I need to rant - upgrade from bundle 1P6 to Family Account (IP7)

jfolger

Disclaimer - I've been in IT since 1994, mainly technical roles, lately project management and business analysis. I mention this only to qualify that I like to think I have some idea of how to set up accounts, migrate, import, etc.

I took the bait a couple years ago and tried Families when it came out. It was so overwhelmingly complex and confusing that I gave up and went back to standalone. I have 2 Win10 machines, and 2 MacOS machines, along with a gob of iOS devices.

The new update looks nice, I like to stay up to date when I can, and was even considering the subscription model for Families again. So off I go....

I've spent the last few hours jerking around with the upgrade. Maybe I'm old now. Maybe it's time to retire. Maybe I have no patience anymore. Perhaps I'm just not as smart as I think I am (very likely). BUT, what an absolute freaking mess.

So I've got to download the 1P7 version from the website, I guess, not the app store. Shows me in trial mode. Some parts of the website say $4.99 a month!!! While other parts of the iOS app want me to subscribe for $6.99 a month. Figured I'd deal with this later.

Set up the master account (mine). I thought I'd start with my sons iPhone install. Sent him the invite, set him up, seems to be ok, though I see no way to let him share selective logins. I don't need the whole family to see all of his stuff. Finding no easy way to share just a few things, I opted to copy his vault to the shared vault. Everything shows up now, but can't pick and choose. Spent half an hour trying to delete his stuff from the Shared vault. Couldn't figure it out, so I just deleted the whole Shared vault.

In all the fun, my master 600+ item vault got duplicated. I now have 1,200 items. Good stuff! Printing out emergency keys, hand-writing passwords on paper, hiding it(!) somewhere, sheesh. This is a mess. My son is 10. He regularly forgets his Fortnite password. I don't need to spend an afternoon setting this up to make sure I can easily help in in a week when he forgets again.

We haven't even talked about licensing now for Windows. I had a bundled license before, but after reading all the nonsense about "we have two development teams to pay for" to justify it, I see that'll be a thing of the past.

I'm done. This is supposed to make my life easier, not complicate it all to hell while adding additional costs. I get there's methods to correct everything I'm doing. I'm not looking for "try this! Try that! You screwed up when you blah blah blah!". Just venting, and hoping this feedback can be passed on. I've felt for a long time that 1Password can't be rivaled, and I've referred countless people to it, but this is just too much.

tl;dr - the upgrade path from 1P6 Standalone to 1P7 Families is an expensive nightmare of which has me reviewing the competition again.

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

AGAlumB

@jfolger: Actually, I think maybe you're too smart, or, perhaps like me, you're so used to doing things the hard way (time was there was no easy way!) that the simplicity of a 1Password.com account is a bit perplexing. I know I felt a bit out of my element at first coming from syncing multiple vaults via Dropbox for myself and family members for a decade. Took me a long time just to let iTunes manage my music library after I'd been organizing and tagging everything by hand for years! So I think maybe I may have an idea of where you're coming from.

I'm not quite sure what you were referring to with Windows, but it doesn't have to be expensive or a nightmare. Definitely let me know if you'd like to give it another go. I'll be happy to help. :)

jfolger

I appreciate the kind words, Brent, and while I'd never admit I thought I was too smart, I think that has something to do with it. I've struggled with syncing and multiple family members (and survived to talk about it!), but on first blush this is not for me.

That being said, I would imagine you're right, that it's probably much easier. Your note about iTunes stuck home with me. I also manage(d) 50,000+ photos for years with Lightroom, and finally took the plunge and let Apple Photos take over. It was liberating (and yes, I understand the differences between LR and Photos, before anyone starts THAT discussion.....)

As far as Windows, I read on another thread that the old Windows+Mac license bundles are no more, that I'd need separate licenses for every device, every OS. Help me understand my needs and the associated costs:

4 users in the family
1 PC, multiple users
1 Mac, multiple users
1 Mac with Win 10 Bootcamp, multiple users
4 iPhones
1 iPad

I personally think that the "Welcome to 1P7" marketing materials are too complex and too confusing for existing users. A new user could probably slide right in, but those of us that have been around for years (and can't dumb(?) themselves down) are in for a challenge.

Corey_C

Hi @jfolger

With a 1Password Families membership, the costs are very simple: $59.88/year (equivalent to $4.99/month) gives all 4 members of your family access to 1Password on all of their devices, no matter what platform they happen to be using and with no limits on the amount of devices per Family member. That entire list of different devices and platforms you posted above? All covered for your entire family under that single price.

jfolger

Thank you Corey. I will give it some more thought. The sticking point (something AgileBits knows very well, I'm sure) is that I've only upgraded every few years. Now it'll cost me $180, where before no more than $50-$60.

Ben

@jfolger

Despite releasing 3 major upgrades (v4, v5, and v6) in the last 5 years we’ve only charged for one of them (v3 -> v4), which at the time felt like being generous, but in retrospect in many ways it seems we’ve shot ourselves in the foot because of this very argument.. It’s tough. The best I can offer is that we’d like for folks to consider the value that 1Password provides, and hopefully that is commensurate with the price we’re asking.

Ben

jfolger

I understand, Ben, and know enough about the business to know the challenges in staying afloat. I think the problem (and I know you've heard this on other threads) is SAAS is the hot thing right now, and everybody wants a piece of my dollar. It's clever marketing, and in a sense, nothing more than a credit plan. How many people would sign up if you only offered a two year plan for $120 up front? We keep getting chiseled away, $2 here, $5 there, and you don't really notice it until ANOTHER vendor wants in.

Maybe it's just a factor of being late to the game for you guys. I was severely annoyed when Adobe went this route, though Photoshop alone was hundreds of dollars brand new. It sorta made sense. But let's be honest - for the majority of users, 1P is not much more than a slick-looking app to hold passwords. I wouldn't begin to downplay the significance of security and the technology that goes into your app, but really, it doesn't do a whole lot (on the surface).

Don't misread my tone, I'm not saying 1P isn't worth something, and as you said, I guess the challenge is getting people to feel the price is worth the value. I know I'd be 100% lost without 1P. I often tell people, it's the one app I can NOT live without. Like I said....I needed to rant/vent..... :chuffed:

Corey_C

@jfolger

We understand that, believe me. It is tough when everyone is asking for your money at all times, lately with subscriptions that can be questionably worth your time and money. That's why we have tried so hard to make our membership service a service first and foremost that is worth the asking price rather than just yet another subscription. Seamless, automatic syncing between all your devices, no matter the platform and with no setup or maintenance needed. Safe, easy, secure sharing between family members entirely contained within 1Password. Automatic, redundant backups of your 1Password data. Special features such as Travel mode for when you are abroad. With a membership, the 1Password apps themselves are just the tip of the iceberg.

We believe that a 1Password membership is the best way to use 1Password. If you do not find our memberships to be of value, then we need to work harder to change that.

bigreddog

I'm with you Corey - a well deserved rant.

Ben

Thanks for the feedback, @bigreddog. :)

Ben