In this 1Password review, we’ll delve into everything the leading password manager offers.
1Password stands out for its robust security, user-friendly interface, friendly customer support, and impressive roster of features. It isn’t the cheapest password manager around, so you’ll want to learn about it and evaluate whether it’s the right option for you.
In this 1Password review, we’ll look at the password manager’s pricing, features, app support, and interface and see how it compares with the competition.
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What is 1Password?
1Password includes security features such as passkeys and secure vaults accessible with a single master password to store all your passwords. It’s known for its seamless, user-friendly interface and cross-platform support.
The password manager also provides features for teams, businesses, and enterprise-level needs.
Is 1Password Safe?
In October 2023, 1Password was indirectly impacted by a security breach due to hackers accessing its Okta tenant, which manages its employee-facing apps. There was no compromise of user data or sensitive information, and the breach was detected swiftly and terminated.
After the incident, 1Password adjusted its Okta configuration, implemented tighter login rules, and rotated employee credentials, among other measures, to enhance its security.
1Password Pricing and Plans
How much does 1Password cost? 1Password has five plans, all of which are billed annually. Take a look at the table below for a snapshot of the 1Password plans and pricing.
Plans | Price (lowest price) | Features |
---|---|---|
Individual | $2.99/month (annual) | One user, unlimited devices, 1GB secure storage, password sharing, developer tools, and apps and extensions for popular platforms and browsers |
Families | $4.99/month (annual) | Five users, simple account management, unlimited shared vaults, and account recovery options |
Teams | $19.95/month (annual) | Ten users, and built-in domain breach threat detection |
Business | $7.99/user/month (annual) | 20 guest accounts for sharing, unlock with Single Sign-On, custom security policies, custom groups, advice on potential breaches, and custom reports on use and security |
Enterprise | Quote-based | Support for 75+ users, customized onboarding and training, dedicated account manager, and onboarding engineer |
1Password Individual – $2.99/month
The Individual plan is for a single user and includes unlimited passwords, unlimited devices, 1GB storage, 24/7 support by email, Twitter, and community forums, and dual-layer encryption for end-to-end protection.
There are apps for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux and extensions for browsers like Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Brave, and Edge.
Despite being the most basic plan, it provides essential security features, including AES 256-bit encryption, the 1Password Watchtower feature, and Travel Mode. Adding users costs an extra $1 per month per user.
1Password Families – $4.99/month
The Families plan provides access for up to five users. This plan adds simple account management and unlimited vault sharing, with configurable viewing and access permissions for the shared vaults.
Additionally, if a connected user gets locked out, others can help them recover their account.
1Password Teams – $19.95/month
The Teams plan is for up to 10 users and costs $19.95/month. It’s ideal for small businesses and has all the features of the previous plans, as well as domain breach reports.
Is 1Password Good For Business?
1Password is great for businesses thanks to its reliable admin controls, reports, and integrations.
The Business plan has all the features of the Teams plan and costs $7.99 per user per month. It’s suitable for mid-sized businesses that require Single Sign-On (SSO) and advanced integrations like Google Workspace, Azure AD, OneLogin, and Okta.
This plan also integrates with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms like Panther, Elastic, and Sumo Logic for streaming security-related events from 1Password. These integrations ensure enhanced visibility for security analysts to better respond to threats.
Additional benefits include a free Families plan for all users, custom reports and recommendations – covering breaches, account activity, and usage – and dedicated business support by phone.
The Enterprise plan is for accounts with over 75 users. There’s no fixed pricing, so you’ll have to contact 1Password for a quote.
This plan adds a dedicated customer success manager, an onboarding engineer, and tailored onboarding and training. It’s an impressive offering, but it’s worth noting that 1Password’s Business and Enterprise plans are more expensive than other options, like NordPass.
Is 1Password Free?
Although there’s no free password manager plan or money-back guarantee, every plan has a 14-day free trial, which you can use without adding a card. This is a shorter testing period than Dashlane and NordPass offer, with 30-day free trials, and rivals like Dashlane, Keeper, and NordPass also have free-forever plans.
How Does 1Password Work? 1Password Security Features
1Password offers a secure and convenient way to generate, store, and manage your passwords, credit card details, and sensitive information across multiple devices. It has several systems in place to fortify its security and ensure secure remote password access.
1Password Encryption, Infrastructure, and the Secret Key
This means all your information is handled securely on 1Password’s servers, during transfer, and on your device. A zero-knowledge architecture further strengthens your security as it means even 1Password doesn’t have access to your data.
You need to use your master password to access your vault, and it’s the only password you’ll have to remember. Alternatively, if you’ve enabled passkey, you can access your 1Password vault using Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello, a PIN, or another biometric authentication solution.
Your master password’s security is augmented with Password-Based Key Derivation Function 2 (PBKDF2), a powerful password hashing scheme that adds resilience to brute force attacks.
In addition to this is 1Password’s Secret Key. When setting up new devices, you need both the master password and this key. It’s more than an additional authentication factor for users, though.
If an attacker breaches 1Password’s servers, they won’t be able to decrypt a user’s data without the Secret Key or user Master Passwords. This is only available on the user’s system, and not on 1Password’s servers. This makes 1Password a tough target for attackers, as the encrypted data is useless without the key.
Note that if you lose the Secret Key, however, 1Password won’t be able to help you recover your account unless you’re in a family, team, or business plan.
1Password Password Generator
The 1Password Password Generator is a sophisticated, built-in password generator that creates random, unique, and cryptographically strong passwords.
You can pick between a Random Password, a Memorable Password, or a PIN Code. “Memorable” uses easy-to-remember words, “PIN” uses numbers, and “Random” uses random character sets.
With “Random Password,” you can select the number of characters and whether to include numbers and symbols. For “Memorable Passwords,” you can pick the number of words, the separator, and whether to capitalize or use full words, and you can determine the number of digits in a “PIN Code,” up to 12.
1Password Autofill
With the vault unlocked, 1Password can autofill login and payment information on websites and apps, saving you the hassle of remembering passwords or even having to enter them.
Instead of manually typing your password, autofill securely collects and submits the relevant details from your 1Password vault, saving you time and effort.
1Password Privacy Cards
1Password has partnered with Privacy.com to offer a Privacy Card feature. A Privacy Card is a virtual payment card with configurable payment controls you can create in your browser when making a payment. It helps prevent overcharging and keeps your original card details safe in case of a data breach.
To set this up, you have to integrate your 1Password account with a Privacy.com account. The basic Privacy.com plan is free, but it’s essentially only available for U.S. residents.
When creating a card, you can set spending frequency and limits, the funding source, and whether it’ll be a single-use or merchant-locked card. 1Password stores all your Privacy Cards, making it easy to manage them.
1Password Travel Mode
1Password’s Travel Mode is ideal for frequent travelers – especially those who could be subject to searches from customs or border officials.
With Travel Mode enabled, all your password vaults, except those marked safe for travel, will instantly be wiped from your devices.
These vaults aren’t hidden but are completely removed and cannot be accessed until you revisit your account on a browser and turn off Travel Mode. On the business plan, administrators can control Travel Mode and manage the vaults for team members.
Auto-Clear Clipboard
You might not think of your device’s clipboard when considering security, but it’s a common channel that sensitive information can leak through.
Activating 1Password’s auto-clear clipboard setting removes copied data and one-time passwords within 90 seconds of copying, minimizing the chances that sensitive data can later be pasted. This means no one can acquire your information by pasting a password you copied.
Password Sharing
1Password provides secure and user-friendly password-sharing settings when sending passwords with links. The sharing settings let you adjust the link expiry time from 1 hour to 30 days, link availability, including anyone or specific email addresses, and whether it’s single-view or not.
The person you’re sharing with doesn’t even need a 1Password subscription to view password links. If they do have a 1Password account, though, they can save the information to their vault. Note that if you make changes to the original password, it won’t be reflected in the participant’s copy.
Passkeys
With Passkeys, 1Password adopts a “passwordless experience” that’s safer, smoother, and far more convenient than traditional password use. For business owners, it also reduces IT requests for password resets, saving time and money.
Passkeys rely on a public and private key. The private key is on your device, authenticated by your device’s biometrics or a PIN, while the site you’re accessing has to have a public key on its server. Authentication occurs through a cryptographic handshake between these keys.
Since the private key is only stored on your device and not on 1Password’s servers, no one else can access it, even if there’s a data breach.
1Password lets you create, store, and share passkeys and log in using them across sites and services, including Amazon, Apple, Coinbase, Google, and LinkedIn. 1Password passkeys support multiple devices and platforms and cross-platform sync.
1Password Watchtower Security Dashboard
The 1Password Watchtower monitors your digital security and gives you a snapshot and score for your data’s safety.
The Watchtower suggests actions by identifying reused passwords, weak passwords, unsecured sites, compromised sites, inactive two-factor authentication logins, and available passkeys. Since Watchtower analyzes all this data on your device, your data remains private and doesn’t leave your system.
Watchtower also integrates with Have I Been Pwned to monitor whether any of your passwords have appeared in data breaches and promptly informs you if they have. Unlike LastPass, though, there’s no option to auto-change passwords, and you’ll have to update them manually.
1Password Compatibility and Ease of Use
1Password has a range of easy-to-use desktop and mobile apps. These apps work smoothly and generally have uncluttered, user-friendly interfaces and a broadly similar user experience.
1Password for Windows, macOS, and Linux
The 1Password desktop app is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux and takes just a few seconds to install once it’s downloaded.
There are various options for signing in – you can scan a code from a device you’re logged in to, enter your password, or use a passkey, for example.
Once you log in, you can opt to unlock the app with your computer’s biometrics or a PIN, which we were able to achieve without any hassle.
The interface is clean and minimalistic, with a left menu bar to access your vaults, profile, favorites, deleted passwords, and the Watchtower.
There’s an Import option to add files containing login information, and you can import your data directly from LastPass, a 1Password Unencrypted Export (1PUX), or a 1Password or Apple iCloud Keychain CSV file. You’ll have to use the web importer to import a CSV file from a browser or another password manager.
Adding new information is simple. With a click, you can choose to add a login, credit card, bank account, or driver’s license before filling in the relevant details and adding new fields if needed. Along with notes about the item, you can add tags and assign the item to a specific vault before saving it.
1Password for Android and iOS
The 1Password mobile app is available for iOS and Android. As with the desktop app, you can sign in by scanning a setup code, using your master password and security key, or by importing your Emergency Kit.
After logging in on iOS, you get the option to unlock your device with Face ID or Touch ID instead of a password.
The app’s navigation feels intuitive and is highly customizable. On the home page, you can select and rearrange what tiles to include, and you can do the same on the Items page.
A Search menu lets you find items, vaults, tags, and categories in your account, and the Watchtower is also available. Adding new information is similar to the desktop experience and is pretty smooth.
1Password Browser Extensions
1Password browser extensions are available for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, and Brave. Since it’s an extension, it’s light and has just the essential password management features, like All Items, Favorites, Suggestions, Categories, and the Password Generator.
There’s also an Open & Fill option available for every item. Clicking this opens the respective website and autofills your login information. We found it sometimes misses the login page and heads to the homepage or sign-up page.
You can’t edit any of your login information or add new items with the browser extension, however, and trying to do so will redirect you to the web or desktop app.
How Does 1Password Compare Against Other Password Managers?
1Password’s feature set is impressive, but is it the best option for your needs? Below, we compare 1Password with other password managers to help you decide.
Password Manager | Price (lowest price) | Free Version | Max Devices | Password Vault / Generator |
---|---|---|---|---|
1Password | $2.99/month (annual) | 14-day trial | Unlimited | ✅ |
Bitwarden | $0.83/month (annual) | Yes + 7-day trial of Families plan | Unlimited | ✅ |
Dashlane | $4.99/month (annual) | Yes + 30-day trial of Premium plan | Unlimited | ✅ |
Keeper | $2.92 per month (annual) | Yes + 30-day trial of Unlimited plan | Unlimited | ✅ |
NordPass | $1.69/month (two years) | Yes + 30-day trial of Premium plan | Unlimited | ✅ |
1Password vs Bitwarden
If you’re on a budget, Bitwarden is better than 1Password, thanks to its lower price. Plus, there’s a free plan, and its open-source transparency promises a high level of security.
1Password has convenient features, a neater interface, and a smoother user experience across all its apps, and its Secret Key makes it slightly safer than Bitwarden.
The company’s frequent and transparent third-party security audits and large bug bounties are also reassuring – though the subscription is a fair bit more expensive. Read our full 1Password vs Bitwarden comparison guide for further details.
Dashlane vs 1Password
The lower 1Password price and its diverse features, Secret Key, and wider device compatibility make it a more appealing option overall than Dashlane for most users.
Dashlane does offer a VPN, though, and its family plan supports more users. It also has chat support for real-time assistance, unlike 1Password. Read our full Dashlane vs 1Password guide for more analysis.
Keeper vs 1Password
Keeper and 1Password are similarly matched in terms of security, but 1Password’s Secret Key makes it slightly more secure. Although they both have excellent basic features, 1Password edges ahead with features like Travel Mode and its Privacy Cards.
Keeper’s customer support comes out on top thanks to its live chat and phone channels, and it has a more convenient importer tool. Despite being slightly pricier, 1Password provides better value for money, though. For more analysis, read our detailed Keeper Password Manager review.
NordPass vs 1Password
NordPass and 1Password are both very secure password managers. Although NordPass’s XChaCha20 encryption is better than 1Password’s AES-256, 1Password’s Secret Key makes it a great option, nevertheless.
NordPass has more multi-factor authentication systems than 1Password, more storage space, and a more user-friendly interface. As well as having a free plan and lower pricing, NordPass also has a 30-day money-back guarantee, unlike 1Password, making it a better option overall.
How to Set Up 1Password
Setting up 1Password on desktop is simple and takes hardly any time. Here are step-by-step instructions to guide you through the setup.
Create a 1Password account and log in
Go to 1Password and create an account by selecting a plan. Next, launch and log into the web app. In the web app, click on your name in the top-right corner and select “Get the Apps” from the dropdown.Download the 1Password app
Based on your OS, select 1Password for Mac, 1Password for Windows, or 1Password for Linux. When you click, a download will begin.Run the setup file
Run the downloaded setup file and click “Yes” when it says “Install 1Password 8?” The installation will take a few seconds.Sign into the app with your Master Password
Once the desktop app opens, enter your Master Password to sign in and access your 1Password account. You’re now ready to go.
Customer Support and 1Password Reviews from Users
Along with 24/7 email and Twitter support, 1Password has an active community forum and an extensive knowledge base. It lacks live chat or phone support on the basic plans for real-time assistance, but the business plan has phone support (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST).
1Password has “Excellent” feedback on Trustpilot, with a 4.7/5 score. This comes from over 11,000 ratings, with 86% of reviewers giving it five stars. Similarly, on Capterra, 1Password has received over 2,000 reviews and a 4.8/5 overall rating.
Across both platforms, users praise 1Password for its neat user interface, speedy browser extensions, friendly, responsive, and competent customer support, and seamless integration. Importantly, reviewers mentioned the peace of mind that 1Password’s security features and audits bring.
Some users have reported difficulty reaching customer support, however, and it’s also notable that the company has no money-back policy.
Our Other Password Manager Guides
To learn more about password managers, check out these round-ups our expert team has compiled, covering a variety of use cases and product categories.
- Best Password Managers
- Best Password Manager for Windows
- Best Password Managers for Android
- Best Chrome Password Managers
- Best Firefox Password Managers
- Bitwarden Review
FAQs
How does 1Password work?
What are the disadvantages of 1Password?
Can 1Password be trusted?
Is 1Password owned by Apple?
Should I use LastPass or 1Password?
How much is 1Password?
References
- 1Password Bug Bounty CTF (Bugcrowd)
- 1Password Security incident report October 19, 2023 (1Password)
- Security audits of 1Password (1Password)