1Password vs LastPass: Which one is better?

A woman using a smartphone and laptop.
(Image credit: Unsplash)

Password management apps are helpful to every active internet user. They help you keep track of your passwords across different websites and applications and avoid getting locked out of your accounts. 

There are many password managers on the market; two of the best are 1Password and LastPass. We want to show you how these examples stack against each other. We’ll compare them based on critical factors like features, performance, support, and pricing. You can also check our previous 1Password review and LastPass review for more information about each platform.  

LastPass secure note

(Image credit: LastPass)

1Password vs LastPass: Features 

1Password and LastPass share many features. They both let users store unlimited passwords, but LastPass offers this with the free version, while 1Password requires a paid plan. Both apps also allow you to store up to 1GB worth of documents securely. 

You'll need to assign a master password for your account on both 1Password and Lastpass. Both apps also support multi-factor authentication, which requires more than one form of identification to grant access to your account. 1Password goes further by issuing a secret key that you'll need anytime you want to log into your account.

The main differences between both apps are in their extra features. For instance, 1Password offers a Watchtower feature that monitors and alerts you to any security problems with a website you have an account on. Lastpass offers a dark web monitoring feature that checks your email addresses against a database of breached credentials and lets you know if you were a victim of a data breach.

You can access 1Password through the web interface or download the app for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. 1Password has applications for the same operating systems plus extra ones like Darwin, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD.

LastPass monitoring

(Image credit: LastPass)

1Password vs LastPass: Performance

1Password offers good performance across its apps and web interface. The apps work well on every supported operating system, and there are unique features for each one. For instance, the Windows app supports Windows Hello, a security feature that protects access to your 1Password dashboard using a PIN, facial recognition, or fingerprint. The macOS app supports a similar feature using Touch ID.

The developers and designers behind 1Password put noticeable effort into building a spacious interface that's easy to navigate. It’s easy to switch between features, thanks to a backend developed with the Rust programming language. However, 1Password’s performance may slow if you store dozens to hundreds of passwords. 

LastPass also offers solid performance with its web interface and apps for desktops and smartphones. Its interface spots a modern, intuitive design making it easy to navigate. You can switch between different features with little lag. You can enable the mobile apps to autofill passwords for one-touch login.

One drawback we observed was that LastPass’s Google Chrome extension was a bit slow to load. Sometimes, it slows down the page response of other websites. We didn’t notice a similar issue with the LastPass extension for Firefox and Microsoft Edge or with 1Password’s browser extensions. 

Inside a 1Password vault

(Image credit: 1Password)

1Password vs LastPass: Support

You can contact 1Password’s customer support team through email if you encounter any issues with the platform. Before that, you can access the official help page, which contains a plethora of articles and user guides to help users navigate the platform. There’s also an official customer support forum where you can interact with other 1Password users and seek solutions to problems you encounter. 

LastPass offers support through email and telephone. However, free users can’t access this support– you must pay for a subscription to get the privilege. Just like 1Password, there’s also a help page with a comprehensive suite of articles and user guides to help users navigate the app. 

LastPass seems better in this category because it offers phone support for individual users, while 1Password doesn’t. However, it’s not that straightforward because 1Password offers on-call support for enterprise users of the highest tier. The company focuses its support resources on the highest tier of customers, while users of the lower tiers get the short end of the stick. 

Create a 1Password secure vault

(Image credit: 1Password)

1Password vs LastPass: Pricing

LastPass is the only one with a free tier. You must pay to use 1Password in any form– the only favor is that there’s a 14-day free trial period. 

Both platforms have different pricing plans for personal/family use and enterprise use. LastPass's premium plan for individual use costs $3 / £3 / AUD$5 per month, while its family plan costs $4 / £4 / AUD$6 per month for up to six users. 

1Password's personal plan also costs $3 / £3 / AUD$5 per month, the same as LastPass, and its family plan costs $5 / £5 / AUD$8 monthly for five users, a dollar more expensive than LastPass. There are 1Password promo codes that could help cut down the cost too.

Businesses with less than 50 personnel pay $4 / £4 / AUD$6 per user per month for a LastPass subscription. Those with a headcount above 50 pay $6 / £6/ AUD$9 monthly for each user. For 1Password, businesses with less than 10 employees can pay a flat $19.95 / £20 / AUD$30 per month. Those with above 10 employees must pay $7.99 / £8 / AUD$12 monthly for each user, significantly more expensive than LastPass. It's also worth seeing what LastPass promo codes can be used right now to save more.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Header Cell - Column 0 1PasswordLastPass
Free tierNoYes
Personal$3 per month$3 per month
Family$5 per month$4 per month
Business$7.99 per user per month$4 to $6 per user per month

As LastPass notably offers a free family subscription to each account covered by a Business plan, this makes it the more economical option. 

1Password vs LastPass: Verdict

1Password and LastPass each have their advantages over the other. For instance, LastPass is a more economical option when looking at both platforms' pricing. It’s also the only one with a free tier.

On the other end, 1Password offers better utility for enterprise users because it makes it easy for team members to share credentials securely from a more intuitive interface than LastPass's One benefit we didn’t mention earlier is that both 1Password and LastPass offer free family subscriptions to enterprise users. . This way, businesses can ensure that both employees and their families avoid getting compromised online.

We consider LastPass the best solution for individual users, while 1Password is the best for enterprise users. They are both excellent platforms for keeping track of your passwords across the web. 

We've listed the best business password managers.

Stefan Ionescu

Stefan has always been a lover of tech. He graduated with an MSc in geological engineering but soon discovered he had a knack for writing instead. So he decided to combine his newfound and life-long passions to become a technology writer. As a freelance content writer, Stefan can break down complex technological topics, making them easily digestible for the lay audience.

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