Dashlane vs 1Password – Which One Is Better?

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Dashlane vs 1Password is a common comparison when looking for the top password manager for digital security. Both managers offer excellent safety and convenience features and have solid reputations in the industry.

The right password manager will give you a secure and seamless user experience that matches your needs. In this Dashlane vs 1Password guide, we’ll cover all the essential points, exploring pricing and plans, security, ease of use, features, compatibility, and customer reviews. Let’s take a look at Dashlane and 1Password.

1Password vs Dashlane Compared

Here’s a quick overview of how the two password managers compare across core criteria:

Dashlane 1Password
Starting Price $4.99/month $2.99/month
Encryption AES-256, zero-knowledge AES-256, zero-knowledge
Compatibility Android, iOS, Mac, Browsers Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS, Android, Browsers
Password Generator
Password Sharing
Password Autofill
Password Storage Unlimited Unlimited
Max Devices Unlimited Unlimited
Moneyback Guarantee 30 days 14-day trial

1Password and Dashlane Pricing Compared

Winner: Dashlane

We’ll now compare the pricing models of 1Password and Dashlane to gauge which service delivers better value for money.

Dashlane 1Password
Free Version Yes – 25 passwords, autofill, secure sharing, password generator, two-factor authentication No free plan available
Premium/ Individual $4.99/month (annual) $2.99/month (annual)
Friends & Family/ Families $7.49/month (annual) for ten users $4.99/month (annual) for five users – additional $1/month for extra users, up to 12; $19.95/month (annual) for ten users
Business $8/user/month (annual) $7.99/user/month (annual)
Enterprise Custom quote Custom quote

Dashlane and 1Password both provide great value with their plans. Although Dashlane’s pricing may appear more expensive, its free tier has great features for anyone looking to try a password manager, though the free plan does have a 25-password limit.

1Password has a cheaper Individual plan, but Dashlane’s Families plan supports ten users at a lower per-user cost, making it ideal for larger households.

1Password has a professional Teams plan for small teams and startups, meanwhile, which includes ten accounts – but it’s quite a bit more expensive than the Dashlane Families tier.

Business plans for both managers are relatively expensive, at $96/user/year, and Enterprise plans are available on a custom quote basis. For more business solutions, here’s a roundup of the best business password managers.

1Password has a 14-day trial but no money-back option. Dashlane, on the other hand, has a longer trial, running for 30 days, and a 30-day money-back guarantee to provide peace of mind for buyers.

Overall, Dashlane comes out on top for pricing thanks to its free tier, lower-cost family plan, longer free trial, and money-back guarantee.

Dashlane or 1Password – Which One is Safer?

Winner: Dashlane

Dashlane and 1Password are both highly secure services, and neither has ever been breached.

We picked Dashlane as the winner by a slight margin in this category because of the convenience and security it provides. Here, we’ll examine the encryption, data storage, and privacy policies of the two password managers to give you a snapshot of their security systems.

Encryption

Both 1Password and Dashlane use AES 256-bit encryption and PBKDF2 (Password-Based Key Derivation Function 2) to enhance the security of your master password against brute-force attacks.

They encrypt your data on your device before it is received from their servers, and their zero-knowledge architectures ensure they can’t view or access your encrypted data. Where they differ is in the layering of their security systems.

Dashlane password manager dashboard
Dashlane password manager dashboard

When logging into a new device with Dashlane, you’ll need the master password and access to your email to receive a one-time password.

In addition, Dashlane generates a User Device Key for the device you’re using and stores it on its server to recognize your device in future. It also supports authenticator apps and devices, such as Google Authenticator and YubiKey, among others.

This multi-layered encryption strategy, optional 2FA, and the use of device-specific keys ensure your data remains safe without making logins cumbersome.

1Password dashboard
1Password dashboard

1Password uses a Secret Key – a 34-character, 128-bit key – and a master password to fortify your account.

The Secret Key is generated on your device, and only you can access it. It’s not stored on 1Password’s servers, so the company can’t help you retrieve your account if you lose the Key. Although this certainly adds security, it can sometimes make access more cumbersome.

With 1Password, you can also use multi-factor authentication apps, such as Authy and Okta Verify, as well as security keys like YubiKey and Titan. In addition, you can deauthorize untrusted devices or require 2FA logins.

To augment its security, 1Password has a $1m bug bounty scheme, and Dashlane has its own Security Vulnerability Reporting program.

Data Storage

Both password managers store your secure, encrypted data locally and on the cloud for seamless syncing and convenience. They both also provide 1GB of secure file storage per person, but 1Password’s Business plan gives you 5GB of storage per person.

Privacy Policy

Dashlane and 1Password both collect a fair amount of user information. However, they can’t access encrypted secure data, such as passwords, saved files, or vaults, or collect biometric information. Both managers record names, email addresses, payment information, plan types, and IP addresses.

Dashlane collects additional details, including mailing and geolocation data, payment history, and government-issued identifiers like driver’s licenses and social security numbers, where applicable.

1Password records profile pictures and family and company names, server logs, and the number of vaults, items in vaults, and storage space used.

Dashlane vs 1Password – Ease of Use

Winner: 1Password

Dashlane and 1Password have user-friendly interfaces that beginners will appreciate. 1Password has a sleek and intuitive interface across its desktop and mobile apps and browser extensions and a minimalist design that won’t overwhelm beginners.

Navigating between different items and vaults is smooth, with all the categories listed on the left.

Adding new items is a breeze with the customizable templates and keyboard shortcuts streamline navigation. It’s easy to configure settings, meanwhile, and biometrics swiftly unlock the apps.

Dashlane Chrome Password Manager
Dashlane password manager in Chrome

Dashlane’s lack of a desktop app is limiting, but its web app is well-structured for beginners. Like 1Password, all its navigation categories can easily be found in the left sidebar, and adding new items takes just a few clicks.

Unlike with 1Password, though, there are no templates for sensitive information beyond passwords, such as passports and wireless routers.

The Dashlane mobile app conveniently unlocks with biometric logins and is well organized but feels cramped compared to 1Password’s mobile app.

Changing passwords with Dashlane can also feel more onerous than necessary. Despite replacing a site’s password with Dashlane, I found it hadn’t been updated on the web app. Additionally, I noticed that the web app would occasionally lag with multiple browser tabs open and require a reload.

1Password overall had a more visually appealing, less cluttered, and smoother experience than Dashlane across all platforms. Its simplicity and smooth navigation stood out, making it perfect for beginners and advanced users.

However, Dashlane may hold more attraction for experienced users seeking web apps over desktop apps.

Dashlane vs. 1Password – Key Features

Winner: 1Password

Most password managers share a number of key features, but what sets them apart is their implementation, end-user experience, and the additional tools they offer. In this regard, 1Password has the upper hand with convenient extras across all its features.

To start with, however, both give you access to unlimited passwords on unlimited devices and allow you to save 1GB per user of secure notes.

Password Generator

1Password’s password generator can create four types of passwords – Smart, Random, Memorable, and a PIN Code. Smart creates a password for the site you’re on, Random uses random character sets, Memorable uses words you can easily memorize, and PIN uses numbers.

1Password's password generator
1Password Password Generator

You can customize all the passwords except Smart. Random lets you choose the number of characters, up to 100, and whether to include symbols and numbers. Memorable allows you to select the number of words, up to 15, the separator, and whether to use full words or capitalize. With PIN, you can generate a numerical string up to 12 digits long.

Dashlane’s password generator has fewer customization options but allows you to select a length between four and 40 characters and whether it includes letters, symbols, digits, and similar characters.

Password Sharing

1Password’s password-sharing features are secure and slightly more user-friendly than the equivalent functionality with Dashlane.

1Password password sharing
1Password password sharing

With 1Password, you can create a link to share a password. You can adjust the expiry date of this link from 1 hour to 30 days, whether it’s available for specific emails or to anyone, and whether it’s single-view.

Importantly, you can share password links with people without a 1Password subscription, but you can’t enable anyone to edit the shared passwords.

With Dashlane, passwords can only be shared with other Dashlane users, which reduces the feature’s flexibility. There are two levels of permissions – limited rights and full rights. This determines whether the recipient can use, view, share, edit, or control password access.

1Password also allows Families to share whole vaults with each other – though Dashlane doesn’t have equivalent functionality.

Autofill

Both password managers have effective autofill features for quickly searching for and selecting saved passwords and other information.

1Password is compatible with a wider range of platforms than Dashlane, though, which only supports browsers and mobile apps. This means 1Password can autofill information on the web and on mobile and desktop apps, while Dashlane is limited to browsers and mobile apps.

Again, 1Password felt smoother here, thanks to its keyboard shortcuts.

Security Reports

1Password’s Watchtower assigns you a score for the health of your digital security and flags passwords that aren’t secure enough. It also integrates with Have I Been Pwned to check if your sensitive information has appeared in data breaches.

1Password's Watchtower
1Password’s Watchtower

Dashlane’s Password Health tool gives you a digital security score and recommendations, as well as Dark Web Monitoring to check for leaked information online.

Dashlane Password Health tool
Dashlane Password Health tool

Unlike Watchtower’s Have I Been Pwned integration, the live dark web monitoring tool has a database of over 12 billion records and agents who monitor data breaches. These features grant Dashlane a slight edge over 1Password’s security monitoring here.

Additional Features

1Password’s additional features include Privacy Cards and Travel Mode, two tools that don’t feature with most other password managers.

Privacy Cards are virtual payment cards that keep your original card details safe, ensuring they can’t be exposed by a data breach and giving you full control over how and when payments are made.

Travel Mode wipes all your vaults from your device while traveling, except for specified safe-for-travel areas. This keeps your information hidden from customs and border officers. Disabling this mode brings back all your previously-cleared vaults.

Dashlane provides a VPN with a kill switch with its Premium plan. This is perfect for users looking to bypass geo-blocking and enjoy greater privacy online, and there’s no 1Password VPN. Dashlane also has real-time phishing alerts to prevent you from sharing information on suspicious sites.

1Password vs. Dashlane – Compatibility and Password Manager apps

Winner: 1Password

Both 1Password and Dashlane have intuitive mobile apps for Android and iOS and work on unlimited devices.

The Dashlane extension seamlessly integrates with most browsers, including Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, and other Chromium browsers, like Opera. 1Password supports all of these, as well as Brave, but not all features work on Opera.

1Password Android mobile apps
1Password Android mobile apps

While 1Password has dedicated desktop apps for Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, and Linux operating systems, though, Dashlane is limited to a web app for desktop users, though you can use the iPadOS version on Mac. Relying solely on a web-based interface for Windows poses some limitations, though.

Web apps may consume more RAM and CPU and can slow down with lots of tabs open. Web extensions also lack custom interfaces and seamless OS integration, which limits their functionality.

If you’re after a reliable desktop app that’s more secure and accessible offline, 1Password should be your go-to, making it the clear winner for compatibility.

Dashlane vs 1Password Customer Reviews

We’ve extensively researched customer reviews from trusted sources to assess the broader user experience of Dashlane and 1Password.

While Dashlane has an “Excellent” 4.5 out of 5 stars with some 6,000 reviews on Trustpilot, 1Password edges it out with 4.7 stars and around twice the number of reviews.

Dashlane and 1Password’s customer support teams both received praise for their responsiveness and their deep knowledge bases.

1Password is a great product, easy to use, easy to sync with others, and very nice customer service. I have been a fan of 1Password for a long time, I expect to remain one!

User review from Trustpilot on 1Password

Customers appreciate Dashlane’s user-friendly interface and Password Health tool but reported issues with its slow Chrome plugin.

Have been using Dashlane for 5+ years now and have really appreciated the speed of assistance they’ve provided to me and our company. They’ve proven that they are truly motivated to help us in every support interaction we’ve encountered.

Trustpilot feedback on Dashlane from users

1Password users appreciate its integration with popular OSs and browsers and the ability to create multiple vaults. However, some users voice dissatisfaction with the lack of a free plan.

While both managers have their fair share of pros and cons, customers’ overall experience with 1Password seems slightly better, given its seamless interface and platform compatibility.

In addition, 1Password’s higher percentage of five-star reviews on Trustpilot, at 86% to 76%, and higher review count points to superior performance.

Read more Trustpilot customer reviews for 1Password and user feedback on Dashlane.

Conclusion – Dashlane vs 1Password – Which One Wins?

Dashlane 1Password
Price Winner
Security Winner
Ease of use Winner
Features Winner
Compatibility Winner
Customer reviews Winner
Overall Winner

After conducting an in-depth comparison of Dashlane vs 1Password, it’s evident that the two password managers are very closely matched. Nevertheless, 1Password shines slightly brighter and wins in more categories than Dashlane.

The ideal password manager for you comes down to your requirements. If you prioritize affordable pricing, free plans, and more convenient security, Dashlane is for you.

However, most users will lean towards 1Password because of its seamless, user-friendly interface, sophisticated features, cross-platform compatibility, and the backing of thousands of happy customers.

How We Test Password Managers

While comparing Dashlane and 1Password, we analyzed their features, ease of use, security policies, and more, with particular focus on the following factors:

  • Features – We tested both password managers for vital features like password generation, password sharing, and autofill. We also looked for advanced features like VPN integration, anti-phishing, virtual payment cards, and dark web monitoring.
  • Ease of use – We checked whether the managers’ interfaces were user-friendly and synced seamlessly across various devices and operating systems. We also assessed whether they’re better suited for beginners or experienced users. Smooth navigation is crucial for auto-fill functionality and creating and editing logins.
  • Security – We compared their core security protocols, from encryption and multi-factor authentication to security audits and safe password sharing.
  • Third-party and user reviews – We scoured user reviews to determine which option fared better in the long run and how the whole user experience added up.
  • Pricing – We reviewed the pricing plans of both providers to assess which one provided better value. We considered their various billing plans, refund policies, and free trials as well.

How to Choose the Best Password Manager

When comparing the best password managers for safeguarding your data or considering Dashlane or 1Password, keep these factors in mind:

Security and encryptionPassword importing and exportingEase of useCompatibilityKey featuresCustomer supportPrice

Check whether the password managers incorporate secure encryption. Industry-standard AES-256 encryption is seen as being unbreakable, but the newer XChaCha20 has slightly improved security.

Also, look for security features like email masking, phishing alerts, and dark web monitoring, and find out if past data leaks have impacted the provider’s reputation for safety.

When switching between password management services, most managers let you import or export your data.

However, check the manager’s accepted file formats and whether they have easy-to-follow instructions for importing and exporting all your passwords.

Your preferred password manager must have a seamless interface, a quick setup, and a gentle learning curve. An efficient manager also reduces time and effort by making passwords easy to store, access, and manage.

When frequently switching between devices, having a password keeper for your sensitive data is valuable. Your manager should ideally have intuitive mobile and desktop apps and web extensions across all the platforms you use.

For more platform-related information, read our guides to the best password managers for Windows and the best password managers for iPhone.

Ensure your preferred plan incorporates all the core features of a good password manager, like password sharing, generation, and monitoring.

For advanced and professional features, look for a business plan with SCIM provision and single sign-on (SSO).

Most basic plans have email support, but premium and business plans extend priority assistance throughout the week via live chat and phone support. Gauging customer feedback is an excellent way to check the quality of customer care.

To understand which manager offers the most value, compare the plans to their features. Although expensive, family and business plans help minimize costs in the long run as they accommodate more members.

FAQs

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Nikshep Myle
Technology Journalist
Nikshep Myle
Technology Journalist

Nikshep has written for various popular tech blogs, including TechRadar, Tom's Guide, Gadget Review, SlashGear, Creative Bloq, and IT Pro and has 450+ articles to his name. He has developed a strong understanding of consumer tech with coverage of popular tech niches like gadgets, software, and streaming guides. He particularly enjoys reviewing consumer gadgets and finding incredible products for readers and his own collection. He has covered most gadgets you’ll find in your home, including TVs, headphones, soundbars, speakers, keyboards, and cameras, among others. Along with writing and editing, he has experience managing writers and conducting SEO research. When he’s…