FreeOTP Authenticator Reviews

Although I have never used any other authentication app, I don’t see why I would need any features this one doesn’t have. I use this on an iphone 6s with ios 12 and it has never caused any problem for me. I have not tried to add any custom icons, so if that really isn’t working as some other reviews say, I wouldn’t know and I have no need for the feature.

Unless I am not remembering correctly, FreeOTPAuthenticator is open source which makes it more secure than the overwhelming majority of other authentication apps.

It used to be better until they shipped an update which broke the size of the boxes, wasting half of your screen and making it harder to scan lists of accounts. Not fixing it for so long makes me fear it’s orphaned.

Love FreeOTPAuthenticator , however I’m no longer able to edit or set custom images ever since upgrading to iOS 11. Now when it goes to display my gallery I only see the images for a brief moment before the page switches to a blank white page, though I do at least still have the navigation buttons to exit back to the main page. Custom images worked fine prior to the update and the images I had previously set still remain.

Update 2019: I went to remove an account OTP from FreeOTPAuthenticator but it's not possible without deleting the whole app with removes all accounts. This problem occurs when you select edit and then tap the account you wish to modify. On my iPhone SE the dialog that pops up in response is non-functional and cropped off. I'll no longer use FreeOTPAuthenticator for OTP accounts.

-- original review --

As mentioned by other reviews here FreeOTPAuthenticator purports to allow the user to add a custom icon for each site password but when attempted the iOS phone gallery appears for a second before disappearing again rendering it impossible for the user to select an image.

A+ for being free and open source. B+ on UI intuitiveness and ease of use: copy to clipboard is sort of hidden, hold to sort is a bit touchy / hard to arrange. C- on user customization: can’t even delete services you no longer use. All in all, better than most of the alternative OTP apps for iOS.

Not a lot of bells & whistles, but, frankly, that’s the kind of software I like. Don’t complicate things with stuff I’m not asking for and don’t need. Free OTP gets the job done. There’s no cloud backup so make sure you keep backup codes in a safe place (I use my password manager).

Good app. Does exactly what it’s advertised to do and is open source. No import/export feature, but tokens look to be backed up when you back up your iPhone (as long as they passcode protected).

I have just installed FreeOTPAuthenticator on my iPhone 8. For some reason, the although the icon of FreeOTPAuthenticator shows up on my screen, and Ia am even able to open it, the phone does not recognize it. It does not show on FreeOTPAuthenticator list in configurations. It doesn’t ask for permission to use the the camera so that I my scan QR codes with it - which renders FreeOTPAuthenticator useless. I have already tried to uninstall and reinstall it, to no avail.

Ouch! Went from mostly secure, to 2.0 being less secure and unusable. QR codes now required, instead of securely entering your secret key. Many studies on why this is bad due to exposing unnecessary formatted data for easy capture but mmkay... Those of us who don’t use QR codes for otp, such as private devices and servers, now either go through extra non-secure ways to convert our codes to QR, or leave. I guess KyPass 🤷🏻‍♂️

I have also lost the ability to change icons under iOS 11. Prior iOS releases worked fine, but I get a brief flash of Photos, then a blank white unselectable page. My previous icons are there, but I cannot set new ones. Sad.

The last update fixed the issues with running on newer iOS, but it makes things so small that it’s hard to read.

... in features, can’t sync encrypted tokens etc

I’ve used FreeOTPAuthenticator for a few years now, and it’s amazingly good. I also love that it’s not tied to Google. The new update looks great btw!

FreeOTPAuthenticator used to be pretty bland and basic, but this new update brings major UX improvements. Awesome job!

I use FreeOTPAuthenticator daily, and if I could also use it via my Apple Watch, that would be excellent. Thanks!

Glad I can have this functionality on iOS without yet another proprietary spyware app.

Saw this in a folder on my phone, have no clue how it got there. I have NEVER installed any version of password or OTP authenticators, never installed any back-up or security apps/programs on any piece of electronics I’ve owned, EVER. Will be keeping my eyes on all my accounts moving forward... what the heck!? Total joke.

On iOS 12 iphone 6S. Needed FreeOTPAuthenticator for work. It Doesnt work properly. Upon opening the first time, it crashes immediately, second time it opens, still can’t use FreeOTPAuthenticator because the barcode scanner wont operate properly. It just comes up as dark. Gonna have to use google authenticator. Its much better for now

FreeOTPAuthenticator is very lightweight which makes it load really fast. The UI is simple yet elegant. Setup was easy. Bonus points for being open source!!

I was forced to use FreeOTPAuthenticator at work. I’m actually shocked that a company like Red Hat released such a poor app. Really it’s an embarrassment. It doesn’t work on the iPhone X, and constantly crashes (maybe because it hasn’t been updated in 3 years). Avoid FreeOTPAuthenticator and use one of the better apps out there.

Reload FreeOTPAuthenticator in the iPhone X ...but can’t open the camera to scan. Besides, try to edit or other motion... FreeOTPAuthenticator will shutdown...even can’t find FreeOTPAuthenticator in the setting to open the camera function. How come!?

Two things I noticed when first opening FreeOTPAuthenticator : there’s no native resolution support for the 12.9 inch iPad and there’s a bug when turning the iPad horizontally, it doesn’t properly rotate and cuts off part of the screen.

How to sync FreeOTPAuthenticator (with all settings) in iCloud and use it on another device? Does this option exist?

horrible app. i'm completely unable to add an issuer manually. the keyboard never goes away. the return key does nothing. the SAVE button never becomes active. also there is no explanation of ID. both the issuers i use provide a secret but not an ID.

back to oathtool i guess