1Password

Puntos a favor

I've long had a theory that website's attempts to beef up their security by requiring increasingly more complex passwords has led to a DECREASE in security. There is no way the average human can remember 50+ complex passwords, so they instead do stupid things like writing passwords on sticky notes and/or using the same password across every website they use (meaning that if one is breached, which is inevitable, then essentially they all are).

Enter the hero of this sad tale--1Password! I have used this software for years now, and I recently upgraded to the family account to get my wife on board. As a result, I use a different ridiculously complex and secure password for every website I visit without needing to remember any of them. I simply use a keyboard shortcut that will automatically fill in those usernames and passwords for me. I love it.

Worried about not having a password you'll need while out and about and away from your computer? Not to worry, they also have great mobile apps that'll take care of you there.

Also, how many times have you had to ask your spouse/SO for the username/password for some shared account (e.g., Netflix, Hulu, bank account, etc)? No longer. With a 1Password account, those can now be easily and automatically shared to a common vault.

Also worth mentioning is one of my favorite features of any piece of software--it disappears into the background. It just queitly and reliably works in the background with little to no upkeep.

Puntos en contra

Honestly, I'm stuggling to think of anything. I work on multiple computers and therefore need things to effortlessly sync between them, and one pain point used to be a sort of fiddly and unreliable sync using Dropbox as a bridge. The syncing is now rock solid (using iCloud, Dropbox, etc.), so is no longer a problem.

Puntos a favor

This is a very secure option for storing passwords, and it syncs well between my computer and my phone. It can also save credit card information to make filling out payment forms quicker, and to be able to save the latest company credit card to make any purchases. There are many other types of entries that you can save in 1Password too that we don't even yet take full advantage of (software licenses, bank accounts, etc.). It is also possible to create multiple vaults, so that you can have a company vault and your personal vault separated. The Google Chrome plugin works great too.

Puntos en contra

It sometimes takes longer to save a new login for a new website because the password creation form is on a different page than the username for example. In these cases, I like to log out and log in again to manually update the login entry in 1Password to ensure that it has the correct username, password, and login URL all saved. It's an extra step, but it is worth it once you get used to it.

Puntos a favor

The ease of use. It's very simple to administer

Puntos en contra

The price is a little high for my liking

Puntos a favor

1Password is a solid password manager that's available pretty much everywhere. It's been my manager of choice for quite a while after my last job covered licenses for the whole company. In addition to passwords, it also manages identities and payment methods, which makes filling forms out a breeze.

Since leaving that job, I went ahead and sprung for the individual license. Things have been fine up until recently, with their push to 1Password 7. They are clearly trying to move lifetime licensees to a monthly subscription, and it's breaking the software for me in critical ways.

Puntos en contra

Despite having a license, the Chrome extension still only runs in "read-only mode" i.e. completed nerfed password tool. Recent updates has made this significantly worse than other password managers on the market. I would have given up long ago had I not already paid for it.

Here's an example: Want to create a 1Password account on desktop to sync and save passwords? First sign in on web! Oh, you'll need an account to sign in. Don't have an account? View this FAQ. The FAQ says, enter your secret key. Oh, the Mac version doesn't have a secret key? Looks like you have the wrong version! You need the membership, which costs a monthly fee. And, surprise, now your extension is in read only mode, hope you don't mind we took that away.

I don't know if it's their weird decision to fork the Mac app store version from 1Password 6/7 (a move done to extract more money from monthly subscriptions, I'm sure), how they are handling the vault syncing with external services or WHAT, but this once solid tool is growing stale, fast.

Puntos a favor

How would anyone survive without 1Password? 1Password not only makes it easier to capture logins, it's a central hub for all things security. There's peace of mind knowing that this information is easy to access, even while on the go. In a business setting, it's great to have vaults to share with your team.

Puntos en contra

At some point, 1Password moved to a subscription model. For cost purposes, I preferred that this used to be a one-and-done price. However, the cost is worth it for ongoing security and reliability.