

Other authenticator apps like Authy, Duo Mobile, Lastpass, and 1Password all implement the same algorithms and are able to generate the exact same tokens you get from Google Authenticator. What Google Authenticator uses are the HMAC-Based One-time Password (HOTP) and Time-based One-time Password (TOTP) algorithms. Some sites specifically ask you to use Google Authenticator, you don’t have to. When you enable two-factor authentication on websites, they usually show you a QR code and ask you to scan and launch your authenticator app. I think it is a terrible idea to use them, you are basically collapsing all the factors back into one - your master password. Some password managers like LastPass and BitWarden provide authenticator functionality as well. Indeed, if you use the authenticator app on your smartphone you may also get the third factor for free, by needing to pass your smartphone’s biometric authentication before launching the authenticator app.
