1Password - Why I tried it and why I won't stay

[Deleted User]

I have been using a password manager since early 2012. Before I ever decided to try one, I never really considered the importance of using unique and long passwords.

We all know the major password managers out there, and just recently, I decided that after 3 years of using the same one, it wouldn't be a bad idea to consider a different one. I zeroed in on 1Password for several reasons, seeing that they finally offered a version for Android I downloaded 1Password on my Mac and Android smartphone.

I've used it for the last 14~ days or so, and I've made the decision to stay with my previous manager. This post is only meant to provide some insight of why I've made that decision, and of course, I would also like to point out the things I've liked about 1Password.

1Password PROs:

• I've found 1Password for Mac to be very user-friendly. The interface feels modern and looks very nice.
• I like how 1Password for browsers does the animation when it's filling out the fields. It really lets you know it's taking action and doing something for you.
• Price: at first it may seem expensive but one-time payments are better than subscription fees.
• 1Password for Android doesn't clutter the screen, it sits quietly and waits for you to switch keyboards to use 1Password whenever needed.
• My first interaction with the support team was beautiful, I received a reply within minutes of sending in a ticket (the second time wasn't as fast, but that's alright, it happens)
• Support forums and docs with loads of information for self-service

1Password CONs:

• Lack of native Linux support. On a daily basis, I use two Macs and one Ubuntu box. On the Ubuntu machine I was able to install 1Password for Windows via Wine. All I really wanted was to use 1Password on my browser, it worked the first time, but it didn't the next time. That's perhaps because I don't have a 1Password License for Windows.
• Lack of a standalone browser extension. This would have solved my previous dilemma (1password on Ubuntu) and would help users on a Chromebook for example. I was initially confused because I asked 1Password on Twitter if it was available for Chrome on Linux given its lack of a Linux version, and they said yes.
• 1Password for Android and 1Password for Windows need a facelift. They are plain ugly when compared to 1Password for Mac.
• Having to rely on an external service like DropBox. Think of a user that has zero interest in DropBox, they would be forced to create an account if they want to sync their data between devices (I know there are other syncing options, but none are on a dedicated 1Password server)
• If you have a large number of records (in my case over 350), syncing for the first time can take quite a while. This is when I synced over to my Android
• 1Password for Android isn't available in the Amazon App Store for Kindle Fire.

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience with 1Password, there's lots of good things here, it just isn't full-filling my needs at this time. I wish you all the best and hope that you continue to grow.

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1Password Version: Not Provided
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: Not Provided
Sync Type: Not Provided

AGAlumB

@lgreen_chi: Wow. Thank you for your kind, thoughtful words and constructive criticism. I'm sorry to hear that 1Password isn't a good fit for you right now, but I appreciate you giving it (more than!) a fair shake! I hope that you'll reconsider if we're better able to meet your needs in the future. It sounds like you probably will! :chuffed:

• Lack of native Linux support. On a daily basis, I use two Macs and one Ubuntu box. On the Ubuntu machine I was able to install 1Password for Windows via Wine. All I really wanted was to use 1Password on my browser, it worked the first time, but it didn't the next time. That's perhaps because I don't have a 1Password License for Windows.

Not having a license shouldn't make a difference, as you can still use it in trial mode. However, while WINE is an amazing thing, it isn't without its limitations. And of course 1Password for Windows wasn't designed to run under WINE on Linux. I'm sorry that we don't have a Linux solution to offer you, but I hope that we might be able to tackle that in the future.

• Lack of a standalone browser extension. This would have solved my previous dilemma (1password on Ubuntu) and would help users on a Chromebook for example. I was initially confused because I asked 1Password on Twitter if it was available for Chrome on Linux given its lack of a Linux version, and they said yes.

I'm really sorry about this. That does sound confusing. It's definitely challenging to communicate effectively in 140 character chunks, and I do apologize where we've failed in that regard. I won't say anything else, since, as we can all see, I've blown way past 140 already. I wouldn't last 5 minutes there.

But getting back to your point, a standalone extension really would help a lot of people in similar situations (Linux, ChromeOS, etc.) but unfortunately it isn't in the cards right now due to technological limitations. Primarily, we're in kind of a lowest-common-denominator situation with the major browsers not all supporting everything we'd like to do with the extension, so we're sticking with consistency and compatibility for the time being so users don't have to deal with browser differences on top of OS differences.

• 1Password for Android and 1Password for Windows need a facelift. They are plain ugly when compared to 1Password for Mac.

We have plans to refresh both, but of course there's no way to say when we might be able to complete these...and that doesn't do you any good in the mean time. :unamused:

• Having to rely on an external service like DropBox. Think of a user that has zero interest in DropBox, they would be forced to create an account if they want to sync their data between devices (I know there are other syncing options, but none are on a dedicated 1Password server)

1Password is designed first and foremost as a standalone app, so that syncing is totally optional. We don't want people to have to trust us with their data (or even think that they have to). That said, you're absolutely right that most people do want to sync their data, and if they're willing to trust 1Password with their important data, they may be equally willing to trust AgileBits to sync it for them. Unfortunately this isn't a service we offer, but it's certainly something we can consider in the future.

• If you have a large number of records (in my case over 350), syncing for the first time can take quite a while. This is when I synced over to my Android

Hmm. This one has me a bit puzzled. I have roughly 1300 items, and it usually takes about 5 minutes to sync the whole vault from scratch. But while that doesn't seem like a terribly long time to me, you may have had different expectations. There's always room for improvement, but most of this isn't actually the data transfer so much as 1Password processing all of the data for the first time as it syncs it over. Unsurprisingly, this is much faster on a computer than it is on a mobile device.

• 1Password for Android isn't available in the Amazon App Store for Kindle Fire.

We don't get a lot of requests for this, but it certainly would be a better experience to be able to easily download the app from Amazon's store. It is difficult developing and testing an app that runs on a wide range of Android devices, and Amazon having their own platform and store with different requirements is yet another challenge. I'm not sure that this is something we'll do, but you never know.

Again, thank you. You don't owe us anything, and the fact that you took the time to not only thoroughly evaluate 1Password but also offer extensive feedback is generous and incredibly humbling. I hope that we'll be able to address some of your concerns in the future, both for you and for others. I'll be sharing your thoughts with the rest of the team, and if you have any more we're always happy to listen! :)

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[Deleted User]

@brenty Thank YOU for taking the time to reply. I completely understand why certain things work the way they do, and I know changes don't always come easy. You have a strong following, loyal customers, and that's something to be incredibly proud of!

It's worth repeating that I really did enjoy using 1Password, and I do hope I'm able to come back permanently in the future.

Cheers!

Megan

Hi @lgreen_chi,

Thanks so much for your kind words and your understanding. Brenty did share your thoughts with the team, and I quite enjoyed reading your well-thought-out review!

I'll echo his words and say that we do hope you'll stay tuned and try us out again when we've had a chance to improve on some of your points. :)