DropBox or iCloud?

Phil7
Phil7
Community Member

What is the best to sync with 1P4 on Mac and iPhone? iCloud or DropBox?

Thanks.

«1

Comments

  • I prefer iCloud, but the choice is yours. iCloud is faster, but Dropbox gives you access to features like 1PasswordAnywhere.

  • doubleforte
    doubleforte
    Community Member

    FWIW, I prefer DropBox because I just don't trust iCloud (yet). My 1P vault is probably the most important file on my computer and Apple does not have a good track record with cloudy things. DropBox works great, is fast enough, and it isn't totally opaque.

    My $.02

  • Paul Applegate
    Paul Applegate
    Community Member

    I have to agree. I found it strange it defaulted to iCloud. Given Apple's less than stellar history with iCloud, I changed it back to Dropbox. My $.02 is it should default to whichever version 3 was running, in my case Dropbox.

  • Cool, thanks for the $.04, guys! Hehe.

  • benfdc
    benfdc
    Community Member

    +2¢

  • HenryY
    HenryY
    Community Member

    iCloud uses a more advanced storage format (Cloud Keychain), while Dropbox still uses AgileKeychain. However, I find Dropbox syncing to be more reliable, and Dropbox syncing also provides 1PasswordAnywhere. I know their roadmap calls for Dropbox and 1PasswordAnywhere to eventually switch over to the Cloud Keychain format.

  • anningmay
    anningmay
    Community Member

    Dropbox definitely.

    Apple does many things well, but syncing has never been one of them. iCloud sync is still slow and unreliable compared to Dropbox, and it is my feeling that Apple is still years behind them.

  • morrismh
    morrismh
    Community Member

    I stayed with Dropbox...why change when it just works?

  • plannet
    plannet
    Community Member

    Another vote for Dropbox. Even though Apple has made great strides with iCloud (speed, reliability, etc.) in iOS 7 / OS X 10.9, Dropbox is still a better solution for something like 1Password. Why?

    1) You can access your data directly (outside of the app). If you need to, you can copy, save, replace the 1Password.agilekeychain file in your Dropbox folder. iCloud offers no such interface to end-users.

    2) Dropbox has support for recovering deleted files. In the event that something goes wrong, it is possible to dig through the 1Password.agilekeychain hierarchy and recover older / deleted versions of individual files. iCloud does not offer anything like this.

    3) Dropbox has proven to be very reliable. iCloud has had major problems, though it is improving.

    In my view, the only downside of Dropbox is that not everyone has a Dropbox account, whereas most users of Apple devices end up with an iCloud account by default.

  • Phil7
    Phil7
    Community Member

    Many times, then open 1P on iPhone, the sync with DropBow fails with the message: the data on DropBox have change a lot. Turn off and then turn on the DropBox sync.

    Is this problem occur with iCloud?

  • hawkmoth
    hawkmoth
    Community Member

    1PasswordAnywhere is my reason for sticking with Dropbox. But I'm curious - it appears to me that whenever I use iCloud to back up data, there is no way I can access those data directly on iCloud. I know this isn't an iCloud discussion forum, but I think it's relevant here. How would I access my 1Password data when it's stored with iCloud?

  • benfdc
    benfdc
    Community Member

    Unless and until Apple opens up iCloud to other platforms like Windows and Android, I dare say that there is no need to fear that AgileBits would drop its Dropbox support.

  • Interesting comments here. I've always found iCloud to be faster than Dropbox, and without conflicts. But as @benfdc said, we're not planning to get rid of Dropbox anytime soon. :-)

    There have been a few comments about 1Password defaulting to iCloud when Dropbox was being used previously. 1Password is supposed to use the most recently updated/used sync method, but there may be a bug with that. I've asked our developers to look into it.

    @hawkmoth: You can't access your 1Password data directly online if you're syncing with just iCloud. As many others have mentioned, this is a key selling point for Dropbox.

  • I'd have to say my biggest reason for using iCloud is what Henry Yeh mentioned: the new data format. With Dropbox, we currently have to go through the additional step of changing the data to the old format, syncing, then importing it back into the new format (if it's going between two version 4 apps). That may be one reason I've found iCloud to be faster.

  • benfdc
    benfdc
    Community Member

    Lay folk like me hesitate to entrust mission-critical data to iCloud (and my 1Password keychain is the epitome of mission-critical) because we are dimly aware that ICloud sync and Core Data continue to give experts fits. What are the benefits of iCloud sync? Will 1P4 eventually support Versions (aka in-app Time Machine)?

  • hawkmoth
    hawkmoth
    Community Member

    @RobYoder, thanks, this is what I expected based on my searching for a different outcome. Dropbox for me for sure!

  • @benfdc: Biggest benefit for me is keeping with the new data format. Makes it faster, and I haven't lost any data to iCloud. Versions - now that's a cool idea. I doubt it would have as much to do with iCloud as just 1Password's own backups, but it'd definitely be cool.

    @hawkmoth: no problem!

  • Phil7
    Phil7
    Community Member

    Thanks. I'd change from DropBox to iCloud and I understand why you prefer iCloud.

  • Hi guys,

    One of the biggest benefits of the iCloud sync is that when you reinstall iOS or get a new device, your 1Password data will be there once iCloud finishes downloading everything. You open 1Password up and all you have to do is enter your master password. Same thing with OS X. Also, you don't need to have a third party service running on your Macs. A lot of folks are saying Dropbox sync eats more battery life compared to iCloud on Mavericks. This probably will be improved once Dropbox can figure out how to optimize it for battery life there.

    For Dropbox, you'd have to tell 1Password to sync with Dropbox, remember the Dropbox.com account details, and then start working with the data. It's not as integrated as iCloud is.

    iCloud sync is faster because of the data format itself, it's directly compatible to what 1Password uses internally. When syncing with Dropbox, 1Password have to do a lot of work converting between 1P3 and 1P4 data structures. Once Dropbox switches over to the cloud keychain in the future, the sync will be much faster as well since converting is no longer required.

    Dropbox, however, has a 30-day retention of deleted files, lets you access 1PasswordAnywhere, sync logs through their Events page on their website, and many more.

    The thing about iCloud, is that well, Apple's a bit slow with improving their stuff but right now, iCloud is hugely improved compared to what we saw when they released it back in iOS 5 and Lion. Apple has nowhere to go but up and yes, they have a spotty track record but I think they are learning and gaining more experience/wisdom they seriously lack now.

    For me, well, just stay tuned, we have a surprise coming. :)

  • Paul Applegate
    Paul Applegate
    Community Member

    You convinced me. I'll switch to iCloud as well.

  • xman2013
    xman2013
    Community Member

    Me too. Even I'm fan and heavy user of Dropbox, since I switch to iCloud in 1P4b5x everything is smooth between my Mac and my iOs device.

  • Phil7
    Phil7
    Community Member

    We are actively waiting for the surprise... ;-)

  • ScottK83
    ScottK83
    Community Member

    I use my 1Password 4 on my iPhone and iPad more than anything else. What I've been doing is having the app sync to both Dropbox and iCloud. That way my 1PasswordAnywhere remains up-to-date as well. I really wish iCloud would go to more of the same file storing model that Dropbox uses...that would solve many of the problems.

  • wmb
    wmb
    Community Member

    Don't you care about privacy? Neither of them!

  • bickitybam
    bickitybam
    Community Member

    iCloud sync seems flakey between all my devices (2 Macs, iPhone and iPad). Once I finally get one working then another stops. Frustrating.

  • hawkmoth
    hawkmoth
    Community Member
    edited August 2013

    Ok, ok! I switched to iCloud. :) It does seem faster, and I'm tantalized by the promise of what's to come. And I finally realized that with two mobile devices, I'm not likely to actually need 1PasswordAnywhere.

  • Longwalker
    Longwalker
    Community Member
    edited October 2013

    Another factor to consider is to think of how many passwords do you need to keep memorized in your head to get yourself back up and running if your Mac, iPad, iPhone, etc were all lost, stolen, destroyed, wiped out by viruses, etc.

    1. If you keep 1Password data in Dropbox, then you would need to memorize your Dropbox account + your 1Password Master Password.

    2. If you use iCloud for 1Password, then you can go to an Apple store, buy a new Mac/iPad/iPhone, type in your memorized iCloud account credentials, and you'd be up and running with your email, contacts, calendars, and 1Password data.

    In general, it seems that the passwords you must memorize are your:

    • 1Password master password
    • Mac OS X administrator account password
    • iCloud account
    • Dropbox account (if you keep 1Password there).

    Once you have regained access to 1Password, you should be able to reinstall / reactivate all your software, accounts, and services.

    ...David

  • Sacred_Brindle
    Sacred_Brindle
    Community Member

    Any chance of using a non compliant solution, as we know both companies release/share info (by twisted arm of course), when at minimum asked politely by the govt?

    I'll leave the options/technical side to those of you who know much more about this than I do, but perhaps a forked system (allowing the majority to continue using DB/IC), while offering an alternative "advanced" (whatever terminology one chooses), to utilize say a personal/shared cloud (or even local networked resource with say BitTorrent Sync.

    Just a thought / feature request.
    -b

  • Hi @Sacred_Brindle,

    You can already do that with the Folder Sync, you can put your data file in BitTorrent Sync, CloudStation (Synology NAS's local sync tool), or any local network sync tool to sync the same data files between computers.

    Unfortunately, this is difficult to do on iOS but you'd be able to use the Wi-Fi sync at least between one Mac and iOS devices while using Folder Sync for the rest of the computers.

    With Folder Sync and Wi-Fi Sync, you can bypass the cloud completely. We'll continue to improve both over time, such as supporting the new .opvault format in Folder Sync to phase out the older .agilekeychain, and integrating the Wi-Fi sync further into the apps. There's a chance we might be able to do Wi-Fi sync between computers as well, just need time to try this.

  • Do you guys have any objections of me moving this to the regular 1Password 4 for Mac forum as this isn't related to the betas anymore?

This discussion has been closed.