The Best Tech Present for a Techie Who Has Everything

1. Proton Pass, the free plan that works on every device

Proton Pass (opens in a new tab) is the one to start with. The free plan stores unlimited logins, notes and credit cards, on unlimited devices, with apps for a browser, phone and computer. It can make a strong password, warn about weak or reused ones, fill logins in, and import passwords they already saved somewhere else. It also gives them 10 hide-my-email aliases, which are throwaway addresses that forward to their real inbox, so a shop never has to get the real one.

The free plan limits them to 2 vaults (a vault is just a folder for a group of logins), and they can share a vault with 2 other people. Paid Pass Plus adds a built-in spot for two-step verification codes, sharing single items, Dark Web Monitoring, file attachments and Emergency Access.

On Proton's public Pass pricing page on Nov 10, 2026, Pass Plus was $1.99 a month, billed at $23.88 for the first 12 months, then $35.88 a year. Proton showed $4.99 a month as the usual price, marked 60% off. Proton also says Pass Plus is 60% off the 12-month plan when you use our link, until Cyber Monday, Nov 30, 2026. Check the price and the renewal price at checkout before you pay. If they change their mind, they can cancel a paid plan within 30 days and get the payment back.

Proton is a Swiss company that also makes Proton Mail. If they already have a Proton account, they can sign in to Pass with it.

Good for: someone who will actually use a free app on their phone and their laptop together. Skip if: they already use Apple Passwords or Google Password Manager, with a different password on every site. They're in good shape. Stay put.

2. NordPass, if they'll pay to stay signed in everywhere

NordPass (opens in a new tab) comes from Nord Security, the company behind NordVPN. Its free plan saves and fills in logins in a browser and on a phone, and it keeps them in secure storage. The catch is devices. The free plan allows one active session on one device at a time. They can install the apps on as many devices as they want, but they'll be signed out of one when they sign in on another.

Premium removes that limit, so they can stay signed in on unlimited devices at once. It also adds a check for weak, old and reused passwords, a scanner for known data breaches, password sharing and file attachments. The Family plan gives six people their own vault with the Premium features, and personal plans give them 30 days to cancel and get the payment back.

We couldn't read NordPass's prices on its own pages, and we don't have a verified Black Friday offer for it, so we aren't quoting a dollar amount or a sale. Treat the number at checkout as the real one, and check what it costs after the first term.

Good for: someone happy to pay so the app stays signed in on their phone and computer at the same time. Skip if: they want the free plan to work on two devices together. Proton Pass does that for $0.

3. Proton VPN, a free plan for hotel and airport Wi-Fi

At home on their own Wi-Fi, they probably don't need a VPN. On public Wi-Fi, it's worth having. Proton VPN (opens in a new tab) has a free plan that doesn't ask for a credit card, doesn't show ads and doesn't cap their data. The limits are fair: one device at a time, medium speed, and servers in 10 countries that the app picks for them. That's plenty for a laptop on hotel Wi-Fi.

If they outgrow the free plan, VPN Plus covers 10 devices, servers in 140+ countries, streaming and NetShield, which blocks ads, trackers and known malware sites. The apps are open source, and the company is based in Switzerland.

On Proton's public VPN pricing page on Nov 10, 2026, VPN Plus was $2.99 a month on the 12-month plan, billed at $35.88 for the first year, then $83.88 a year. The page also has a 24-month option; we didn't get a clean read of that prepaid total on this visit, so check it at checkout. A two-year prepaid plan can cost more than $50 even on sale. Proton says that when you use our link, VPN Plus is 75% off the 24-month plan until Cyber Monday, Nov 30, 2026. Check the price and the renewal price at checkout before you pay.

Good for: someone who only needs a VPN now and then, or who wants to try one before you pay. Skip if: they want one free account covering their phone and laptop at the same time.

4. NordVPN, the paid pick for up to 10 devices

NordVPN (opens in a new tab) has no free plan, so it's for someone who already knows they want a VPN. Every plan covers 10 devices at once. Even the Basic plan includes scam and phishing protection, which blocks known malicious sites while they're connected. That's handy, but a blocklist only catches sites it already knows about, so it's a seatbelt, not a reason to stop checking links.

When we checked NordVPN's own pricing page on Oct 29, 2026, the cheapest way in was the Basic plan at $3.49 a month on the two-year deal: $94.23 for the first 27 months (that includes three bonus months), then $139.08 a year. Month to month it was $14.99. We weren't able to reload that pricing page on Nov 10, 2026, so treat those numbers as the last official prices we could read, and check the live checkout price.

Nord says NordVPN (opens in a new tab) is up to 78% off 2-year plans, plus 3 extra months, through Dec 9, 2026, so the price at checkout may be lower than the prices above. Check the price and the renewal price at checkout before you pay.

Good for: a frequent traveler, or a household that wants one paid plan for several phones and laptops. Skip if: they only need a VPN once in a while. Proton's free plan covers that.

5. NordLocker, an encrypted place for the documents they shouldn't leave in ordinary cloud storage

They probably already have Dropbox, Google Drive or iCloud. That's fine for everyday files. It's a weaker place for a passport scan, a tax return or a photo of a driver's license. NordLocker (opens in a new tab) is an encrypted cloud locker from the team behind NordVPN. Files are encrypted on the computer with their key before they go to the cloud, so the company shouldn't be able to see what's in them. They can sync those files, back them up and share a file with a link or an email invite that uses a code.

The free plan includes 3 GB of private cloud storage, with no credit card, plus local encryption on the device. Paid plans add 500 GB or 2 TB. NordLocker's site lists a Windows app, Android and iOS apps, and a web app that works in major browsers. We didn't see a separate Mac app listed on Nov 10, 2026, so a Mac user would use the browser app.

We couldn't read the paid prices on NordLocker's own plans page, and we don't have a verified Black Friday offer for it, so we aren't quoting a dollar amount. Introductory prices can be lower than the renewal price, so check both at checkout. VAT may apply.

Good for: someone who already solved passwords and Wi-Fi, and still keeps sensitive scans in a plain cloud folder. Skip if: 3 GB isn't enough and you haven't confirmed the paid plan's price and renewal at checkout.