Authy vs Google Authenticator in 2026: Which 2FA App Should You Use?

Authy and Google Authenticator both make the six-digit codes that protect your accounts. The codes follow the same standard (TOTP), so either app works on any site that offers an authenticator app. The real differences are how they back up, what they ask of you, and how hard they are to leave.

The short answer

• Google Authenticator if you want the simplest app, and are happy to back up to your Google Account or keep codes on one phone.
• Authy if you want your codes on several phones or tablets and don't mind signing up with your phone number.
• Neither, if you already use a password manager with a built-in authenticator. Then the code can sit next to the password it protects.

Side by side

	Google Authenticator	Authy
Account needed	No. A Google Account is optional, for backup	Yes, your phone number
Backup	Optional sync to your Google Account	Encrypted backups, unlocked with a backup password
Several devices	Through Google Account sync	Yes, with backups switched on
New phone	Transfer accounts by QR code, or restore from your Google Account	Sign in on the new phone; backups restore the codes
Export to another app	Only to another Google Authenticator	Not supported
Desktop app	No	No. The desktop apps were shut down in 2024
Price	Free	Free

Where Google Authenticator is better

You can use it without any account, and nothing leaves your phone unless you turn on Google Account backup. Moving to a new phone is easy while you still have the old one: Transfer accounts shows QR codes that the new phone scans. The trade-off is that sync puts your 2FA secrets into the same Google Account many people protect with those codes.

Where Authy is better

Authy was built for several devices. With backups on, your codes follow you to a new phone once you sign in and enter your backup password. The cost is that the account is tied to your phone number, and Authy does not let you export your codes, so leaving it means setting up 2FA again on every site. Its desktop apps were retired in 2024, so it is now a phone and tablet app.

Leaving either app

Neither app hands your secrets to a different app, so switching means re-enrolling 2FA site by site: open the site's security settings, set up a new authenticator, scan the QR code with the new app, confirm with a code, then delete the old entry. Start with your email, since it can reset everything else. Our guide to moving off Google Authenticator goes through it step by step.

A third option: keep codes with your passwords

If you use a password manager, its built-in authenticator can keep the code in the same entry as the password, so you unlock once and copy both. DroidPass does this on iPhone, iPad, Android and Mac: scan the site's QR code into a login and it shows a live code with a countdown. The free plan includes one authenticator code; Pro unlocks unlimited codes and encrypted sync. See the built-in authenticator.

Keeping codes and passwords together still protects you against stolen and leaked passwords, which is what 2FA is for. Protect the vault itself with a strong Master PIN and biometrics, and keep each site's recovery codes somewhere offline.