What 1Password is
1Password is a subscription password manager from AgileBits (now 1Password), a Canadian company. It stores passwords, passkeys, credit cards, bank details, documents, SSH keys and secure notes in encrypted vaults, fills them into browsers and apps, and syncs across your devices. Over the past few years the company has grown well beyond personal password management: its business line now includes device trust, SaaS app discovery and access controls for AI agents. For most readers, though, the product that matters is the password manager for individuals, families and teams.
Key features
- Secret Key plus account password. Your data is encrypted with both, so a stolen copy of 1Password's servers is not enough to guess your password offline.
- Autofill and autosave in browsers and on phones, including passkeys and one-time two-factor codes stored alongside the login.
- Watchtower. Alerts you about breached, weak and reused passwords, sites that support two-factor login and expiring items.
- Vaults and sharing. Separate vaults for personal, family and work items; share any single item with a link, even with someone who doesn't use 1Password.
- Travel Mode. Temporarily removes chosen vaults from your devices (for example, when crossing a border) and restores them later.
- Developer tools. An SSH agent, a command-line tool and secret references for code, on personal plans as well as business ones.
- Family and team recovery. Family organizers and business admins can help someone who is locked out recover their account.
- Business extras: integration with identity providers such as Okta, Entra ID, OneLogin and Duo, role-based permissions and activity reports.
1Password pricing (as of October 2026)
Prices are in US dollars from 1Password's personal pricing page and business pricing page. Every plan below has a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
| Plan | Billed yearly | Billed monthly | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | $3.99/month (first year $2.99 for new customers) | $4.99/month | 1 user, 1 GB storage |
| Families | $5.99/month (first year $4.49) | $7.99/month | 5 users, unlimited shared vaults |
| Teams Starter Pack | $2.49 per user/month, 10-user minimum (about $24.95/month) | $2.99 per user/month | Up to 20 users, role-based permissions |
| Business | $8.99 per user/month | $10.99 per user/month | SSO integrations, Watchtower for the company, admin reports |
| Enterprise | Quote from sales | Large-organization features and support | |
The first-year discount applies to new customers buying annually on 1Password.com; plan on the regular price from year two. There is no free tier, so after the trial you either pay or export your data.
Strengths
- Polish. The pattern across years of user reviews and press coverage is that 1Password's apps and browser extension are among the most pleasant and dependable in the category, especially for autofill.
- Security design. The Secret Key means your vault is protected by more than your password, which matters if you reuse or pick a weak one.
- Families plan. Shared and private vaults, easy recovery and simple admin controls make it practical for a household that isn't technical.
- Travel Mode and item sharing links are useful extras most competitors don't match.
- Developer features, like the SSH agent, are included even on personal plans.
- Every major platform, including Linux and ChromeOS.
Weaknesses
- No free plan. After 14 days you pay or leave.
- Price. At regular rates Individual costs about $48 a year versus $19.80 for Bitwarden Premium, and Business is $8.99 a seat versus Bitwarden Enterprise at $6.
- Closed source. 1Password publishes audits and its security design, but the client code is not open for anyone to inspect the way Bitwarden's is.
- No self-hosting. Your encrypted vault lives on 1Password's servers.
- The Secret Key can trip people up. Signing in on a new device needs it, so losing your Emergency Kit and every signed-in device can lock you out.
- Product sprawl. The business offering now spans several products, which makes the pricing pages harder to follow than they used to be.
Privacy and security
According to 1Password's security page, your account password is never stored by the company, your data is encrypted with keys made from that password and the Secret Key, and sign-in uses the Secure Remote Password protocol, so your credentials are not sent over the internet. The company says it is SOC 2 Type 2 certified, undergoes regular independent assessments and publishes the results, and runs a bug bounty on HackerOne that it describes as the largest in the industry.
1Password also states that autofill only works in browsers it can verify, that it clears your clipboard after copying, and that it only shows or fills data when you take an action. As always, these are the company's own claims; the published white paper and audits are where to look for detail.
Platforms
- Desktop: Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
- Mobile: iPhone, iPad and Android, with autofill in other apps.
- Browsers: extensions for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari and Brave; ChromeOS through the extension and Android app.
- Web: a web app for reaching your vault from any browser, and a command-line tool.
Who should use 1Password
1Password fits households where several people need to share logins and someone needs to be able to help when a relative gets locked out, people who want the least friction day to day, and companies that use Okta or Entra ID and want password management tied into that. It is also popular with developers for the SSH agent and secret references.
If you are on a tight budget, want to self-host, or care strongly about open-source code, look at Bitwarden first. If you only use Apple or only use Google devices, the free built-in password managers may be enough.
Individual vs Families vs Business
The plan choice is usually straightforward, but a few details are easy to miss:
- Individual ($3.99 a month billed yearly at the regular price) is one person with 1 GB of document storage. If a partner would also pay for their own account, Families is cheaper for two people.
- Families ($5.99 a month billed yearly) covers five people. Each person keeps a private vault the others can't see, and you create shared vaults for household logins. A family organizer can help a member who is locked out, which is one of the main reasons people choose 1Password for less technical relatives.
- Teams Starter Pack is priced for very small businesses: a 10-seat minimum at $2.49 per seat billed yearly, up to 20 seats.
- Business ($8.99 per user per month billed yearly) adds identity provider integrations, company-wide Watchtower, more detailed permissions and reports. 1Password has historically included a free Families account for each Business user; check the business pricing page for the current terms.
Because the yearly discount for new customers only applies in the first year, budget for the regular price when comparing with Bitwarden or a built-in password manager.
Getting started well
- Print or save your Emergency Kit when you sign up. It holds your Secret Key and sign-in address, and you need them on any new device.
- Pick a strong account password you can remember; 1Password cannot reset it for you on an individual plan.
- Import your existing passwords from your browser or old manager, then switch off the browser's password saving to avoid duplicates.
- Work through Watchtower, starting with reused and breached passwords on email and financial accounts.
Alternatives
- Bitwarden: open source, a real free plan and Premium for $19.80 a year. Compare them in 1Password vs Bitwarden.
- Apple Passwords or Google Password Manager: free and built in, best if you stay in one ecosystem.
- Dashlane and Proton Pass: other paid options worth a look if you want a VPN or email aliases bundled in.
Organizing your work as well? See our reviews of Notion and Todoist.