1Password

1Password Review – Pricing, Features, and Alternatives

All you need is one weak password to invite a hacker to barge into your account regardless of whether it is your email account, account of your favorite shopping platform or any other platform. In comes a password manager like 1Password 8 that doesn’t just help store passwords and other credentials, but even lets you create strong passwords as well. In this 1Password 8 review we will find out if it is worth installing.

What is 1Password?

1Password for PC is a simple way to store, use and manage passwords. It comes with AES-256-bit encryption and uses a variety of techniques to protect not just your passwords but all your data. In fact, once you have downloaded 1Password, it constantly keeps a check for weak credentials and even lets you know which websites are using weak HTTP or missing 2FA.  Using this utility, you can log into websites and fill forms using saved credentials with just 1 click. 1Password for Windows PC comprises a password manager, form filler, digital vault and a secure digital wallet. While 1Password is available as a standalone desktop app, it even has browser extensions for popular browsers. This way you can use suggested passwords without having the need to leave your browser. 

How To Use 1Password On PC

1. Download 1Password, pick one of the 1Password plans that suit your needs (you can refer to the pricing section below for more help) and run the installation file.  2. After you have downloaded 1Password on your PC and have set up a master password, you will be taken to All Items section. 3. To begin with you can click on the + icon from the top as shown in the screenshot below.  4. Choose from one of the predefined templates and enter the credentials that you want to keep safe from prying eyes. For example, I have picked Login. As you can see you can now enter your username, generate a strong and random password, add notes and even put it in your desired vault.  These steps were just to get you started. You are free to explore the various options that 1Password offers. 

Interface

85% - Very Good

Talking of the interface, it is decent, especially considering the fact that it has been revamped quite recently. It can be accessed right from your Windows System Tray.   The main items or categories can be found on the left-hand pane and when you click on each of these items, the subsequent results appear on the right. Here, you can create “Collections” using which you can create a custom group of vaults from any of your accounts. Now, this also has an impact on the “Quick Access” feature that we will discuss later in this post. To give you an overview, in “Quick Access”, you’ll only be suggested the items which are present in the vault of a particular “Collection”.   Furthermore, you can add your favorite items that you use the most. The “Watchtower” dashboard comprehensively shows you how strong your credentials are and if there are any items that you need to look into.  Reaching the bottom are the options to “Archive” items or restore accidentally deleted items provided you do that within 30 days. The interface locks you out after 10 minutes of inactivity and for good.  Looking for something that can help you get started with storing passwords even faster? Here are some alternatives to 1Password. 

Features

85% - Very Good

1. Better Account Management

1Password for PC lets you efficiently manage multiple accounts. In case you are signed into more than one account, you can unlock the account you want by just entering the password related to that account. It also lets you pick up from where you left off. 

2. Strong Password Generator

Remember we talked about generating strong passwords? This 1Password feature takes it a step further and lets you create strong and random passwords that are harder for even computer programs to invade. But, how? By spicing up your password with characters, numbers, and symbols and better, by jumbling them. 

3. Watchtower Dashboard

You can see security health at a glance and take action on items that might put your data in danger. This 1Password feature alerts you in case it detects any security issues. By the means of a score, you can get an overall idea of how secure and safe your data is. 

4. Quick Access

In case you have created many passwords and want to retrieve a password quickly, “Quick Access” can help you out. It is a search tool that you can open using the Ctrl + Shift + Spacebar. Once the search box appears, you can start typing and instantly look up, copy and fill any of the saved items available in your vault. For example, let’s assume you have saved one to many credit cards and want to find details of one particular credit card. By opening “QuickAccess”, you can start typing and relevant items will be suggested.

5. Manage Multiple Vaults

You can create and use multiple vaults in 1Password to organize your items. Once you create a vault, you can assign an icon, name, and description. After that, you can use a predefined template to create items and enter all the details. For example, you can enter bank details such as bank name, account number, SWIFT code, bank phone number, etc. Next, you can generate a link and choose how to share the information with others. You can set the expiry time of this link, choose who can access the link, and even the times it can be viewed. If ever you need to fill in the credentials, you can visit the website, on your 1Password app select the field, copy it with one click, and paste it. 

6. Browser Extension

When it comes to using suggested passwords and signing into websites, 1Passwords lets you do all that without moving away from your browser. You can get 1Password extensions for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Brave Browser, and Apple Safari.

7. Autofill Capabilities

Once you have saved your credentials such as usernames and passwords for specific websites, you won’t have to type them once you visit those websites again. On the sign-in page of a particular website, you will see the 1Password icon. All you have to do is click on it and choose the login related to the website you are on.

8. Restore Recently Deleted Items

Needn’t worry if you accidentally deleted an item that you shouldn’t have provided you act upon your decision fast. To be more precise, you get 30 days to restore any deleted item. Post 30 days, the deleted items will be removed permanently. 

Updates

90% - Excellent

The updates are an important aspect of 1Password. So much so that 1Password checks for updates every five minutes after you have opened the app. This way  If 1Password is locked, it will update itself on its own and if it is unlocked, you will be notified if an update is available. Even then, if you are curious about whether or not you are running the latest version there are two ways to check that -  Method - 1 The easiest way to check for updates is to click on the three vertical dots and then click on Check for Updates. Method - 2 This is a longer method but here you check the version. 1. Click on the three vertical dots as shown in the screenshot below. 2. Click on Settings > About  3. Click on Check for Updates.

Pricing

85% - Very Good

You can try 1Password for Windows for free for 14 days. There are broadly two variants - Personal & Family, and Team & Business.  If you want 1Password for your or your family's personal use, the Personal & Family package may best suit your needs. You can either opt for the $2.99/ month variant (billed annually) if it's just you who is going to use 1Password. Or, you can choose the $4.99/ month variant (billed annually) to secure the passwords of your whole family. Let’s have a look at the features you expect from both these variants. 1Password for business i.e., the Teams & Business variant caters to the security needs of small and big businesses. The Team Starter Pack is priced at $19.95/ month (billed annually). For more advanced needs you can opt for the Business variant priced at $7.99/ month/ user or if yours is a large organization, you can get a custom quote that would encompass advanced features where you will also be assigned an onboarding engineer.

Customer Service

80% - Good

At some point, a user may get stuck with a feature or have other queries. In that scenario, there are three channels to turn to for help namely - the support community, email, and Twitter. Although 1Password offers an extensive video database referring to which you can learn about the various aspects, a live chat would have been even better. On the upside, you can also reach the 1Password support team via telephone for assistance.  You can also mail in your queries whereby you can enter your email address and explain the issue you are facing and you will receive a reply promptly over the mail.  

Wrapping Up

All in all, 1Password for Windows PC is a safe, secure and feature-packed tool that is more than just your regular password manager. Although, someone who is new to password managers might take some time to figure out a few things here and there, but overall, it does a decent job in just storing passwords, but even letting you share and manage other credentials as well. Do share with us your experience of using 1Password and if you would recommend it to other users as well.

FAQs:

Q1. Is 1Password worth the money? 1Password is worth every penny spent. It is safe and even offers 1GB free document storage as well.  Q2. Has 1Password ever been hacked? There haven’t been any reports of 1Password being hacked. As a prudent company, 1Password takes stringent measures to protect their user’s security. This means even in an event there is a breach, you can rest assured that your data won’t be risked.  Q3. Which is better: 1Password or LastPass? Both are great. However, with LastPass you get up to 30 days to try out all the features. 1Passwords gives you 14 days to try out features for free,  Q4. Is 1Password safe for bank accounts? Yes, it is. 1Password keeps your data secure behind military grade AES 256-bit encryption. Moreover, each 1Password account is further secured using a secret 38-digit security key.