LastPass vs. 1Password: Which Password Manager Is Better?
LastPass vs. 1Password: Which Password Manager Is Better?
Remember that one time when you really needed to login to Amazon and take advantage of a deal before your friend’s birthday, only to find out that you’d completely forgotten your login information?
Yeah, that happens a lot around our office too. Except, instead of Tony losing his Amazon password, he used to lose our site’s WordPress password. Every other day, he would send out a big group text, email, or just show up at one of our workstations asking somebody…
Sound like you?
Today, the average person is constantly juggling usernames and passwords for up to 20+ different accounts. As you can imagine, it’s almost impossible for the average person to remember all of their different account logins.
Eventually, we decided to get a password manager for our office so that people like Tony wouldn’t have to keep bothering us (sorry, Tony, if you’re even reading this).
In today’s post, we’re going to explain how password managers work and give your a comparison of two of the most well-known password managers on the market; LastPass and 1Password. So, let’s get to it!
What Do Password Managers Do?
First, let’s take a minute to explain what password managers do and how they can benefit your life. So, going back to our previous example, you’ll remember that most people these days are doing their best to juggle tons of passwords.
From social media to your email accounts, online shopping accounts, forum login credentials, and more, it’s a lot to keep up with. God forbid if you have a job that requires you to remember login details for company software and websites!
Plus without a VPN to protect the data you input into all of the various sites, each incorrect login attempt is a chance for a hacker to see your possible login credentials through the use of a keylogger virus or penetration software.
Simply put, password managers simplify all of this. Instead of having to remember 20 different passwords, you’ll just have to remember ONE SINGLE PASSWORD. Sounds a lot easier, right?
Password managers work in correlation with your computer and your smartphone and automatically input your login credentials into apps, platforms, and websites that request them. All you have to do is remember one password, and the password manager will enter the rest of the information into the login field for you!
LastPass vs. 1Password: Comparison
Alright, so now that you know a little bit more about how password managers work, let’s take a few minutes to compare two of the most popular password managers on the market: LastPass and 1Password! Both have similar reviews and ratings on popular app stores, but each password manager offers some unique features that could make one better than the other (depending on what you’re looking for).
So, with that being said, let’s take a brief look at some of the key comparison points!
Monthly Pricing
Pricing tends to be one of the biggest determining factors for consumers when it comes to deciding on a password manager. So, let’s start by discussing the pricing options offered by each.
LastPass
Out of the two, LastPass is the only one to offer a free account. With a free account, you’ll get mobile and desktop access, the ability to store unlimited passwords, a secure notes app, secure password generator, and the ability to share single passwords with other LastPass users.
After that, single users can upgrade to a premium account for $3/month, which allows them to store encrypted files, monitors the dark web for compromised login info, and gives users access to tech support. If you want to share the premium plan with the whole family, then you can purchase a family plan for just $4/month.
As far as creating a business plan goes, you can share LastPass with your entire team for just $6/month!
1Password
Now, let’s take a look at 1Password…
As far as individual and family passwords, 1Password is around the same:
- Individual users: $3/month.
- Family plans: $5/month.
The only exception is that 1Password does not have a free version. If you’re new to password managers then this might be a turn-off. However, they do offer a free trial!
If you’re looking to purchase 1Password for your business, they have several business tiers available:
- Business: $8/month per user.
- Teams: Flat rate of $20/month for up to 10 users.
- Enterprise: Custom quotes for large businesses.
Mobile Compatibility
One of the first things that most people look for is mobile compatibility. Sure, having a password manager on your desktop is great and all, but let’s be honest – most people use their phones to login to their accounts as much (if not more than) they use their laptops. So, that means having a password manager that’s compatible with your Android or iPhone is key.
Thankfully, both LastPass and 1Password each offer great mobile compatibility. Their user interface is practically identical in terms of mobile development, so there really isn’t much to discuss on this particular point.
Business and Family Plans
Having a single-user account is great if it’s just yourself. However, if you have a family or run a business, you’ll want to have the option to share logins with other people. For example, maybe you want to share your Netflix login with your kid or share business software logins with your employees.
Both LastPass and 1Password each offer comprehensive options for individual users, families, and businesses, so here again, it’s a tie.
Online Shopping Features
Both LastPass and 1Password allow users to store online payment information such as:
- Credit/debit card numbers.
- Billing addresses.
- Shipping addresses.
This makes online shopping a breeze and prevents you from having to pull out your credit card every time that you want to make a purchase. Additionally, this is a huge security benefit. Without a VPN like CyberGhost to protect you while you’re shopping online, hackers could potentially key-log your entire credit card number and sell it to scammers on the dark web!
Do You Still Need A VPN If You Have A Password Manager?
Although password managers are a great tool for keeping your passwords safe and secure, it’s always a good idea to use a VPN while you’re browsing (especially if you’re using a public network). Without a VPN, it’s easy for hackers to track your data and see exactly what you’re inputting. They may even be able to access your master password on your password manager!
High-quality, low-cost VPNs like these re-route all of your internet data and traffic through servers in other regions that are secured using 256-bit AES encryption, meaning that all of your data is virtually impossible to hack.
Conclusion: What’s Better
If you’re just getting started out with a password manager, then we suggest going with LastPass. Their free account is good enough for most users, and if you really want to upgrade to share the membership with your family or business, then they have a number of options and allow you to upgrade your account at any time.