Keeper vs. 1Password: Which one should you choose?
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Finding the perfect password manager requires a comparison of the best ones out there. Meet Keeper and 1Password are two well-known popular password managers that offer excellent password security and management solutions. In the era of online platforms and services, having unique passwords for every site is essential for improving security.
A password manager simplifies password management by giving you the tools to create, store, and access credentials seamlessly.
In this Keeper vs 1Password comparison, we’ll go over how to compare them across various criteria, including features, pricing, ease of use, security, etc. Let’s get started.
Keeper vs 1Password: Which password manager should you choose?
Both Keeper and 1Password are excellent password management choices, with slight differences in how they work and the value for money they offer.
1Password is a more popular option, with features such as autofill, two-factor authentication, a password generator, and more. Its unique features include Watchtower (which identifies leaks or weak passwords) and travel mode (which locks vaults that are not needed during travel). Moreover, it’s easy to share passwords among team and family members, making it an ideal choice for families and organizations.
Keeper, on the other hand, is a strong password manager that offers features similar to 1Password. With it, you also get 256-bit AES encryption and multi-factor authentication, and it follows zero-knowledge privacy. It is also SOC 2 compliant, just like 1Password.
Keeper vs 1Password Features Comparison
To know more, let’s compare Keeper vs 1Password features to understand which one you should pick.
Password Organization, Management, and Sharing
Keeper offers excellent password organization and management. It is enterprise-ready and also works seamlessly for individuals and families. With Keeper, you can create strong passwords across devices, which it’ll automatically store in encrypted form using 256-bit AES encryption.
Accessing the passwords is intuitive, as everything is stored in a single encrypted vault that is available across devices. Moreover, you can further organize the passwords in categorized folders, making them easy to find and access.
For organizations, Keeper offers control over credentials with role-based access control (RBAC). For sharing, admins can create shared team folders with user-specific permissions (add, remove, modify, or share). Keepers Secret Manager (KSM) uses zero-knowledge and zero-trust security, ensuring the organization’s infrastructure is secure.
It removes hard-coded credentials from CI/CD, config files, and source code. Lastly, organizations also get Keeper Connection Manager(KCM), which offers a secure remote access solution for multi-cloud infrastructure management.
1Password equally excels at password organization, management, and sharing. With 1Password, you get end-to-end password management, which secures your passwords and provides tools to generate, store, and share passwords seamlessly. 1Password’s password generator suggests solid and unique passwords and stores them using 256-bit AES encryption in a vault-based system.
Thanks to the auto-fill feature, these passwords are accessible across devices and easy to use. To access the passwords, you need to use the master password (created during the signup process).
As for organization, 1Password lets admins use tags and categories for easy data classification. You can opt to log-in information separately from credit card information. Password sharing is seamless, and you can share a shared item (password, note, etc.) with others (even with no 1Password account) with a few clicks. For developers, 1Password provides a complete toolkit, enabling them to create, manage, and sync SSH keys across devices. Administrators can use CLI, which offers intuitive SSH and Git commit handling.
Overall, when comparing 1Password vs Keeper, you will see that they offer similar features in password organization, management, and sharing capabilities. 1Password is more suited to individual/family use, whereas Keeper offers enterprise-ready features ideal for teams.
Encryption
Both Keeper and 1Password use similar 256-bit AES encryption, which can securely protect your passwords from malicious attacks. Keeper and AES 256-bit encryption use PBKDF2, improving protection against brute-force attacks. 1Password also uses AES 256-bit encryption and PBKDF2, adding a 128-bit secret key, making it more secure (technically).
However, from a user’s perspective, there is virtually no difference in the encryption used by Keeper and 1Password. Also, both rely on the zero-knowledge policy, which means they don’t have access to your passwords as all the encryption/decryption is done locally.
Monitoring
Keeper and 1Password offer dark web monitoring. For 1Password, the feature is known as Watchtower. It constantly looks for any leaks and notifies you through in-app notifications. Watchtower also tries to improve your vault strength by informing you about weak passwords. It uses third-party services such as Have I Been Pwned to learn about data leaks.
To compare, Keeper uses BreachWatch (available via paid add-on), an in-house add-on tool that constantly looks for leaked passwords across the internet and the dark web. It also offers audit history for future referencing. Once a leak is found, the customer is automatically notified by actively offering password changing directly from the app.
Data Storage
Both Keeper and 1Password offer unlimited vault storage for passwords, making saving unique passwords for each website easy. For other sensitive data storage, such as photos, videos, or other files, Keeper offers 10 GB storage space with its family plan. If you want more secure storage capacity, check out Keeper’s Secure File Storage.
Here, you can choose between 10 GB, 50 GB, and 100 GB for individuals and up to 10 TB storage for business files. The personal plan starts at just $0.83 per user per month, whereas Secure File Storage for business starts at $125 annually.
In contrast, 1Password offers data storage for its plan (which Keeper lacks). Here, you get 1 GB of storage for the personal/family plans and 5 GB for the business plan. It limits file uploads to up to 2 GB. Overall, 1Password and Keeper offers decent data storage for passwords and document storage.
Multi-factor Security
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds another layer of security to your already secure vaults at Keeper and 1Password. Keeper offers more options, whereas 1Password limits itself to a few. Keeper supports the following MFAs:
- Time-based One-Time Passwords (TOTP) include Microsoft Authenticator, Authy, and Google Authenticator.
- U2F-based physical keys
- Hardware tokens
- Smart wearables such as the Apple Watch
To compare, 1Password supports two ways to use MFA:
- Push notifications through mobile apps via Duo Security.
- 2FA authenticator apps such as Microsoft Authenticator or Authy
With 1Password, you can also set up Windows fingerprints and Apple FaceID.
Privacy Policy
Due to Keeper and 1Password’s zero-knowledge encryption policy, you get the standard privacy from both of them. The Zero-knowledge policy ensures that all encryption/decryption takes place locally with no means for employees to gain access to the data. However, to function, they need to collect some personal data.
1Password, for instance, collects data to identify accounts, such as log-ins, account type, number of items in the vault, IP address, email address, storage space utilized, and payment methods. However, 1Password’s privacy policy clearly mentions that any collected data is not shared with any third parties.
Keeper also collects email addresses, usernames, and phone numbers. These are needed to provide the services.
Sync Across Devices
Both Keeper and 1Password support seamless sync across unlimited devices, such as tabs, phones, and computers.
1Password supports various device types, including Android, iOS, Mac, Linux, and Windows. It also supports popular browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Safar, and Edge.
Keeper also supports these device types, including iOS, Linux, Android, MacOS, and Windows.
Password Sharing
Keeper’s password sharing is far more complex compared to 1Password. With Keeper, you get to use its One-Time Share feature. It provides a secure way to share a password with an expiration time attached to it. Also, you can share credentials and other information, such as WiFi passwords, to non-Keeper users, making it more usable.
As for sharing options, Keeper lets you choose between QR code scan, airdrop, SMS, and email. To ensure complete security, Keeper uses a device-locked feature, which ensures that only the recipient can unlock the records.
In contrast, 1Password also offers seamless password sharing. Its one-click vault sharing is fine-tuned for families and teams, but you’re also free to select individual items to share. Here, you need to choose the recipient email and set the link expiry.
For security purposes, only the recipient email can verify the email. If you opt for a 1Password family, team, or business plan, then you will have a more intuitive way to share vaults where you can set permissions for individual users!
Autofill
Keeper and 1Password provide seamless autofill features, enabling you to log in to your favorite site quickly. Keeper uses KeeperFill for Apps and Browser to enable the feature. You need to set them up before using them. The feature is automatically enabled for 1Password. Enabling it requires a few steps, such as clicking the 1Password icon on the form, followed by the account you want to use (if you have multiple accounts for the site).
User Experience (UX) and Interface: Keeper vs 1Password
Keeper and 1Password offer intuitive user interfaces. By focusing on minimizing user friction by understanding the password manager interface, they significantly improve user experience.
The Keeper‘s onboarding module is well-designed, and you must create an account to start it. Once done, you can import passwords seamlessly. The onboarding module also installs browser extensions and sets up account recovery. However, many users have complained about its importing password feature, which maps data incorrectly. For that, you need to make sure to choose the correct data type during import.
You can access all features from the left-side menu from the dashboard, with detailed options available under each option. For example, you can easily organize your passwords with folders. The desktop and web vault interface have slight differences, but nothing significant to impact user experience. In a recent update, Keeper also updated the admin console, which improved the admin’s productivity by saving time.
In contrast, 1Password also offers an excellent user interface and experience. The UI is clean and modern and provides easy access to features. However, the UI could be more consistent across devices and operating systems, hindering users’ experience.
For onboarding, 1Password requires a credit card to sign up (as it doesn’t have a free plan compared to Keeper). It creates a master secret key, which is your primary password for using 1Password. It also makes an emergency kit containing account details in PDF format. It includes details like a secret key, account password, email address, and QR code.
In short, Keeper does better at providing a consistent user experience across devices, while 1Password also hits the mark.
Keeper vs 1Password: Other features worth considering
When comparing Keeper vs. 1Password, there are also other features that you should take into account:
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Data Import
Keeper and 1Password offer seamless import functionality. As soon as you install Keeper, it’ll import the passwords to its newly created Keeper vault. It can be imported from 20 rival password managers, including Dashlane, Bitwarden, and 1Password. However, in a few instances, the import is done incorrectly, leading to missing passwords, misaligned email addresses, etc.
To resolve it, you must import the credentials file again and correctly map data to the correct label in the data set. 1Password doesn’t suffer from any such issue. You can import from popular password managers. It also supports file import through CSV, 1pux, and 1pif formats.
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Travel Mode and Email Masking
For travelers, 1Password offers a travel mode feature. This feature locks vaults that are unnecessary during travel, removing unnecessary risks. The email masking feature is also helpful. It lets you hide your original email address for safer signups and improved privacy. Both these features are only available on 1Password.
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Mobile Apps
Keeper and 1Password offer mobile apps for Android and iOS systems, which you can download from Google Play Store and Apple Play Store, respectively.
Both versions (Android and iOS) offer similar functionality but have different looks. However, mobile apps lack the option to import/export passwords.
Compared with the desktop app, the 1Password mobile app lacks many functionalities but keeps essential features such as autofill.
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Password Generator
Regarding password generator features, both Keeper and 1Passwod don’t disappoint. They offer a powerful password generator tool to create unbreakable yet memorable passwords. In 1Password, you can create passwords up to the 100-character length (in terms of PIN creation, the limit is 12).
You can choose the password length and the type, such as characters, words, or numbers. 1Password also offers a Smart Password Generator that combines 4 separate syllables with numerals and basic symbols. For example, “Moon8soon.rain4when”. These are hard to crack but easy to remember.
Keeper also lets users create up to 100-length passwords with a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.
Overall, both Keeper and 1Password offer a powerful password generator, with 1Password offering a smart way to create easy-to-remember passwords.
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Device and Browser Support
1Password supports all major operating systems and browsers. You can use it on operating systems such as Linux, Chrome OS, Mac, and Windows. The supported browsers include Edge, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. You can install 1Password on unlimited devices. Keeper offers similar device and OS/browser support.
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Price-to-value ratio
When it comes to value for money, there is no clear winner. While Keeper offers cheaper individual/family plans, 1Password’s slightly higher-priced plans provide value in the form of unique features, including Watchtower and Travel Mode.
However, if you’re looking for a free plan, Keeper offers one, but the free plan is minimal compared to the paid one. In fact, it’s better to go for a paid plan as it provides unlimited device support, easy portability across devices, and good storage options.
You can try out both Keeper and 1Password before committing to them. Keeper offers a 30-day free trial, whereas 1Password only provides a 14-day free trial. None of them offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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Customer Service
Both Keeper and 1Password offer detailed guides and how-tos via their knowledge base to help customers who are having issues. If you don’t find a solution, you can contact Keeper through a ticketing system.
For 1Password, you can contact them via email, community forums, and Twitter. Email is a formal way to get help, but if you’re in a hurry, then it’s best to try Twitter and community forums first.
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Company Reputation and Third-Party Security Audits
Keeper is a well-known password manager with a strong company reputation as a secure password manager. Keeper goes through several third-party security audits to build that trust, including the most comprehensive Service Organization Control (SOC2). Its SOC2 compliance means you can trust Keeper’s availability, security, confidentiality, processing integrity, and privacy.
Additionally, Keeper is also ISO 270001 certified. For privacy, Keeper follows the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework, which regulates data protection for transatlantic personal data exchange.
1Password is one of the most reputed password solution provider companies. In terms of third-party audits, 1Password is SOC2 compliant. Moreover, Cure53, Recruity, and Secfault Security have also done successful audits, citing 1Password as safe and secure to use.
Both 1Password and Keeper have good market reputations and solid third-party security audits.
Keeper vs 1Password: Cost Analysis
Keeper and 1Password offer similar pricing models, where they offer plans for individuals, families, and businesses.
Keeper’s individual plans start at $2.92 per month, whereas 1Password begins at $2.90 per month. Not much of a difference. As for features, both of them are equally matched, offering features such as unlimited devices, auto sync, unlimited password storage, 24/7 customer support, and emergency access.
1Password offers two unique features that Keeper lacks: Travelmode and Watchtower. Clearly, both of them offer excellent value for money for individual plans.
However, if you want the best personal plan, then the family plan offers the best bang for the buck. Keeper’s family plan starts at $6.25 per month, which includes 5 private vaults (which can be used by five people), 10 GB of secure file storage, and the ability to share information easily.
1Password’s family plan (up to 5 users) is available at a cheaper price, starting at $4.99 per month, making it a more attractive plan, offering 1 GB of storage per user.
As for business plans, the starter business plans from Keeper and 1Password are similarly priced, at $2 per user/month (minimum 5 users), compared to $19.95 per month (up to 10 team members, which equates to $1.95 per user, per month cost). The Keeper’s business plan is cheaper at $3.75 per user per month compared to $7.99 for 1Password.
You can take advantage of Keeper’s 30-day free trial and 1Password’s 14-day free trial as well. None of them offer a money-back guarantee.
Alternatively, you can try Keeper Free to test out Keeper services. It is very limited, with support for 1 mobile device and 10 records, and hence doesn’t offer real-world benefits.
Keeper and 1Password also offer enterprise-ready plans, which include enterprise-oriented features such as automated team management, Azure integration, active directory, command-line provisioning, developer APIs, and more.
Alternatives to Keeper and 1Password
There are plenty of excellent Keeper and 1Password alternatives, including NordPass, Bitwarden, and Dashlane.
Final Conclusion: Keeper vs 1Password
Keeper is a top-notch password manager that protects all your passwords with excellent encryption and 2FA support. It offers seamless onboarding for new users with an easy-to-use interface, keeping the learning curve to a minimum. With a privacy-focused zero-knowledge policy, only you have access to your passwords.
For individual and family users, Keeper offers a great pick. Its selling point is its 10 GB storage for family plans. These plans provide auto sync, autofill, emergency access, easy password sharing, and excellent device compatibility.
In addition, it has excellent business-focused features such as RBAC, KSM, and KMC, ensuring that admins have complete control over password management and sharing. All of these make Keeper an excellent choice as it provides value for money, especially for family and Business plans.
Keeper
- Industry-standard AES-256 encryption with PBKDF2
- Supports 2FA options such as TOTP generator, smart wearables, U2F-based physical keys, and hardware tokens
- User-friendly
- Offers free tier, but very restrictive
- Supports biometric login for easy account access
- Top-tier password generator
- Supports credit card storage
- Unlimited password storage and 10 GB Secure storage with the family plan
- 24/7 customer support via ticketing system
- Excellent privacy policy
- Offers auto sync across devices
- Unlimited device support
1Password is a trustworthy and secure password manager. It only offers paid plans, which is a plus considering that most password manager solutions offer lackluster free tiers. With 1Password, you get an all-around package that offers strong AES 256 encryption and zero-knowledge architecture. Its password generator guides users to create robust passwords, which then is automatically captured and stored in the 1Password vault. Users can also easily manage passwords with tags and categories for individuals and families.
If you’re a frequent traveler, you’ll find 1Password travel mode helpful. It locks vaults that are not needed during travel, providing a safe environment. The email masking feature is a big plus for privacy-focused users. Overall, 1Password is an ideal pick for most users due to its overall security, privacy policy, and value-for-money plans.
1Password
- Strong password generator which lets you create secure passwords
- Industry-standard 256-bit AES encryption with PBKDF2 and 128-bit secret key
- 1 GB storage space, ideal for storing files, photos, videos and unlimited passwords
- Dark web monitoring that identifies leaked passwords and notifies you
- 2FA support via authenticator apps and push notifications
- Supports all major devices, operating systems and browsers.
- Desktop app offers an excellent user interface
- Travel mode lets you lock vaults not needed for travel
- Email masking protects your email privacy
- Supports biometric logins
- Offers Developer-centric features, including administrative tasks via CLI and SSH key management
- Easy password management with tags and categorization support.
It’s clear by now that both Keeper and 1Password are excellent password managers. However, if you want to choose one, check out 1Password. There are multiple reasons for that — first, it offers overall better encryption with the addition of the 128-bit secret key in addition to 256-bit AES and PBKDF2.
It also provides access to unique features like travel mode and email masking. Additionally, 1Password offers seamless import functionality compared to Keeper (prone to errors during password import). Apart from that, there is little that separates 1Password from Keeper.
I recommend Keeper if you want an easy-to-use password manager with a consistent device user experience.