1Password has preserved the time I’ve spent doing the trivial task of entering an email and password to a website. I can’t go back. 1Password, developed by AgileBits Inc. is a password manager that stores all of the user account you created in one place. What makes 1Password special is how easy it is to use, the privacy features, and its availability across multiple platforms.
You start 1Password by getting a subscription, you create your user information and you’re given a security key, this is where 1Password’s built-in security comes in. You will need to use this security key whenever you want to activate 1Password on your other devices. Adding for a layer of protection, this key will need to be kept somewhere that you’ll remember it. What’s nice is that 1Password generates something called an ‘Emergency Kit’ where it gives you everything you need in one place. If you don’t want to put the security key in every time, you can use the emergency kit’s QR code to scan it on 1Password’s apps.
1Password is available on most major browsers, such as Google’s Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox and it’s also available on IOS and Android. This makes it easy to switch a device and have 1Password ready when you need it. Given that you’ve set it up of course.
1Password lets you create multiple ‘Vaults’ which are separate containers in your 1Password account to store any login information that’s categorized. I have a vault dedicated to storing my work-related login information and another for my personal information. Jumping into the way 1Password stores user login information, you’re given a few options:
- You can store any current accounts you’ve made before 1Password.
- You can generate a password when you are registering an account on any website. In which case you will be given an option to save your account details.
It is all very intuitive to use and just works.
Security & Privacy
What is great about 1Password is the security that is built-In. You can use 2-factor authentication for an extra layer of security and as mentioned previously the security key that is necessary, further gives a dimension of security. 1Password features a Secure Remote Password (SRP) that evaluates your login info without sending the info online.
All your login information is encrypted. A really great feature is Watchtower, it constantly checks in 1Password’s database for a security breach on the web only if you have an account saved in the vault. If one occurs, they will notify you to change your password. Watchtower also lets you know if your accounts have awesome passwords or weak passwords, which you can go in to change.
I do wish that like LastPass, you could easily reset your password through a button to automatically. It’s a small inconvenience, but definitely noticeable if you’ve used password managers that automatically reset your passwords when there were detected issues.
1Password stands out most by making the auto-filling of my login info extremely easy. It’s quite literally a 1-click sort of thing. You do have to pay for the service, but if you’re constantly worried about security and want to avoid remembering every password you’ve created. You’d be happy to use 1Password to save you from those desperations.
