1Password Overview

1Password

Introduction

If you’ve ever experienced the frustration of being logged out of an account because you forgot your password, then I have a good feeling the 1password app would interest you.

This app might be for you If you want to save your dozens of online passwords, generate new ones, and log in to sites with a simple click.

History

1Password is a secure, scalable, and easy-to-use password manager that’s trusted by the world’s leading companies. It is the easiest way to store and use strong passwords. You can log in to sites and fill out forms securely with a single click.

It is a password manager developed by AgileBits Inc. It provides a place for users to store various passwords, software licenses, and other sensitive information in a virtual vault that is locked with a PBKDF2-guarded master password. By default, the user’s encrypted vault is hosted on AgileBits’ servers for a monthly fee. The company is based in Toronto.

Credit card numbers, documents, bank accounts, driver’s licenses, passports, social security numbers – you name it, 1Password can store it in your encrypted vault.

In terms of day-to-day use, 1Password is very well designed. The software is easy to understand and doesn’t require you to learn the app’s peculiar logic. It’s sensibly organized and is smart enough to instantly provide your passwords when you need them via the 1Password browser extensions.

Unique features of 1password

While 1Password has many great features, these are some of the very interesting ones:

Watchtower:

Watchtower is a feature that pushes you to be better with your online security. It is 1Password’s password-auditing feature that notifies you if your passwords are weak, have been reused, are vulnerable to cyber attacks, or have been compromised in a data breach.

1Password makes it simple for you to spot and resolve any security issues. It also monitors credit card expiration dates.

Multiple Vault:

1Password offers a convenient way to manage your data by storing it in separate vaults. If you want to keep your work and personal information separate, 1Password can do that with different vaults.

This makes it easy for you to keep your personal data (credit cards and bank accounts), work logins, family documents, and travel details all separate, instead of having to scroll through huge lists of login details.

New vaults can’t be created in the app, however – you’ll have to do this on the 1Password website under the account management section.

You can create a vault for forms, passwords, secure documents, credit cards, and more.

The Families package includes private and shared vaults by default — so you can keep your personal information separate while sharing specific login details with the rest of your family. The shared vault’s permission controls make it easy to specify who can view, manage, or edit data.

When you share a vault with another user, 1Password generates an access key that is tied to the shared user’s email address. This is a convenient way to make sure that you’re only sharing passwords and logins with the right people.

Recently, 1Password also added a way to share logins from your vault with people who don’t use 1Password. Psst! (Password Secure Sharing Tool) generates a link for you to share password details with anyone. The link is set to expire after 7 days by default, but you can adjust this to 30 days, 2 weeks, one day, an hour, or even after a single person has viewed it. This tool is really handy if you want to share your WiFi or Netflix details with a house guest, for example.

Biometrics:

1Password also supports biometric logins – across popular features such as Face ID and Touch ID on Apple devices, as well as Windows Hello and Fingerprint Unlock – to add an extra layer of convenience and security. Also, you can use this to log in to 1Password without typing in your password every time.

Privacy Cards:

1Password has partnered with privacy.com to set up Privacy Cards, which are virtual payment cards that mask your debit card information when you make online purchases. This is such a cool feature and you won’t find it with any other password manager.

Privacy Cards are a quick and easy way to increase your security while shopping online with debit cards, and they’re easy to set up and use. They replace your actual debit card number with a different set of numbers when you make a purchase. This way, if the vendor is ever involved in a data breach, your actual card information will remain safe and secure.

Take note that Privacy Cards are only available for US subscribers. Also, note that credit cards aren’t supported and the only debit cards that are accepted are Visa and MasterCard.

Travel Mode:

When traveling across certain borders, some customs officials will request access to your device. With Travel Mode, you can select which vaults will be accessible to these officials.

All you need to do is select certain vaults that are safe for travel and others that are not. When Travel Mode is turned on in your 1Password web account, only the vaults that you’ve marked as “Safe for Travel” will be visible on your devices. This way, vaults containing sensitive information will be hidden until Travel Mode is turned off. Simply turning off Travel Mode restores access to all of your vaults. This also serves as an extra layer to protect your information if your device is stolen while traveling.

1Password doesn’t show a change in its status to Travel Mode while Travel Mode is enabled, preventing the authorities from even realizing that you’ve hidden vaults.

No other password manager includes a similar feature to 1Password’s Travel Mode. So it’s worth considering 1Password if you want to keep your data private while traveling.

Secure Encryption and 2-factor Authentication:

1Password allows you to store your 2-factor authentication codes (time-based one-time passcodes or TOTP) and sync them between your devices. There are some risks to keeping your passwords and 2FA codes in the same place, but it’s extremely convenient.

Along with two-factor authentication, 1Password comes with a helpful security feature, AES 256-bit encryption, which banks and governments around the world also use. This means your passwords are secure, and the likeliness of someone trying to hack your account head-on is extremely unlikely.

The master password you receive when setting up is also a 34-character secret key. You’ll use this for the first login. This master key is shared with you in a PDF, which you can print out or place somewhere secure. The master key is also protected by a Secure Remote Password (SRP).

1Password also has a zero-knowledge policy, so no one but you will know the master key. This means your master key cannot be retrieved if lost except through biometrics.

1Password X

1Password X is a version of 1Password that runs entirely in a web browser. It has a browser extension that works in conjunction with 1Password’s web version. It is available for major browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, and Brave.

1Password X offers full software usability in your web browser of choice. It’s very easy to use and makes auto-filling and auto-saving a breeze. There’s also an integrated password generator, which creates a unique code that is saved to a vault instantly.

You also have the option to add 2FA and can search your vaults from your browser without having to open a separate program.

In the browser extension, you have to initiate logins, which removes security risks. However, using the 1Password X plugin, it’s possible to auto-fill passwords, addresses, and bank details on websites with a couple of clicks.

1Password X will automatically lock when the browser is closed or not used for some time, and it also supports keyboard shortcuts.

Although 1Password X’s extension is missing some features like bookmarks storage, it is still a very capable and easy-to-use browser extension.

Plan and Pricing

Unlike most sites that work with a free 30-day trial, 1Password only offers a free 14-day trial that will allow you to see if it works for your needs.

1Password has two different plans when it comes to personal use: Standard and Families.

1Password’s entry-level plan starts at $2.99 a month, which is billed annually. The personal account is the most affordable 1Password plan, and it’s aimed primarily at single users that just want a bit more protection when it comes to passwords. With the Personal account, you get unlimited passwords, 1 GB of document storage, 24/7 email support, 365-day item history, Travel Mode, and 2 Factor Authorization for $35.88 a year.

The family plan is aimed at families, offering up to six total accounts, so everyone in the house can prioritize security online. With the Families package, you get all the features from the Personal account as well as sharing of passwords, credit cards, secure notes, family member permission management, and account recovery. Up to six people can access the program for $4.99 per month, which is billed annually.

Due to the COVID pandemic in early 2020, many businesses across the world gained a sudden interest in remote work and flexible work-from-home options. But sensitive company data and software need to stay secure even while being accessed from across the country. This is why the 1Password business plan is a good solution to this security issue.

1Password has three different plans when it comes to business use: Teams, Business, and Enterprise. The most popular is Business, but small teams of ten or fewer employees will likely benefit from Teams as well.

Small businesses may want to consider the Teams plan. The Teams product is the only 1Password plan that isn’t sold on a per-user basis. Instead, it’ll cost a flat fee of $19.99 per month for a license that supports up to ten users. Presuming you max it out at a total of ten users for your business team, that’s a cost of $2 per user — an incredibly cost-effective password management price for business use.

This plan gives users all the core features listed: Access to unlimited shared vaults and item storage, administration controls, and five guest accounts for limited sharing. Each user will get 1GB of document storage. And as the cap of ten users hints, this tier is aimed at smaller businesses.

The next step up is Business, which offers all the features available in Teams as well as 5 GB of document storage per user, 20 guest accounts, custom security controls, activity log, custom roles, usage reports, custom groups, Active Directory, Okta and OneLogin provisioning for $7.99 per month, per user.

This tier also includes admin controls to view and manager permissions. An account recovery feature allows managers to help users who may have forgotten their login information.

Business is aimed more at bigger businesses than Teams with more users and demands, as reflected in the price and feature set.

The final product offering is Enterprise, which has all the features of Business but allows you to customize certain services for your enterprise. The price point on this package will vary depending on your personalized needs. It adds a dedicated account manager to the business tier, set-up training, and an onboard engineer. Enterprise is the top-tier package and is aimed at large businesses.

In addition, for 1Password Business, You can keep track of your employees’ password health by encouraging them to use the Watchtower feature. Each business account has a free Families account for every employee to encourage healthy password habits. When an employee leaves the company, they can unlink the Families account and continue the subscription at their own expense.

How to get started with 1Password

1Password is very easy to set up and use. You can start using 1Password after taking a few quick steps to create your account. These include setting a master password, which is used to secure all of your information. Make sure to create a strong master password, which should be both easy to remember and something that nobody else would guess. 1Password doesn’t require credit card information during setup, so you can sign up without taking on any risk.

Once You are logged into your account with your master password for the first time, You will be assigned a unique Secret Key. Each time you add a new device or browser extension, you need this key.

The 34-digit Secret Key is stored in the Emergency Kit — a PDF file provided to every user when they open a 1Password account.

The Emergency Kit contains; the 1Password web version login URL, Email address, Secret Key, Master password, 1Password support email address, and QR code for a quick account setup in all of the 1Password apps.

It’s important to store your Emergency Kit safely, either printing out a hard copy or storing the soft copy somewhere no one else can access.

After creating an account, you’ll be able to start adding items and vaults. Changes are automatically synced across all devices, so you can use 1Password seamlessly on all your devices, including your computer, tablet, and phone.

1Password’s Windows app supports Windows Hello unlocks. The macOS app allows you to unlock your vault with your Apple Watch and FaceID. 1Password also supports app and U2F key-based multi-factor authentication. You need to set up an app-based method before 1Password lets you set up a U2F key, such as from Yubico or Google Titan. These keys can be your second factor on 1Password’s website or for the Android or iOS apps.

1Password Mobile Apps

Aside from the 1Password X browser plugin, 1Password mobile app is available for both Android and iOS devices. Both the iOS and Android versions work well. The interface is intuitive and easy enough for beginner users to navigate and use.

1Password iOS App

The 1Password iOS app is rated 4.4 on Apple’s app store, and also comes with an Editor’s Choice award. In terms of functionality, it’s fairly comprehensive.

You can take advantage of both Fingerprint ID and Face ID to unlock your vault. However, this is only possible after the master password has been entered once.

As well as being compatible with iPhone and iPad devices, the 1Password iOS app also works with the Apple Watch.

1Password Android App

In terms of functionality, the Android 1Password app is very similar to the iOS version. Android users will have to forego Face ID login, though fingerprint sign-in is still an option.

As with the iOS version, the 1Password app is strongly rated by users on the Google Play store, with a score of 4.2. It requires Android version 5 and up, and has a 26MB download size.

The Android app allows you 5 clipboard clearing time options with a maximum of 3 minutes — as opposed to the set 90-second clipboard clearing time in the desktop version and iOS.

The Android and iOS apps have a similar design — they both have tabs at the bottom of the screen for Favorites, Categories, Tags, and Settings. While the Favorites, Categories, and Tags tabs are identical on each app, there are a handful of differences under the Settings tab.

The mobile app has more flexibility than the desktop version when it comes to other features and The team at 1Password also recently added access to Watchtower for mobile users.

Finances and Figures

1Password has raised a total of $920.1M in funding over 3 rounds. Their latest funding was raised on Jan 19, 2022, from a Series C round. It is funded by 29 investors, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Scarlett Johansson are the most recent investors.

1Password also acquired SecretHub on Apr 13, 2021.

The company currently has 17 current employee profiles, including CEO Jeff Shiner. It has 2 board members and advisors, including Michael Simmons and David faugno.

1Password is ranked 25,088 among websites globally based on its 5,677,869 monthly web visitors. From this overview, we can conclude that 1password is easy to use, has loads of unique features and the price point won’t break the bank. It offers everything individuals and businesses need to store and share passwords and other sensitive pieces of information