234, pass
28→35 bits Weak Minutes — hours hello123, abc123!
36→59 bits Moderate Days — months T!ger2024$x
60→79 bits Strong Decades — centuries K#9mP$vL2@nQ
80→99 bits Very Strong Millions of years correct-horse-battery-staple
100+ bits Extreme Beyond computational reach 16+ random mixed chars

Crack time assumes a modern GPU running ~100 billion guesses/second against an unsalted MD5 hash — one of the weakest storage methods. Against bcrypt or Argon2 (what secure apps use), crack times are orders of magnitude longer.

How Password Entropy Is Calculated

Entropy is calculated as: entropy = length — log2(charset_size)

The charset size depends on which character types you use:

Character Set Size Bits per Character Example Characters
Digits only 10 3.32 bits 0→9
Lowercase letters 26 4.70 bits a→z
Lower + uppercase 52 5.70 bits a→z, A→Z
Alphanumeric 62 5.95 bits a→z, A→Z, 0→9
Full ASCII printable 94 6.55 bits a→z, A→Z, 0→9, !@#$—

Adding symbols increases the charset from 62 to 94 — about 0.6 bits per character. Adding one more character to your password adds ~6.5 bits. Length beats complexity every time. A 20-character lowercase passphrase beats a 10-character "complex" password with symbols.

5 Rules for Passwords That Actually Hold Up

  1. Length first, complexity second — a 20-character passphrase of random words is stronger than an 8-character mix of symbols. Every extra character roughly doubles crack time
  2. Never reuse passwords across accounts — if one site is breached, attackers immediately try the same credentials everywhere else (credential stuffing)
  3. Use a password manager — the only realistic way to have unique, long, random passwords everywhere without memorizing them. Bitwarden and KeePass are free and open source
  4. Enable 2FA on every account that offers it — even a weak password becomes effectively unbreakable with a time-based one-time code as a second factor
  5. Don't use personal info — birthdays, pet names, and addresses are the first thing targeted attacks try, and they're often publicly visible on social media

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my password stored or transmitted when I test it?

No. All analysis runs entirely in your browser. Your password never leaves your device and is never sent to any server. You can disconnect from the internet and the tool still works.

What makes a password strong?

Length is the single biggest factor. A 16-character password using only lowercase letters has more entropy than an 8-character password with all character types. Aim for 12+ characters minimum, avoid dictionary words or patterns, and use a mix of character types for maximum entropy.

What is password entropy and why does it matter?

Entropy measures unpredictability in bits. It's calculated from the character set size and password length. Every additional bit of entropy doubles the work an attacker needs to do. 70 bits means roughly 1 sextillion possible combinations — at 100 billion guesses/second, that's about 317 years.

How long would it take to crack my password?

Crack time depends on the attack method and hash type. Against MD5 (weak), a modern GPU tests ~100 billion passwords/second. Against bcrypt with a cost factor of 12 (used by most secure apps), that drops to ~100 passwords/second — making the same password billions of times harder to crack.

Does this tool check against known data breaches?

No — this tool only evaluates entropy and estimated crack time. It doesn't query breach databases. If you want to check whether a password has appeared in a known breach, use HaveIBeenPwned separately after checking strength here.

What entropy score should I target?

60+ bits for general accounts, 70+ bits for important accounts like email or banking, 80+ bits for critical systems or anything with financial access. The difference between 60 and 80 bits is roughly 1 million times harder to crack.

Is a passphrase better than a complex password?

Usually yes. "correct-horse-battery-staple" (four random words, ~44 bits per word from a 7,776-word list) has ~88 bits of entropy and is far easier to remember than "P@ssw0rd!2024" which has far less. The key word is random — a passphrase of predictable words like "ilovemydog2024" is still weak.

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