Hi there. I’ve been using both 1Password and Dashlane trials for the past week - I am unsure on what to choose.
I have Dashlane Premium at about 80PLN per year, which is 20 USD. Comes out cheaper due to regional pricing. 1Password, as far as I’m aware, does not offer such pricing (or at least not in Poland). That means 1Password costs 44 USD!
I am unsure on which I should choose: 1Password: has the Secret Key (feels more secure), nicer UI, the option to add more types of items (although not sure if they’ll prove useful), Travel Mode (however, an option I doubt I’ll use often, if at all. Not something I’d spend extra money on.), and a feature I might love although it’s so minor, “show in Large Type” Dashlane: an included VPN (very quick, tbh better than other VPNs I’ve used, not been audited before which may be a concern), dark web monitoring allows for 5 emails (which actually did find some breaches not available in haveibeenpwned.com), is cheaper
Is the difference in features in 1Password worth paying over twice the amount I’m paying? Should I wait for some time to see if 1Password decreases their price and use their switch credit program? Or, is Dashlane good enough feature-wise that I shouldn’t consider the switch? Thanks in advance.
One of the huge “Shut up and take my money” features of 1Password for me was the ‘Type In Window’ feature of the Windows app. You can drag your password field from the app to a text box in another app and it will type the password into that text box. This is great for game launchers that don’t let you save your password *(cough) FFXIV *(cough)*. Also, if you don’t want to click and drag there is an arrow where you can select the window to type into. The native windows app also lets you unlock your vault with Windows Hello / fingerprint. It isn’t just some app around a browser with the extension installed… the browser extension is an extension of the app not the other way around
If you read the Whitepaper on the product, it really feels like they are taking security to another level. Not only is there a secret key that adds almost 3x the entropy to your master password, they also don’t even send a hash of that password / secret keyto the servers when you login., They use something called a Password Authenticated Key Exchange instead.
Their encryption system uses a series of symmetric AES-GSM and asymmetric RSA keys to encrypt your data. This allows them to do cool things like sharing vaults with family members and / or have a family organizer be able to send a master password recovery link to a family member who has lost their master password / secret key. They have also come up with cool ways to securely share single passwords with non-family members as well. The entire system is really a work of art IMO. There is a level of security here that used to be very inconvenient to use, but the devs have found clever ways to make it easy to use for the average person.
The app is also being actively, developed to help promote ever increasing password Hygiene. There is usually at least one update per month, sometimes two. Right now they are working on storing Passkeys in 1Password as well as being able to unlock your 1Password vault with a Passkey. This is a still emerging technology that is just starting to get some traction, and 1Password is pushing hard for it… even though it is going to take you from 1Password to 0Password lol.
The devs are very active here and won’t hesitate to talk show about online security in general. They will happily discuss why certain features are implemented they way they are and / or why some features haven’t and wont’ be implemented until they can be implemented in a manner that meets their security concerns. The team is obviously really passionate about security.
All of this rambling is just me saying how I feel the app is worth the additional cost for the peace of mind and ease of use it provides. I can see at least some of the money is going back into the product, it isn’t just being pocketed by using some buzzwords to make you feel like your data is safe when it isn’t (eg LastPass). They have the documented proof that it is, and will back that up with discussion in public forums… I feel a lot more secure with this product than I ever did in the many years that I was using LastPass.
Of those two 1Password without question. If you are concerned about price I’d look at Bitwarden as an alternative. But if you go 1Password you are getting arguably the best password manager on the market regardless of price.
The Large Type Feature is more useful than you’d expect. When I have to input some 16 character password view a TV remote, having it in large type is a huge help.
While that feature won’t sell you on a subscription, I find that 1Password has a collection of ‘small’ features that build into a better experience. An experience even my wife and mother can use.
I would not use Dashlane’s VPN unless you’ve read and clearly understand their privacy policies. My guess is they are simply white-labeling another, cheaper VPN that absolutely will collect your data.
When I was leaving LastPass, I considered BitWarden and 1Password. BitWarden, being open source, was very attractive to me. I like the idea of nothing being hidden. In the end, 1Password’s 3rd party audits (the results of which they publish), the company’s responsive customer service, and ease-of-use of their products is what sold me.
Hi. Thank you for your detailed response.
Would you know anything about Bitwarden? UI is not an issue, and the service is open source as well as audited on a regular basis. Dark Web monitoring for some reason was able to find something not on ihavebeenpwned, which is interesting. Not saying that’s not true, possibly just their database along with ihavebeenpwned.
The big question: I don’t have a lot of money. Should I shell out over twice the price of Dashlane for 1Password instead? I do not need a VPN, and I am aware of all my “known” breaches because of ihavebeenpwned.
also: 1Password’s watchtower is also ihavebeenpwned based, correct?
Hi there
I’ve officially decided to get 1P, was able to snatch it for about 35 bucks. Love the UI. Much cleaner than Dashlane. And of course, all the extra features like even SSH seem ultra cool and useful
The feature that got me to use 1P is the easy to use Passkeys. It was as simple as clicking a button and boom - passkey available on all my devices. Simple, easy, and most importantly safe.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly alternative to 1Password, certainly give Bitwarden a shot. It is great. Don’t pay for Dashlane when you have a free and better alternative. However, I’ll admit:
1Password is much more polished. Integration between extension and desktop app is great. Autofill works better on browser (can’t say the same for Android though). Creating accounts on websites have a better workflow, it fills the password field with suggested password and saves it on the spot. I had problems in Bitwarden in the past where it did not offer to save the password after signing up. Bitwarden also stores the password until after you complete the register, which is not optimal for security.
There are many custom field options for your saved items such as date and month/year and also sections to organize your custom fields. There are also categories (like templates) based on these custom fields so you can store crypto wallets, passports, bank accounts etc.
You can organize your vault with tags. Bitwarden can only put items in single folders. 1Password allows you to tag items with multiple tags and there also subtags.
There is also a password history, which is very useful in some cases. For example, sometimes 1Password saves your password on the spot while you are changing it but the website may not accept it. You can just check your password history to find your old (actually current) password in these cases.
It is also great if you are developer because you can store your SSH keys and can even use them directly with its SSH agent. You can also store secrets like API keys and automate them. It has many integrations with different services.
If none of these are attracting you to pay the price, go with Bitwarden. It is free anyway. Migrating to 1Password in the future, should you encounter issues with Bitwarden, is an easy process. There is mrc-converter-suite which works really well.
Also, if you happen to be a student, do note that you’re eligible for a one-year free subscription to 1Password through the GitHub Education Pack.
Small correction: Watchtower does integrate with the Pwned Passwords database to identify vulnerable passwords, but it’s also an independent service run by the 1Password team when it comes to identified website breaches. I’m one of the people that helps to maintain Watchtower.
