1password save your passwords into an encrypted vault that you can access with—you guessed it—one password. It does more than just password management, though. 1Password can also act as a secure document vault, a hub for secure notes, and an environment to store credit card information and auto-filled form entries.
1Password is a very secure password management tool that includes solid password generation and multi-factor authentication. It is designed for personal, family, and business use. The storage vault, where users may share passwords, save documents, credit card information, social security numbers, and more, is another exciting feature. Travel Mode removes sensitive data from devices and then restores it when the user returns; improved encryption; and a digital wallet.
So how good and safe is this tool at its job? Read the rest of my 1Password review to find out.
1Password review – pros and cons
Pros
Browser extensions
Supports most platforms and browsers
Dark web monitoring
Local storage option
Vulnerable passwords check
Travel mode
Clipboard clearing settings
1 GB of encrypted file storage
Two-factor authentication
Cons
Autofill is clunky
No free plan
Lacks sharing capability with non-users
No one-click password updates
No phone or chat support for lower-level memberships
Visit 1Password to learn more about the features
1Password features
1Password has numerous features focused on two main things: easy data sharing, and supreme data security. While they sound like total opposites, 1Password actually does a terrific job balancing the two, making this password manager both a safe and convenient solution.
Here are the top features:
Multiple vaults
Travel mode
1Password X browser extension
Watchtower security check
Let's talk about them in detail:
Multiple Vaults
Every 1Password account is broken down into “Vaults”— essentially filing cabinets for your 1Password data items that can be used to categorize the items you store there. A vault can contain form fills, passwords, secure documents, credit card information, and more.
Interface of Vaults on 1Password
Vaults help 1Password users keep their digital lives organized in a secure way, but vaults are also helpful to share credentials and manage permissions. If a team member or family member is only authorized to have access to certain data and credentials, all of those credentials can be stored in one vault, with shared access to that vault and that vault alone given to the authorized individual.
Travel Mode
Vaults also help keep your data safe when you travel. If some data is not secure across national borders, you can activate “travel mode” for family members and team members who will be traveling internationally.
Storing “travel-safe” information in separate vaults enabled for travel mode will ensure uninterrupted access to that data, while protecting non-travel-safe data by removing the vaults when you cross borders.
Every 1Password account includes Travel Mode. You can toggle it from the “My Profile” account window.
On your “My Profile” page, a “Travel Mode” button is in the lower left.
Instructions how to find Travel Mode on My Profile on 1Password
Once Travel Mode is on, you will need to specify which of your vaults are travel-safe. To identify a vault as safe to access in Travel Mode, go to your home screen and click the “Settings” icon shaped like a gear on the vault you want to set to travel mode.
Once in the settings screen for that vault, set the vault to “Safe for Travel” using the toggle button.
Instruction how to set Vault as Safe to Travel
1Password X
To streamline your workflow with 1Password, your browser can be armed with 1Password X. It's a full browser version of 1Password, available for Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.
1password x dashboard
Once the extension is added to your browser of choice, logged in, and activated, it becomes easy to both add and access data to 1Password. For example:
A 1Password icon will appear on browser forms. If the forms will ask for some suitable information – for example, your personal data, or passwords tied to a specific domain – you'll be able to insert that information with just one click.
1Password X can recognize credit card fields, address fields, etc., and supply suggestions from 1Password as a dropdown, substantially speeding up your form filling.
When entering passwords, credit card information, or form information for the first time, 1Password X will give you the option to save that data to your 1Password account, including a selection of which vault to save it to.
Instead of having to come up with unique passwords, 1Password X will give you the option of generating unique and secure passwords for you, which you can then save to your vault immediately.
1Password X can search your vaults from your browser.
1Password X can add two-factor authentication to any secure workflow governed by data in your vault.
The extension is armed to drag-and-drop data stored in 1Password to the relevant fields.
1Password is powerful on its own, but adding 1Password X to your browser of choice makes it even more powerful and easy to use.
Watchtower
Watchtower is a suite of security tools that comes with every 1Password membership. At a glance, Watchtower can alert you to any weaknesses in your security ecosystem, including passwords that need to be changed or strengthened, compromised logins, and security updates from websites you store credentials for.
Instructions how to access Watchtower
Every vault has a Watchtower item in the left-hand column which you can use to view the status of items within the vault. Watchtower can check the security status of individual websites.
Is 1password safe?
You shouldn’t worry about security when using 1Password: there are security measures, both technical and personal, built so you can have total peace of mind.
For one, the tool uses high-level AES 256-bit encryption to keep your data secure. Plus, each 1Password account is protected with a Secret Key – a 38-digit security code stored on your device and your device only, that's used as an additional layer of security for all of your operations. By keeping it written down in a physical location, or stored separately on external storage, you can make sure that no one gets unauthorized access to your data. This is going above and beyond – it's not a common feature on most password managers.
1Password's zero-knowledge policy leaves this and other sensitive information unknown even to the company itself, and Secure Remote Password (SRP) protocol prevents hackers from intercepting Master Password, Secret Key, and other transmitted data.
1Password is SOC 2 Type 2-certified by AICPA, indicating secure data management. The most current SOC 2 report is available on request. The company also maintains a private bug bounty program from Bugcrowd, with 387 unique researchers looking for bugs.
1Password password manager maintains recent penetration tests by ISE and security audits by Onica, with past pentests and security assessments completed by AppSec Consulting, nVisium, and CloudNative.
Overall, 1Password designed every feature to make sure only you have access to the passwords, financial, and other personal information kept in your account. You get full control of your security and multiple security levels protect it from hacker’s attacks – chances of stealing the data at rest and in transit are next to zero. To conclude, 1Password is a really safe and good password manager, especially for advanced users.
Plans and pricing
1Password pricing starts at $2.99 per month, billed annually. There is no free version, but you can opt-in for a free 14-day 1Password trial. This should be plenty of time to find out whether the service fits you. If you decide that it would be worth the price, here's what you get with the paid plans.
Version Features Price
Personal (1 user)
Unlimited passwords, 1GB document storage, 24/7 email support, 365-day item history, Travel Mode, 2FA
$35.88/year
Families (5 users)
Everything in Personal + sharing of passwords, credit cards, and secure notes, family member permission management, account recovery
$59.88/year
Teams
Apps, unlimited passwords, items, and shared vaults, admin and permissions control, 2FA, 24/7 email support, 1GB document storage per user, 5 guest accounts
$47.88/year
Business
Everything in Teams + VIP Support, 5GB document storage per user, 20 guest accounts, custom security controls, activity log, custom roles, usage reports, custom groups, Active Directory, Okta, and OneLogin provisioning
$95.88/year
Enterprise
Everything in Business + custom services for your enterprise
Custom
Visit the 1Password website
Plan comparison
Here are some of the core 1Password features, and how they differ on each of the main plans:
Features 1Password Families Teams Business
Unlimited devices ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Unlimited passwords ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Two-factor authentication ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Watchtower ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Document storage 1 GB 1 GB 1 GB/person 5 GB/person
Admin permission control ❌ ❌ ✔️ ✔️
Activity logs and usage reports ❌ ❌ ❌ ✔️
Guest accounts ❌ 5 5/person 20/person
Overall, the logic here is rather simple – the base 1Password account includes all the main features you'd expect from your password manager. Unlimited passwords for unlimited devices, and all of the main security perks should be enough for just about anyone.
If you want to take all these great features and multiply them for several users – the Families plan will be a perfect fit, offering just the same options for multiple people.
Finally, the Teams and Business plans are suited for – you guessed it! – teams and businesses. With additional security features, logs, reports, and custom permissions, it'll be excellent for businesses that juggle crucial login information on a daily basis. If your company is using multiple products and interfaces requiring shared logins, this is an ideal fit.
Ease of use and setup
Setting up 1Password is quick and easy – and while there are a couple of peculiar things about using 1Password, the overall experience is streamlined and suitable for all types of users.
The process of using 1Password starts with picking a plan. Once that is out of the way, you must enter your email address and receive a six-digit authentication code to proceed to account setup. The code arrives immediately in the inbox of the email address you enter.
Interface of authentication process while setting up an account on 1Password
Once you authenticate your email address, you must enter your name and your “master password.” This is the one password you will have to remember once 1Password is your go-to password manager. It is the encryption key for your entire 1Password ecosystem. If a hacker obtains your password, he or she has access to everything, so guard it carefully.
The advantage is that if you can guard this password, a whole universe of unique passwords can be stored in your encrypted 1Password vaults.
After you enter your master password, it's payment information time. You can write it all down there and then – or skip the process for the time being. You'll get a 14-day free trial regardless.
Once that step is done, the app prompts you to download an “emergency kit,” a one-page PDF that includes a sign-in address, a 38-digit secret key, and a QR code you can use to set up or retrieve your account.
1password emergency kit
Make sure to save this emergency kit either printed out in a physical location or keep the file in external storage no one else has access to. If you store your secret 1Password information in an insecure place, it defeats the purpose and makes your whole vault vulnerable.
Once you download your emergency kit, you’re in! Your 1Password account is ready to roll.
Interface after successfully completing registration on 1Password
Managing 1Password Vaults
The “vault” is the basic workspace in 1Password. From the home screen, you can create a new vault from the “+ New Vault” button in the upper left hand corner. Once you hit the button, the app will prompt you to give your vault a name and an optional description.
Interface how to create new vault
Once you name your vault and create it, the vault will appear as a tile on the home screen, starting in the lower half of the page. As you add more vaults, more tiles will appear.
Clicking on the vault tile will take you to the main screen of that vault, which is divided into three columns—a control column on the left, a middle column for the list of items in your vault, and a larger right hand column where you will see the item details once added. It resembles a cross between a Wordpress admin panel and a Finder window.
Vaults are helpful for credential management because family-member or employee access can be partitioned by vault. If someone is only authorized to access certain information, they can be granted access only to certain vaults.
Adding entries to 1Password
Once you have your vaults defined, it is time to add some items.
You can add items using the “+” icon on the bottom of the big lefthand field of the vault. Once you click on that button, a long list of potential items appears.
Adding items to a vault
Here’s where the fun starts. If you want to select a password, you can give it a title (for example, “Gmail”) and add the password, websites, labels, tags, and other information.
Once you “save” the item, it appears in the middle column, where you can select and edit it.
If you want to add a credit card, select “Credit Card” from the “+” menu, and a form appears where you can enter credit card information.
Once you save the information, your credit card appears in the middle column below the password entry you previously added.
Appearance of a newly created credit card information entry
If you highlight the star beneath the item title in the large item column, it becomes a “Favorite,” which can be filtered using the “Favorites” item in the left hand column.
Importing data to 1Password
It is possible to import data from other apps into 1Password, making it easy to transfer over files from Chrome, other 1Password accounts, or apps like LastPass, Dashlane, RoboForm, or Encryptr.
To import data, click on your member name (usually your first name) and find “Import” on the dropdown menu that appears.
Once you arrive at the import page, select the vault you want to import data to, and the app you will import from.
Instructions how to import data to a vault from an app
You will next be taken to a page where you can upload the CSV file downloaded from the app. Once you upload the CSV file, 1Password will import the data into the correct item format in the selected vault.
1Password apps
1Password can be accessed by more than just 1Password app and 1Password X – the browser-only version of it. This password manager also includes some other ways to access it, namely: mobile apps and browser extensions
1Password mobile apps
1Password offers mobile apps for the iOS and Android operating systems. The app will give you quick access to all of your passwords, letting you quickly copy and paste all the required information.
1password app
Alternatively, you can skip the middle man (yourself!) and just let the app autofill everything for you – including passwords and forms.
You may have to enable the autofill function in settings. When filling out a new form or login credentials, the activated app should prompt you with the option to save the credentials in 1Password for later recall. Your saved 1Password credentials are side-by-side with other saved credentials. You may have to search through saved in-app credentials to get to your 1Password credentials.
1Password browser extensions
1Password also includes a browser extension, available on all major browsers. It's a pretty powerful solution, letting you access just about any of the features available on the full product.
