1Password evaluate: A password supervisor designed for the Apple crowd

Greatest Costs At present: 1Password

1Password began as a macOS app, approach again in 2006—and you’ll nonetheless really feel that affect in its design. Regardless that the service now works throughout all main working methods, the workforce nonetheless leans into a specific method. This password supervisor is streamlined and runs easily, however customers shouldn’t count on to see behind the veil.

It feels very Apple, and as a predominantly Home windows consumer, spending time in 1Password chafes a bit, even with how good it may be. Very like once I use Apple merchandise.

You must be a sure form of particular person to love this service, and I don’t imply that as a euphemism. 1Password operates in a selected approach, and it’s important to settle for that for what it’s—or probably get tripped up by its gotchas and quirks.

For some folks, these particulars shall be dealkillers. For others, they gained’t even register.

Learn on to be taught extra, then see our roundup of the perfect password managers for comparability.

1Password briefly

• Price: $36 per yr (annual fee)
• Household plan out there? Sure ($60 per yr, annual fee)
• Browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Courageous
• Apps: Home windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS
• Passwordless login: No
• Passkeys supported: Sure
• 2FA TOTP supported: Sure
• Emergency contact supported: No
• Account restoration potential? Sure

What are 1Password’s plans and options?

1Password solely presents paid plans, both Particular person or Household subscriptions. Household plans help as much as 5 members that may share limitless vaults and invite friends to particular vaults. It’s also possible to add extra members to a Household plan at $1.39/month per consumer.

Observe: For 1Password, a “vault” is equal to folders in different password managers, slightly than the identify on your complete assortment of saved knowledge.

Particular person plans embody anticipated options like storing passwords, passkeys, 2FA one-time codes, and safe notes. You can also share credentials and use as much as 1GB of cloud storage for necessary paperwork. Moreover, the service screens your knowledge for compromised passwords (by way of the HaveIBeenPwned database) and notifies you of saved websites that help two-factor authentication (2FA).

1Password additionally gives an distinctive function that hides specified vaults. Referred to as Journey Mode, that knowledge will stay hidden even for those who’re pressured to unlock the app by authorities officers. (For instance, border patrol.)

1Password lacks one main function in comparison with different password managers: It doesn’t let you set a legacy or emergency contact. For property planning, you will need to present your heirs a duplicate of your account password, Secret Key (extra on this in a second), and your 2FA methodology (if relevant).

1Password platform help

You should use 1Password on many platforms and units. The corporate formally helps Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, and Edge with browser extensions, and it has standalone apps for Home windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.

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You’ll be able to join instantly on 1password.com with out having to obtain an app or browser extension—and in addition often use the supervisor this manner. Nevertheless, the expertise is extra seamless within the extensions and apps.

1Password help choices

If you happen to ever have questions or need assistance along with your account, you should utilize the 1Password chatbot or go to help.1password.com 24/7. For direct questions, you may fill out a kind on the 1Password web site to file a assist ticket.

How does 1Password carry out?

To judge 1Password for this evaluate, I used its desktop app for Home windows 11, browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox in Home windows 11, and the Android app. I additionally frivolously used the iOS app.

Is it simple to join 1Password?

Making a 1Password account is extra complicated than different providers, because it makes use of a two-secret system. Consider it as two-step password.

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The primary half is your precise password, with a minimal of 10 characters required. Afterward, the system generates a Secret Key. This string of random letters and numbers can be vital for logging in. If you happen to assume your Secret Secret’s compromised, you may regenerate it—however you’ll have to recollect to avoid wasting the brand new information.

Talking of, 1Password mechanically generates an “Emergency Package” PDF, which comprises your Secret Key. The thought is to print or save the PDF someplace you may entry it once more, in case you want it. (Additionally, for those who ever want it, 1Password mechanically saves your account password and secret key as an entry in your Private vault, too.) However whereas a immediate to avoid wasting the PDF occurs mechanically, you continue to have to decide on to obtain it to your PC—which I believe is an oversight on 1Password’s half. A consumer may overlook this step after which lock themselves out down the street.

It’s also possible to arrange 2FA, both by way of an app that generates one-time passwords or with a {hardware} safety key (e.g., a YubiKey or Google Titan Safety Key).

How simple is it to get well a 1Password account?

You’ll be able to create a restoration key for a 1Password account, however just like the Emergency Package PDF, it’s not an computerized course of. I’d want to see this step included into consideration setup, in order that customers instantly comprehend it’s an choice and create one straight away.

HOWEVER: If you happen to allow two-factor authentication, 1Password does not provide backup or restoration codes for particular person accounts or Household Organizers (accounts that handle different household accounts). If you happen to lose entry to your 2FA app or safety key, you’ll find yourself caught. I extremely advocate establishing 2FA on one other gadget, on an additional safety key, or creating an encrypted backup of your 2FA app so you may get entry to the one-time codes once more. (Or the entire above.)

YubiKey

Superior customers gained’t discover this a difficulty, since this technique will really feel snug and acquainted. However determining a DIY restoration course of for 2FA feels unnecessarily guide within the yr 2025, particularly in comparison with rival providers. For common customers, this “gotcha” for 2FA isn’t clear sufficient and makes utilizing 1Password extra cumbersome than vital.

Customers a part of a household plan managed by one other particular person can ask the Household Organizer for assist with recovering entry to the account.

As for knowledge retention, for those who finish a 1Password subscription, your knowledge will transition to a read-only state (“frozen account”). It gained’t be deleted instantly. Nevertheless, you’ll solely have the ability to export your knowledge—to make any modifications, edits, or additions, you will need to renew your subscription.

What will delete an account is a Household Organizer kicking a member of the family out of the group. The account doesn’t revert to a person account. So if you’re a part of a household group, make backups of your knowledge, simply in case an administrative mistake occurs.

How simple is it to signal into 1Password?

If signed right into a telephone, 1Password enables you to arrange different units by way of a QR code—which fits far, far sooner than the two-secret login methodology.

Arguably, this function does make your account probably much less safe for those who by chance allow an undesirable gadget. However for most individuals, this danger must be low, as long as you management all of the units being logged into.

1Password doesn’t help passwordless login right now—so you may’t use biometrics or a passkey to get into your 1Password account, in contrast to with rival providers.

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Is it simple to import passwords into 1Password?

1Password means that you can import passwords by way of CSV from different password managers. If coming from Bitwarden, you may import extra securely by way of an encrypted .json file. 1Password may even help the FIDO Alliance’s Credential Trade Protocol (CXP) beginning in early 2026, which permits safe switch of passkeys along with passwords between apps and providers with CXP enabled.

The import course of for CSV information is clean, with a streamlined and clear method to knowledge classification earlier than the knowledge will get pulled in. I fed 1Password a pattern set of about 30 passwords with minimal points. The exception was my Greatest Purchase entry, which was inexplicably marked as a weak password. (To my finest information, it’s distinctive and never compromised.)

Weak and compromised passwords like password and 123456 had been flagged instantly upon import, as did one in all my very own {that a} web site leaked way back.

How simple is 1Password’s interface to make use of?

I like 1Password’s clear, polished interface, although its heavy reliance on navigation sidebars for desktop views feels dated. I tended to want the cellular app as a result of it didn’t have a number of cut up home windows. I additionally discovered 1Password’s restriction of sure settings to the online interface a bit complicated. (Extra on this within the “What else does 1Password let me do?” part beneath.)

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The Home windows desktop app and browser extension put info for every entry seen on the identical display screen as your checklist of things. You’ll be able to retailer a wide range of knowledge, with a boatload of choices to select from for merchandise sorts:

• Login
• Safe Observe
• Credit score Card
• Id
• Password
• Doc
• API Credentials
• Financial institution Account
• Crypto Pockets
• Database
• Driver License
• E-mail
• Medical Report
• Membership
• Outside License
• Passport
• Rewards
• SSH Key
• Server
• Social Safety Quantity
• Software program License
• Wi-fi Router

To add information for storage, use the Doc merchandise kind. 

I most frequently used the Login, Membership, Password, and Wi-fi Router merchandise sorts. A substantial quantity of element will be added to some merchandise sorts. You’ll be able to pack in info for a single entry, like e mail, telephone quantity, and different particulars, in addition to additional passwords (like when you’ve got associated subaccounts or PIN codes to retailer as nicely).

1Password can be utilized to retailer and generate 2FA one-time codes on your accounts as nicely, and it really works nicely. However I typically advocate having a standalone app for two-factor authentication, simply as a precaution. If you happen to lose entry to 1Password, you lose the whole lot.

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For the desktop views, the far-left column enables you to soar between shortcuts. The column subsequent to it reveals the entries for the view you’re at present in, whether or not that’s All Gadgets, a search consequence, or a subcategory you’ve clicked on.

On cellular, you get a single display screen view and might soar between classes by clicking alongside the choices on the backside of the display screen. It’s also possible to customise the Dwelling display screen with favourite shortcuts.

1Password is environment friendly at capturing and filling in login info for login pages and apps. Like most rivals, by default it should mechanically provide to fill in your credentials on acknowledged web sites. You’ll be able to change the settings so 1Password requires your enter earlier than autofilling knowledge, in addition to turning off computerized login upon fill. (I like to recommend each tweaks as a safety precaution.)

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1Password additionally has probably the greatest interfaces for guide retyping of passwords—the power to indicate a password in massive kind on display screen. Clearly seeing the distinction between a capital O and a zero in large characters is a godsend. It’s completely one in all my favourite options and I want different rival providers supplied it.

Tip: For higher cellular safety, flip off Hold gadget energetic for Massive Kind in your settings. In any other case, it should override your display screen’s computerized sleep and you’ll find yourself by chance having your final used password exhibiting indefinitely for all to see. And losing battery life, too.

Additionally cool: You should use Markdown formatting for Safe Notes. My solely minor gripe with this function is that it gained’t show correctly within the net interface. You’ll see the Markdown notations for formatting, not precise formatted textual content. It’s a slight bummer, since I used to be within the net interface semi-often.

How nicely does 1Password handle passwords and passkeys?

1Password detects the creation of recent passwords and passkeys constantly, with seamless saving of them to your vault. Autofill works as easily, too. If requested to generate passwords, 1Password by default suggests ones which are 20 characters lengthy. You’ll be able to generate passwords as much as a most of 100 characters.

On your saved objects, you may kind them in numerous vaults—basically what different providers would name folders. These vaults can then be grouped collectively in collections.

Particular person objects may also be tagged, which means that you simply don’t want infinite vaults. As an alternative, you may retailer a number of objects below greater umbrellas, and seek for subgroups by tag. For instance, you could possibly have a “Journey” vault, with tags for airways, rideshares, and bus providers.

As somebody who likes to loosely set up and let search deal with the remainder of the work, this technique labored nicely for me. I had a way of group, with out the rigidity of creating positive the whole lot is in particular folders that I’d have to observe and handle.

How simple is it to share passwords in 1Password?

1Password is among the many simpler providers to share passwords by way of. For particular person accounts, you may solely share passwords quickly, with intervals of 1 hour, 1 day, 7 days, 14 days, or 30 days. It’s also possible to permit anybody with the hyperlink to view, or you may limit it to particular e mail addresses. For the latter state of affairs, the particular person you’ve shared with might want to enter their e mail deal with, then enter a verification code despatched to the deal with.

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For household accounts, a shared vault is mechanically created for the household administrator. As soon as a member of the family creates their account, the administrator should verify their addition to the household for the shared vault to seem for them. (The invite and affirmation is completed by way of the Invites panel within the Handle Account a part of the administrator’s profile.) 

All objects saved within the Shared Vault are equally editable by members of the family. To limit entry to View-Solely, you’ll should create a vault after which share it with particular person members of the family. That may let you set their permissions degree (Enable Viewing, Enable Modifying, or Enable Managing).

What else does 1Password let me do?

1Password’s signature function is its Journey Mode, which lets you disguise vaults when the mode is energetic. Solely these marked as Protected for Journey will seem.

The thought is that whilst you’re touring, you could possibly be pressured to unlock your gadget in opposition to your will—say at a border crossing. And maybe you don’t need your work or banking info to be accessible for scrutiny. Turning on this mode means knowledge in something not marked as Protected for Journey shall be invisible and inaccessible.

It’s an fascinating function, although the interface for activation feels hidden. You’ll be able to solely toggle the mode on and off within the net interface—and a really particular a part of it at that. You could go to your profile’s Handle Account choice, slightly than its settings. Any browser works, so you may nonetheless do that on a telephone—simply navigate to my.1password.com/profile.

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1Password additionally has its model of darkish net monitoring known as Watchtower. This function used to even be an indicator providing, however rivals have added comparable notifications in recent times. 1Password’s variation nonetheless feels extra polished although, with a numerical score of your total knowledge safety and motion playing cards for areas of enchancment.

Watchtower evaluates your logins in opposition to the information in Have I Been Pwned, a website that tracks notable knowledge breaches. If any of your logins have been compromised and are in that database, you’ll get an alert.

For my take a look at account, Watchtower caught a number of weak passwords, jogged my memory to arrange 1Password restoration code, listed websites I may create passkeys for, and in addition instructed me which websites supported two-factor authentication.

I all the time say this sort of function isn’t an end-all, be-all resolution to monitoring knowledge leaks and breaches. However 1Password’s integration with Have I Been Pwned helps pace up any vital updates to your passwords. I additionally like that numerical rating as a fast temperature learn on total credential safety.

How is 1Password’s safety and privateness?

1Password encrypts knowledge utilizing 256-bit AES encryption (AES256) with PBKDF2 SHA256, and makes use of present default of 650,000 iterations. This setting matches the Open Worldwide Software Safety Venture’s newest suggestions.

The next variety of iterations will increase the problem of cracking the safety in your saved knowledge, ought to it ever get leaked or stolen. 1Password is just not clear about an account’s variety of iterations, nevertheless—you can not lookup this stat in your settings, as you may with competing providers. So for those who by no means lookup this info on the time of making an account, you gained’t know the place you stand if advisable safety requirements change sooner or later. And accordingly, you gained’t know to reset your password or your Secret Key to ensure that your account to be reencrypted with the brand new default.

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When requested about its method, 1Password says its system ensures all accounts are safe with out requiring customers to dive into such element, as its two-secret mannequin presents extra entropy than a typical password-only system. A consultant additionally mentioned that account passwords are by no means transmitted instantly over a community. As an alternative, the corporate depends on the Safe Distant Password protocol, making 1Password extra phishing resistant than rivals.  

However as a semi-advanced consumer, this lack of transparency annoys me. I’d want to know that info, even when proven as read-only knowledge. The LastPass fiasco burned my unquestioning belief in password managers to maintain older accounts correctly up-to-date. I additionally dislike that you will need to reset your password to replace an older 1Password account’s variety of iterations—there’s no different strategy to carry it present.

A remaining irritation: You can not change how briskly 1Password clears the clipboard in your PC or telephone for those who copy a password. It’s mounted at 90 seconds. You additionally don’t get the advantage of even this selection for those who run 1Password in a browser extension alone.

Is 1Password price it?

1Password’s clear, polished vibe makes password administration much less of a headache—not less than, that’s true for each day use.

However its extra complicated login system and a harmful gotcha for accounts held inside household plans makes it a tougher promote for much less technical customers who don’t know (or don’t need) to handle these sorts of particulars. 1Password’s extra opaque method additionally gained’t sit as nicely with extra superior customers accustomed to extra transparency and granular details about options.

However for superior customers who need exactly the alternative—the power to close off their brains and let another person sweat the nitty-gritty—1Password could also be an ideal match. Similar for reasonably tech savvy people snug with proactively backing up their account and its knowledge. The workforce clearly cares about its method to safety, with a layered design that can really feel sensible to these accustomed to password administration and two-factor authentication.

For a majority of individuals although, extra simple, cheaper choices exist within the wild.