1Password vs. LastPass – Which one is the best?

If I had to choose two names in the best password category, I would choose 1Password and LastPass. Both are well-known apps that offer in-depth solutions to password worries. Remembering online passwords is either trickly or impossible due to the complexity and the sheer amount you need to remember (considering that you’re active on multiple sites). This comparison article will examine 1Password vs. LastPass across multiple criteria, such as ease of use, user experience, value for money, security, and privacy. So, which password manager software between 1Password vs LastPass should you pick? Let’s find out.

1Password vs LastPass: Which one is the most obvious choice?

1Password is a popular premium password manager that offers robust security. It allows you to generate strong passwords with a single click and store them in a singular place. Its autofill is also excellent, with a focus on ease of use. Additionally, you get a Watchtower feature that notifies you about leaked or weak passwords in your vault.

LastPass, on the other hand, is also a popular password manager, primarily because of its free tier. It is feature-rich and offers the essentials, including a password generator and auto-filling. Its dark web monitoring makes sure you know about your leaked passwords.

So, should you choose LastPass as it is more popular than 1Password?

Even with LastPass’s popularity, it is hard to recommend it due to recent data leaks. LastPass came forward with its 2022 breach, in which a hacker accessed a developer account, gaining access to sensitive data. However, the attack compromised LastPass’s security systems and the associated trust. LastPass admitted that the attack resulted in a customer data leak. A more significant leak occurred in June 2015, where hackers accessed users’ authentication hashes, compromising the user’s vault. By default, 1Password is a more trustworthy choice. It has carried out proper security audits and has never been breached, making it an apparent choice between the two.

For a clearer picture, let’s compare the features of 1Password and LastPass.

1Password Features vs LastPass Features

Password Management and Organization

1Password offers complete end-to-end password management for individuals, teams, and businesses. It is highly secure and provides tools to create strong passwords for every site you visit. For sites you already have a password, it stores them using strong 256-bit encryption. Also, fetching the passwords is a breeze thanks to its auto-fill feature. To use 1Password, use the master password created during the sign-up process.

Additionally, 1Password offers easy data classification using tags and categories, which you can use to store login, note, and credit card information separately. It also supports passkeys and auto-syncs passwords/information across devices for easy access. For developers, 1Password offers a complete toolkit for managing their development environment. Developers can create, manage, and sync SSH keys, making syncing accessible across devices. Its CLI also offers administrative task capabilities, enabling the intuitive handling of Git commits with 1Password SSH.

Like 1Password, LastPass lets you create, store, and autofill passwords. Here, you get a master password for your vault, which unlocks everything. Once you save or update a password, it auto-syncs it across all supported devices, enabling you to access it quickly when needed. Like 1Password, LastPass offers categorization for easy access. You can create categories such as work, entertainment, shopping, etc., simplifying the storage and access of passwords.

Encryption

In terms of encryption, there is little to differentiate between 1Password and LastPass. Both use the industry-standard AES-256-bit algorithm, which encrypts/decrypts complete blocks rather than single bits. This is a robust encryption method that protects passwords from brute-force attacks.

In addition, 1Password and LastPass use zero-knowledge architecture. It means the service provider company doesn’t have direct access to data under any circumstances; only the user can access their data.

Monitoring

1Password constantly monitors for data leaks and breaches. Its Watchtower feature notifies you if it finds your password has leaked. In addition, it marks weak and duplicate passwords, so you can change them to strong passwords. Lastly, the Watchtower feature recommends enabling two-factor authentication on specific sites.

LastPass also actively monitors for password leaks through a feature known as Dark Web Monitoring. However, it doesn’t notify you in-app; it only sends you via email.

Data Storage

In terms of data storage, 1Password offers more freedom. With 1Password, you can upload up to 2GB file size, whereas the storage limit is 1 GB for personal/family and 5 GB for business.

LastPass’s paid plan offers 1 GB of storage (for individuals) and 1 GB each in the family plan. However, it limits file size to only 10MB, which prevents you from uploading big files, especially videos.

Multi-factor security

Multi-factor security helps you further strengthen your password manager accounts. In this case, LastPass offers more options than 1Password, but nothing significant.

LastPass supports the following multi-factor security options:

1Password multi-factor options include only two options:

Privacy Policy

1Password offers a strong privacy policy. However, the same is not valid for LastPass due to its location (US-based) and lack of fine-tuned privacy policy. While LastPass actively mentions in its privacy policy that it shares customers’ data for marketing purposes. Their parent company, LogMein, controls their privacy policy, which seems to have the same policy for all its products, including LastPass.

1Password, on the other hand, clearly shows how they manage data under the hood. According to them, they only store data in encrypted format and never sell them to third parties for marketing or advertising purposes. 1Password has a better privacy policy that cares about customer’s privacy.

Sync across devices

1Password and LastPass (premium plans only) offer automatic sync across devices, thanks to vaults, which are easily sharable across devices.

Password Sharing

Both 1Pasword and LastPass offer password sharing, with 1Password offering a more optimized way to do so. Also, 1Password lets you share passwords with users who don’t use 1Password, whereas LastPass doesn’t, limiting the password-sharing capabilities.

With 1Password, you can open the item you want to share, input the email link and click share. That’s it. The receiver needs to verify the email to access the content. For LastPass, you need to verify your email address before you can start sharing passwords.

User Experience (UX) and Interface: 1Password vs LastPass

Data Import

1Password and LastPass both offer good data import functionality. 1Password allows you to import data from popular browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, Edge, etc., and password managers such as Dashlane, LastPass, RoboForm, etc. It also supports spreadsheet and CSV formats. So, you’re mostly covered and can import data easily. LastPass offers similar but fewer import options, including 1Password.

Password Generator

Both 1Password and LastPass offer excellent password generators. With 1Password, you can generate up to 100 passwords using a combination of letters, characters, words, and numbers. LastPass generator lets you generate passwords up to 50 in length. You can create passwords that are easy to say or read.

Mobile App Functionality

1Password offers strong mobile support with access to its iOS and Android apps. You can use its autofill solution across your phone, be it by doing an app login or logging in via your browser. Its iOS and Android app features match, but the iOS app’s ability to add items to the Apple Watch keychain is note-worthy. This uses Apple Watch security to protect your passwords.

LastPass also has iOS and Android apps. However, it only works on Android 8 or above. The iOS version doesn’t have any such limitations. Overall, 1Password has better mobile app support than LastPass.

Travel Mode and Email Masking

1Password offers two unique features, including Travel Mode and Email masking. Travel Mode is my favorite, as it lets you set up vaults for traveling and remove vaults that are not travel-safe. LastPass doesn’t offer any such feature. 1Password’s email masking masks your email, making it privacy-friendly.

Customer Service

1Password offers customer service via email, Twitter, and community. However, it lacks a live chat service, so you may have to wait a few minutes to hours before getting a reply to your query.

LastPass, on the other hand, also offers 24/7 web support and phone support (personal and business plan only). It also provides a knowledge base and offers a chatbot that tries to answer your queries.

Value for money

Even with a free tier, LastPass lacks value for money. Two reasons behind this are limited free versions and a lack of proper security audits. Moreover, the recent breaches also don’t give confidence in LastPass’s selection. This makes 1Password an excellent choice and value for money. LastPass’s paid version costs $3 per month, whereas 1Password costs $2.99 monthly.

Before you opt for these services, you can take advantage of 1Password’s 14-day and LastPass’s 30-day trials. That’s because they don’t offer any money-back guarantee.

Overall, 1Password is a clear choice regarding value for money.

Company Reputation and Audits

1Password has a solid background and reputation in the cybersecurity industry. However, this is not valid for LastPass, which experienced multiple data breaches in 2022. According to LastPass, the users’ password vaults are safe from being breached as hackers only have access to customer data.

As for audits, 1Password is SOC 2 Type 2 certified, along with Cure53, Recurity, etc. All these successful audits hint at high 1Password standards regarding security architecture, codebase, background application, and cryptographic premise. LastPass lacks in this department as it only has one certification related to staff compliance. Its lack of penetration testing audit makes it less attractive than 1Password.

Recovery options

If you forget your 1Password master password, you’ll need to use the Emergency Kit generated during the initial sign-up. However, if you are on an individual plan and lost your emergency kit, you’re out of luck. You also get a Windows Hello recovery option that uses biometrics to help you get your account back. If you’re on a family plan, you can ask your family member to help retrieve your account.

LastPass offers more recovery options, including one-time passwords, biometric authentication through mobile devices, and adding a backup phone. Overall, LastPass has a better recovery option, making it a more secure option if you frequently forget your password.

1Password vs LastPass: Which One Offers the Best Value for Money?

If you’re looking for value for money, 1Password is a better choice. It offers better features and pricing, similar to LastPass.

Let’s look at the LastPass free plan to get a clear picture. It is limited and suitable for users using it on a single device. If you want more features, you must pay for the LastPass plan, which starts at $3.00 monthly. Its family plan is decent and billed at $4 per month with up to 6 premium accounts. 1Password’s paid plan is similarly priced. Its Individual plan starts at $2.99 per month, and its family plan is $4.99 per month, with a five-family member limitation.

Even though 1Password is slightly higher in cost with fewer slots in the family plan, it offers better value for money. That’s because of its feature-rich offering and excellent security than LastPass.

Alternatives to 1Password and LastPass

You should also consider some viable alternatives to 1Password and LastPass, such as NordPass, DashLane, and Keeper.

Final Conclusion: 1Password vs LastPass

Choosing between 1Password vs. LastPass is entirely dependent on your requirements. However, if you look at security audits and breach history, 1Password is a clear recommendation. LastPass does everything right, but trying to cater to free users directly impacts its privacy policy, which mentions that customers’ data are used for marketing purposes.

1Password’s main strength lies in its security features, which include AES 256-bit encryption and zero-knowledge architecture. It also offers unique features such as WatchTower, Travel Mode, and Email masking, which make it value for money. With excellent device support, autofill, auto sync, a strong password generator, and decent multi-factor security and data storage, 1Password is a clear winner.

1Password

LastPass’s strength lies in its all-around security features. It uses 256-bit AES encryption and zero-knowledge architecture. Like 1Password, it also monitors the dark web, syncs data across devices, and offers a strong password generator. However, its recent breaches and lack of audits mean it is not an instant recommendation. Additionally, LastPass’s privacy policy is suboptimal as it shares data for marketing purposes.

LastPass

In conclusion, our recommendation goes to 1Password. That’s because it offers a better, more secure password manager software overall and has an excellent reputation. It has unique features, such as a watchtower and email masking, which are ideal for advanced users. Moreover, 1Password is a good value for money, especially for a family plan. We recommend LastPass for users who want a free password manager.