1Password Review 2024: A Powerful Lockbox for Your Data

1Password isn’t the only password manager on the market, but its strong security, unique features, and ease of use during our testing make it a top contender.
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4.9
Editorial Rating
Learn More
On 1Password's website

Password Manager
1Password
  • Secure password manager with no history of being hacked
  • Unique features, like Travel Mode
  • No free version or money-back guarantee

1Password is a user-friendly service and its advanced features, like Travel Mode and a privacy policy that promises your data is your own, really impressed us. It also comes with all the standard password manager features, like autofill and a password generator, that worked seamlessly during our testing.

Its competitive starting price of $2.99/mo (billed annually) is on par with the competition. There are a few drawbacks, like no free version and lacking customer support. These may not be deal breakers for us, but you should check our 1Password review out to decide for yourself.

Pros
  • No history of being hacked
  • Unique features, like Travel Mode and Watchtower
  • Customizable and compatible with many operating systems and browsers
Cons
  • No free version or money-back guarantee
  • 24/7 support is only available via email
In this article
At a glance
Our experience
Cost
Features
Privacy policy
Is 1Password safe to use?
Customer service
Compatibility
Alternatives
FAQs
Bottom line: Is 1Password good?

At a glance

Price $2.99-$4.99/mo
Free version No
Number of users 1 - 5
Compatibility Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Browser extensions Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, Brave
Password sharing Yes
Encryption AES-GCM-256
Password generator Yes
Password strength report Yes
Autofill Yes
Digital legacy Yes
Cloud storage Yes
Details Get 1Password

How we test and rate password managers

We put every password manager through vigorous hands-on testing by downloading the software to our own devices. We test how the product works on both mobile and desktop, evaluating how well we're able to save, share, and use passwords across a variety of situations.

By taking a fine-tooth comb through all available features and settings, we carefully compare each product using our proprietary grading rubric. The star ratings take into account price, features, extras like cloud storage and data breach alerts, plus looks at security and privacy features like encryption levels and past data breaches. 

To learn more about how we test, check out our full testing methodology here.

We last tested 1Password on November 4, 2024.

4.9
Editorial Rating
Learn More
On 1Password's website
Password Manager
1Password
  • Secure password manager with no history of being hacked
  • Unique features, like Travel Mode
  • No free version or money-back guarantee

Our experience

Reviewed by Steph Trejos

“I have a 1Password Families plan with my partner and it makes it super easy to share passwords between the two of us or with others. The autofill has also come in clutch whenever I don't have any passwords or credit card numbers handy.”

We started by testing 1Password with the Chrome extension. Once the browser extension was installed and running, 1Password took us through a tutorial.

1Password's browser extension tutorial.

From there, we got to do the best part of testing a product: trying to break it. As practice, we went to the Barnes & Noble website to register for an account. The password generator populated along with our saved identity information. 

Barnes and Noble create account form with a suggested password from 1Password

The password generator previously didn't pop up on The New York Times site but it worked during this retest and on several other sites.

The dashboard is easy to navigate, and the customizable options (like creating separate vaults to organize your passwords) are nice for keeping track of all your accounts. 

There are also countless options for the types of information you can store and autofill. You can save your standard usernames and passwords but also passports, crypto wallets, reward program accounts, and more. 

Options for items you can store in 1Password

Overall, 1Password provided a good, worthwhile experience.  

Reviewed by Melinda Sineriz

“1Password has been my go-to password manager for years. It's easy to use and integrates well with my devices. I feel very secure storing my info with them. ”

How much does 1Password cost?

1Password's price ranges from $2.99-$4.99/mo. There's an individual plan and a family plan for up to Unlimited users.

Unfortunately, there's no free version and no option to pay monthly. So note that the prices for these plans are charged on an annual basis. 

Plan Individual Families
Price $2.99/mo (billed annually) $4.99/mo (billed annually)
# of users 1 6
Password vault
Autofill
Password generator
Two-factor authentication
Data breach alerts
Digital legacy
Details View Plan View Plan

1Password offers a 14-day free trial but no money-back guarantee.

As far as pricing is concerned, 1Password is on par with competitors:

  • RoboForm from $1.66/mo (billed annually)
  • NordPass from $1.29/mo (billed every two years)
  • LastPass from $3.00/mo (billed annually)
  • Keeper from $2.92/mo (billed annually)

Pricing aside, if you consider that LastPass was involved in yet another breach, 1Password is easily a better option. Plus, all the other tested password managers — NordPass, RoboForm, and Keeper — have never experienced a data breach or hack as well. 

But the difference shouldn’t come down to price when choosing between password managers, as they all tend to be about the same. The extra features are the clincher. For example, Travel Mode is exclusive to 1Password, which may be a feature that's important to you.

You may ask yourself why you would pay for a password manager when free services are available. Google password manager isn’t safe, and not everyone has an Apple device. The low price of most password managers makes them worthwhile, especially when it comes to encryption and account recovery.

1Password features

Password managers secure your login information, but that’s not all they should do. Several features, like a password generator and autofill capabilities, should come standard on most password managers. 

1Password offers these, as well as other useful features like digital legacy and Travel Mode. Even its Watchtower feature covers more than competitors because it detects where your hacked information lives online.

Unlike a lot of competitors, 1Password was relatively easy to use as we tested the product. Everything was straightforward and well-presented (including the tutorial when we first logged in). 

Password sharing

1Password has a simple process for sharing passwords. All we had to do was open an item in our vault and select the three dots on the top-right corner to find the share button. 

1Password pop-up for sharing a link to an item

1Password also lets you customize how you share the password. We liked that we had options to determine how long to keep the link active or make the link available to specific email addresses. So if you want to share your Netflix password with your parents across the country, you can send them a link while keeping the login for your other accounts private.

You can also easily share passwords between different profiles with a 1Password family plan. All you need to do is click the three dots on the top-right corner and select Move.

Password generator

Password generators attached to password managers feel like a life hack we didn’t know we needed. 1Password makes using a password generator a breeze. 

When you need a new, secure password, you only need to put your cursor in the box where the password typically goes. If your 1Password extension is working properly, it should populate a password option for you and save it to your private vault. 

We tested this out both by creating items directly in our vault and by going to account registration pages. 1Password always worked without issues.

1Password login item with the password generator pop-up

You can also go to its password generator site, which will just give you a random password based on a few simple parameters, even if you aren’t a customer.

Autofill

Once you enter credentials like email, password, address, and credit card information, you don’t have to worry about typing them out again. 1Password will allow you to save this information so you can autofill forms online. 

We went over to Amazon to test out the autofill. Our Amazon accounts immediately appeared once we opened the sign in page. 

Amazon account sign in page with the 1Password autofill

This isn’t just for convenience. Autofill options like this can thwart keyloggers. Keyloggers are people who hack your computer, usually through public Wi-Fi, and watch what you type.

Password strength report

Watchtower is a built-in feature to the 1Password dashboard that checks your passwords to ensure they’re strong, not reused anywhere, and not part of a breach. If it does find compromising data, 1Password and Watchtower will help you change your passwords for those sites. 

1Password Watchtower feature report

Compared to our previous testing, we noticed that Watchtower also points out accounts that could use passkeys instead of alternatives and accounts with two-factor authentication available. 

1Password list of accounts with passkeys available

You can generate new, stronger passwords for these webpages using the built-in password generator. It’s also a visual reminder to update your privacy settings on older accounts, especially if they’re involved in a hack or data breach.

Digital legacy

Planning for what to do with your digital information after your passing is a unique, 21st-century problem that not many people consider. 1Password’s solution to this is the Emergency Kit feature. 

Emergency Kit populates a PDF with your 1Password secret key and provides space to write down your master password for its service. It then suggests you save a PDF copy somewhere safe, like your cloud storage, print out a copy to keep in your lockbox or safe, and give a printed copy to a trusted family member or friend. In the event of your passing, someone will be able to access everything from your email to your bank accounts.

1Password Emergency Kit with instructions, sign-in address, email address, and secret key

Travel Mode

Each personal vault you create in 1Password is automatically removed from your device when you cross country lines. Unless you deem the vault travel-safe, 1Password will keep your data private when traveling. 

1Password's instructions for its Travel Mode feature.

This is a handy feature that helps prevent theft in the event your devices are stolen or confiscated. Simply use the toggle bar to confirm which vaults are safe.

1Password privacy policy

We love a good privacy policy, and that’s exactly what we got with 1Password. The parent company, AgileBits, is very committed to transparency. First, the document is in plain language anyone can understand. It’s organized with bold headlines, numbers, bullet points, and everything needed to make the legal document digestible.

In addition, the privacy policy outlines exactly what data is collected and how it’s used. Your information is not rented or sold to third parties. If 1Password does have to share something with third parties, it’s spelled out for you ahead of time. There’s even a clause for how sales mergers or acquisitions are handled regarding your data. 

1Password third-party audits

1Password proudly participates in third-party security audits and makes the results easily accessible on its website. The last audit was in summer 2024. 

The report includes a lot of information, but the executive summary states that no high-severity issues were found during the test. There was one medium-severity issue and two low-severity issues.

This is to say that nothing is infallible, and there’s always a chance someone could hack your account. Luckily, 1Password understands the importance of third-party testing. This means it has an unbiased view of its product and can begin working on either a patch or a coding change to make everything safer.

Is 1Password safe to use?

By all accounts, yes, 1Password is very safe to use. Between the transparent privacy policy, third-party security audits, and internal security, this product has a great reputation! Unlike competitors like LastPass, 1Password has never been hacked. 1Password even assures users that it’s taken measures to keep their data safe if a breach ever occurs.

We dug a little deeper and discovered that researchers at the University of York tricked 1Password into revealing a password in 2020. However, the data within the vaults were in an encrypted language, so hackers couldn’t decode it. This is due to the AES-256-GCM encryption used by 1Password.

Two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication (2FA) isn’t active the first time you log in to your 1Password account. There’s an easy but involved process for setting up 2FA. You’ll need either a physical security key device or an authenticator app. 

We chose to go with the Google Authenticator app. This is how we turned on 2FA when testing:

  1. Select the dropdown menu in the upper-left corner.
  2. Click Manage Your Account.
  3. Locate More Actions.
  4. Click the ellipsis (three dots) beside More Actions.
  5. Select Manage Two-Factor Authentication.
  6. Click Authenticator App.
  7. Open your authenticator app.
  8. Use the camera to scan the QR code provided or enter the secret code provided.
  9. Click Next on your 1Password screen.
  10. Enter the authentication code provided by the authenticator app in the space provided on your screen.

Now, 2FA should be active in your account. If you’re new to how passwordless authentication works, this might be a bit of a change. But it’s worth activating because it keeps your accounts safer.

1Password two-factor authentication settings

1Password customer service

Customer support with 1Password might be the service’s only feature that’s really lacking. Despite listing 24/7 support, 1Password only offers email, online guides, and community forums. There's a chatbot, but no live agent chat. 

We started by asking the chatbot a simple question about using the emergency kit. There was definitely enough data provided by the bot, but we do wish there was a way to directly contact support without waiting for an email response or having to post in the community. 

A chat conversation with the 1Password chatbot

1Password compatibility

1Password offers a decent list of computer apps, mobile apps, and browser extensions. These are the most popular options, and the Linux integration surprised us. 

Here’s a complete list of compatibility.

Apps and operating systems:

  • Windows
  • MacOS
  • Linux
  • iOS
  • Android

Web browsers:

  • Google Chrome
  • Safari
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Brave
  • CLI

Top alternatives

1Password is a good password management solution, but it's not the only service we like. If you’re in the market for one of the best password managers, we’ve researched and tested the following recommendations:


Star rating
5.0
4.6
4.5
Starting price Starts at $1.29/mo (billed every two years) Starts at $1.66/mo (billed annually) Starts at $2.92/mo (billed annually)
Compatibility Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Opera Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Chromebook, Chrome, Firefox, Edge Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Brave, Opera
Autofill
Password sharing
Password generator
Digital legacy
Learn more Get NordPass Get Roboform Get Keeper

1Password FAQs


+

Is there 1Password for Chrome?

Yes, 1Password has a browser extension for the Chrome browser. While there’s no Chrome OS application, Chromebook and Chrome browser users are still protected. Only download browser extensions from the verified developer website or app store.


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Can 1Password be hacked?

In theory, someone could hack 1Password but it hasn't been involved in a breach to date. 

If you’re worried about further protecting your sensitive information, you can enable multi-factor authentication on your more volatile accounts to add an extra layer of protection.


+

Is it worth paying for 1Password?

While there are free password managers out there, those products are likely selling your data in exchange for their service. 1Password doesn’t have a free plan, but it is worth paying for because your data is not for sale.


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What are the cons of 1Password?

For as good as 1Password is, there are a few cons. While there is a free trial, it’s only 14 days (with a nonexistent refund policy if you sign up and decide it’s not for you). Customer service is mostly a help-yourself situation (but it is user-friendly). As neither of these issues is a major security red flag, we suggest seriously considering 1Password for your password manager.

Bottom line: Is 1Password good?

Yes, 1Password is a good choice for a password manager. It has strong security features, regularly participates in third-party audits, offers plenty of additional advanced features, and has never been involved in any security breaches. 

1Password is flexible depending on your needs, which is also a nice touch. You can personalize your private vault just for you or begin to build out your family accounts.

Unfortunately, 1Password doesn't have a free version and its customer support options are subpar. See how 1Password compares to our top password managers

4.9
Editorial Rating
Learn More
On 1Password's website
Password Manager
1Password
  • Secure password manager with no history of being hacked
  • Unique features, like Travel Mode
  • No free version or money-back guarantee
Author Details
Mary is a seasoned cybersecurity writer with over seven years of experience. With a B.S. in Liberal Arts from Clarion University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Point Park University, she educates audiences on scams, antivirus software, and more. Her passion lies in educating audiences on helpful ways to protect their data.