16 ms·

1Password – Standalone licenses vs. new subscription service

95 points by deevus 10y ago

thesimon 10y ago
Their pricing fell a bit decisive as well: $2.99 and a bit smaller: "per month billed annually" I know breaking it down to the month is popular, but it makes 0 sense for me if the only way I can pay is anually and there is no way to pay monthly (even for a premium). Sorry, but I'm now over to Dashlane (clear $39.99/year)
- tbrock 10y ago
  Thanks for recommending this. We currently use 1password for our business but and while the Mac client is ok the teams website leaves a lot to be desired and no Linux client at this point is embarrassing. It's expensive too! You get the feeling that agile bits is ok at developing Mac and Windows software but basically has no idea about developing software for the web.
  - lcarlson 10y ago
    Try http://genpass.supergenpass.com http://genpass.supergenpass.com ! :)
    - SpammingSugg 10y ago
      STOP spamming your stupid suggestion. Not only is GenPass a piss-poor design, it's DEPRECATED in favor of SuperGenPass and has been for a good long time now.
    - lcarlson 10y ago
      Woops! I actually meant to post super gen pass but at least the website I referenced points directly to super gen pass so it wouldn't be too hard to figure out I would hope!
- jpkeisala 10y ago
  This was also my decision to go with Dashlane. I spent some time testing different managers but Dashlane was the easiest to use and pricing was straightforward. I am working on different laptops/servers at customers I wanted one price with unlimited devices.
Esau 10y ago
I wasn't aware of this change, so I read the entire linked support thread. Although the company responders did some nice verbal gymnastics, I think it is pretty obvious that this is just mainly just a money grab on behalf of AgileBits. Additionally, several comments implied that AgileBits was hiding the option to buy a standalone license, so I looked at their pricing page[1]. I have to say I agree; it is not listed as an option alongside the two subscription options. In fact, you have to scroll all the way down, to the end of the FAQ, to even find a mention of it. [1]https://1password.com/sign-up/ https://1password.com/sign-up/ I'll concede that a subscription option might be better for some users, especially those using it on multiple devices, but I think AgileBits should not be hiding the regular license option.
- brandur 10y ago
  Completely agree. I personally have no problem using commercial software, but my password manager is one place where I suspect that I should be moving to open source in case I don't want to renew my license over some future pricing disagreement, and I lose access to some of my critically important property (passwords). It's tempting to think that we'll be able to keep our currently purchased standalone licenses in perpetuity, but I've already been dragged through at least one major version upgrade of 1Password to keep pace with new OS developments (for OS X and iOS). There were no new features that I needed or even wanted, but I paid the $50 (or whatever it was, I notice a new license is now $64.99!) anyway to maintain compatibility. Unfortunately, the landscape for open source alternatives doesn't seem particularly good. Some of those mentioned here like Keepass [1] look like they're usable, but are quite a far shot from 1Password's quality. [1] http://keepass.info/ http://keepass.info/
  - bad_user 10y ago
    In another comment I mentioned these 3 KeePass ports: [1] https://keeweb.info/ https://keeweb.info/ [2] http://keepass2android.codeplex.com/ http://keepass2android.codeplex.com/ [3] https://minikeepass.github.io/ https://minikeepass.github.io/ I'm a former 1Password user and these work fine. The Android app is actually better than 1Password, and KeeWeb is better for me because it works on Linux as well and it gives me a full history of all edits (not just the password field). Plus being just one file, it is also easier to go back in time using Dropbox's version history. What you'll miss is the fancy browser extension, but for me that's fine, because a browser extension represents a huge security risk, and selecting a field in KeeWeb is painless as it has keyboard shortcuts. 1Password also has the capability for local network Wifi sync, which is really cool, but at least in my opinion they are moving away from this model and that feature will be gone.
danieldk 10y ago
I have been a paying customer since 2010 or so. We have done a trial of 1Password Family, but I just don't see the advantage for customers. You just get locked into someone's data silo and you cannot purchase upgrades anymore at your own leisure. I agree with those who say that it primarily benefits AgileBits. Sadly, my experience with other products that switched to a subscription model has been that at some point all kinds strategies ('incentives') are applied to get people to move to subscription licensing. So, I am carefully watching the situation as it unfolds.
ar0 10y ago
I know this question comes up time and time again, but as it seems a good fit here: What are the best password managers out there that do not force you to use their "cloud" for syncing between devices and are available on all major platforms? I am a very happy 1Password user up to now because of it's local wifi sync feature, but I think with this announcement the writing is on the wall: The standalone sync will go away sometime down the road to "improve" everyone's user experience by moving them to the cloud sync and the accompanying subscription revenue. So it might be a good time to explore (open source?) alternatives...
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- csixty4 10y ago
  I've been pretty happy with Enpass. Runs on pretty much everything, syncs to your choice of cloud services.
  - stock_toaster 10y ago
    This looks like a great alternative. Thanks! I will def keep this one in my back pocket in case 1password does indeed start to deprecate or mess with the standalone offerings.
- rocqua 10y ago
  I'd be surprised if any features were removed from the current standalone version. So basically, until need a software upgrade, either for compatibility or feature reasons, there are no issues. 1password major versions always cost money, so the only added cost is that of switching. With the current data-format of 1password being open-source, that shouldn't be that hard. As for alternatives, last time I looked (~3 months ago, when I was in the market for a password manager) I chose 1password because of their superior browser plugins. The contending alternatives were: - keepass (open source) - lastpass - dashlane
  - dilap 10y ago
roflchoppa 10y ago
Is this why texting people passwords from one password does not work anymore? This shits whack, that was the one reason why I tried to get other people to use app, we could share passwords. Over this app, looking for something else.
- wfleming 10y ago
  I recently switched to Enpass[1] and am reasonably happy with it: it might be an alternative for you to consider as well. It's very much a 1Password ripoff, which I mean as a compliment: the UI will be familiar to you. It's not nearly as polished as 1Password, but there don't seem to be many native password managers that are. Their desktop clients are free, and their mobile clients are flat licenses (actually free downloads with limited functionality as a demo, and in-app purchase to unlock, but whatever). Sync options are actually a bit better than 1Password I think: the usual suspects like Dropbox are there, but you can also sync over your own webdav server if you want to. I switched because I wanted something that had a decent Linux client. If 1Password is going the way of subscription pricing, it seems like I made my switch none too soon. [1]: https://www.enpass.io/ https://www.enpass.io/
  - ksec 10y ago
    Wow! Thx for the link, cant believe why i skip over enpass in my search.
  - roflchoppa 10y ago
    Thanks dude I'll look it over. Wonder if there's any migration tool....
- lcarlson 10y ago
  Also check out http://genpass.supergenpass.com http://genpass.supergenpass.com. your passwords aren't stored and don't require sync!
  - lcarlson 10y ago
    Actually this doesn't fulfill your sharing passwords requirement. It's still something I recommend you check out though at the very least for your personal passwords
zodiakzz 10y ago
The idea of using a cloud-based password manager has always sounded rather bizarre to me. For low priority sites I just use the PasswordMaker browser extension, and the KeePass app for the important ones.
- rocqua 10y ago
  The data format of 1password is open. There open source packages out there that can read and manipulate the vault which confirms this specification is true. The format has attracted quit a bit of scrutiny, and no-one has found a weakness. If the underlying crypto'd be broken your passwords are probably useless anyway.
- nicky0 10y ago
  It's not cloud based. It's a locally installed app with optional cloud syncing.
morgante 10y ago
Have they actually removed the standalone option? I'm perfectly happy with it (using iCloud sync) and will continue to be a happy 1Password user unless/until they force me to subscribe.
- Esau 10y ago
  It's a bit hidden but you can still license a standalone version.
simbalion 10y ago
Why pay for a password manager when keepass is free, more secure, and offers better features than all of the alternatives? http://keepass.info http://keepass.info
- jordanlev 10y ago
  Because "offers better features" is subjective, and to some people the design polish and UX of 1Password outshines that of KeePass.
- aioprisan 10y ago
  Because free software that doesn't offer the feature set and platforms out of the box actually costs me a lot of money in convenience and features that I use? YMMV.
- raezmith 10y ago
  It's a bit of a pain to set up on multiple devices/platforms. I have Keepass, MacPass+MacPassHTTP and KeepassDroid installed, plus chromelPass for autofill and bittorrent sync for sync. Each app has its own bugs and caveats, which adds to the time spent managing and using passwords. But hey, it's free.
Eva_Schweber 10y ago
Full disclosure, I work for AgileBits, the folks that make 1Password. I hear and appreciate your collective concerns that we are getting rid of the standalone license option. However, I'd like to assure you that not only are there no plans to get rid of it, we are continuing to develop the standalone version. We know that we have a critical mass of customers who appreciate the ability to store their password data outside of the cloud. And given that we are entirely customer funded, those are customers that we cannot and are not ignoring. Our subscriptions options remain new and we are still figuring a lot of things out. One of the ongoing issues has been customer confusion between licenses and account. That is why we have made it a bit harder to locate information about licenses on our site. Nothing insidious, just an attempt to make it easier for the majority of our customers to locate what they are looking for without confusing them. If anyone has any additional questions or concerns, I would encourage you to contact us directly at support+social@agilebits.com. Best, Eva
- eeeeeeeeeeeee 10y ago
  It's really hard to believe you aren't moving to a 100% subscription model, especially when the "standard license" is now effectively getting the legacy treatment on your product page. It doesn't feel like another version of your product, it feels like the one that is about to be dead.
- cjcampbell 10y ago
  As a long time user across platforms who has continued to pay for upgrades and has now licensed a Team and Family. I appreciate the direction you are heading, and I was more than willing to pay a recurring fee given how much the pace of development has picked up. Since 1Password hasn't had much support for teams and password sharing (e.g., for super admin or disaster scenarios), I have continued to support multiple managers across my clients. Due to their robust support for teams, Dashlane and Lastpass have been the most deployed. While these solutions are simple enough that my clients can make them work, they don't enjoy using them. Quite often, I've learned that they've hit enough obstacles that they don't even trust the tool and keep reusing the same weak passwords all over the web so that they can remember what they need. I'm rushing to move these same clients over to 1Password before the Teams promo ends. The attention to detail and subtle improvements to UX have been really well received. And today, I will be meeting with a non-profit board to convince them to get on board. I will take the opportunity to push a few requests (that I know you've heard before ... from me): 1) Many of my clients are required (by law) to provide access to their business records in case of their death. It'd be nice to give my family and employees access to certain accounts as well. Guest vaults with auditing are a step in the right direction, but I'd love to see time delayed access. I have an opportunity to reject access within a certain time frame (configurable). My concern here is that I don't want to rely on the security practices of the people I'm sharing with to protect these particular passwords. 2) Pairwise sharing with teammates and guests. I often need to share a single password/key (not a vault) in a pairwise fashion with several different people. Vaults are too much for one-off sharing, and the guest limits are pretty restrictive here. 3) Revised guest model. I believe Team accounts are capped at 20 guests and Families at 2. Why not cap the number of items in a guest vault (10-15 seems fair) instead? I'm assuming the restriction is there to prevent people from abusing the feature (totally understandable). But there are some valuable guest use cases for power users (and even everyday family users). I want to set up a vault for my housemates and another for the folks who sublet the extra offices in my lease. 1Password is the perfect place for me to store information about door codes, wireless networks, and a few other sensitive details that may be important if I'm not available. This could also get me off of LastPass/Dashlane completely for managing project-related passwords with clients. 4) Along the same lines, the Pro pricing for Team seems really high. I do need some of the functionality, but I can't imagine paying approx $150/user/year to get it (though maybe a $150/team/year to upgrade the feature set would feel reasonable even for my small team). I also know that I'll never be able to sell my smaller healthcare providers on it, even though the extra functionality would be valuable for compliance. 5) Referral/partnership arrangement. I am constantly onboarding clients onto password management solutions, and handling many of their day-to-day challenges. I'm not just thinking about financial incentives here. It'd be nice to have some partner oriented features in the application, like the ability to move a guest vault out to an independent team or audit-only access.
shostack 10y ago
I wonder if they would have met this resistance if they had started as SaaS from day one. I mean, I get the benefit to them of recurring revenue, but from a customer standpoint this is right up there with Adobe trying to force everyone to creative cloud (albeit handled much better imho). People viewed it as something you pay once for, and not something that warrants paying in perpetuity. Customers fully realize that increasing LTV for AgileBits means a massive price hike for them over multiple years if you do the May on percentage increase.
- newscracker 10y ago
  > I wonder if they would have met this resistance if they had started as SaaS from day one. Day one for Agile Bits was in 2006, and a SaaS model just wouldn't have worked at that time. People would've just laughed at "renting software for a personal computer" (Mac OS X).
plg 10y ago
I've been waiting for a way to access my 1Password data on the web, e.g. from a Linux machine (no 1Password Linux client exists) so I'll gladly pay the subscription fee now that this exists. Also the quality of the software (in terms of user experience)---both on the desktop and on iOS---is fantastic. Also the ability to contact a human for support is excellent. In general I like to support high quality software using $. I am however nervous about the idea of storing all my passwords on someone else's server. If there ever were a security breach, imagine the consequence. Instead of "change your password, we've been hacked" it would be "change ALL 100 of your passwords, we've been hacked". Ugh.
- eropple 10y ago
  > I am however nervous about the idea of storing all my passwords on someone else's server. If there ever were a security breach, imagine the consequence. This doesn't necessarily follow, depending on the security model of the software you're using. If encryption/decryption is handled on the client, then a breach yields encrypted data rather than anything of use. (You can then attack the encryption on that data, sure, but that's a tall order to do wholesale.) Also, 1pass is (was? I haven't used it for a few years) handy for command-line access and it runs on Linux. https://github.com/georgebrock/1pass https://github.com/georgebrock/1pass
- chillaxtian 10y ago
  a security breach on the server wouldn't mean that your passwords are compromised. with the subscription model, they're protected by both your master password, and your account key (128? bit key generated at account creation). neither of those leave your computer.
- feld 10y ago
  https://icculus.org/1pass/ https://icculus.org/1pass/
Learn2win 10y ago
$600 for 10 years is a bit much for a password manager. I think may switch to readysignon (https://www.readysignon.com/ https://www.readysignon.com/) which is compatible with keepass.
- jasonlotito 10y ago
  How do you get $600? $3/month is $36/year. At 10 years, that's $360. Where do you get another $240 for the standalone product?
  - falcolas 10y ago
    Multi-user option, at $5 a month.
rcarmo 10y ago
I've been watching this carefully, because the subscription model has zero benefits for me and both Chrome and Safari have started to implement basic password management solutions that already do cloud syncing. They're weak and obscure, but usable, and 1Password's benefit is that it's smarter and prettier. However, I'm not keen on cloud sync that I don't control or that I can't audit somehow. So no AgileBits for me in the new model, ever, and if they drop the Dropbox sync option, I'll move everything to KeePass. Shame, though, the UX and integration with other apps in iOS is pretty nifty. But to be honest, I suspect AgileBits' market share to shrink significantly over time as browser and OS-based password managers become better.
newscracker 10y ago
In the recent past it definitely has seemed like AgileBits is struggling for revenue or looking at new and steady streams of revenue, which is where the subscriptions fit in. Although AgileBits has had responsive customer service (not always necessarily the same as useful or good customer service), it has made at least one prominent mistake that it had to backtrack out of after a long time. One was putting 1Password on the Mac App Store (MAS) and saying it would be "MAS only" (like Pixelmator) and refusing to provide a separate AgileBits store option, with the justification that MAS simplifies things (it probably did remove some overheads) and that it didn't want to maintain its own store, payment processing, etc. What was hypocritical of AgileBits was that it still had to maintain its store, payment processing, etc., for its Windows version of 1Password. Many customers complained, and complained quite a lot, on their forums, but AgileBits' attitude and response were very poor and seemed downright obstinate. After a long time, AgileBits realized that MAS wasn't that great (not sure of the reasons) and brought 1Password (Mac) to its store while retaining MAS as an option. The current push of a subscription model, while stating that standalone licenses continue to remain (although obscured on the site "to avoid confusion"), seems to be a repeat of history. The outcome is unknown at this point in time. Maybe a lot of people will find the subscription easier to use and force AgileBits to shutdown the standalone licensing model. Most people who belong to the consumer segment (those who do not make money with the software they use, like in the case of Adobe products) do not prefer subscriptions and like the flexibility of "owning software" (license) and having the freedom to choose when they would upgrade and at what price (in many cases waiting for some special discount sale). Hopefully, AgileBits will remove the obscurity of the standalone licenses and provide it prominently, because the current scheme just doesn't fit with what AgileBits as a company always aims to be. It's too cheap of AgileBits to do something like this. Also hopefully, the subscription models will continue to be optional (with standalone licenses available at reasonable prices) and perhaps segmented differently (with lower price points?) to attract customers for specific features that are of value to them. It would also be better for AgileBits to get into making other kinds of software applications instead of trying to squeeze more and more out of password management and shared password systems. I'm an occasional 1Password user on Windows, but I switched most of my passwords to the built-in browser based password management (since I mostly use only one or two browsers). For some other purposes, I use KeePass and KeeWeb (though 1Password's browser extensions, where they work, are quite convenient). I personally don't see a lot of value in getting 1Password anymore, and as for a subscription, that would be inappropriately wasteful.
rietta 10y ago
Does AgileBits being a Canadian company mean that the NSA and/or the FBI has full legal authority to intercept communications with the service without regard to the locality of the servers? Presumably they would be limited in what could be done on scale based upon the use of encryption for transport and of the vault itself, but does this change the threat profile vs Dropbox sync with respect to legal process?
DavideNL 10y ago
oh well.. there's so many apps that do this nowadays, i got used to it by now. As soon as the 'non-subscription-model' of the app is no longer actively developed i just dump it and switch to another app. There are plenty alternatives anyway.
gkanai 10y ago
I am a long time 1Password customer and have recommended the software to family and friends. This new subscription model was confusing when it launched and I am now more uncomfortable with the company's explanations and backtracking. There are other options for password management out there. If Agilebits are not super transparent about everything, users will leave for the competition. I am much less comfortable with Agilebits than I was pre-subscription model. The standalone version should be promoted equally on the website, not as a small link in the FAQ. I stopped buying Adobe products when they went to subscription as well.
somenomadicguy 10y ago
I've hit subscription model overload at this point. I've long-since stopped using most of the software and services in my life which are subscription based. I'm likely to just go back to an encrypted text file, and cutting & pasting passwords. You are not netflix, and I am not your personal ATM.
- saddestcatever 10y ago
  Seriously. I get that's it's good for business - but it's like mobile apps. I only have the capacity for a few, and all others are past saturation point.

95 points by deevus 10y ago

Their pricing fell a bit decisive as well: $2.99 and a bit smaller: "per month billed annually" I know breaking it down to the month is popular, but it makes 0 sense for me if the only way I can pay is anually and there is no way to pay monthly (even for a premium). Sorry, but I'm now over to Dashlane (clear $39.99/year)

tbrock 10y ago
Thanks for recommending this. We currently use 1password for our business but and while the Mac client is ok the teams website leaves a lot to be desired and no Linux client at this point is embarrassing. It's expensive too! You get the feeling that agile bits is ok at developing Mac and Windows software but basically has no idea about developing software for the web.
- lcarlson 10y ago
  Try http://genpass.supergenpass.com http://genpass.supergenpass.com ! :)
  - SpammingSugg 10y ago
    STOP spamming your stupid suggestion. Not only is GenPass a piss-poor design, it's DEPRECATED in favor of SuperGenPass and has been for a good long time now.
  - lcarlson 10y ago
    Woops! I actually meant to post super gen pass but at least the website I referenced points directly to super gen pass so it wouldn't be too hard to figure out I would hope!
jpkeisala 10y ago
This was also my decision to go with Dashlane. I spent some time testing different managers but Dashlane was the easiest to use and pricing was straightforward. I am working on different laptops/servers at customers I wanted one price with unlimited devices.

Esau 10y ago

I wasn't aware of this change, so I read the entire linked support thread. Although the company responders did some nice verbal gymnastics, I think it is pretty obvious that this is just mainly just a money grab on behalf of AgileBits. Additionally, several comments implied that AgileBits was hiding the option to buy a standalone license, so I looked at their pricing page[1]. I have to say I agree; it is not listed as an option alongside the two subscription options. In fact, you have to scroll all the way down, to the end of the FAQ, to even find a mention of it. [1]https://1password.com/sign-up/ https://1password.com/sign-up/ I'll concede that a subscription option might be better for some users, especially those using it on multiple devices, but I think AgileBits should not be hiding the regular license option.

brandur 10y ago
Completely agree. I personally have no problem using commercial software, but my password manager is one place where I suspect that I should be moving to open source in case I don't want to renew my license over some future pricing disagreement, and I lose access to some of my critically important property (passwords). It's tempting to think that we'll be able to keep our currently purchased standalone licenses in perpetuity, but I've already been dragged through at least one major version upgrade of 1Password to keep pace with new OS developments (for OS X and iOS). There were no new features that I needed or even wanted, but I paid the $50 (or whatever it was, I notice a new license is now $64.99!) anyway to maintain compatibility. Unfortunately, the landscape for open source alternatives doesn't seem particularly good. Some of those mentioned here like Keepass [1] look like they're usable, but are quite a far shot from 1Password's quality. [1] http://keepass.info/ http://keepass.info/
- bad_user 10y ago
  In another comment I mentioned these 3 KeePass ports: [1] https://keeweb.info/ https://keeweb.info/ [2] http://keepass2android.codeplex.com/ http://keepass2android.codeplex.com/ [3] https://minikeepass.github.io/ https://minikeepass.github.io/ I'm a former 1Password user and these work fine. The Android app is actually better than 1Password, and KeeWeb is better for me because it works on Linux as well and it gives me a full history of all edits (not just the password field). Plus being just one file, it is also easier to go back in time using Dropbox's version history. What you'll miss is the fancy browser extension, but for me that's fine, because a browser extension represents a huge security risk, and selecting a field in KeeWeb is painless as it has keyboard shortcuts. 1Password also has the capability for local network Wifi sync, which is really cool, but at least in my opinion they are moving away from this model and that feature will be gone.

danieldk 10y ago

I have been a paying customer since 2010 or so. We have done a trial of 1Password Family, but I just don't see the advantage for customers. You just get locked into someone's data silo and you cannot purchase upgrades anymore at your own leisure. I agree with those who say that it primarily benefits AgileBits. Sadly, my experience with other products that switched to a subscription model has been that at some point all kinds strategies ('incentives') are applied to get people to move to subscription licensing. So, I am carefully watching the situation as it unfolds.

ar0 10y ago

I know this question comes up time and time again, but as it seems a good fit here: What are the best password managers out there that do not force you to use their "cloud" for syncing between devices and are available on all major platforms? I am a very happy 1Password user up to now because of it's local wifi sync feature, but I think with this announcement the writing is on the wall: The standalone sync will go away sometime down the road to "improve" everyone's user experience by moving them to the cloud sync and the accompanying subscription revenue. So it might be a good time to explore (open source?) alternatives...

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
csixty4 10y ago
I've been pretty happy with Enpass. Runs on pretty much everything, syncs to your choice of cloud services.
- stock_toaster 10y ago
  This looks like a great alternative. Thanks! I will def keep this one in my back pocket in case 1password does indeed start to deprecate or mess with the standalone offerings.
rocqua 10y ago
I'd be surprised if any features were removed from the current standalone version. So basically, until need a software upgrade, either for compatibility or feature reasons, there are no issues. 1password major versions always cost money, so the only added cost is that of switching. With the current data-format of 1password being open-source, that shouldn't be that hard. As for alternatives, last time I looked (~3 months ago, when I was in the market for a password manager) I chose 1password because of their superior browser plugins. The contending alternatives were: - keepass (open source) - lastpass - dashlane
- dilap 10y ago

roflchoppa 10y ago

Is this why texting people passwords from one password does not work anymore? This shits whack, that was the one reason why I tried to get other people to use app, we could share passwords. Over this app, looking for something else.

wfleming 10y ago
I recently switched to Enpass[1] and am reasonably happy with it: it might be an alternative for you to consider as well. It's very much a 1Password ripoff, which I mean as a compliment: the UI will be familiar to you. It's not nearly as polished as 1Password, but there don't seem to be many native password managers that are. Their desktop clients are free, and their mobile clients are flat licenses (actually free downloads with limited functionality as a demo, and in-app purchase to unlock, but whatever). Sync options are actually a bit better than 1Password I think: the usual suspects like Dropbox are there, but you can also sync over your own webdav server if you want to. I switched because I wanted something that had a decent Linux client. If 1Password is going the way of subscription pricing, it seems like I made my switch none too soon. [1]: https://www.enpass.io/ https://www.enpass.io/
- ksec 10y ago
  Wow! Thx for the link, cant believe why i skip over enpass in my search.
- roflchoppa 10y ago
  Thanks dude I'll look it over. Wonder if there's any migration tool....
lcarlson 10y ago
Also check out http://genpass.supergenpass.com http://genpass.supergenpass.com. your passwords aren't stored and don't require sync!
- lcarlson 10y ago
  Actually this doesn't fulfill your sharing passwords requirement. It's still something I recommend you check out though at the very least for your personal passwords

zodiakzz 10y ago

The idea of using a cloud-based password manager has always sounded rather bizarre to me. For low priority sites I just use the PasswordMaker browser extension, and the KeePass app for the important ones.

rocqua 10y ago
The data format of 1password is open. There open source packages out there that can read and manipulate the vault which confirms this specification is true. The format has attracted quit a bit of scrutiny, and no-one has found a weakness. If the underlying crypto'd be broken your passwords are probably useless anyway.
nicky0 10y ago
It's not cloud based. It's a locally installed app with optional cloud syncing.

morgante 10y ago

Have they actually removed the standalone option? I'm perfectly happy with it (using iCloud sync) and will continue to be a happy 1Password user unless/until they force me to subscribe.

Esau 10y ago
It's a bit hidden but you can still license a standalone version.

simbalion 10y ago

Why pay for a password manager when keepass is free, more secure, and offers better features than all of the alternatives? http://keepass.info http://keepass.info

jordanlev 10y ago
Because "offers better features" is subjective, and to some people the design polish and UX of 1Password outshines that of KeePass.
aioprisan 10y ago
Because free software that doesn't offer the feature set and platforms out of the box actually costs me a lot of money in convenience and features that I use? YMMV.
raezmith 10y ago
It's a bit of a pain to set up on multiple devices/platforms. I have Keepass, MacPass+MacPassHTTP and KeepassDroid installed, plus chromelPass for autofill and bittorrent sync for sync. Each app has its own bugs and caveats, which adds to the time spent managing and using passwords. But hey, it's free.

Eva_Schweber 10y ago

Full disclosure, I work for AgileBits, the folks that make 1Password. I hear and appreciate your collective concerns that we are getting rid of the standalone license option. However, I'd like to assure you that not only are there no plans to get rid of it, we are continuing to develop the standalone version. We know that we have a critical mass of customers who appreciate the ability to store their password data outside of the cloud. And given that we are entirely customer funded, those are customers that we cannot and are not ignoring. Our subscriptions options remain new and we are still figuring a lot of things out. One of the ongoing issues has been customer confusion between licenses and account. That is why we have made it a bit harder to locate information about licenses on our site. Nothing insidious, just an attempt to make it easier for the majority of our customers to locate what they are looking for without confusing them. If anyone has any additional questions or concerns, I would encourage you to contact us directly at support+social@agilebits.com. Best, Eva

eeeeeeeeeeeee 10y ago
It's really hard to believe you aren't moving to a 100% subscription model, especially when the "standard license" is now effectively getting the legacy treatment on your product page. It doesn't feel like another version of your product, it feels like the one that is about to be dead.
cjcampbell 10y ago
As a long time user across platforms who has continued to pay for upgrades and has now licensed a Team and Family. I appreciate the direction you are heading, and I was more than willing to pay a recurring fee given how much the pace of development has picked up. Since 1Password hasn't had much support for teams and password sharing (e.g., for super admin or disaster scenarios), I have continued to support multiple managers across my clients. Due to their robust support for teams, Dashlane and Lastpass have been the most deployed. While these solutions are simple enough that my clients can make them work, they don't enjoy using them. Quite often, I've learned that they've hit enough obstacles that they don't even trust the tool and keep reusing the same weak passwords all over the web so that they can remember what they need. I'm rushing to move these same clients over to 1Password before the Teams promo ends. The attention to detail and subtle improvements to UX have been really well received. And today, I will be meeting with a non-profit board to convince them to get on board. I will take the opportunity to push a few requests (that I know you've heard before ... from me): 1) Many of my clients are required (by law) to provide access to their business records in case of their death. It'd be nice to give my family and employees access to certain accounts as well. Guest vaults with auditing are a step in the right direction, but I'd love to see time delayed access. I have an opportunity to reject access within a certain time frame (configurable). My concern here is that I don't want to rely on the security practices of the people I'm sharing with to protect these particular passwords. 2) Pairwise sharing with teammates and guests. I often need to share a single password/key (not a vault) in a pairwise fashion with several different people. Vaults are too much for one-off sharing, and the guest limits are pretty restrictive here. 3) Revised guest model. I believe Team accounts are capped at 20 guests and Families at 2. Why not cap the number of items in a guest vault (10-15 seems fair) instead? I'm assuming the restriction is there to prevent people from abusing the feature (totally understandable). But there are some valuable guest use cases for power users (and even everyday family users). I want to set up a vault for my housemates and another for the folks who sublet the extra offices in my lease. 1Password is the perfect place for me to store information about door codes, wireless networks, and a few other sensitive details that may be important if I'm not available. This could also get me off of LastPass/Dashlane completely for managing project-related passwords with clients. 4) Along the same lines, the Pro pricing for Team seems really high. I do need some of the functionality, but I can't imagine paying approx $150/user/year to get it (though maybe a $150/team/year to upgrade the feature set would feel reasonable even for my small team). I also know that I'll never be able to sell my smaller healthcare providers on it, even though the extra functionality would be valuable for compliance. 5) Referral/partnership arrangement. I am constantly onboarding clients onto password management solutions, and handling many of their day-to-day challenges. I'm not just thinking about financial incentives here. It'd be nice to have some partner oriented features in the application, like the ability to move a guest vault out to an independent team or audit-only access.

shostack 10y ago

I wonder if they would have met this resistance if they had started as SaaS from day one. I mean, I get the benefit to them of recurring revenue, but from a customer standpoint this is right up there with Adobe trying to force everyone to creative cloud (albeit handled much better imho). People viewed it as something you pay once for, and not something that warrants paying in perpetuity. Customers fully realize that increasing LTV for AgileBits means a massive price hike for them over multiple years if you do the May on percentage increase.

newscracker 10y ago
> I wonder if they would have met this resistance if they had started as SaaS from day one. Day one for Agile Bits was in 2006, and a SaaS model just wouldn't have worked at that time. People would've just laughed at "renting software for a personal computer" (Mac OS X).

plg 10y ago

I've been waiting for a way to access my 1Password data on the web, e.g. from a Linux machine (no 1Password Linux client exists) so I'll gladly pay the subscription fee now that this exists. Also the quality of the software (in terms of user experience)---both on the desktop and on iOS---is fantastic. Also the ability to contact a human for support is excellent. In general I like to support high quality software using $. I am however nervous about the idea of storing all my passwords on someone else's server. If there ever were a security breach, imagine the consequence. Instead of "change your password, we've been hacked" it would be "change ALL 100 of your passwords, we've been hacked". Ugh.

eropple 10y ago
> I am however nervous about the idea of storing all my passwords on someone else's server. If there ever were a security breach, imagine the consequence. This doesn't necessarily follow, depending on the security model of the software you're using. If encryption/decryption is handled on the client, then a breach yields encrypted data rather than anything of use. (You can then attack the encryption on that data, sure, but that's a tall order to do wholesale.) Also, 1pass is (was? I haven't used it for a few years) handy for command-line access and it runs on Linux. https://github.com/georgebrock/1pass https://github.com/georgebrock/1pass
chillaxtian 10y ago
a security breach on the server wouldn't mean that your passwords are compromised. with the subscription model, they're protected by both your master password, and your account key (128? bit key generated at account creation). neither of those leave your computer.
feld 10y ago
https://icculus.org/1pass/ https://icculus.org/1pass/

Learn2win 10y ago

$600 for 10 years is a bit much for a password manager. I think may switch to readysignon (https://www.readysignon.com/ https://www.readysignon.com/) which is compatible with keepass.

jasonlotito 10y ago
How do you get $600? $3/month is $36/year. At 10 years, that's $360. Where do you get another $240 for the standalone product?
- falcolas 10y ago
  Multi-user option, at $5 a month.

rcarmo 10y ago

I've been watching this carefully, because the subscription model has zero benefits for me and both Chrome and Safari have started to implement basic password management solutions that already do cloud syncing. They're weak and obscure, but usable, and 1Password's benefit is that it's smarter and prettier. However, I'm not keen on cloud sync that I don't control or that I can't audit somehow. So no AgileBits for me in the new model, ever, and if they drop the Dropbox sync option, I'll move everything to KeePass. Shame, though, the UX and integration with other apps in iOS is pretty nifty. But to be honest, I suspect AgileBits' market share to shrink significantly over time as browser and OS-based password managers become better.

newscracker 10y ago

In the recent past it definitely has seemed like AgileBits is struggling for revenue or looking at new and steady streams of revenue, which is where the subscriptions fit in. Although AgileBits has had responsive customer service (not always necessarily the same as useful or good customer service), it has made at least one prominent mistake that it had to backtrack out of after a long time. One was putting 1Password on the Mac App Store (MAS) and saying it would be "MAS only" (like Pixelmator) and refusing to provide a separate AgileBits store option, with the justification that MAS simplifies things (it probably did remove some overheads) and that it didn't want to maintain its own store, payment processing, etc. What was hypocritical of AgileBits was that it still had to maintain its store, payment processing, etc., for its Windows version of 1Password. Many customers complained, and complained quite a lot, on their forums, but AgileBits' attitude and response were very poor and seemed downright obstinate. After a long time, AgileBits realized that MAS wasn't that great (not sure of the reasons) and brought 1Password (Mac) to its store while retaining MAS as an option. The current push of a subscription model, while stating that standalone licenses continue to remain (although obscured on the site "to avoid confusion"), seems to be a repeat of history. The outcome is unknown at this point in time. Maybe a lot of people will find the subscription easier to use and force AgileBits to shutdown the standalone licensing model. Most people who belong to the consumer segment (those who do not make money with the software they use, like in the case of Adobe products) do not prefer subscriptions and like the flexibility of "owning software" (license) and having the freedom to choose when they would upgrade and at what price (in many cases waiting for some special discount sale). Hopefully, AgileBits will remove the obscurity of the standalone licenses and provide it prominently, because the current scheme just doesn't fit with what AgileBits as a company always aims to be. It's too cheap of AgileBits to do something like this. Also hopefully, the subscription models will continue to be optional (with standalone licenses available at reasonable prices) and perhaps segmented differently (with lower price points?) to attract customers for specific features that are of value to them. It would also be better for AgileBits to get into making other kinds of software applications instead of trying to squeeze more and more out of password management and shared password systems. I'm an occasional 1Password user on Windows, but I switched most of my passwords to the built-in browser based password management (since I mostly use only one or two browsers). For some other purposes, I use KeePass and KeeWeb (though 1Password's browser extensions, where they work, are quite convenient). I personally don't see a lot of value in getting 1Password anymore, and as for a subscription, that would be inappropriately wasteful.

rietta 10y ago

Does AgileBits being a Canadian company mean that the NSA and/or the FBI has full legal authority to intercept communications with the service without regard to the locality of the servers? Presumably they would be limited in what could be done on scale based upon the use of encryption for transport and of the vault itself, but does this change the threat profile vs Dropbox sync with respect to legal process?

DavideNL 10y ago

oh well.. there's so many apps that do this nowadays, i got used to it by now. As soon as the 'non-subscription-model' of the app is no longer actively developed i just dump it and switch to another app. There are plenty alternatives anyway.

gkanai 10y ago

I am a long time 1Password customer and have recommended the software to family and friends. This new subscription model was confusing when it launched and I am now more uncomfortable with the company's explanations and backtracking. There are other options for password management out there. If Agilebits are not super transparent about everything, users will leave for the competition. I am much less comfortable with Agilebits than I was pre-subscription model. The standalone version should be promoted equally on the website, not as a small link in the FAQ. I stopped buying Adobe products when they went to subscription as well.

somenomadicguy 10y ago

I've hit subscription model overload at this point. I've long-since stopped using most of the software and services in my life which are subscription based. I'm likely to just go back to an encrypted text file, and cutting & pasting passwords. You are not netflix, and I am not your personal ATM.

saddestcatever 10y ago
Seriously. I get that's it's good for business - but it's like mobile apps. I only have the capacity for a few, and all others are past saturation point.