As a cybersecurity professional with over a decade of experience, I‘ve seen countless individuals and organizations suffer the consequences of poor password practices. Despite widespread awareness of the risks, surveys consistently show that a majority of people still use weak, easily guessed passwords and reuse them across multiple accounts. A 2019 Google survey found that 52% of respondents reused the same password for multiple accounts. And a 2021 survey by Security.org revealed that 45% of Americans use passwords that are 8 characters or less.
These habits leave users highly vulnerable to account takeovers and identity theft, especially given the frequency of data breaches exposing millions of login credentials. Haveibeenpwned.com, a site that tracks breaches, has catalogued over 11 billion compromised accounts.
This is where password managers come in. They make it easy to generate, store, and autofill strong, unique passwords – without having to remember them yourself. While built-in browser password managers are convenient, I strongly recommend using a dedicated password manager that encrypts your data either locally or end-to-end for maximum security.
Two of the most popular and highly rated options are 1Password and LastPass. In this in-depth comparison, I‘ll break down their features, security, pricing, and more to help you decide which is the best fit for your needs.
Security & Encryption
When evaluating password managers, security is the most critical factor. Both 1Password and LastPass employ industry-standard encryption algorithms and security best practices. However, there are some notable differences:
1Password
- End-to-end encryption using 256-bit AES
- Passwords encrypted locally before syncing to 1Password servers
- Secret key used in addition to master password for encrypting/decrypting data
- No record of master password or secret key stored by 1Password
- Encrypts all metadata and vault details
LastPass
- 256-bit AES encryption with PBKDF2 SHA-256
- Sensitive data encrypted/decrypted at the device level
- Email used as encryption key salt
- Email, password hints, and website URLs not encrypted
- Master password never sent to LastPass servers
Both password managers offer robust encryption that would take millions of years to brute force crack. However, 1Password‘s end-to-end encryption and use of a secret key provide an extra layer of protection. With LastPass, certain metadata like website URLs are not encrypted.
Additionally, LastPass has suffered multiple security incidents:
- 2015: Anomalous traffic detected on LastPass network, prompting users to reset master passwords
- 2017: Browser extension vulnerability found, allowing websites to steal passwords
- 2019: Data breach in which customer email addresses, customer website URLs, and customer website usernames were compromised (but encrypted vaults not affected)
- 2022: Hackers gained access to third-party cloud-based storage used by LastPass, copying customer vault data (still encrypted) and customer website URLs
While it appears that LastPass‘s encryption has held up without password vaults being compromised, these repeated incidents call into question their security posture and ability to protect against evolving threats. LastPass‘s 2022 breach was especially concerning, as it exposed more sensitive metadata which, combined with individual site breaches, could allow attackers to target users and guess master passwords.
In contrast, 1Password has never suffered a known data breach. They are more transparent about their security model and even offer a white paper explaining it in detail. 1Password also has a bug bounty program and undergoes regular security audits, with results published on their website. Security professionals consistently praise 1Password‘s security architecture.
So from a security perspective, 1Password has the edge. No software is unhackable, but 1Password‘s approach minimizes risks and reduces the potential damage if a breach occurs.
Features
When it comes to features, 1Password and LastPass have a lot in common. Both will:
- Generate, store, and fill strong passwords
- Store other sensitive info like credit cards, IDs, and secure notes
- Offer browser extensions and mobile apps for easy autofill
- Allow you to securely share passwords with other users
- Provide a security dashboard to check your password hygiene
However, each has some unique features that help them stand out. Here‘s an overview of what each offers:
1Password
- Watchtower: Scans for vulnerable passwords and tells you which sites have 2FA available
- Travel mode: Temporarily removes sensitive data from your devices when traveling
- Privacy cards: Create virtual credit cards to mask your real details online
- Advanced compartmentalization: Multiple vaults to segregate work, personal, and shared items
1Password‘s Watchtower feature identifies weak and vulnerable passwords
LastPass
- In-depth security challenge: Detailed analysis of all your passwords with weak, reused, and old passwords automatically changed
- Emergency access: Grants a trusted contact access to your vault in an emergency
- Advanced multi-factor options: Supports physical security keys and biometric authentication
- Credit monitoring: Alerts you of issues on your credit report (US only, $9.99/mo add-on)
LastPass‘s Security Challenge provides a detailed assessment of your password security
Both password managers also offer family plans with expanded sharing features and business/team plans with enterprise-grade admin controls. 1Password‘s business plans start at $7.99 per user per month, while LastPass‘s start at $6 per user per month.
While there‘s a lot of feature parity, I give a slight edge to 1Password. I find features like Watchtower and Privacy Cards more innovative and valuable from a security perspective. 1Password also has a sleeker, more intuitive interface. Little touches like being able to add custom icons and tags to logins make it more pleasant to use and organize.
Pricing & Plans
In terms of pricing, LastPass has the advantage of a free tier, while 1Password does not. Here‘s a full pricing breakdown:
| Plan | 1Password | LastPass |
|---|---|---|
| Free | N/A | Unlimited passwords, access on one device type, basic 2FA |
| Individual | $2.99/month billed annually | $3/month billed annually |
| Family (up to 5 users) | $4.99/month billed annually | $4/month billed annually |
| Business/Teams | Starting at $7.99 per user/month | Starting at $6 per user/month |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Starting at $8 per user/month |
LastPass‘s free tier is generous, with unlimited password storage, autofill, and basic 2FA. However, it‘s limited to only one device type (i.e. computers or mobile devices, not both). For full multi-device sync, you need LastPass Premium at $3/month.
1Password‘s individual plan is a dollar cheaper at $2.99/month and includes 1GB of storage for documents. Their family plan is a bit pricier than LastPass‘s but offers more storage.
It‘s great that LastPass offers a free option, but I don‘t recommend it for several reasons:
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Most people need password access on both their computer and phone/tablet. The free plan‘s device type limitation is a major inconvenience that pushes you to the paid plan anyway.
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Cybersecurity experts recommend avoiding free services for highly sensitive applications like password management. If you‘re not paying for the product, you are the product. Free services are more likely to monetize your data in some way or skimp on security.
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Password managers are such a core tool for online security that it‘s worth paying a few bucks a month for one you can fully trust. $36/year for 1Password individual is a small price for the convenience and peace of mind it provides.
Ease of Use
Both 1Password and LastPass are designed with ease of use in mind. They offer browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge that allow you to quickly generate and fill passwords as you browse. Their mobile apps also support autofill in both apps and browsers.
In my experience, 1Password has a more modern and intuitive interface. Organizing and finding your passwords is a bit easier with features like favorites, tags, and custom icons. 1Password‘s desktop app is also more full-featured compared to LastPass which relies more heavily on the browser interface.
That said, LastPass has a slight edge when it comes to quickly adding and filling new logins. Their browser extension mini-menu is a bit snappier for this compared to opening the full 1Password extension.
Both password managers also make it easy to import your existing passwords from browsers, other password managers, or a CSV file. They accurately capture and parse this data in my testing.
Ultimately, both are user-friendly and should feel intuitive to most users. You can get a feel for them yourself with LastPass‘s free plan or 1Password‘s 14-day trial.
Mobile Apps
1Password and LastPass offer feature-rich mobile apps for iOS and Android. They bring all core functionality to mobile, allowing you to:
- Access and fill passwords in apps or browsers
- Generate new passwords on the go
- Unlock with Face ID or fingerprint
- Securely share items
In general I‘ve found the 1Password mobile experience a bit smoother. Unlocking the vault feels snappier and the autofill interface is more reliable. The categorized vault display is also easier to navigate on mobile. However, LastPass has a handy feature that enables autofill in apps without having to open LastPass if you‘ve used the login before.
1Password‘s iOS app
Both mobile apps do occasionally run into issues with autofill depending on the app/site, but this is more of a system level issue that affects all password managers. They tend to be more reliable in browsers compared to filling in individual apps.
For the most seamless and secure mobile experience, I recommend enabling a strong biometric lock on your password vault, avoiding SMS-based 2FA, and opting for more anonymized master password recovery methods.
Customer Support
Hopefully you won‘t run into issues with your password manager, but it‘s important that solid customer support is available if you do.
1Password and LastPass both offer email/ticket-based support. They aim to respond within a few hours, and 1Password offers 24/7 support. Both also have an extensive knowledge base with FAQs and guides.
In my experience, 1Password‘s support is a bit more responsive and thorough. I‘ve received mostly canned responses from LastPass, while 1Password seems to put more time into providing detailed and customized answers. 1Password also has an active community forum where employees and power users provide helpful advice.
Neither company offers live chat or phone support – you‘ll need to use their business plans to get more immediate assistance. While it would be nice to have these channels, email support is typical for consumer password managers.
Conclusion & Recommendations
Having compared 1Password and LastPass in depth, both are excellent password managers that offer convenient password management with robust security. You can‘t go wrong with either, though my expert recommendation goes to 1Password.
1Password has a substantial edge in security, with its end-to-end encryption model, use of a secret key, and lack of any known breaches. They are also more transparent about their security architecture. While LastPass‘s breaches haven‘t resulted in widespread password compromises, repeated incidents are concerning from a security perspective.
I also slightly prefer 1Password‘s user experience and unique features like Watchtower and Privacy Cards. Its interface feels sleek and well-organized, while still having the customization more technical users crave.
LastPass is still a solid choice, especially if you want to try a free plan or prefer its instant sync. Just be sure to follow best practices like using a strong master password, enabling 2FA, and avoiding its SMS account recovery option.
Regardless of which you choose, using any reputable password manager is far better than reusing passwords or storing them unsafely. Make setting one up a priority – it‘s one of the highest impact things you can do to improve your online security.
And if you do run into any issues or have concerns, don‘t hesitate to reach out to their support teams or post on forums. The password manager community is generally eager to help people make this important transition. Stay safe out there!
